AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Hawaii is amazing! So much more interesting than these cities.”
“So does this mean you’re not going to be home for the dress fittings next weekend?”
“I… will miss that, yes,” I reluctantly admitted. I had been putting it off.
“Is there going to be an issue because of your pregnancy?”
“Well, I haven’t gotten pregnant yet,” I said.
There was a pause on the line. “Did the first round of IVF not take? I know that happens sometimes. I assumed you would have done a second round by now. How many of your eggs did they harvest?”
“The first round didn’t take, no. We’re exploring some other options before the, um, second round. But hey! The silver lining is that it means I’ll fit into my dress without any complications.”
“You still have to get fitted, though.”
“That’s no problem. I’ll have Andrew contact the store and give them an address to ship the dress. We should be back in Rome for a week while Pierce handles some meetings, so that would be the perfect time to get the alterations done. I’m sure there are amazing alteration experts in Italy.”
If the mention of Italian seamstresses surprised Carly, she didn’t show it. “Andrew? Who’s that?”
“Pierce’s valet.”
“You mean valet?” she asked, pronouncing it with the soft-T sound.
“Hah, no! When you pronounce it valet, it means a manservant. I made the same mistake when I first met him.”
“Oh, okay. The way you talked about him made it seem like he was more than that.” I started to think of an excuse, but then Carly went on. “Speaking of the wedding, are you going to have a plus one? You never RSVP’d, and we’re trying to nail down the seating chart.”
I glanced to my right, through the doorway leading to the Bellerophon’s bar. Pierce was leaning on the bartop, chatting with the bartender. “I’ll call you back in, like, five minutes with an answer.”
I hung up and got up from the chair on the sun deck. This was a subject I had been avoiding. Attending my sister’s wedding was a top priority for me, but I didn’t know how Pierce would take it. I would need to leave for a few days, which might clash with whatever plans he had. He’d enjoyed having me on his arm at all these special events lately, and my absence might raise some questions in the tabloid industry.
Pierce smiled when I joined him. “I’ll never get sick of that sight.”
“And I’ll never get sick of the way you watch me.” I kissed him on the cheek. “There’s something I need to bring up. Next month is my sister’s wedding. I mentioned it way back when we signed the contract, but we never firmed up the dates…”
“It’s on the schedule,” Pierce replied. “Next month, we’re sailing back across the Atlantic. We’re spending two nights outside Boston because of a conference I need to attend, then sailing down to Rhode Island for the wedding. Haven’t you checked the spreadsheet?”
“I still haven’t even opened it,” I admitted. “I actually like not knowing where we’re going each day, and it drives Tristan crazy. But that’s great!” My relief was palpable.
“The venue is on the beach. Hopefully the weather is perfect,” Pierce said.
“About that. I actually have a plus-one. I was wondering…”
“You’d better take me,” Pierce said with a smile. “I blocked off my calendar for the day so I could be your date.”
I perked up. “Really?”
He nodded. “You’ve been my date to all of these boring events. It’s only fair I return the favor. Besides, I’d love to meet your family.”
“They would love to meet you too!” I said.
“After all, it’s their genes that will be in my heir as much as yours,” he explained. “I’d like to see how they’re holding up.”
I thought he was serious, until he grinned. “Ha ha. Very funny.”
“But seriously, I’d love to go. As long as you don’t mind me embarrassing you on the dance floor.”
“Why do you say that? You’re a good dancer!”
