I frown, straightening from my lazy, slouched position. “Why?”
“You didn’t think I was taking you shopping and not dragging you out, did you? It’s a Thursday. Come on, babe. We have permission from the big man, so let’s go.”
“Did you just call my boyfriend ‘the big man’?”
“Repeating what he said.” She throws the dress at me and dangles the heels from her fingers.
We’re having words about that. In no place, ever, should Aaron refer to himself as ‘the big man.’ Joking or serious. Just, no.
I stand with a sigh and take the dress into Liv’s room. Honestly, all I want to do is curl up in front of the TV, cry a little over some goofy movie, and gorge myself on popcorn and chips and candy. It doesn’t escape my attention that the last two times I’ve gone for a night out have been forced on me.
Perils of having a party-animal best friend.
“Has that guy at work noticed you yet?” I ask when she rolls her jeans down her legs.
“Jackson? No.” She pulls her top over her head and strolls to her closet. Yes, she’s also completely comfortable in her own skin and isn’t afraid to show her bare ass in a v-string. “And if I undo another button on my shirt, I’ll be arrested for indecent exposure. Trust me—orange isn’t my color.”
I straighten the blue dress against my thighs and smile as she whips a black dress out. “You’ll figure it out.”
“Eh.” She shrugs, slinking into her own outfit. “Guys are guys. Eventually he’ll notice me, but I’ll be locked up with some hot-as-hell guy who knows how to play my body like a f**king violin.”
And she has a clear idea of what she wants from life.
Why is she still single?
I allow her to tease my hair into a head of curls but put a stop at the makeup. That I will do myself, thank you.
After an excruciatingly long hour, both of us are ready and raring to go. We grab our purses and head down the elevator to the bottom floor, but when we get there, it’s not a cab waiting.
It’s a f**king chauffeured car, and the door is being held open.
“What’s going on?” I turn to my best friend, and the traitorous bitch has secrecy written all across that smug-ass grin on her face.
“In.” She takes my hand and pulls me outside, practically shoving me into the car.
The door slams behind her, and I repeat my question. She grins wider.
This whole day has been a setup. I’d bet anything Aaron is behind it. What the hell is he up to now? What in the fricking Hell is even going on?
We drive until we arrive at the Southfall, and my heart skips several beats. I’m almost sure it’ll stop beating, and I allow Liv to lead me into the hotel and to the reception area.
A guy I don’t know is sitting behind the counter, and he takes one look at us and tells us to head to the elevator. I follow her blindly, and what the f**k is happening? What is this? Why am I in a hotel? This isn’t a night out. This isn’t a girls’ night. I don’t understand. What the hell?
“Don’t hate me,” Liv says insincerely, stopping outside the ballroom. Mischief is rife in her eyes, sparkling dangerously, and I run my tongue along my top lip.
She pushes open the door, and I freeze. Everyone. Standing. In front of me.
Monique. Aunt Leigh. Aaron’s parents. Some of the girls. More. Everyone. People—everywhere. Lining the walls, leaning against the bar, sitting at a few tables.
And Aaron.
In the middle of it all is Aaron. Clad in a tailored suit that hugs him like a second skin, he turns slowly, his eyes finding mine, and smiles. It’s a slow smile, one that screams, “Surprise!” and one that warms every part of me.
“Happy birthday,” Liv says softly. “And surprise.”
I cover my mouth with my hand when she lets go, and she steps to the side. Aaron walks across the ballroom and stops in front of me, his hand taking mine from my face.
“You did this?” I whisper, looking up at him.
He nods. “For you.”
I swallow hard, and with my fingers linked with his, I look around the room, past the people. To the red-white-and-blue-striped flags dangling over the bar. To the table cloths in the same color. To the spread of food along one wall, all French, all my favorite things. To the endless wine bottles next to it, again all French. To the cake in the shape of the Eiffel Tower—something that shouldn’t even be f**king possible.
“What?” I whisper. “How? Why?”
Aaron rests his hand against my cheek and turns my face to his. “Because you are the single most important person in my life, and you deserve nothing less than the absolute best. You didn’t mention anything about your birthday and I wanted to give you a day you won’t forget. And the French theme…” He smiles. “It was a no-brainer, sweetheart.”
I wrap my arms around his neck, not giving a crap about everyone watching us, and his arms circle my waist in the same tender way.
“Thank you,” I whisper. “Thank you for being the most infuriating, demanding, requiring, relentless man I’ve ever met in my life.”
He smiles against my skin. “I’m reminding you, Day. It’s a double-edged sword. The French theme is to remind you that, no matter what, no matter what is thrown our way, no matter what we have to fight through, our love will always bring us back to each other.”
I squeeze my eyes shut. I know this. I know that, despite all the bullshit life can throw at us, all the lies and the manipulation and the pressure, I know we’ll always find a way back to each other.
When you have the kind of love that flows through your veins as easily as your blood does, there’s no escaping it.
I release him and smile. “Always. No reminding needed. I require you to love me always, Mr. Stone. Okay?”
He lowers his lips to mine and kisses me sweetly. “I can deal with that requirement, Miss Black. In fact, I believe it’s a given. Now you have guests to attend to, and I’m being incredibly rude by keeping you all to myself.”
“You are.” I smack his chest lightly. “I’ll have a glass of wine while I greet my aunt.”
He raises an eyebrow, his lips quirking with the movement. “Demanding, are we?”
“You betcha.”
He winks and kisses me once more before heading toward the bar. I turn to my aunt, who is standing by my side, and another wave of emotion fills me at the raw sight in her eyes.
Before I can move, Aunt Leigh envelopes me in her arms and holds me close to her. She holds me tighter than she ever has before, and I return her embrace.