Page 68 of Change My Mind
“Thank you. And thanks for keeping this kind of low-key.”
Dad looked so proud as he looked out at the room. “You should thank Lucy for that. She got her claws in the guest list from Xander and culled a lot of people before the invites went out.”
My eyes widened. “I am concerned by how big a partyXander was going to throw if this wasn’t the extent of the guest list.”
“You know how Xander loves to throw a party. It’s why he took the reins for your big three-oh. Lucy said these are the people who are least likely to ask annoying questions about your life.”
I took another look around the room as I had another sip of my cocktail. There was honey in it. And something vanilla-y.
It was mostly close family in the room. Both Henrys and Harrises, as well as some of Rachel’s family. There were some partners I had never met before, but for the most part, everyone in the room was a known entity. Lucy had done a great culling job.
“Where is Jesse? He said he had to do something earlier but never came back,” I asked.
“He’s just—” Dad pointed over my shoulder, and I turned around. Jesse had just walked in, but he wasn’t alone.
No, Eli was right behind him. Looking all kinds of obscene.
Which he really had no right to, because it was just an all-black outfit.
Except it was pure perfection.
The sleeves of his silk-looking shirt were rolled up to his elbows, the buttons only done up to just above his belly button. It was tucked into black trousers that fit his legs perfectly. He was wearing a belt, which wasn’t unusual for him, but I knew this belt. It was the one he had been wearing in BellaDonna. The buckle had a snake around it.
My skin started to feel hot at the sight of him. I looked away before he could see me noticing him.
“I assume it’s okay that we extended an invite to Eli?” Dad asked as I looked back at him.
I nodded a bit too vigorously. “Yeah. Of course. If I had known that he didn’t have one, I would have told him myself.”
Dad snorted. A truly hideous sound that both of his daughters had inherited.
“What was that for?”
“Does he even know it’s your birthday today?”
“Yes. Of course, he—” I cut myself off because in actual fact, he didn’t. He never asked what date it was, and I was a dickhead who never volunteered more information than was asked of me. I heard Dad hum, but it sounded far away as the smell of pine flooded my senses.
“Happy birthday,” Eli said tentatively from behind me. I spun around to look at him.
He looked even better up close. His hair was swept back, but one strand of grey was hanging over his face, refusing to get in line.
“If it makes you feel any better, Tori still doesn’t know when my birthday is. She just sends a message on a random day towards the end of August and hopes for the best,” I said in a panic.
Tori hadn’t sent a message yet, but she did send me a present that arrived last week, which I still hadn’t opened.
“It’s fine. Jesse assured me that it’s a you problem, not a me problem. You look stunning.”
He was studying me. It was a slow perusal, taking in every inch of me. My braids were tied up, twisted into a bun that crowned the top of my head. Clara decided I had to wear a deep purple lip, and I just went along with it because there wasn’t much that I couldn’t pull off. Eli spent an extra moment noticing the colour, his breath catching in his chest, before he carried on looking down.
I was wearing a dark grey dress. Long-sleeved, floor-length, and made of velvet. All my full-length dresses had a thigh slit, it was a non-negotiable, and this one was nodifferent. I clocked the moment Eli noticed it, his eyes changing as he took in the muscles of my exposed thigh. He reached out to touch my waist and spun me around slowly until he was looking at my favourite part of the dress.
It was completely backless.
His fingers trailed along my lower back, sending shivers up my spine, and then he turned me back around to face him.
Eli cleared his throat. “That’s a fucking great dress.”
I mock curtseyed. “Thanks. You are looking pretty stunning yourself.”
