“You’ll see, Tilly.” Daphne slaps my ass, and I yelp. “Angelo will have you preggers in no time.”
My mouth falls open, and I freeze. “Um,” I mumble as my face heats. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
“The Gallo men can almost just look at a woman and knock her up. You better be careful.” Delilah laughs. “Look at me.” She points toward her baby bump. “I never expected this to happen.”
She has to be hands down the most adorable pregnant woman I’ve ever seen. With my luck, my ankles would swell up, making it impossible for me to wear heels.
“Jesus.” Betty whistles as she walks into the dressing room area carrying no fewer than ten items draped over her arms. “Look at you ladies. Someone’s getting lucky tonight.”
“Ma, were any of us planned?” Daphne asks, crossing her arms and glancing in my direction.
“Oh, heavens no.” Betty laughs. “I didn’t want kids until I was thirty, but there was no stopping Santino.”
“See.” Daphne smirks, finally making her point loud and clear. “Told you.”
Betty stands behind us and narrows her eyes. “What are you ladies talking about?”
“I told her to be careful because she could get knocked up.”
Betty fumbles with the cross hanging around her neck. “Let’s not scare Tilly away. Behave, girls.”
“I’m not scared,” I reply and straighten my back, standing taller than before. “I don’t think we’ve gotten to that point yet. We’re just finding our footing.”
“So was I.” Delilah laughs.
“Me too,” Daphne adds.
“You’ll be fine, dear.” Betty touches my shoulder. “But if you wear that number around Angelo, all bets are off.” She lifts an eyebrow. “It’ll catch more than his eye.”
“It’s too expensive,” I balk.
“Oh, please.” Daphne shakes her head. “Leo won’t even look at the bill.”
I wonder what it’s like to have so much money that six hundred dollars is like stopping at a coffee shop and ordering a latte. It’s not something I can wrap my head around after scrounging up every last dollar I had to open the bakery.
“If it’ll make you feel better, just get the one dress and nothing more,” Delilah tells me as she bends down and runs her hand along her fancy boots.
“This would go great with my red heels.”
“That would go great with anything, sweetheart.” Betty walks into a dressing room and closes the door. “Get the dress.”
“You heard her.” Daphne pitches her head toward her mother’s voice. “It’s so you.”
It’s like they’re twisting my arm to buy the dress, and even though I know it’s a ridiculously expensive item, I want it. “Okay, but only if I can pay you back.”
“Sure. You can pay Leo.”
Delilah laughs. “That’ll be fun to watch.”
“If you’re going to pay him back for that dress, you better at least get something else. He’ll feel cheated,” Betty calls out from the other side of the door.
“How about some sexy lingerie?” Delilah waggles her eyebrows as I step away from the mirror.
“Maybe.” I run my fingers down the front of the dress, loving the smoothness against my skin.
“Something lacy.” Daphne nods and steps back, looking me up and down. “Do you have a garter?”
“Of course.” I laugh nervously. I so don’t have a garter. Who wears garters in this day and age? Not a widow avoiding sex like the plague.
