Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 138775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 694(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 463(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 694(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 463(@300wpm)
He gave me a funny look. “And you don’t want me to see that? Are you afraid I have a foot fetish or something?”
I laughed, but inside, I was chastising myself. He was such a nice man—and it felt like I’d hurt him over and over lately. I took a deep breath. “I’d really like a little time here by myself.”
Hurt flickered across his face. “Because of the time you and your mom spent here?”
Relief filled me, and I jumped on that. “Yes.”
“I get it.” He gave me a quick kiss on the temple, patted my arm, and walked away.
It was the kiss that did it. “Lucas, wait.”
God, I was a terrible person. But lying suddenly felt worse than hurting him.
He turned, an eyebrow raised.
“I, um… what I told you just now was a lie, and I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to hurt you.”
He returned, looking confused. “You’ve got this look on your face like you’re about to tell a little kid that Santa isn’t real.”
That seemed easier than this situation. “The thing is… I saw a dress back there. One that I really liked.”
“So you’d rather get that one?”
“If it fits, I want to get both. Because…” Crap, this was hard. “Because I need a dress for tomorrow night, too.”
It took him a moment to understand, and then his face fell. “For your date with Kyle.”
Shit.
“I’m sorry. Truly sorry. I want you to know there isn’t a single person I’d rather have by my side at the wedding tomorrow. Not Kyle. Not Jayden. Not even Hailey. You’ve been wonderful, and I feel like the world’s most horrible person, but… but I do need something for it. It sounds like a pretty fancy place.” Not that I had any clue where or what it was.
Lucas was silent for a long moment. I waited, bracing for an anti-Kyle tirade. Or the kind of hurt silence that cut deeper. But finally, he nodded. “So why don’t you go try it on?”
Relief flooded me, settling right next to the guilt. “Thank you. How about I meet you up front in ten minutes?”
He shook his head. “What if you need help zipping it up, too?”
I let out a shaky breath. “I couldn’t ask you to—”
“You’re not asking me to. I volunteered.” His expression was unreadable, his eyes darker than usual.
“But… I can’t ask you to help me shop for a dress for—” For a date with a man you hate, I concluded silently, feeling like garbage.
He sighed. “I was there when he dared you, Tori. He told you to wear something that makes you feel sexy. I’m not thrilled with the idea of helping you find a dress for a date with him, but I would like to help you find something you feel good in. I’m kind of curious about the dress you spotted before.”
His response left me speechless. After a long moment, I squeezed his hand and led him over to the clothing racks again. I quickly found the dress that had made my breath catch in my throat before. “Don’t look until I put it on, okay?” It was messed up to want him to think I looked pretty in it—but I did.
“All right.”
Leaving the shopping cart with him, I went to try it on.
The front and back of the beautiful gown were lower cut than the one for tomorrow, so I was able to zip it up myself. Then I stepped out of the dressing room to see it in the better lighting in front of the three-way mirror.
The dress was glamorous, a form-fitting evening gown in a champagne-toned satin fabric. It had spaghetti straps, so I slid my bra straps down my arms and tucked them into the bodice of the dress. It had a deep V neckline—low enough to feel daring, but not so low that I’d be too shy to wear it. Even if I had been, I doubted I could’ve resisted such a beautiful dress.
Somehow, it both hugged my curves and accentuated them. Delicate silver beading sparkled when I moved. There was a high slit over one thigh that I’d have to be careful about, but the overall look was elegant, like something out of an old movie. I felt like a combination of a princess and a femme fatale.
A dark shape appeared in my peripheral vision and then Lucas was there, standing behind me like he had before. Staring at the dress in the mirror. He was silent for a long, drawn-out moment. Then he swept my hair back over my shoulder on one side, as if to see the bodice better.
Anxiously, I stared at his face in the mirror. It was so damn selfish to hope he liked it, but I couldn’t help it.
Finally, he spoke. “Tori, you, uh… you look—” He let out a soft laugh, shaking his head. “Yeah, I’ve got nothing. You look absolutely unreal.”