Page 113 of Against All Odds

He stands a little taller and rests his head on mine. I hate myself for saying that when Everett has made it clear that he wants this baby. He wants me and whatever comes with that. I never should’ve told him how I felt regarding Dylan.

I quickly move to make it right. “Everett, I didn’t mean ... I know that you’re probably happy and I shouldn’t be sad.”

Everett lifts his head, his eyes finding mine. “Violet, stop. I already told you that I can’t possibly understand how he let you go. But any man, no, fuck that, I am the luckiest man in the world because I get to be beside you. I get to love this baby and when the day comes that he wakes up and sees the mistakes he made, it’ll be too late. He can’t have you back. I will fight with everything I am to show you that I am the right man for you.”

“I don’t want him. Ever.”

I know it’s not exactly what he wants to hear right now, but I’m trying.

“Do you want me?”

“Yes,” I say softly, tears filling my eyes.

Everett smiles. “Then go do whatever it is that girls do before a date with the man who plans to give them a night they won’t forget.”

“You still want to go on a date?” I ask hesitantly.

“Don’t you?”

I want that more than anything. I lean my head on his shoulder. “With you? Always.”

“Why is getting an outfit ready so difficult?” I ask as Hazel sits on my bed, eating the cookies I baked.

“I don’t know, but if this teaching thing doesn’t work, please open a bakery.”

I laugh and then pull the dress down, smoothing out the bottom. “What about this?” I ask as I enter the bedroom.

She scrunches up her face and shakes her head. “I was really hoping for a Hollywood-type fashion show. Didn’t your husband buy you all kinds of designer stuff?”

I roll my eyes. “I wasn’t that type of wife. Dylan only outfitted his girlfriend, most likely.”

“You’ve got to have something fit for a first date with your first love!” she says as she hops off the bed. “Seriously, I am always the date friend. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.”

“Do you want to be the bride?” I ask.

She shrugs. “Maybe someday, but I feel like I married the store when I opened it.” Hazel grabs a shirt out of my closet and holds it up. “No, not that.”

“I really don’t have much. When I moved here, I left anything that was cute behind.”

“Well, that was dumb.”

I laugh once. “Maybe, but I had no intentions on ever needing a pants outfit with heels.”

I packed the basics and gave a lot of things to Eleanor. She promised to box them in case I ever wanted them and put them in storage where Dylan couldn’t get to them if he felt like being spiteful.

“You know, I don’t know why you’re fretting about this. You could wear a sack and Everett will still think you’re beautiful,”she says as she grabs a dress out of the back. “Oh, this is cute. Try it.”

As I return to the bathroom to change, she reclaims her spot and moans as she bites into another cookie. “Which one is that?” I ask as I shimmy the silky material down.

“The double chocolate chunk. Seriously, this is so good.”

“I’m glad you like it.” I turn in the mirror side to side and watch as the dress catches the light. It’s really pretty. The eggplant color doesn’t wash me out and makes my eyes look brighter. “What do you think of this one?”

Hazel grins. “That’s the one!”

She’s right. It’s the best I’ve got. “Why am I nervous? It’s Everett and we’ve already ...”

“Because you like him.”

---