Page 170 of Fall I Want
“Looking forward to taking that dress off you later.”
“Don’t tempt me,” she warns.
My girl is insatiable, never satisfied, always wanting more of me. I feel the same. No matter how much time I spend with Autumn, it’s not enough, and I’m not sure it ever will be. I want more than a lifetime with her. It’s how I know she’s my one true love.
I take the stairs with a hop to my step. All of our friends and family are in costume, hiding downstairs.
“Is she coming?” Julie whispers loudly.
“Not yet. Twenty minutes,” I explain.
Silvia and my dad are sitting on the couch, chatting with Autumn’s parents. Our folks are dressed like queens and kings.
Harper claimed the fairy godmother title, but her outfit is completely sequined.
Moments later, the door cracks open and Weston appears as the Grand Duke. It’s fitting, considering our friendship has only strengthened since our get-together in New York.
“The pumpkin and horses are waiting where the road curves,” he explains.
I check my watch, knowing in fifteen minutes, I’ll return upstairs. “Fantastic, right on time.”
Carlee, the woman who was his plus-one at my father’s wedding, enters. She’s wearing a light pink dress that looks like it fell out of a Jane Eyre novel.
“Everyone, this is Carlee.”
Billie sweeps in behind her. “My brother’s girlfriend.”
“Shh. Autumn has excellent hearing,” I whisper.
“See? No one cares,” Weston says. “You’re making a big deal out of it.”
“You know, Zane, no one has ever been able to successfully throw Autumn a surprise party,” her mom quietly says.
“She told me.” I grin. “I’m on a mission to change that.”
Her father smiles at me. “Is that Autumn’s laptop on the counter over there?”
“Yeah,” I explain. “She started writing a few weeks ago.”
Julie and Blaire give each other a high five.
The front door cracks open and Winter quietly enters with a wide smile, wearing a dress very similar to Carlee’s but purple.
“You made it after all,” I say. Winter has hung out with us a lot and even took up running with Autumn. Last week, she officially moved into Autumn’s old apartment. Well, now it’s ours. I purchased the building and told the vinyl record shop they never had to pay a penny of rent again. The owners couldn’t believe it and thanked me at least a million times.
Harper walks over and pulls her into a hug.
“Thanks for sending the costume,” Winter tells her. She’s become great friends with my sister. Everyone has. But Harper has always had a knack for making fast friends with everyone she meets. Her kind personality is one of her superpowers. Our mom was the same.
“Oh God, are we the evil stepsisters?” Winter says, glancing at Carlee, Blaire, and Julie, who find it hilarious.
“No, no,” Harper says. “Think of it as being a cast member inBridgerton. That came from the set. I asked for a favor.”
Blaire’s mouth falls open. “Seriously?”
The four of them discuss how it all went down. It’s a story I haven’t heard yet, but because she’s in fashion, she knows tons of people in Hollywood. She and Billie have designed red carpet looks for the most elite.
“How are things?” my father asks.
