Page 31 of A Billion Dollar Romance
“How could I forget,” Charlie said, with a twinkle in his eye that I did not approve of, “the woman who so bewitched my brother, body and soul–”
“Austen,” Edie acknowledged with a smile, and I rolled my eyes.
“Which girlfriend did you read that one for, Charlie?”
“I read that one on my own, thank you,” he said with a crooked grin. “Just, you know, as practice for any potential future girlfriend. I heardallthe ladies love Darcy.”
Edie laughed. “Very romantic,” she said, and Charlie winked.
“Don’t seduce my fiancée, Charlie,” I groaned. “Ineedher–”
“No, that’s more your style, isn’t it?” he retorted, his mouth getting the better of his common sense. I glanced at Edie quickly, but she was still smiling pleasantly, her spine straight as she peered around the room.
“What did we say, Charlie?” came Barrett’s low voice. “Wedon’ttalk about last year.”
He arrived, flanked by Ryan, and on Ryan’s arm–
“Maddie,” Charlie said, dropping to one knee and opening his arms wide. The girl ran into his arms, and he picked her up easily–all sixty pounds of her–twirling her around once before depositing her on the floor once more. “Show us the dress,” he said, keeping hold of her finger as she did a second twirl. The dress in question was bright purple, with a skirt that swung out dramatically as she spun.
“A dress fit for a princess,” I said, grinning.
“I’m not a princess, I’m a queen,” Maddie said, and Charlie laughed as Ryan tilted his head.
“That she certainly is,” he admitted. “And I’m the pumpkin that needs to get her home by 8:30 at the absolute latest. So–who wants to hit the silent auction?” He looked from Barrett to Charlie, to me, to–
“Ryan, Maddie, Barrett, this is Edie,” I said, pulling her hand into the crook of my elbow. The diamond on her finger glittered in the light of the chandeliers. “My fiancée.”
CHAPTER16
Edie
“My fiancée.”
Even with the understanding that these men–James’s friends–knew about our arrangement, the words sent a little shiver of nerves up my spine. I tightened my hand around his bicep, solid under the smooth black fabric of his suit, or rather, histux. I’d been surprised by the dress options that had arrived at my apartment, all of them floor-length, none of them like anything I would ever pick out for myself: slinky-soft materials that would reveal almost as much as they covered, that draped over my hips and breasts, leaving little to the imagination.
Flora had only smirked when I emerged in the first one, my hair pulled into a scrunchie on top of my head, glasses on.
“Ditch the ponytail and the glasses and I justknowyou have what it takes to win prom queen.”
I’d chosen the most structured of the three dresses, in dark purple, with a defined waist and an intricately pleated bodice that unfurled into delicately fluttering off-the-shoulder sleeves.
“I like your dress, Edie,” Maddie said, and I smiled.
“I like yours, too. Purple is my favorite color.”
“Mine too,” she said. “I have brown eyes, and people with brown eyes are supposed to wear purple.”
“Oh?” I asked, glancing at her father.
“That’s right,” he said, gesturing to a dark purple pocket square, only the very edge of which was showing against his black tux. His bow tie, too, had a faint purple sheen to the black fabric. His face was serious, but his eyes–also brown–were crinkled slightly at the edges with amusement. “See?”
“And don’t you look handsome,” Charlie said, clapping him on the shoulder. “This is your selection, I believe?” he asked, holding out a hand to his friend’s daughter. She took it and shook. “Great work, Maddie. Now, let’s go see if there’s anything exciting up for auction, hmm?”
The two of them went off in the direction of a long row of draped tables against one wall, and Ryan watched them for a moment, a faint smile on his lips. “Her mother’s a trend forecaster,” he said. “Maddie takes after her.”
“Your wife couldn’t come tonight?” I asked, and he shook his head.
“Ex-wife. And no. Just me and Maddie.” He didn’t seem sad. “She’s nine, almost ten. Who knows how many more of these things she’ll want to attend with me before she has… I don’t know, sleepovers to go to. Whatever it is preteens do.”
