Page 7 of Anything For This Love

“I think she’ll need a two T.”

A crooked smile spreads over his face as he plucks the dress I’d been holding moments ago off the rack.“What do you say we pick out some shoes to go with it?”

“I think that’s a great idea.”

Twenty minutes later, we have two bags full of clothes, shoes, and a winter coat for Chloe.

“Let’s go in here,” Jacob offers, motioning to a dress shop a few doors down with evening gowns on display in the window.

“Why would we go in there?” I ask with a chuckle, my brows knitted in confusion as he tugs on my hand.

“It looks warm,” he replies with a sly grin. He’s up to something, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. I reluctantly agree and step inside when he opens the door.

“Hello!” a cheery, middle-aged woman greets us, stepping out from behind the counter. “Welcome to the Calypso Boutique. My name is Carla. How can I help you today?”

I start to tell her we don’t need help, intending to simply entertain Jacob by looking around and pretending I’m interested in one of these extravagant dresses, when he beats me to the punch.

“We’re looking for a dress,” Jacob replies. “Obviously,” he adds with a devilishly cheeky smile that has the woman turning to mush. I watch in stunned disbelief as he describes exactly what he’s looking for. “It needs to be a color that stands out. Red, royal blue…” his voice trails off as his gaze lands on me and darkens, “maybe emerald green.” My breath catches at the look in his eyes. He slowly scans me from head to toe as though he’s mentally undressing me. I’m ready to tell him to forget dinner and take me home when the attendant speaks again.

“Any particular material or fit?”

“I’m thinking satin,” he replies, a mischievous gleam sparkling in his eyes. “The fit doesn’t really matter. She’ll look good in anything.” His eyes trail over my body once again and my face heats. “It just has to be full length.” He doesn’t elaborate further, leaving the details up to Carla, who probably knows far more about dress styles and fit than Jacob.

I have no idea what his intentions are or where he expects me to wear it, but it sounds like he’s given a great deal of thought to this.

Annoyance stirs within me and suspicion rises in my chest. There’s something he’s not telling me. It’s almost as if he thinks he needs to hook me with a fancy dress before revealing what it’s for, in the hopes that I won’t say no to whatever he’s planned for us. The saleslady leaves to retrieve what he asked for, instructing us to have a seat by the dressing rooms before departing. Folding my arms across my chest and popping my hip out defiantly, I wait for Jacob to turn to me. When he finally does, his lips turn down in a frown.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, taking in my posture and narrowed eyes.

“Why are wereallyhere?”

“To find you a dress,” he explains. His gaze darts to the side nervously, his confidence faltering.

“For what?”

“Well, uh, I just-” his words fall away and he grips the back of his neck, the gesture a clear sign of his apprehension.

“Jacob, what is this about?”

His gaze returns to mine and he lets out a defeated sigh. “I wanted it to be a surprise.” His shoulders slump and he looks so deflated, I almost feel guilty for making him spill the beans. Almost. “There’s a holiday gala next month and I was hoping you would agree to attend it with me. I didn’t want you to have to worry about what to wear, but I was afraid to choose something you wouldn’t like. So I thought maybe if we picked it out together, you’d be a little more excited about going.”

Well, when he puts it that way…

“I’m sorry if I overstepped,” he adds. “We can talk it over and if you decide to go, we can come back to this shop.” He steps away, presumably to find the saleswoman to tell her to forget about the dress, but I stop him, reaching for his arm.

“Wait.” I grip his forearm and he pauses, glancing at me over his shoulder. I push my fears and insecurities aside and take a deep breath. This man has done so much to prove himself to me and try to acclimate to my family and lifestyle. Don’t I owe him the same courtesy? If I want to be part of his life, I need to be willing to do things with him that any partner he chooses to be with would do.

Like attend a fancy holiday gala that requires a formal dress.

Not exactly a hardship, and it could be fun, I suppose. I always enjoyed prom dress shopping, even if my paltry budget only afforded me something off the “used” rack.

“I’ll go with you.” Jacob’s eyes widen in shock and he turns fully to me, grasping both my hands in his.

“Really?”

“Yes, really,” I reply with a chuckle. The look of surprise on his gorgeous face amuses me and warms my heart at the same time. He looks like a kid whose parents just told him he could go to Disney World.

“Good,” he says, his voice lowering as he pulls me closer and brings one hand to my face, cupping it as his fingers slide into my hair. “I was looking forward to watching you try on dresses.”

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