Page 81 of Why Not Now?

“Well.” Lis says, a sly grin on her face. “You learn something new every day.”

“Not necessarily something I wanted to learn,” Adalie says haltingly. “I’m just glad I don’t know any of your secrets.”

Lis laughs. “I could tell you some if you want.”

Adalie flushes even more pink than Lacey as I pull the dress over my head to hide the marks.

“That’s all right,” Adalie says. “I’m happy living in ignorant bliss, not knowing any more than I have to about my best friends’ sex lives.”

Lacey turns back to me as soon as I’m dressed. “Can I ask a question?”

“Of course,” Lis says, though I’m a little nervous to hear what it is.

Lacey turns to me. “Do you like it when he does that?”

No one says anything for a moment as they wait for my answer. The tentative sound of the question tells me she’s not asking to be intrusive. But I don’t know why she’s asking. She doesn’t even have a boyfriend. Does she?

“If I didn’t like it, he wouldn’t do it,” I say.

Lacey nods as though that was the answer she expected. I wait for a moment to see if she wants to ask anything else or tell me anything else. But she says nothing.

Eventually, Lis checks the time on her chunky watch. “Derek will be here soon. Do you want to wear stockings? And he mentioned your grandmother’s shawl?”

Tears prick my eyes. He remembered my shawl. I’d worn it to our graduation dance, and I remember him telling me how the sparkle in the fabric matched the sparkle in my eyes. It had been so cheesy, but I’d just laughed and kissed him.

I go to my closet and pull it out and around my shoulders. I opt against stockings and slip my feet into the new shoes he bought. Just as I finish, there’s a knock on the front door. We all look at each other, then start giggling. Lacey races up the stairs first, so by the time I get to the living room, followed closely by Lis and Adalie, Derek is already waiting inside.

He looks absolutely, heartbreakingly gorgeous standing with his hands clasped behind his back in his charcoal grey suit and pressed white shirt. He’s not wearing a tie, leaving the top button on the shirt undone. His dark curls are damp from the rain, which just makes me want to run my fingers through them more.

His eyes catch sight of me and I notice him stop breathing. I spin around for him, quick enough to make the skirt flare out.

“You are breathtaking, sweetheart. Like a queen.” His fingers lightly touch my chin, tilting my head up so he can press a soft kiss to my lips. “I brought you something else,” he says, pulling his other hand out from behind his back.

He holds up a square velvet box, a bit bigger than his hand, and the breath catches in my lungs. I meet his eyes and shake my head slightly, not really saying no to the gift, more in disbelief that he’s gone through all this trouble and spent what must have been hundreds of dollars on pretty things for me.

“Derek,” I say, a protest in my voice, though I don’t say anything more.

He opens the box, revealing a gold necklace and matching earrings, teardrop emeralds mounted in a setting with tiny diamonds. My breath is shallow as he removes the necklace from the box and places it around my neck, doing up the clasp, his fingers brushing my skin as he does.

My hand goes to my throat to touch the pendant.

Next he takes out the earrings, putting them on for me as well.

“Derek, they’re gorgeous. You shouldn’t have.”

My voice barely comes out as a whisper as he puts the second earring in, then straightens in front of me. I can’t stop touching the pendant on the necklace, barely believing it’s there.

“You need to know, Ava. Anything I can do to make you happy, I want to do it. Just say the word.”

Tears fill my eyes, threatening to spill over when Adalie shouts, “Don’t cry! Your makeup is perfect.”

I laugh and am able to blink the tears away, only to turn to see all three of the others with tears in their eyes as well.

Lis and Adalie decide to remain behind to watch a movie with Lacey while Derek leads me to his car, opening the door for me, holding my hand as I settle into the seat. He hands me his phone so I can choose the music before he goes around to get in on his side.

Instead of Christmas music, I choose the Cool Down playlist. He glances at me as “Treasure” by Bruno Mars begins.

“Do you remember?” I ask.

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