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Caroline just gasps. Amelia wolf whistles. Josh’s jaw drops and Reagan jumps to her feet. “Auntie Em! You look like Cinderella when the Fairy Godmother made her a dress.”
Phoebe giggles. “Hit the nail on the head, Rae.”
Reagan frowns indignantly. “I didn’t hit anything, Aunt Phoebe.”
While Phoebe tries to explain that expression to a five-year-old, Josh and Caroline skip over to me.
Caro strokes the dress with the tips of her fingers. “You look like a princess, Aunt Em.”
Josh nods. “You look beautiful.”
I’m gonna have to try doubly hard not to blush tonight. I don’t wanna blend into my dress too much.
“Thank you, my loves. Now, be good for Amelia and Aunt Phoebe. Go to bed when you’re told. No negotiations, okay?”
“Aw, can’t we come down and say hi to Ruslan?” Caroline pleads.
“Not tonight, honey.”
She hits me with her trademark heartbreaking pout, but I kiss her hard, leaving an imprint of my lips on her forehead.
“I want a kiss like that!” Reagan insists immediately.
I brand the girls with matching lipstick marks on their foreheads and blow kisses to everyone else. I take the stairs slowly, still getting used to the three-and-a-half inch—yes, Phoebe measured—Manolo Blahniks that Ruslan sent along with the dress.
When I finally reach the ground floor lobby, I take a deep breath. Ruslan’s SUV is parked out front, exactly on time as usual, but I need a second to collect my nerves.
This is your Cinderella moment, Emma. Just enjoy it.
“Okay. Here goes—”
I’m reaching for the front door of the apartment building when it flies inward, nearly taking my hand out. “Jesus! Caref—”
I catch the overpoweringly rancid scent of beer, smoke, and throw-up, and I freeze.
Leave it to my brother-in-law to ruin everything. As usual.
Ben takes a moment longer to recognize who he nearly clobbered with the door. When his eyes land on my face, they go wide. Then they trail over the length of my body. Twice.
“What the fuck are you wearing?” he blurts at last.
I clear my throat. “It’s called a dress. Now, if you’ll excuse me—”
When I try to walk around him, he blocks me. “Where the hell did you get the money for that get-up?”
I narrow my eyes. “If you must know, Ruslan gave it to me.”
“Oh,Ruslangave it to you,” he sneers. “What else has he been giving you? I’ve got a guess.”
“Ben, I really don’t have the time for—”
“Did he pay off all your credit card debt, too?” Ben demands. “What about the basketball program Josh is in? Or the new shoes all the kids have suddenly? I’ve got guesses for all that shit also.”
I don’t want to answer the bastard, but it’s my best chance of getting out the door sooner. “Yes,” I grit out, “Ruslan helped with some of those things. And I paid off the rest.”
“How?”
“I’ve been putting in a lot of overtime lately, okay?” He’s moving a little closer to me and now, my sweat glands are really kicking it up a notch.
