Ryan’s reluctance seemed to dissipate with every piece of clothing she tried on. Not only did she look better than she’d probably ever looked, she felt confident in a way that she hadn’t before. “What do you think?” she asked as she emerged from the dressing room in black skinny jeans, heels, a textured yellow top, and a light blazer with a muted floral print. It was an outfit she’d never choose for herself—even if a less expensive version existed—but she had to admit it came together nicely.

Ben was sitting casually in the large slate gray chair outside the fitting rooms, his long arms draped on either side of him over the back of it. His eyes raked over her as they had each time she’d asked for his opinion. He didn’t look like he was studying the clothing so much as he was studying her. His gaze warmed her as she stood in front of him. “We’ll take it,” he said to Charlotte, but his stare never left Ryan.

Of the ten or so outfits she’d tried on, only two of them hadn’t made the cut.

“I guess I’ll do the dresses now,” Ryan said. She wasn’t sure why she’d opted to save the dresses for last when that was the only piece of clothing that was an absolute necessity, but she was happy she did. Trying on everything else had given her a chance to adjust to what apparently would be her style for Connecticut.

“Start with the gold one,” she heard Ben call once the door closed behind her.

She flipped through the hangers until she found the gown that Charlotte had insisted would look “fabulous” on her. But feeling as though the netted sequins were a little too much for her taste, Ryan had tried to disagree. The woman may have done this for a living, but there was no way Ryan would be comfortable walking around sparkling like Edward Cullen in sunlight. Especially since the last thing she wanted to do once she met Ben’s family was draw any more attention to herself than necessary.

Once she’d stepped into the dress, Charlotte helped zip it up and then clipped it in a few spots so she could see what it would look like when it was fitted. She emerged from the dressing room and looked into the tri-fold mirror so she could see herself from various angles. “It looks better than I expected it to.”

“You look absolutely stunning,” Charlotte said. “The A-line and sheer yoke complement your figure.”

Ben, who had risen from the chair to walk over to where Ryan and Charlotte were standing, looked at Charlotte and then to the dress and then back to Charlotte.

Finally, the woman seemed to understand Ben’s silent question. He had no clue what she was talking about. “I mean the cut of the dress and the sheer part on top look good on her.”

“Oh, gotcha,” Ben replied as he crossed his arms over his broad chest and nodded.

Ryan spent the next ten minutes or so trying on a few more. In her opinion, all of them looked good enough to wear to a wedding where she barely knew anyone, but she figured she’d try on all the ones that Charlotte had pulled for her before making any final decisions.

Eventually she’d gone with a white dress with coral lace overlay that came right above the knee for the rehearsal dinner—which she’d forgotten she’d have to attend—and a floor-length royal-blue satin gown for the wedding. From the moment she’d put it on, she’d loved it. The shoulder strap with rhinestone detail added enough glitz without making her feel too flashy. Because even though she was going to be someone else for a few days, she still wanted to be herself too.

Charlotte took all her measurements so the dresses and a few of the outfits could be altered, and Ben paid the astronomically large bill, reminding Ryan once again how out of her element she truly was.

Ben grabbed the bags, and they headed back out to the street, where he had an SUV waiting for them.

“We can walk,” Ryan said. “It’s only a few blocks. I’ll help you carry the bags.”

Ben smiled as he set the bags down and helped Ryan into the car. “We could if we were going home.”

“If we’re not going home, where are we going?” Something in Ben’s eyes told her she probably didn’t want to know the answer, but her curiosity had won out.

“An acting class.”

* * *

“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” Ryan said, her eyes wide as they stared at each other in the back seat of the car. “I can’t act.”

“Then we’re going to the right place,” he answered simply.

“No. We’re not. This is going to be humiliating.”

He cocked his head to the side, urging her to be realistic. “Have you ever gone to one?”

“No.”

“Well, then you have no prior experience to base your assumptions on. You might be the best one in the class.”

“That’s insulting to everyone else who’s going to be there.” She let her head fall back against the headrest and blew a frustrated sigh through her nose.

“I think you’re exaggerating. I think you’ll like it.”

She turned toward him, her head never leaving its place against the back of the seat. “Are we just stating what we think? Because if so, I want a turn.” She stared at him like she was trying to decide on an appropriate insult. “I think you’re psychotic.”

Ben laughed softly. He knew she was being overly dramatic on purpose, which only made him want to torture her more. But he also had a feeling some of her reservations were deeply rooted inside her. “I disagree. I’ve never worn a straitjacket in my life.”

“Well, maybe it’s time you start.”

Though Ryan’s reaction amused him, Ben grew serious. He slid a little closer to her and reached an arm around her, squeezing her shoulder. “I know you’re worried about not being able to pull all this off. And I don’t want to dismiss that. I figured doing something like this might set your mind at ease a little. You’re embarrassed now, but at least you’ll probably feel more comfortable once we get up to Connecticut.” He raised his eyebrows at her and waited for her to agree. When she didn’t, he added, “Plus, it can’t be worse than ice-skating, right?”

He could tell she was trying to fight a smile. “Oh yeah? Why’s that?”

“Because this time I have no idea what the hell I’m doing either.”

Ryan stared blankly at him for a moment before responding. “Well, that’s comforting,” she said as they pulled up in front of a brick building and the driver put the car in park and got out.