Page 77 of Prudence
I stared her, confused. “Are you giggling?” Gigi nodded enthusiastically, and a grin tugged at my lips. “I take it this is good news, then?”
“Um, understatement. I love Milly. She’s always so nice to me. Plus, if everything works out, that means me and Deirdre would become, like, stepsisters.” She let out an even giddier squeal. “Oh, she’s going to die when she finds out!”
I didn’t mention that Deirdre already knew because I didn’t want to ruin her excitement. I chuckled low. “You’re getting a little ahead of yourself.” She wasn’t, though. Milly might not be fully aware of it, but I wasn’t letting her slip through my fingers again. I had every intention of spending the rest of my lifewith her, which meant Gigi was right. She and Deirdre would eventually become stepsisters.
“But I’ve always wanted a sister!” Gigi exclaimed.
I shook my head, laughing some more as I pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. “So, you’re okay with all this?”
“Yes, Milly’s the best. I mean, if you had to be with anyone, I’d choose her, andobviously,you’re not going to stay single forever, so this is the best possible outcome as far as I’m concerned.”
“What doesobviouslymean?”
Gigi pulled back to send me a woe begotten expression. “Ugh! You have no idea what all the mams at school say about you. They think you’re this big handsome hunk, and I have to hear about it from all the girls in my class. It’s so annoying.”
A tendril of embarrassment swept in. Perhaps once everyone became aware that Milly and I were an item, that sort of talk about me would die down. I certainly didn’t want Gigi to have to listen to it when she was at school.
“Well, tell me how this happened? Is it because of me and Deirdre? Are we unwitting matchmakers?”
“I suppose you could say that since we wouldn’t have had to spend quite so much time together if it weren’t for you two. Milly and I have known each other for a long time, though. I was only a little older than you are now when we first became friends.”
“Really?” Gigi said. “I thought she was only friends with Aunt Nuala.”
“Nope. She was actually my friend first.”
“Seriously!”
Grinning at her dramatic reaction, I thought back to the day I’d offered to drive Milly home, how I’d wanted to talk to her for so long before I finally drummed up the courage. It was hard tobelieve we’d found our way back to one another after so much time apart, but I was so very glad that we did.
Gigi and I sat and talked for another while before we went to join Deirdre and Milly, who were opening up food containers in the kitchen. Milly cast me a furtive glance, silently asking how things had gone, and I sent her a small nod to let her know all was well.
“I need to talk to youright now,” Gigi said as she grabbed Deirdre by the arm and pulled her from the room. I glanced at Milly as they hurried down the hall and into the living room. There was much whispering and conspiratorial giggling, which had the smile returning to my face.
Moving to stand behind Milly, I pressed my palm briefly to the small of her back as I reached past her to pluck a piece of bruschetta from one of the open containers. I heard her breath hitch, and it reminded me of what we’d done earlier, how perfect it had felt being inside of her. With the girls home, we’d sadly have to behave ourselves, but I already couldn’t wait for the next time we got to be alone together.
“I have a feeling we’re the topic of conversation,” Milly said with a faint grin. “So, how did it go with Gigi? She seems happy.”
“The conversation went surprisingly well, actually. She was a little upset at first, but as soon as I mentioned that you were the woman I was seeing, she did a complete turnaround. She’s excited that she and Deirdre might become stepsisters.”
Her smile deepened as she sat down on a stool and popped an olive into her mouth. “They’re so in sync. Deirdre said almost the exact same thing. She’s always wanted a sibling.” She paused, her eyes widening a little before she continued, “Not that it’s a given that we’ll, um, you know, blend our families or anything.”
Her cheeks flushed as I lowered onto the other stool and tugged her close, sliding a knee between her legs as I caught herhands and interlinked our fingers. “I’m in love with you, Milly. There’s nothing casual about how I feel for you, so please don’t be embarrassed about saying stuff like that.”
“Okay, it might be tough, but I’ll try.”
Moving closer, I pressed my lips to hers in a kiss that was meant to be soft and fleeting. Unfortunately, we both got carried away, and before I knew it, I was pulling her into my lap, my tongue down her throat while my hand found its way under her top. Milly was breathing fast when she broke away.
“Perhaps we should cool off a little. The girls will finish their whisper fest any second now and will be back in here for the food.”
“An almost impossible request, but okay,” I said, grinning hotly as she shook her head and went to grab some plates.
The following morning, I took Gigi to Covent Garden to visit the dress shop she liked, while Milly and Deirdre stayed home to spend some time together before our flight later that evening. When we returned to the townhouse, I sent Gigi upstairs to pack her purchases away with the rest of her luggage. I went into the living room and found Deirdre’s father had arrived back from his medical conference. Colin Morgan was a tall, slim man with the same golden-brown hair and green eyes as his daughter. I saw where Deirdre got her height, as well as her sharp cheekbones. Milly had much softer features.
“You must be Derek,” Colin said, standing to greet me. He and Milly had been sitting on armchairs sipping from espresso cups when I walked in. “A pleasure to meet you.”
His accent was posh, similar to Deirdre’s. I got no sense of jealousy or power play. He seemed like a genuinely friendly bloke, which was a relief because although Milly had stated they were very much platonic, sometimes male interest could evade women’s radars. That didn’t seem to be the case with Colin, and I shook his hand with ease.
“Good to meet you, too, and thanks for letting me and my daughter stay here this weekend. You’ve got an amazing home.”
