Page 25 of Curvy Crush
She motions toward the store. “Just pawned him off on Pax. That kid is just like his dad. Always aggravating. Where you headed?”
“Post office. I have to drop this package in the mail.”
“You have time for a quick bite?”
“Sure,” I agree, and the two of us hit up the bar and grill.
She sits down across from me and the waitress brings us both a beer.
“Tell me something. What’s been going on? How are you and Evan? God, I feel like I’m so out of the loop now that I’m a mom.”
I laugh. “That’s okay. You’ve been busy. And everything is good. Really good.”
“Good,” she says with a nod. “Hey, have you seen that new hotel they just built in town? It looks fancy!”
“Evan and I drove by, but we haven’t been inside yet. His old buddy from college is the owner.”
“Really?” she asks, lifting her brow. “You should see if you can get a free room, maybe have a little couples getaway night.”
I snort. “Are you kidding me? That man doesn’t need a fancy hotel room to get in the mood. He’s like a teenager as it is.”
She laughs. “God, I miss those days. I swear, it’s like every time Paxton touches me the baby cries. It’s like he has some kind of sensor on me or something and doesn’t want any other man touching his mama.”
I smile. “That’s sweet, though. He’s a mama’s boy.”
She nods. “Yeah, you just wait until you want to get down and dirty with your future husband, but can’t because a baby is crying. There is no better birth control, I’m telling you.”
We both order lunch and catch up while it cooks. I tell her all about how my little photography business has taken off, and she tells me about the newest business she’s helping in town. I hear plenty of stories about being a mom, and we talk about all the wedding plans Evan and I have made. With the hotel opening, we’re thinking of holding it there in the elegant ballroom they’ve been advertising. It’s still up in the air until we can run the idea by Shepard, the hotel owner.
After the food is gone and an hour has passed, we get up to go our separate ways. I drop my package off at the post office and head back to the studio. Evan is nowhere to be found, but there’s a box on his desk. I look around the room, confused. My name is on it, and I try to think back to anything I may have ordered and forgotten about.
“Evan?” I call out.
I hear the bathroom door open and he’s walking into the office moments later. “Did you get lost or did they move the post office?”
I laugh. “I ran into Stella and we stopped for lunch. What’s this?”
He smirks. “It’s a surprise.”
“A surprise?” I ask, wrapping my arms around his neck. “For me?”
“Yep. Open it.”
I giggle as I pull away and rush to the desk. I pull the top off. Inside is a beautiful black formal dress. As I remove it, I gasp, holding in front of me. It’s sleeveless and form-fitting on the top, long and free-flowing around the skirt. “This is beautiful, but what’s it for?”
“The grand opening at the hotel is tonight. We’ve been invited.”
“Oh,” I say, trying to get the dress back into the box.
“There’s more,” he says, getting my attention by holding up another smaller box.
“What’s that?”
He holds it flat then opens the top. In the box is a beautiful pair of diamond earrings and matching necklace. I giggle as I walk closer to get a better view. The earrings are in the shape of teardrops and they’re sparkly and beautiful.
“This is too much.”
“No, it’s just enough,” he says, motioning for me to spin around. I do and he puts the necklace on my neck and I look up into the mirror to see the diamond around my neck.
