Page 90 of Taming You

Zoey

The evening of the gala, I stare at myself in the mirror, pleased with my choice in dress. It’s a black and hugs my body with thick off-the-shoulder sleeves, and a slit comes halfway up my right thigh. When I spin, the light catches the small glittery pieces within the fabric of the dress. My black heels make my legs look longer than they are and my ass look amazing.

Grabbing my clutch, I head downstairs to meet Henry and Maggie. I’ll be riding with them there to help Maggie with the final set up, and Matt will meet me there. Maggie made sure his name is on the list.

When I’m halfway down the stairs, Henry smiles up at me. “You look beautiful, Zo.”

“You clean up well, big brother. Where is your gorgeous wife so we can get going?”

His jaw drops slightly, and I turn to watch Maggie come down the stairs. I turn back to Henry, and he’s covering his mouth and shaking his head as he stares in awe at his wife. When she stops in front of him, he mutters, “How in the hell did I get so lucky?”

She goes up on her tiptoes and kisses him. I love that Henry and Maggie found each other and are still in awe of each other, even after having been together for eleven years. I only hope Matt and I can have that, too.

“Ready to go?” Maggie asks, and I nod.

We follow Henry out to the car, and he drives us downtown to the Convention Centre where the gala is being held. When we get there, we do everything we can to help Maggie with finishing touches. As guests start to arrive, Maggie begins making the rounds and greeting people. I grab a glass of champagne and take everything in. I can’t believe we were able to turn this space into something so beautiful.

Shiny silver stars intermixed with faerie lights hang from the ceiling. Soft burgundy drapery hangs from the walls, covering some of the harsher tones. Tables surround the perimeter of the dance floor at the front of the room, each draped with a black tablecloth with three tall vases in the centre filled with water and floating candles. The lights are set perfectly so you can still carry on conversation with people with the soft music that’s playing, but you can also watch the candlelight bounce off the shining stars.

As I make my way around the room, I spot Matt, two flutes of champagne in his hand. When he sees me, he stops, his jaw dropping as he motions for me to spin. I giggle as I do it, and he makes his way to me as quickly as socially acceptable without running or shoving people out of the way, it only has me giggling even more.

He hands me one of the flutes, and his free arm wraps around my waist, his hand landing just above my ass, staking his claim without being overly inappropriate.

I shake my head as I look up him, my smile never leaving my face. “You know, if you really want to show everyone I’m yours, you should kiss me.”

He grins down at me. “You’re brilliant and right, I should kiss you,” he whispers before our lips meet. It’s a socially acceptable kiss, even though I know neither of us want it to be.

When he pulls back, I ask, “How was Jayden when you dropped him off?”

He shakes his head and chuckles. “I swear that boy doesn’t care when I drop him off at Mom’s. He’s so spoiled by them that he’d be happy if I dropped him off with Grandma every weekend.”

I cup his cheek. “He loves you.”

His hand covers mine. “I know, and I’m happy he enjoys going to my mom’s.”

“He’ll be excited when you pick him up tomorrow.” I drop my hand from his face and take a sip of my champagne.

“You mean when we pick him up. And he’s going to be more excited to see you.”

I raise a brow. “We?”

He runs his teeth over his bottom lip and nods. “Yup. My plan is to woo you enough tonight that I can convince you to go home with me, and maybe if I do a good enough job you’ll spend the weekend.”

My shoulders shake as I silently laugh. “Someone’s ambitious.”

“When it comes to you, always.”

“Well let’s make the rounds and see how well you do tonight.”

He mock salutes me and takes my hand as we talk to people we’ve never met. After thirty minutes of socializing, I hear a familiar voice and grin widely as I spot Liv and Josh talking to a couple. I quickly make my way to Liv, and when she spots me, we throw our arms around each other. Josh ends his conversation and shakes Matt’s hand.

“I’m so happy to see you,” I say as I squeeze my best friend.

“Well, if you didn’t let my brother steal you away, you might see me more.”

I shake my head as I step back. “Don’t act like your husband hasn’t done the same. Plus, with Cate, you’ve got your hands full.”

Josh and Liv share a quick look before she agrees.

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