What does that make me? A kept woman? A whore? Wait, flame-throwing?
Pressing the phone into my chest, I stick my head out the door. “Are we flame-throwing?” My voice is pitched so high it sounds as though I’ve been sucking on helium for half my life.
Tabby taps her chin as though she’s considering it, but Stella laughs. “No flame-throwing, but there is ax throwing in Corolla. We could do that on the way home.”
I frown at them, then slam the door shut again.
“Leo, Beck, and I all chipped in.” Sebastian is still talking. “None of you should be pulling out a credit card for anything. Not even a fucking glass of wine.”
Okay, so maybe not a whore then.
“I don’t understand,” I hiss.
“Sweetheart…” He sounds pained.
“Are all your dates as difficult as me?” The words meant for my head slip out through my insecurities. I’m so embarrassed I attempt to crush the phone with my bare hand.
This is what happens when I’m not fighting through the noise of life. My own shitty thoughts push through the barrier and escape into the world.
“There are no other dates, Rowan. But if you think I’m going to ask you on a date and then expect you to spend thousands of dollars to get ready for it, you’ve lost your damn mind. All three of you have events coming up, so try to enjoy this day.”
“Are they coming with us to New York?” The thought settles the unease making my hands shake.
“No. You’re going with me to New York. Stella is accompanying Beck to LA for a similar event, and Tabby is going to a military ball with Leo in the fall. You’ll all get your dresses, your nails done, whatever the fuck it is you do at these things, and enjoy yourselves. If I find out that you’ve spent even a quarter on the meter to park the car, there will be hell to pay. You hear me?”
“That goes for us too,” someone hollers in the background. Beck, maybe?
“You’re impossible,” I grunt.
“And you’re a stubborn mule sometimes, but I still love you.”
Sucking in a breath, I open my mouth, but my lungs burn because I’ve forgotten how to exhale.
“Try on the dresses, Rowan. Seren is really excited to help you choose one. Thank you for giving her this experience.”
My lungs heave on an exhale, and my inner petulant child makes a reappearance. “You play dirty.”
“Nah, sweetheart. I play to win. Have fun.”
“Have I ever given you any indication that I would find shopping fun?”
When he doesn’t answer, I glare at the phone. The jackass hung up on me. So freaking rude.
Stomping my right foot to shake out all the energy attacking my limbs, I wrench open the door. “Let’s do this.”
Handing the phone back to Seren, she grins at me as if I’ve hung the moon. I’d be lying if I said that expression—on this little girl—didn’t fill me with more confidence than I’ve ever had in my life.
“Try the yellow one,” Seren pleads. “It’s so Kate Hudson fromHow to Lose a Guy in Ten Days.”
I lift a brow in her direction. “That movie is older than you are.”
“It’s a classic,” she fires back. “And she’s so badass in it.”
Tabby doubles over laughing while Stella hides a grin.
A niggling sense of duty tickles my chest as I stare at Seren though. She really can’t swear whenever she wants, and that means I have to start being more careful around her too.
Apparently, she and I are in tune because she rolls her eyes, then lowers her voice. “I’ll try not to swear anymore.”
