Page 48 of Beauty and the Bosshole
“I’m good.”
He kisses me softly on the mouth and heat passes between us, igniting my body. His eyes flare with desire, and I know if I said the word, he'd order everyone out and let his company burn for a moment of passion.
It’s tempting, but I pull back. His company is at stake, and I won’t let everything he worked for crumble because of me.
He saunters off to the bedroom with his phone pressed to his ear and closes the door behind him. I can’t help feeling I should be there with him. I’m his wife, his support, and I’m still his assistant.
“Come and see the wedding dresses, doll,” Nina soothes. “I prefer lace but your style might be somewhat different so I requested plenty of options.”
I turn away from Reese and the closed bedroom door and follow Nina to the rack of wedding dresses.
I’m handed a glass of champagne and a prim-looking woman slides each dress off the rack. They’re all big and white and nice, but my mind is on Reese and the problems he needs to solve. Itseems frivolous to think about a wedding dress when his entire empire is crumbling around him.
“Which do you want to try on?” the woman asks.
I glance at the row of puffy white dresses and take a sip of champagne. It tastes sharp and I wince as it goes down.
“It’s overwhelming isn’t it, doll?” Nina puts a hand on my shoulder and her perfume wafts over me.
“Should we look at the wedding stationary and come back to this, or perhaps try the cake samples?”
I glance around at a table I didn’t see before with large slices of elaborate-looking cake. My stomach turns and I feel like I’m going to be sick. And that’s when I know I’ve got to do something about this. I’m not usually a girl who turns down cake.
I’m not usually a girl who sits by during a crisis either. Because I’m not Ava Matthews anymore, I’m Ava Donovan. I’m Reese’s wife. I don’t need another wedding; I need to be in there with my husband, providing support in whatever capacity he requires.
I stand up abruptly and plonk the glass down on the nearest table. I clear my throat, and several pairs of eyes turn to me expectantly.
“Thank you for coming but I need you all to leave.”
Silence fills the room. Nina starts to speak but I cut her off.
“We’re not having another wedding. Reese and I are already married, and I don’t need a big dress and fancy invitations.”
The woman behind the stationary table bristles and I throw her a sympathetic look. “Sorry, they are lovely.”
Nina looks shocked and this may not be the best start to the mother-in-law relationship, but I need to set boundaries.
“But we didn’t get to celebrate with you.”
“We’ll hold a party when we’re ready to celebrate with our friends and family, but we don’t need another wedding. I’m already Reese’s wife, and I don’t need a white dress to prove it.”
“But…” Nina protests, and I silence her with a look that I’ve perfected from her son.
“Thank you for organizing all of this. But I need everyone to leave, right now.”
Everyone looks at me stunned, and I wonder what wasn’t clear. An image of my Gramma Erlene pops into my head and I realize what I’ve forgotten.
I smile sweetly. “Please.”
The silence breaks and there’s the scramble of cases opening and goods being hastily packed away.
I turn to one of the hotel staff standing awkwardly with a tray of yet more champagne. “Clear the tables and get this champagne out of here. And when it’s cleared, lock the door between our suites.” I glance at the cake stand. There’s thick, double-layered chocolate cake with what looks like raspberry frosting. “Leave the cake.” The woman nods and hurries off.
It takes less than two minutes to clear the room. Once the last of the tables is cleared away, I’m left alone in the room with Nina and an angry Max still in his cat carrier.
I turn to Nina, expecting her to be cross with me, but she’s looking at me with a newfound respect. “I knew there was fire inside of you. My psychic told me you’d be strong enough for my Reese.”
I’ve got a pounding headache and I long to close the door on Nina, but who can tell what mischief she’ll get up to next?