Read Online The Billionaire's Forever by Ava Claire - Free Book Online

this means more to me than I can even say."
    She used her t-shirt to wipe her eyes. "You're gonna be absolutely gorgeous."
    I chewed on my bottom lip. "Yeah?"
    "Hell yeah." She pulled her hair up, her face going serious. "I've already informed Jacob that billionaire or not I will seriously injure him if he breaks your heart."
    "Is that right?" I laughed, sitting back down.
    She gave me a solemn nod before bursting into laughter. "I better go get ready for school. Call me the minute you're back in the States, okay?"
    I gave her a salute and stared at the blank screen for a few minutes after she signed off before admiring the bracelet. Wiping a few happy tears that swept down my cheek, I went back to the rack where my dress hung.
    The dress I'd wear when I became Mrs. Whitmore.
     

****
     
    I stood in front of the full length mirror and I could barely recognize myself. My eyes swept up from the floor, over the glossy layers of the chiffon, fingers guiding the way until I stopped at the sash, inhaling as Naomi did a slow circle around me, tucking and smoothing.
    “It’s really happening,” I said softly, butterflies beating in my stomach. My cheeks flushed and my hands were clammy with sweat. “I’m really getting married.” I paused at my lips, almost bringing my hand to my mouth before I realized I would have smudged the beautiful job Naomi had done. All the joy and excitement I felt came through the glow of my cheeks. My brown eyes were enhanced and rich. My lips were lush with just the right amount of gloss to make me tremble as I wondered what it would be like to kiss him after our vows were exchanged.
    To be his wife.
    I felt the tears come back and Naomi clucked her tongue with disapproval. “No crying! You’ll mess up my work,” she chided, but not even her frown could hide the hint of a smile. She came back toward me with a small bunch of tropical pink flowers. “Hibiscus for your hair.”
    I turned back to the mirror, lowering myself so the petite woman had better access to my hair. I couldn’t get over how she made the braids work with my curls without me looking like a hot mess. She’d parted the front of my hair into four sections and after taming the wiry bunches, braided each into a fishtail. Then she connected each strand and pinned it towards the back. When she finished, my hair was sleek in the front, with the braids acting as a headband with a few free tendrils drifting down my shoulders. The back was conditioned and springy instead of frizzy and poofy. She was right about how it would bring together casual and sleek. It captured the island’s relaxed vibe but the order and soft curls made it sophisticated.
    I stood still as she pinned the flowers strategically, giving me a pop of color that brought the whole look together. When she finished, she stood back.
    “What do you think?”
    I turned back to the mirror, finding new things to love. “It looks amazing.” My fingers hovered above the flowers. “Everything is so perfect.”
    She studied me for a minute, crossing her arms. “There’s one thing left to do. A call to make--but I only want you to make it if you want to, not out of a feeling of obligation or duty.”
    My brow furrowed as I peered at her in the mirror. “What?”
    She came back forward, her blue silver eyes on my hair as she fussed over a curl.
    “Most people that come here are trying to escape.” Her painted features cracked slightly, her lips trembling, eyes fluttering rapidly like she was holding back tears. “This place can make you feel like there is no world outside the trees, the beaches, the water.” She was looking into the mirror, but I could tell it wasn’t her reflection that she saw. She was a million miles away, replaying her own story. I tilted my head to the side, studying the pretty girl who should have been pledging some sorority, breaking hearts, writing papers on Marx and cramming for tests. Instead, she was the personal assistant and stylist to the