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“Shut up.” I force my mouth into a flat line, so she doesn’t get smug about making me laugh. “My ankles are swollen.”
She leans down and gently touches my ankles. “You need to put your feet up more.” She pats my leg. “Come on, let’s find you something to wear.”
I rest my head on her shoulder. “Thank you.”
“Anytime, mama bear.”
An hour later I’ve broken out my fancy pregnancy Spanx, jammed my feet into a pair of pink kitten heels, and slipped into a soft, stretchy pink dress that dips low in the front and falls to my knees.
After a quick peek in the mirror, I’m more confident and feel a little silly for whining so much earlier.
“Holy cleavage, woman.” Trinity whistles.
“Too much?”
“No. You look great.” She glances at my closet. “And I’m not just saying that so we don’t have to go searching for another outfit. That color pink looks pretty on you.”
“Thanks for being so patient.”
“You weren’t that bad.” She glances at the clock. “I am going to run home and get dressed myself, though. Swan’s coming over to do your hair in a few minutes.”
“Oh my God, doesn’t she have enough to do at the club tonight?”
Trinity shrugs. “I think they finished all the hard stuff this morning. Stella’s not there yet as far as I know.”
Downstairs someone knocks at the front door. Heidi’s and Swan’s voices filter upstairs.
“Let’s go downstairs,” I suggest.
“Yeah, you shouldn’t have too many people in the King and Queen’s bedchambers. It’s better to preserve the mystery.” Trinity barely hides her teasing smirk.
“You’re a nut.”
I slip off the heels and pad to the stairs barefoot. Trinity grabs my shoes and purse and descends the stairs ahead of me, turning to check on my progress every five seconds.
“I’m fine.” I shoo her away. “Go ahead before you fall and break your neck.”
Of course, she ignores me.
“You’re almost as bad as Rock.”
“I’m worried about my little niece.”
Heidi rushes over when she sees us and grabs my hand. “You look pretty. I love the dress.”
“Thanks, honey. I’m sorry you guys aren’t coming.”
“It’s fine, honestly, Hope. I have plenty of work to do to keep me busy.”
“I’ll be back in a bit,” Trinity says, giving me a quick peck on the cheek.
Swan leads me over to the dining room table and sets up there. “You don’t want to do this in the bathroom?”
She hesitates. “I thought the lighting…”
“No, it’s fine. Whatever’s easier for you. I really appreciate this. I know you probably have a million things to do at the club tonight.”
Her face brightens. “Nope. Stella had her own ‘people’ come set things up. I guess she didn’t trust us not to tamper with her special equipment or something.” Swan shrugs. “Can’t blame her, honestly.”
“Are the regular girls upset about Stella’s show?”
“They’re just being catty.”
She rolls out a large silicone mat, then sets her tools down. I close my eyes while she goes to work on my hair.
“Are you falling asleep on me, Hope?” she murmurs.
“I can sleep anywhere these days.”
Her soft laughter further relaxes me as she brushes, sprays, and twists my hair into long spiral curlers.
“Just some light makeup,” she promises, holding up her makeup bag.
“I’m at your mercy, Swan.”
Somehow she manages to make my skin look dewy and glowing instead of greasy. “You must have a magic touch. I end up looking like a disco ball when I use that stuff.” I nod to the highlighting powder in her hand.
She blushes and keeps working, blending, and brushing until I barely recognize myself.
“Let’s go with a nude-pink gloss. I know everyone’s doing matte lips, but this will look pretty with what you’ve got going on here tonight.”
“Okay. I’m not crazy about the matte stuff anyway. Too much maintenance.”
“Right. This will be quicker and easier.”
Easy my ass. It takes her another fifteen minutes to line and fill my lips the way she wants. Only then do we get to the glossy part.
“Keep this.” She winks, handing over the tube. “In case it smudges off.”
“Hey,” Rock calls from the doorway. “Trin said you were almost ready.”
“I am.”
He nods to Swan. “Thanks, hon.”
“No problem.”
I stand, and Rock meets me halfway. “You look beautiful,” he murmurs against my hair. “Curlers and all.”
