Page 33 of Promise Me Ever After
All the reasons I’d been so sure of as to why we couldn’t work dissolved as his lips crashed against mine. His hand slid around the back of my neck, pulling me towards him as he deepened the kiss, dragging his tongue across my lower lip. Alex’s other hand brushed over my breasts, his thumb caressing my nipples. I kissed him back, pushing against him, my hands running through his hair.
Way to stand your ground, Georgie.
I hoped to God Ellis or Tess didn’t catch us.
14
Alex
Itsy Bitsys wasn’t somewhereI spent a lot of time. I went in there maybe three times a year, for Mum and Amber’s birthdays and again at Christmas. Rarely did I buy anything more adventurous than a gift card. There was a woman with two small girls, aged around eight or nine already in there when I slipped through the door. I shifted from foot to foot as the woman behind the counter chatted easily with them. While I had the chance to study her, I saw the similarities to Georgie. They had a similar facial structure although, in my opinion, Georgie outshone her sister. Darcy’s eyes darted over to me as she rang up the purchases from the family.
“Mummy, can I get the unicorn keyring too?” the younger of the two girls begged. “I have the money Nanny gave me for my birthday.”
The mother sighed. “You’ll probably lose it within five minutes of getting it, darling, but go ahead.”
The little girl scampered over to the stand where the keyrings hung and picked the one she wanted. “Thank you!” Her wide blue eyes sparkled.
It had been a long time since I’d been that excited about anything — except perhaps Georgie. Biting the inside of my cheek, I pulled my phone out, pretending to look at it while I waited.
“Thank you,” said Darcy, which I hoped signalled the impending departure of the customers. “Do come again.”
“We will,” replied the mother. “The girls love your shop.”
Darcy beamed. “Have a good day.” She watched the family leave, then shifted her attention to me, eyebrows drawn together. “Hello?”
“Darcy, right?” I stepped towards the counter.
“Yes.” She looked me up and down as if assessing my suitability for her sister. “And you’re Alex Kane. Your sister’s doing my bridal makeup. Which reminds me, I must pop in to see her about the practice run.” Darcy picked up her phone and typed in a note to herself. “But what can I do for you?”
“I, um, need some help in choosing a birthday present.” I chewed on my bottom lip. “And getting someone to a surprise party.”
Darcy wrinkled her nose. “The present I’m sure I can help with, but the party?”
I let out a breath. “It’s for Georgie.”
“Oh!” She clapped a hand to her mouth.
Did she know what had happened after I’d cooked dinner? Surely sisters told each other everything? I grimaced wondering exactly how much detail Georgie had gone into.
“I know it’s her thirtieth coming up, thanks to your message the other night, so I wanted to arrange a surprise party for her. Nothing huge, a few friends from work, family, that sort of thing.” I babbled on explaining my muddled thoughts on the idea. “And I want to get her a gift, something she wouldn’t buy for herself.”
“Are you and Georgie… a thing?”
I raked a hand through my hair. Not knowing quite how much intel Darcy had, I kept it as vague as possible.
“We’re friends.” That much I was sure about. “And I wanted to do something nice for her, given everything with Russ, moving away from her friends, starting over here. She’s had a lot on her plate.”
Guilt fluttered across Darcy’s face. “Oh, God and I’ve probably contributed to it with all the wedding plans. How could I be so selfish?”
I tried not to roll my eyes at Darcy’s over dramatics. This wasn’t about making Darcy feel guilty, it was about doing a good thing for her sister. “Pretty sure she doesn’t think that at all.”
Darcy reached for her phone again. “I should call her and talk to her.”
“Seriously, I don’t think you’ve done anything wrong. I just need a bit of help.” I tried to reassure her. “Amber’s got some ideas for the party, but I thought you could get Georgie there without arousing any suspicion. Like, tell her you’re taking her out for dinner and then get her to the venue instead.”
“Where have you got in mind?”
“The Ealynn Arms. They’ve got a private area out back we can use. Amber’s going to decorate it.”
