ladies.”
Holly picked up her own smaller bouquet, thinking about what Ember had said. Was Saint feeling as nervous as she was? She wasn’t really sure what to say to him when she saw him, and worried what he wanted to say to her. She hadn’t imagined the first male to make her feel something would be the one male in the world for her—her fated mate.
Ember sighed and stroked her arm. “Come on. Quicker you see him again, the quicker you’ll feel better. Just treat it like a date. You’ve had dates before.”
“Yeah, but not with my fated one.” And not with a male she wanted. She didn’t need to say that for Ember to hear it, knew it as her friend gave her a sympathetic, warm smile. Holly blew out her breath. “What if I do something wrong? What if I make a fool of myself?”
By fool of herself, she meant hurling herself at Saint and climbing him like a tree in front of everyone to stake a claim on him.
When they had returned to the Creek, she had been faced with not only the brothers and their mates. She had been faced with half of her pride, and among the people who had made it to the Creek were close to a dozen unmated females.
All of them more beautiful than she was.
“What if Saint…” She couldn’t bring herself to say it.
Ember pulled her into a hug. “Now you’re talking crazy. I saw the way he looked at you, Holly. Saint is going to live up to his name. He’s not going to be interested in anyone but you.”
Gods, she hoped so, because she wasn’t sure she would survive the blow if the one male she wanted ended up being more interested in someone else.
It was nerves talking. She was getting herself worked up over nothing, something which Ember had assured her was perfectly natural for a female when they found their true mate.
“If he so much as looks at another woman, we’ll set the brothers on him… but not in a vicious brawl kind of way. I think he’s had enough of that. I meant it in a make them corner him and teach him how a woman should be treated kind of way. Oh heck, screw getting the men involved. We’ll do the cornering and teaching.” Ivy beamed at her and Holly knew she was serious. “No man in this world can stand up to us ladies when we stick together.”
It felt good to have Ivy, Gabi and Ember on her side. She had always wanted sisters, and Ember had grown to be like one for her, and now she had two more. She would swap her brothers for them in a heartbeat if she could have them as her real family.
She followed Ember out into the chilly afternoon air, breathed through her nerves as her gaze lifted to the marquee. Had Saint come? She hoped he had.
Flint anxiously shifted foot-to-foot outside the marquee, a look of relief crossing his face as he spotted the brides, Ember and Holly.
“About time,” he muttered and looked them all over, flashing them a grin. “Ladies, you all look incredible. Let’s get this show on the road. I need a beer. Someone brought their new baby with them and Yasmin is melting into a puddle over the chubby little bastard.”
Holly tried not to smile, but Flint noticed her lips wobbling and frowned at her.
“I’d watch it… I swear Saint was looking fit to want one of his own just a second ago.” Flint waved her away when her eyes widened. “I kid. I kid. I think maybe he wanted to eat it.”
“Flint,” Ember snapped.
Holly was too busy staring at the entrance of the marquee to chastise him herself, her heart drumming as awareness grew inside her, bringing her nerves back to the surface. Saint was in there. He had come.
And he was going to see her in this dress.
An urge to bolt shot through her.
Gabi pushed her forwards. “March your butt in there. Running solves nothing. Believe me.”
Holly steeled herself and focused straight ahead of her, trying to shut out the rest of the world as the music started and she walked forwards. She felt Saint’s eyes on her the second she entered, the feel of his intense gaze heating her blood to a thousand degrees and making her heart pound. She tried to keep her eyes off him, but couldn’t.
One glance was all it took to suck the air from