Page 31 of Totally Off Limits

“I’m not feeble. And Mia can hold my hand and walk down them. She does it every day. How else do you think she’ll learn?”

“Okay.” No sense arguing an unwinnable conversation. “Give mommy a kiss.” Sierra considered squatting like she usually did with her child but then knew she’d get a ration of grief from her mother because it would be “unladylike,” so she bent at the waist to kiss and hug her sweet child.

Mia was the biggest consequence from one of the times Sierra hadnotthought about pleasing her parents—and that little girl made her happier than anything else ever had in her life.

But that flash of realization flitted away as Rebecca’s voice cut through her thoughts. “Let’s go, Mia. Your mama has work to do before her big date.”

Instead of rolling her eyes, Sierra said, “Thanks, mom. See you tomorrow, pumpkin. Mommy loves you.”

Mia gave Sierra a little wave and took her grandmother’s hand as they left the room. “Bye, mama.”

Sierra walked behind with the intent of giving her daughter another kiss goodbye—but as they reached the top of the stairs, Rebecca said, “Go try on that dress, Sierra. I can tell by looking at it that it’ll still fit you.”

Stifling a sigh, Sierra flashed a tiny smile. “I will. I just want to lock the door behind you.”

“I can do that.”

Sierra almost told her mother she couldn’t lock the deadbolt but it was evident that her mother was losing patience. “All right. Thanks. Bye, baby.”

“Bye, mama.”

Sierra watched from the top of the stairs as her mother led her daughter down by the hand, one step at a time, and she was filled with love and amazement at how quickly Mia had progressed. It wasn’t that her child was ahead of the curve but that time seemed to move so fast now that Sierra had a little one to care for.

When Rebecca and Mia were at the second to last step, Sierra darted down the hall so she wouldn’t have to hear her mother barking more orders. She was doing it, for heaven’s sake. While she picked the dress up off the bed and removed it from the hanger, she could hear her mother talking to Mia, gathering everything she was going to take before they left. As she ripped off the thin plastic string that held the tag to the dress, her mother shoutedgoodbyeup the stairs before closing the door. Tossing the tag in the trash, Sierra thought,I’m really going to do this.

She let out a sigh, taking off the perfectly decent dress she already had on, realizing she wouldn’t be able to wear a bra with the other dress. But it didn’t matter anyway, because she was only putting it on so she could tell her mother she had without lying. As she slipped it on, she knew immediately that it was a little snugger than it had been when she’d purchased it. It had to be because her breasts and hips were slightly more pronounced since pregnancy, so she supposed her newfound dimensions wouldn’t go back. She didn’t mind, even though it had meant getting rid of old clothes when Mia was an infant.

But even snug—and even with the silly bra underneath peeking out—it was beautiful on her, hugging her frame and emphasizing her upper half just as she’d known it would. Feeling a bit wistful, she decided to take the bra off to get the full effect of the dress and then, once it was all in place, she turned to face the full-length mirror once more.

Oh…if only Mickey had seen her wearing this dress before he’d run from Winchester. She would have stolen his heart for good. But, of course, he would still be washing dishes or cooking or whatever it was he’d been doing at that bar on Main Street. She would have kept him from doing what he loved—and so, for that reason alone, she was glad she hadn’t seduced him.

And who the hell was she kidding anyway? Marrying Mickey had never been an option, not with her family.

Sierra scoffed, actually saying aloud, “Marriage.” That was her mother talking. Sierra and Mickey hadn’t even spent enough time together to know if marriage was anything they’d want to do. That chance had been robbed from them for so many reasons.

Which made the date with Austin an inevitability.

Sierra stared at herself in the mirror, considering a necklace for a moment before shaking her head. She had to change back into the first dress, because she didn’t want Austin staring at her boobs all night—or, rather, spending his time trying not to. She wanted to have an enjoyable, fun, casual evening without having any notions of sex or skin floating around.

And that was when the doorbell rang downstairs.

Shit.

CHAPTER11

Abolt of fresh panic made its way through Sierra’s veins, because that doorbell meant Austin had arrived. There was an off chance that it could be her mom again or someone else, but glancing at the alarm clock, Sierra knew this was the perfect time for someone punctual—just a couple minutes before their agreed-upon time of six-forty-five.

Shit!

If she took the time to peel this dress off and put the other on, he’d wonder what the hell was going on. Debating about doing that or even throwing on a robe, she decided that honesty was the best policy. That was one thing she could say about her relationship with the man who’d rung the doorbell—they’d always been mature about things and that might have been because Austin was so very cognizant of being the older guy. Maybe, too, because of the burden he bore as an Ackerman, the oldest child to boot.

When the doorbell rang again, she realized she’d already wasted too much time worrying—so she ran down the stairs carefully in the heels she wore, rushing to the front door. Nearly breathless, she pulled the door open.

Austin, handsome as ever, said, “My god, you’re beautiful, Sierra.”

Where the hell had that come from?

“Thank you. Please come in.” As he stepped through the doorway, Sierra eyed the charcoal suit that no doubt had been custom-made for him. When he turned, she took in more details as she closed the door. His white shirt emphasized the black tie, making him look professional but mouthwateringly handsome. “You look great, too.” What a lame compliment, but there was no taking it back.

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