Page 192 of Sincerely, Butterfly

While on the inside, I’m going to love every moment of it.

I got a taste of what they’re made of, and I’m fucking starving for more.

“Bring it on, boys.” I grin down at my phone, then over to the letter on the bed. “Show me what you got.”

“Girl,” Callie’s voice sounds thick with emotion. “I can’t right now.”

“What?” I ask, spinning around to look at her. She’s fanning her face, looking like she’s holding back tears. “God, is it that bad?” I ask, eyes widening in horror.

“Bad?” she asks. “God no. It’s so fucking stunning. Nola, you look like a goddess.”

“Really?” I ask, a smile curling on my lips. “You think so?”

Turning back to look at myself in the mirror, I can’t help but feel beautiful. This dress is gorgeous. It fits like a glove, hugging me in all the right places.

“I love it.” I run my hands over the fabric that hugs my stomach. “I can’t believe they really picked this out themselves.”

“They have good taste. And seem to know you better than we thought,” Callie comments.

She’s coming to the party, too, and is dressed in a long, form-fitting red gown. Her long black hair is hanging in loose curls, the right side pinned back, showing off her ruby red earrings.

Sitting on her face is a blood red and black masquerade mask.

“Ready?” Callie asks me.

“I think so.” I chew on my lower lip, then curse when I realize I’m rubbing off my lipstick. “Ugh, just a second.” I quickly fix it, making sure nothing is left behind on my teeth. “I’m a mess.”

“You’re nervous, and I think it’s adorable. Slice a girl's neck open without blinking, no problem. Face the men you've been chasing after for months, and that's a whole other ball game.”

“It really is,” I sigh, turning to face her. “I hope tonight goes well. I don’t know what else to do if it doesn’t.”

“It’s going to be fine. If they didn’t want you, they wouldn’t have invited you.”

“That's not true. They could be trying to get me alone so they could punish me for everything I’ve done.”

Callie gives me a coy smile. “Oh, I’m sure they want to punish you.” She wiggles her brows.

“Stop,” I laugh, although the idea sparks a fire in my belly. “You know that's your brother you're talking about.”

She wrinkles her nose. “Never mind. We gotta get going.”

“Okay, but where?” I ask. “We still don’t have an address.”

“Garrett is on his way to pick us up. We’re not allowed to know the address. Brotherhood business and all that jazz.”

“You just called him Garrett,” I point out with a giggle, grinning at her.

Her brows furrow. “Don’t you start.” She points a finger at me.

“Oh, come on!” I laugh. “Just admit it, you like him.”

“I do not.” She gapes like it’s the most offensive thing I could have said.

“Whatever you say, bestie.” I shake my head, heading toward the door.

“Don’t forget this.”

Callie hands me my mask. I smile as I take it. The day I found the dress, I didn’t notice the box on the floor of my closet until after I went back to admire the dress.