Page 62 of Eligible Best Friend

I shake my head. “No, not if seeing a bedroom made her react that way. What’s next?”

“Court order to establish legal parentage. It could get ugly.”

“You do what you have to do.”

He nods, stress etched into his chiseled features. He scrubs his face. “You said you had to talk to me about something.”

I grimace, not wanting to heap more onto him. “How do you feel about flying to San Francisco and renting a tux?”

Eighteen

Ford

People in formal attire mill around us, going in and out of a tall set of double doors. On the other side, a giant ballroom teems with laughter and soft classical music. Everything about this place screams money and prestige, from the red uniforms the doormen are wearing to the coattails on the tuxes the cocktail servers are wearing.

I adjust my tie and Lia sends me a bemused glance.

“It’s tight,” I mutter.

“I’m sorry you can’t leave the first two buttons open like your work polo,” she teases.

Her comment eases my tension only slightly. “Was this how you felt when you came to the cookout?”

“Not having to take two different flights or wear a tux made it a little easier.”

“I didn’t think it’d matter.” I have a case of nerves like I’ve never had before.

When I met her parents before, I made a point of not impressing them. I don’t want to alienate them tonight. Lia and I are a real thing. I support her. I always will, but no matter what happened between her and her parents before, she still loves them.

She doesn’t have to say it, but she still wants their approval.

And because of that, I’ll be on my best behavior.

It helps that this trip to San Francisco is a temporary reprieve from custody worries. I haven’t gotten more than one weekend with Jayden in the last month. I don’t know what’s going on with Cass but she evades all my questions and requests.

How could redecorating one bedroom cause that?

I shove it out of my mind. This night is for Lia. Who knows when I’ll ever be in a tux again, and I want to enjoy the way she looks in her shimmering dark-red dress. She’s piled her hair on her head in a simple but artful style that took her all of fifteen minutes.

“Practice” was all she said when she left the bathroom of the hotel and my jaw hit the floor. Her long, graceful neck is bare and so are the shoulders that first caught my eye in the country club. The dress she found loves her curves as much as I do, and the slit on the side is going to gnaw at my sanity all evening.

I hold my arm out. She smirks but hooks her hand around my elbow and I lead her inside.

We’re right on time. I made sure of it. There’s no devil-may-care Ford tonight.

It’s not hard to guess where her parents are. A large group of people are clustered in the center of the room.

I’m striding toward it, thinking of proper ways to break through the throng of people to get Lia to her parents, when a familiar voice comes from our left.

“Aurelia.”

I would’ve ignored Samuel, as he’s not the reason we’re here, but Lia’s grip on my elbow tightens, slowing me down.

“Samuel, hello.” She manages to sound cool. Collected.

His jaw tightens. “Ford, right?”

“Nice to see you again.” I extend my hand. My willingness to impress doesn’t extend to him, but I’ll take Lia’s cues and be polite.

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