Page 45 of Broken Love

“I cannot wait for that man to get knocked off his feet by a woman,” Lux laughs as she enters my closet, where we notice five more brand-new dresses have appeared in the center on a hanging rack, tags attached. “I guess they knew you’d need a dress,” she sighs. I scowl.

“They need to stop doing this,” I mutter as I finger through the material. All of it is softer than silk and will feel amazing on my body.

“I don’t think they ever will. These men have been working most of their adult lives to build a fortune, and they’ve had no one to spend it on until they met you. Let them. And once in a while, persuade them to donate triple that amount to various charities.” Her eyebrows wiggle to indicate how I could persuade them.

“They already do that.” I wrote a million-dollar check for a homeless organization just last week.

“Well, alright. They could always donate it to a broke sister-in-law, too.” She’s laughing about it, and I know she’s joking, but it’s not a bad idea.

“Is it bad?” I ask her. We’ve never talked about finances or debt. I know she grew up like me—a mom working too much just to survive while pining for a man who could never love them.

“Just student loans, mostly. The interest keeps going up, and it’s making things tighter.” She shrugs it off. “I’ll figure it out; I always do.”

I know she’s too proud to ask for help or even accept my offer, but I do anyway. “If you need anything-” She waves me off before I can finish.

“I was only teasing, Windy, I promise. I’m fine.” I nod but make a mental note to figure out how to pay that off for her. “I am really loving this baby-blue one.” She takes the dress off the rack.

It’s short, probably mid-thigh, with thin straps. The neckline is a square cut lower than I ordinarily wear but will give me lots of cleavage. Lux turns it, and I see there’s a slit on one side of the skirt, and the back dips in a v from the straps to the waistline where it would rest just above my ass.

“Definitely this one,” she grins. “Try it on.” Shoving it at me, I have no choice but to take it.

Retreating to the bedroom, I remove my clothes as well as my bra because I won’t be able to wear it with the dress, then I slip it on. The material is like fine butter and glides across my skin as I pull it up my body. I was right about the length, and the back is very revealing. Adjusting my breasts, I stand in front of the mirror.

“Wow,” I gasp. I love the way I look. Even with my boobs ready to spill out, I’ve never felt so gorgeous.

“I knew it. Put these on with it.” She hands me a pair of white, three-inch stilettos and offers a hand as I slip into them.

Lux spends the next two hours doing my hair and makeup, insisting I’ll knock Tanner and Tucker off their feet with how gorgeous I look. While I doubt I look that good, I do admit she’s a master at enhancing my facial structure. With a smoky eye, light pink lipstick, and my naturally wavy hair that she fashioned in a half up, half down do, I feel stunning and ready for the night.

CHAPTER 19

Tucker

Ihaven’t played rock, paper, scissors since we were kids and fighting over who would have to take Arden to the park, but tonight, it paid off. I’m waiting outside for Windsor to arrive while Tanner is at our reserved table in a private room, helping some of the wait staff set everything up.

When we proposed to Windsor, it was spur of the moment…impulsive. We had wanted it to be much more lavish despite her repeatedly telling us that she didn’t need the opulence we often provided and longed to give her.

Subconsciously, we’re probably trying to make up for the lack of love Windsor received from the only father figure in her life. We can’t help but want to spoil her. I’m really hoping she wears one of the new dresses we had sent to the apartment today. All of them were more revealing than she ordinarily wears, and that’s largely for our benefit because staring at her body makes us both hot and bothered.

Rechecking my watch, I begin to get agitated that she’s now five minutes late. I know it’s likely due to traffic, but I don’t have to like it. With the exclusivity of Clancy’s, we’ve booked a table outside of our room for Jeremy and Benton to have their own dinner. The men are exactly what we wanted for Windsor’s safety when we hired them—discreet and focused.

A light breeze kicks up in the evening air, and as I stare at the sky, which was clear and blue an hour ago, I notice dark thunderclouds ominously rolling their way across the city. Just as a limo pulls up to the curb, rain begins to sprinkle down.

Jeremy exits the car, frowning when he feels the droplets on his face. Reaching back in, he pulls out an umbrella before offering Windsor a hand, and as she steps out, I damn near swallow my tongue.

She’s wearing the light-blue dress paired with white heels, and I salivate for a fuller look and taste of her. Jeremy escorts her to me, where I wait below the underhang of the restaurant’s sign for cover.

“Holy fuck.” Wiping my mouth, I offer a hand and guide her to spin for me temptingly. The fingers of my other hand graze across her bare back before sliding down her ass. “You look phenomenal.” Her blush is endearing and only adds to the innocent appeal of what she’s wearing.

“Thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself.” Glancing down, I feel under-dressed with how fine she looks—good enough to have just come off a runway.

Jeremy closes the umbrella and opens the door for us to enter. Windsor thanks him, and he gives her a grunt. It’s the most he communicates, and I appreciate it. I have no doubt anyone else would try stealing her away from us.

“Where’s Tanner?” She glances around, but he’s nowhere in sight.

“Would you believe me if I said he didn’t come?” What I don’t anticipate with my stupid joke is the threat of tears in her eyes.

“Are you serious?” Her chin wobbles.

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