“Then I suppose this is the dress we’re going with.” Mom polishes off the rest of her champagne, and that’s that. I’m going to spend the entire ceremony hoping nobody is looking at my butt cheeks. Then again, what else was I going to be doing? Gritting my teeth while pretending there’s nothing gross about watching her play the happy, perfect wife so glowingly in love with her Prince Charming?

At least this is over now. We leave the store with our dresses safe in their zipped-up bags, and immediately James jumps out of his shiny Mercedes to help us. “Everything go well?” he asks after kissing Mom. “I want everything perfect for my bride.”

“Everything already is, honey.” I hate the breathy, soft sound of her voice when she talks to him. James takes my dress and carefully lays it out in the trunk along with Mom’s.

But when I make a move to join them in the car, Mom shakes her head. “No, you’re not coming with us.” When James turns her way, probably because of the shrill way she said it, she quickly smiles. “Your brothers are picking you up. In fact, here they come.” Yes, unfortunately, a familiar truck is now pulling into the parking lot. My heart sinks while a bitter taste fills my mouth.

James is wearing sunglasses, so I can’t see his full expression, but there’s something unhappy in the way his mouth tightens. “I thought the three of us were going to go to lunch.”

“I wanted it to be just the two of us, honey.” She runs a hand over the back of his head. “I was only thinking about you and me spending a little time together before things get crazy.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I mutter, even though the idea of getting in the truck with the two of them makes my heart threaten to burst out of my chest. I’m sure they’re not thrilled about having to spend time with me any more than I am about spending time with them. The only difference is, I’m not the one who’s going to use this as an excuse to be a vile piece of shit.

The second I open the door, Colt’s voice assaults my ears. “Hurry up. We’re going to be late.”

Oh, no. If it wasn’t for Mom and James watching, I would close the door and head for the nearest bus stop. I have to grit my teeth through climbing in, even though my instincts are telling me to do anything but. “Late for what?” I ask once I’m belted.

“You’re starting work at the gym today,” Nix informs me. I catch his gaze in the rearview mirror. “Surprise.”

“But I’m not ready for this.”