From Swan Aesthetics the others went straight to the hairdresser, but I decided to go home and let Ivy deal with the issue of my hair. I was already weary from the first ordeal and didn’t think I could sit through any more grooming rituals. Besides, there was no one I trusted more than Ivy to get it right.
By the time I got home, Gabriel and Ivy were already dressed and ready. Gabriel was sitting at the kitchen table wearing a tux. His blond hair was slicked back, making him look like a cross between dreamy Hollywood actor and eighteenth-century gentleman. Ivy was standing at the sink washing up in a long, emerald-colored gown. Her flowing hair was loosely coiled in a knot at the nape of her neck. It was incongruous to see her looking more like a mirage than a human being, and wearing a pair of pink rubber gloves. It just went to show how little she cared about physical beauty. She waved at me when I came in, still holding her sponge.
“You look beautiful,” she said. “Shall we go upstairs and get that hair done?”
Ivy helped me into my gown first, smoothing and arranging the fabric so that it sat perfectly. In the dress I resembled a column of shimmering moonlight. My delicate silver slippers peeped out from beneath spools of fabric. My delight showed on my face.
“I’m glad you like it.” My sister beamed. “I know things haven’t gone exactly as you might have liked for tonight. But I still want you to look dazzling and have the time of your life.”
“You’re the best sister anyone could hope for,” I said and hugged her.
“Well, let’s not be hasty.” She laughed. “First, we’d better see what I can do with your hair.”
“Nothing complicated,” I said as she began to free it and shake it loose. “I just want it to… reflect me.”
“Don’t worry.” She patted my head reassuringly. “I know exactly what you mean.”
It didn’t take Ivy’s nimble fingers long to fashion my hair perfectly. It fell in natural waves, and she took two sections from the sides and wound them into braids that joined across the top of my head like a band. The rest she allowed to fall gently down my back. She laced the braids with a string of tiny pearls that complemented my dress wonderfully.
“It’s perfect,” I said. “I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
At six o’clock Xavier arrived to see me in my dress so we could pretend, at least for a little while, that our perfect evening hadn’t been ruined by one ill-timed tackle. I heard him downstairs chatting to Gabriel and instantly felt an armada of butterflies spring up in my stomach. I didn’t know why I was so nervous when being around Xavier usually felt as easy as breathing. I suppose I just wanted to impress him, to reassure myself that he loved me by the look on his face when I came down the stairs.
Ivy squirted me with an atomizer, took my hand, and walked with me to the top of the stairs.
“Will you go first?” I asked, swallowing apprehensively.
“Of course,” she smiled. “But I don’t think it’s me he wants to see.”
I watched Ivy descend gracefully and wondered why I had asked her to go first. Nobody could look elegant next to her — it was an impossible task, and I might as well have conceded defeat immediately. I heard Xavier applaud softly and make complimentary remarks. I knew that Gabriel would have been waiting at the bottom to take her arm. Now it was my turn and my family waited expectantly at the foot of the stairs.
“Coming down, Bethany?” I heard Gabriel ask.
I drew a deep breath and began my shaky descent. What if Xavier didn’t like the dress? What if I stumbled? What if he saw me and realized that I didn’t measure up to the girl he had created in his mind? The thoughts rushed through my brain like small bolts of lightning, but as soon as I rounded the curve in the stairs and saw Xavier standing below, all of my worries and inhibitions slipped away like flour in the wind. His face was turned upward, alight with anticipation. His eyes widened into two vivid pools when he saw me, and his mouth opened slightly in surprise. He was resting against the banister, his left ankle in a brace. He looked dazed, and I wondered if it was me that inspired such a reaction, or just the concussion.
When I reached the bottom, he took my hand and helped me down the last step, never once taking his eyes off me. They traveled over the contours of my face and body, drinking everything in.
“What do you think?” I asked, biting my lip hesitantly.
Xavier opened his mouth, shook his head, and closed it again. His blue eyes gazed at me with an expression even I couldn’t translate.
Ivy laughed. “Xavier, you’re a man of few words.”
“I think it’s more that words have failed me,” Xavier said, seeming to recover somewhat. The corner of his mouth crept up in his familiar half-smile. “They’d only be an understatement. Beth, you look incredible.”
“Thanks,” I murmured. “You don’t have to say that.”
“No, really,” he said. “I can hardly believe that you’re real. I feel like you might disappear if I close my eyes. I wish I could be there with you tonight just to see everyone’s face when you walk through the door.”
“Don’t be silly,” I scolded. “Everyone is going to look amazing.”
“Beth, have you seen yourself?” Xavier said. “You’re radiating light. I’ve never seen anyone look more like… well, like an angel.”
I blushed as he gently fastened a corsage of tiny white rosebuds around my wrist. I wanted to wrap my arms around his waist, wind my fingers into his schoolboy hair, trace the smooth skin of his face, and kiss his perfect, full lips. But I didn’t want to ruin Ivy’s careful work, so instead I leaned forward gingerly and gave him a single kiss.
I felt as though Xavier and I had barely spoken two words to each other when there came a knock at the front door. Gabriel went to answer it and came back with Jake Thorn at his elbow.
I wasn’t sure if I was imagining it, but Gabriel, who had seemed perfectly at ease a moment before, now seemed to be standing straighter. His jaw was clenched, and I could see the veins in his neck throb. Ivy, too, seemed to stiffen when she saw Jake, and her rain gray eyes took on a rare glazed look that meant she was alarmed by something.
Their reactions were disturbing and brought my own doubts about Jake flooding back. I caught Xavier’s eye. Something in his expression told me that the feeling of uneasiness was mutual.
Gabriel placed a hand heavily on my shoulder as he disappeared into the kitchen to get drinks. My siblings were usually wary of strangers; they’d warmed to Xavier and Molly but nobody else. Still, their guardedness toward Jake made me uncomfortable. What could they sense? What had he done in his lifetime to cause angels to flinch at his presence? I knew Ivy and Gabriel would never ruin the night by making a scene, and so I tried to dismiss silly notions from my head and enjoy the evening as best I could. Sensing I was on edge, Xavier stood close to my side, his warm palm pressed against the small of my back in a gesture of support.
Jake, on the other hand, seemed completely unaware of the effect he’d had on us. He wasn’t wearing a tux as I’d expected but fitted black pants and a leather aviator jacket. Trust him, I thought, to choose the unconventional option. It was dramatic though, which was probably why he liked it.
“Good evening all,” Jake said and strolled over to me. “Hello, baby, you look great.”
“Hi, Jake.”
I stepped forward to greet him, and he took my hand, bringing it to his lips. I saw a flicker of something close to anger cross Xavier’s face, but in the next moment it was gone and he stepped forward to shake Jake’s hand.