Page 12 of Marrying a Billionaire

The woman quirked an eyebrow. “And you wore them knowing they were damaged?”

Lillian rifled absentmindedly through the clothing next to her. “That’s how it works for the ninety-nine percent.”

The air grew silent. Lillian glanced over at the woman to see that her lips were pinched and her eyebrows drawn together.

Hoping to redeem herself, Lillian forced a smile. “I think I’ll be okay for now. I’ll let you know if I need to try anything on.”

The woman took a step closer to her. “I was actually thinking that you might find what you’re looking for at a shop farther down. At a place—oh I don’t know—called Old Navy?”

Lillian stared at her. Was she serious? “I’m. . .” What was she supposed to say to that?

“Are you Lillian?”

Lillian turned her attention away from the woman in front of her to see a girl with bright blonde hair and a crop top standing a few feet off. She had on a bohemian skirt with chunky sandals that made her look like a Greek goddess.

She raised her eyebrows as if she expected Lillian to say something.

“Am I Lillian? Yes?” she said. Why did she sound so unsure? She’d only been telling everyone her name since she could talk. But the shop attendant had sucked all of her self-confidence out of her. “Are you Cassie?” Lillian leaned toward her.

The girl’s ruby red lips parted, and she smiled, exposing her perfectly straight, white teeth. “Yes.” She glanced over to the shop attendant and narrowed her eyes. “I hope you were treating my future sister-in-law well,” she said, reaching out and wrapping her arm around Lillian’s shoulders.

The woman’s eyes bugged. “I’m so sorry, Ms. Williamson, I had no idea—”

“Save it. We’ll be working with someone else.” She tipped her head toward the rest of the store and pulled Lillian with her. “Come on, let’s get you away from Trudy. She’s the worst.”

Relief flooded Lillian’s body as she let Cassie drag her to the back of the store. Evening dresses lined the wall. Some had plunging necklines, others dipped low in the back. Right now, all Lillian wanted to do was run down the street to Old Navy. A place where she might actually find something to wear.

“You’re so adorable,” Cassie said.

Lillian glanced over to see that she’d taken a few steps back and was studying her. Heat rushed to her cheeks. How could an entire group of people unnerve her like this? It was a bit too much. “Thanks,” she said, reaching up and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Cassie shot Lillian a smile as she turned and started rifling through the clothing rack next to her. “Now, Reed told me I needed to help you find something fabulous for tonight.” She pulled a halter top dress out and glanced down at it.

Lillian wanted to tell her that there was no way she was going to wear that dress, but thankfully, Cassie shook her head and returned it to the rack. She’d put on some weight with this pregnancy and didn’t want anything highlighting any of that.

“So, what’s your style? Besides stained shirts and jeans?” Cassie asked, casting a sideways glance in her direction before she returned to the dresses.

“Um, that’s about it. I try not to buy fancy things because I always end up with clay stains.” She brushed down her shirt. She never minded until right now, where she felt like a social pariah for wearing her clothes.

“Clay? You do pottery?”

Lillian pinched her lips together and nodded. It wasn’t something she liked to tell people. Maybe it had to do with the fact that Joshua never supported her, but she was always nervous about what people would think so kept it a secret.

“That’s awesome! You’ll have to teach me someday,” Cassie said as she pulled a floor length evening gown from the rack and held it up to Lillian.

It took Lillian’s breath away. The satin fabric felt like butter against her skin as she ran her fingers across it. It was navy and reminded Lillian of the night sky. She grabbed the price tag and almost had a heart attack.

“Five thousand dollars?” she squeaked out.

Cassie shot her a look. “That’s not bad. My gala dress last year was north of $10,000.” She held it up to Lillian and tipped her head to the side. “This is perfect. Go try it on.” She shoved the dress into Lillian’s hand and turned back to the rack.

Lillian held the dress as if it were the most expensive item in existence as she made her way over to the dressing rooms and shut the door. She pulled off her shirt and jeans, catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her eyes stopped at her stomach.

Her bump was becoming more pronounced now. She let her fingers linger on it. Lately, she’d been feeling flutterings in her stomach. As much as she forced herself not to hope, she couldn’t help but wonder if it was the baby. Did that mean it was still alive?

After one trip to the doctor to verify the pregnancy, she hadn’t brought herself to return. She couldn’t get attached to this one. Her heart was already in pieces from the last pregnancy. Going into labor too soon. Not being able to stop it. She squeezed her eyes shut as she pushed the memories from her mind. She couldn’t think about that right now. She needed her wits about her.

There was a knock on her dressing room door. “Everything okay?” Cassie asked.

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