“Trinity wants to hit up a bookstore, and I desperately need a coffee. Where do you want to go, Lily?” Amelia asks, glancing over her shoulder as her bodyguard drives us in their Cadillac to a popular outdoor mall in God knows what city—I’ve lost track at this point.
“I also need to go to the bookstore. I want to surprise Stella with some new books.”
“That’s sweet.” Trinity gushes, “She’s turning into a tiny reader.”
“She really is.” I think back to all the lessons she’s taken over, reading the material to me. “That girl is going to go far in life … I’m calling it.”
“Levi would love to hear that.” Amelia has a faraway look on her face.
“What’s going on in that head of yours?” Trinity leans forward in her seat, worried.
“Levi always knew he would have a harder time with Stella when she got older. He never anticipated the Mommy and Daddy name-calling though.” Her fingers fiddle with the end of her sundress. “The right thing to do is to tell her we’re not her parents—he understands that. But how do you tell a little girl something you know will hurt and confuse her?”
Poor baby.
“This is a lose-lose situation. Whatever you do will cause hurt, whether it’s later on or now,” I admit.
“Not only is Stella a smart girl, but she’s strong. Maybe all this stress is for nothing, and she won’t even care,” Trinity says smoothly, but shows discomfort on her face.
The rest of the drive is quiet. Once we reach the bookstore, I purchase all my favorite books from when I was a kid. Pinkalicious and Fancy Nancy are a fan favorite. My copies lookused.
Sunglasses are held in front of my face.
“If you were sunglasses, you would be these. Try them on.” Not giving me a second to even comprehend her words, Amelia shoves them onto my nose.
Trinity smirks at me in the mirror. “You look hot.”
The girls gather around me as I inspect the oval black sunglasses.
Do I feel like a baddie? Yes.
Do I know the price is going to be astronomically expensive? Absolutely.
When I go to check the price, Amelia scoffs and rips them away. “Nope, I don’t think so.” She pops thePand walks backward toward the cash register.
“What are you doing?” I follow her, not liking the look on her face one bit.
“You look good, and I could tell that you like them … so I’m buying you a present,” she says simply, bolting for the nearest salesperson, acting like she’s not in a high-end store.
Damn it, this was a trap. I should have known.
Trinity holds me back when I try to chase her down. “She’s a lady on a mission. Nothing could ever stop her.”
I huff in the middle of a store I never would have had the luxury of stepping in before this tour. Amelia greets me with a yellow bag dangling from her finger and winks seductively. I half laugh … and sob.
Why am I getting emotional?
“Don’t look at me like that.” Amelia wipes my lone tear away with a thumb. “You deserve them and more.”
Pulling her into a hug, I thank her a million times, then threaten her if she ever does something like this ever again.
Shopping with these girls is not a good idea.
Eight bags are clutched in my hands, and my bank account is weeping.
My new glasses are perched on my nose. New dresses, shirts, and pants linger in my bags. Let me tell you, these ladies were on a mission to spice up my wardrobe.
“Wait till the boys see all our bags.” Trinity giggles.
