Page 74 of Their Forever Daddy

But now… now she barely recognized the woman staring back at her from the full-length mirror. Gone was the sturdy, if somewhat miniature workhorse she generally thought of herself as. In her place stood a goddess, come down from Mount Olympus for the sole purpose of bedding as many mortal men as possible during her stay.

The deep wine color of the dress made her skin glow, and whatever Jesse had done with her makeup had given her eyes a dark, sultry look. Her cheekbones looked sharp enough to cut glass, and even her hair somehow looked sleeker and sexier than she was used to.

“Holy shit.” Lifting a hand, she waved at her reflection, somewhat shocked when the woman in the mirror waved back. “There’s no way that’s me.”

“It totally is,” Jesse said, joining her in the mirror. “And not to toot my own horn or anything, but you look fucking spectacular. I might actually be a little jealous of how gorgeous you are right now.”

“You don’t have to be jealous of me, babygirl.” Turning away from the disconcerting image in the glass, she slid her arms around Jesse’s waist, yanking her toward her in a move that had Jesse gasping in surprise. “You will always be the most stunning woman in any room.”

“Sugar, I don’t think you’re giving yourself enough credit.” The corners of Jesse’s lips curved upward in a wicked smile. “After all, I am well known for having impeccable taste.”

Since she was wearing the one pair of black stilettos she owned, for once in her life Edie didn’t have to bring Jesse’s head down to meet hers. She simply had to lean in and capture her babygirl’s lips with her own to taste the sugar on her lips from the donut she’d snuck downstairs to get while Edie was in the shower.

Everything else faded away. For one glorious moment, it was just her and her woman, locked together in perfect bliss.

But like all good things, even truly excellent kisses had to come to an end, and Edie reluctantly pulled away. Her own disappointment at being forced to end the kiss was mollified somewhat by the dazed look in Jesse’s eyes.

“I forgot what an amazing kisser you are,” Jesse said, her words a little breathless.

“Mmm. You know, we could always forget this whole ‘date’ thing and just stay in bed all night.”

Unfortunately, her words had the opposite effect of what she’d hoped, seemingly shocking Jesse out of her lust-induced stupor. “Nope. You are not wasting that dress on takeout and sex, no matter how good the sex is. Come on.”

Resigned to her fate, Edie let herself be led out of the bedroom. Jesse stopped at the top of the stairs, her expression suddenly serious. “I promised I wouldn’t push, so I won’t. But if either of you have any reservations about me, I just want you to know that nothing in this world would make me happier than the people I care about being happy. So if it feels right tonight, please promise me you won’t let your worries about me or how I’ll react hold you back. I’m good with you two being together, without me. More than good.”

“What if we can’t make it work?” It wasn’t in Edie’s nature to be vulnerable, but her nerves were starting to get the best of her. “What if he only wants me because you want me? What if we have nothing in common? What if?—”

“And what if we all woke up tomorrow with horns on our heads and candy corn for teeth,” Jesse answered with a roll of her eyes. “That’s about how ridiculous you sound right now, Edie.”

“It’s not ridiculous. It’s practical.”

“No, it’s ridiculous.” Cupping Edie’s face in her hands, Jesse leaned in and brushed a comforting kiss across her lips. “There is nobody else in this world I would want to share Grant with. You know why?”

“Why?”

“Because you are the best person I’ve ever known. I didn’t stay in love with you for ten fucking years just because you’re gorgeous. You’re smart, with a wicked sense of humor, and a heart the size of Texas. And I promise you Grant is going to fall just as in love with you as I did that summer.”

Edie’s heart tripped in her chest, damn near coming to a complete stop at Jesse’s words. “You make it hard to be pissed at you for slapping all this gunk on my face when you say shit like that.”

“Good. Now, go get our man.”

Chapter 27

Grant

* * *

Waiting for Edie to get ready hadn’t been too bad when he’d been occupied with getting everything ready for their last-minute date. But now that everything was in place and he could hear them whispering at the top of the stairs, the nerves were starting to set in. What the hell could be taking them so long?

Then the boards creaked, alerting him to movement on the stairs. He looked up, and all the air seemed to freeze in his lungs.

She was a fucking vision. The dress she’d poured herself into was the color of a good wine, and it clung to every gentle curve of her body like a jealous lover. And the impossibly high heels made her legs look a million miles long.

But it was her face he couldn’t take his eyes off of. She still looked like Edie, but sharper. Sexier, in a more lethal way than Jesse’s girl-next-door beauty. It hit him then, more than ever, how very different they were.

And how completely wild he was about both of them.

Pausing a few steps from the bottom, Edie smiled, but the gesture was tinged with a nervous energy that matched his own. “Hopefully that’s the good kind of stunned silence.”

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