Page 115 of Exposed

“Positive.”

“Very well.” He unzipped the second garment bag. “Next!” he called to everyone.

And then he handed me a dress that looked a little more similar to Bee’s first one. Although again, the bottom of the ballgown was sheer somehow. Even though there were so many layers.

“Hmm.” Tanner folded his arms as his eyes trailed down my body. “Turn for me.”

“You’ll see my butt.”

He shrugged. “I really don’t see the harm in that.”

I threw the hanger at him.

He caught it and laughed.

“Tanner, I can’t wear something sheer like this.” I looked over at Penny who was wearing a two piece dress. She was covering her stomach with her hand. She had a newborn baby. And it was clear she was disappointed with garment bag number two. Was Tanner purposely trying to make us all uncomfortable in these dresses?

I heard Kennedy laughing. She was wearing a short dress that was really cute. But it was hot pink, which was definitely not a color Kennedy would have chosen.

Daphne was in something that looked like a fashionable burlap sack.

Hailey was in a denim romper.

And Bee was in another gorgeous gown.What the hell?!

“Tanner, why did you bring usthesedresses?”

“There’s still one more.” He handed me the zipped up garment bag.

I eyed him skeptically.

He stepped closer to me. “Honestly, all the dresses I’ve sent are perfect,” he whispered. “Bee looks amazing in ballgowns even though she prefers to show more skin. Daphne needed something unflattering in order to be bold enough to choose something skin tight and sexy. Penny is self-conscious about her stomach when everyone else here can see she’s already shed the baby weight and looks amazing. Hailey needed to see something casual to know she needed diamonds. And Kennedy looks amazing in that color. I was hoping she’d be able to see that, but I knew if not she’d settle for a lighter version that will look just as good.”

I looked over at my friends. Wow. He’d really nailed that.

“And I’m all for a big reveal. Everyone will fall in love with the dress in bag number three.”

“So why did I need the first two dresses?”

He pulled the third garment bag off the rack. “You’re a little nervous that Matt fell in love with you when you were 16. That he envisioned you frozen in time and that he won’t love your body just as much now. But Brooklyn, you looked stunning in that first dress.” He walked behind me. “And your ass looks perfect in this one.”

I put my hands over my butt.

Tanner laughed. “Matt loves you for you. Not just for your body that is probably more curvaceous and sexier than it was at 16. But for your heart. And your soul. And I have a feeling this dress will be a little more you.” He handed me the third garment bag. “It was always all about dress number three.”

I pulled the zipper down. And stared at the blue dress. A dress that looked like a more modern version of my mother’s blue dress. The one my father had given her. The one she’d danced around with me in the kitchen. The one I’d worn to homecoming. “Tanner…how? How did you know about my mom’s dress?”

“I saw a picture of you in it framed on your father’s desk. So I asked him about it.”

My hands froze. “What? Why were you with my dad?”

“I probably should have led with that tonight. I have great news. My source was having trouble verifying your father’s story. His and Poppy’s story. So I decided to go straight to the source myself…”

“I don’t want you getting in the crosshairs of this, Tanner. I don’t want to put you in danger too.”

Tanner waved his hand through the air. “I’m not scared of Richard Pruitt. If anything he should be scared of me. And you, my best friend’s beautiful girlfriend, have nothing to fear either. He was telling the truth. Poppy and him had nothing to do with the explosion. They weren’t trying to kill you. Or Miller. Or my grandson.”

I opened my mouth and closed it again. “But…how do you know? If you just spoke to him how…”

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