Page 76 of Stuck On Them

“Oh. Well, I can wait in the car if that makes you feel more comfortable. I just thought it would be fun.” I pushed off the door frame, walked to her desk, and tilted her chin up so she was looking at me. “You don’t want me to see you looking all chic and sexy in different dresses?”

Her cheeks got even redder; more than I’d seen them even during sex. Maybe she wasn’t blushing.

I put my hand against her cheek. “You’re a little warm.”

“I’m fine.” She swatted my hand away and stood, reaching for her tote bag on the floor. “I’ll go in and take a look, but they probably won’t have anything I’ll like.”

“What? Paige, this is one of the best gown boutiques in the city according to my cousins. They always get their fancy shit from there.” I was blocking her path to the door and didn’t move even when she tried to push past me.

“It’s a boutique.” She stared at me as if that was enough of a reason why she seemed almost upset over it.

“Okay, do you want to go to Bloomingdale’s or Nordstrom instead? I like supporting small businesses, but I’m okay with going wherever.”

Her chin quivered and she bit down on her bottom lip. Ah, fuck. What did I say?

“Hey.” I pulled her into a hug, her arms and tote bag trapped between us like a shield. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

She sniffled, resting her forehead against my shoulder. “They won’t have my size at a boutique. It’s embarrassing to walk into a store and have to turn around and leave. Specialty stores are notoriously single-digit sized.”

“Uh...” I rubbed her back soothingly. “One of my cousins is about the same size as you and she goes there.”

“What size is that?”

An alarm went off in my head warning me to be careful with my words. “I’m not sure. Do you want me to call and ask the owner what sizes they have? Or look it up online? I’m sorry I didn’t take that into consideration. Didn’t think it mattered, honestly.”

I vaguely understood that women had it way harder than men when it came to shopping but couldn’t quite wrap my head around why. There’s been so much in the media about body positivity and size inclusivity that I assumed stores had shifted to offering more mid-size and plus-size options.

She nodded against my chest. “Can you? I’m a size fourteen or sixteen depending on what it is. A lot of places stop at twelve or their fourteen is ridiculously small.”

I pulled out my phone and moved around Paige to sit in her chair. “Sit.” I patted my lap.

She placed her bags on the desk and sat on my lap, laying her head on my shoulder. “I’m also on my period so I don’t know if today is the best day to dress shop. I’m a little bloated.”

I didn’t respond because nothing I wanted to say would have been the right thing. She didn’t look bloated, but what did I know? Instead, I texted the owner, Seraphina, to ask what sizes they carried, and she responded immediately.

“They have dresses up to thirty. See, I told you it would be fine.” I rubbed her lower back and she groaned. “Do you just want me to cancel? We can just go back to my place instead and figure out somewhere else to get a gown. I probably shouldn’t have procrastinated on this.”

“I’m just being stupid. Hormones are stupid.” She got off my lap and grabbed her bags. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. Your uterus is currently waging a war with mass casualties.” I stood and shook my head. “Forget I said that.”

“You aren’t entirely wrong.” She grabbed a tissue and blew her nose. God, I loved how completely comfortable she was with us to do things like blow her nose and tell me she was bloated.

“Ready?” I offered her my arm and she hooked hers through mine. “If we get there and you change your mind, we’ll just leave, okay?”

“Okay.” She smiled at me, and fuck if my heart didn’t skip a beat.

* * *

After a quick stop at Perky Squirrel Coffee for an afternoon pick-me-up, we arrived at the store. Paige seemed to be feeling better as she happily sipped her mocha blended coffee.

My driver parked in the drop-off zone and I got out, extending my hand to her as she slid across the seat. She took it with a smile, the tension in her face and shoulders now gone.

“Are you sure it’s okay if I bring this in?” She shook her half-empty cup as I entwined our fingers.

“I’m sure they have somewhere you can put it. Why? Are you planning on spilling it?” I opened the door for her but pulled her to a stop against me.

She gasped, the straw of her drink nearly poking out my eye. “Luca!”

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