“Oh.” I touch my head. “I forgot.”
His gaze sweeps over me again. “I feel bad. I’m only planning to wear jeans.”
“I wouldn’t have you any other way.”
“They’ll be clean. The boots may have a little dirt on ’em, but the jeans won’t.”
I chuckle and kiss his bristly cheek. “Everything okay?”
“Better now.” He nods in Swan’s direction. “Go finish up. I’m going to take a shower and change. Probably be ready by the time you’re done.”
“Okay.”
I watch him jog up the stairs before heading back to Swan.
“You two.” She shakes her head. “The way you look at each other is really something.”
Uncomfortable, I shrug and smile. “Think my hair is ready?”
She nods and carefully pulls out each roller, shaping the long, bouncy curls as they spring free.
Once my hair is down, I think we’re finished, but she pulls out more pins, a comb, and a different bottle of spray. “A quick waterfall braid to keep your hair off your face,” she explains.
“Thank you. I’m either hot and sweaty or freezing my feet off lately.”
Our definitions of “quick” are vastly different. She takes her time tucking my hair into a loose braid that wraps around my head, leaving the rest of my curls long and flowing.
Someone thumps against the front door. “That has to be Wrath. Come in!” I yell.
“One of these days you’re going to regret not looking before saying come in,” Wrath says as he opens the door and ushers Trinity inside.
“I already do.” I stick out my tongue, and he laughs.
Trinity changed into a body-conscious dress of blue-green sequins that lands about mid-thigh. Her hair has a similar braid, but the rest is gathered into a large, sleek ponytail.
“You look like a sexy mermaid.”
She grins. “That’s what I was going for.”
“Merm!” Alexa squeals.
Heidi carries her into the living room. “Sure, that she can hear a mile away.” She brings Alexa over, and Trinity kisses her cheeks.
“You just wake up, big girl?”
Alexa bobs her head up and down and rubs her eyes.
“You still look sleepy.”
“No!”
“I think she’s hungry.” Heidi flicks her gaze over Wrath, Trinity, and then over to me. “Okay, now I feel bad we’re not going.”
“I’m sorry.”
She hefts Alexa up and shakes her head. “It’s okay. Z told me to bring her with us, but I’m thinking bringing my baby to the strip club might earn me the worst mother ever award.”
“No way,” Trinity says. “Our moms have that one locked down tight.”
Heidi actually chuckles. “True. Sparky offered to hang with her, but…”
“Same problem?” Trinity teases.
“I love him, but, yeah.”
“Who do you love?” Murphy asks.
She whips around and smiles at him. “You.”
They tease each other and play with Alexa together. A few minutes later Rock joins us, and we’re ready to go.
Z’s standing by the back door and opens it as soon as he sees me. “Hello, my most important VIP.” He kisses my cheek.
“Really? Me? I don’t know about that.”
For a moment he drops the impish smile that seems permanently attached to his face. “Seriously, Hope. I appreciate you giving this a chance. Getting the girls excited about it.”
“I’m honestly curious to see it myself.”
He squeezes my arm. “Yeah, but you talking it up to Willow got her to give it a positive spin with the other girls.”
“Swan said they weren’t thrilled.”
“A few were pissy about it. I sent them home.”
“That’ll cheer them up,” I joke.
Behind me, Rock must give Z some signal, because Z snaps to attention. “I saved a special table for you guys.”
“You didn’t have to do that. You must have a million other things on your mind,” I say as I follow him to a large round table in the middle of the room with a prime view of the stage. Not the usual table in the back corner Rock prefers.
I glance up at Rock to see if he’s okay with the placement and he nods.
“Oh,” Z says. “I invited someone you’ll probably remember.” He plucks a card off the table at the same time a deep voice rasps, “Hey, Hope.”
“Jonny, oh my gosh, I haven’t seen you in forever.” We embrace in an awkward half hug, and he shakes Rock’s hand, then Z’s.
“Thanks for the invite.” Jonny says to Z. “I parked my bike in the front. That okay?”
