“Mm hmm,” he said, not amused, but not riled either.He got up off the bed.“Tripp and Roxie are invited too.”
“They want to go to the club.Maybe they’ll come to eat, but they’ve done so much for me.They should have a night off.”
“They can have the rest of the trip off now I’m here,” he said, sliding his hands onto her waist.“We may as well stay.”
“I have to get a dress for the wedding.”
“Mom will help you out with that.”
“I can afford my own dress,” she said, unable to hide her smile.“Do you need me to get you a tux too?We should discuss an allowance if you’re expecting me to support you financially.You know, a little bit of freedom money, so your masculinity isn’t threatened by coming to me hat in hand.”
“I meant…” he said, pacing his words and his breathing.“Mom can help with the traipsing around stores, trying on fifty different things only to end up back where you started.”
“Why palm me off on your mom?”she asked, pressing herself close.“It’s not like you have anything else to do.”
“This is a good time for me to look around.Maybe I’ll get a job in LA.”
“We are not LA people,” she said, stroking him.“And I do not want to raise LA children.”
“My mom was raised in California.”
“Yes, and now she lives in New York.Where we live.”Stating it categorically was as much playing as it was sincere.“We will have New York children—if we have them.”
“That will be fun.”
“I have to take a shower before we go out.Will you talk to Tripp and Roxie?Find out their plans?”
“Yes.Then I’ll come and check you’re okay.”
“Oh no,” she said, slinking out of his arms, wiggling a finger his way.“You had your chance, buddy.If you wanted to see the good stuff, you should’ve taken advantage of my surprise you were here, when I was all soft and gooey and grateful.”
“You’ll give in one day.”
“One day.”
One day, she would.Hell, she’d have him right there in the moment if it wouldn’t mean disappointing him again.Being intimate with him was her greatest pleasure.Reminding him that the shackles of commitment remained loose, that was her biggest sadness.He was ready.She had to hurry the hell up.
TWENTY-FIVE
NO DOUBT BRECK forewarned the mothers not to ask questions at dinner.Though it may not have been necessary.Alice and Carolyn were savvy parents used to their children leading their own lives their own ways.More so the latter than the former.In honesty, the whole prying thing sort of didn’t apply to them anyway.With all the ups and downs of her and Breck’s relationship, whatever the answer in the morning, it wasn’t always the same in the evening, so why waste the breath?
Roxie and Tripp tagged along for the evening meal, but, as suspected, slunk off to the club later while she and Breck went back to the hotel suite alone.And before anyone asked, yes, they slept together, no, they didn’t have sex.That surprise deserved a high five… and possibly a cold shower.As much as she wanted him, disappointing him overrode her selfish desire.Giving in would only be cruel.She couldn’t make any promises and didn’t want to give him false hope.This could still all go to shit.
While their friends still slumbered, she and Breck had breakfast in bed, checked out the news, and discussed the media furor around Zairn’s “affair.”
“Roxie was completely unaffected.It just bounced right off like they were talking about a stranger,” she said, forcing herself to put the coffee back on the provided over-bed table.The Grand was full service; every eventuality was accounted for.“I should shower, my meeting’s in an hour.”
“Our meeting,” Breck said, folding his newspaper to put it on the table too.
Always efficient, he’d already showered.He did that while she lounged in bed waiting for their breakfast to appear.
“I’m still not convinced you should come.People shouldn’t see us together.”
“You have never cared about being seen with me in New York.Or anywhere else.We’ve been seen on the streets of LA together before.”
“We’ve never been seen together entering a District Attorney’s office.This could be dangerous.”
“Which is not a recommended argument when trying to convince me it’s better you do this alone.”In only his underwear, he got out of the bed to rise to full-height and hubba-hubba, why hadn’t she taken advantage of him the previous night?“I’ll call and change the appointment.”
