His smile deepened, turning me into a melty pile ofgoo. “Thankyoufor finally sayingyes. We’re going to have a great night.” His expression turned teasing. “Infact, it’s probably going to change your life.”
My smile disappeared. I knew he was kidding, but hiswords hung in the air with a permanency I didn’t like.
I didn’t want my life to change. I liked my life theway it was.
Chapter Eight
“What am I doing?” I felt the panic start as apinpoint, but quickly blossom into painful streaks across my chest.
“My hair,” the most precious giggle answered myquestion. “But I think you forgot.”
I looked down at the mass of dark curls wrapped in myfingers. Juliet tipped her head back and wrinkled her button nose at me. “Didyou forget about me?”
I smiled at her. It was impossible to look at herporcelain skin, sprinkling of light freckles and dark, blue eyes and not smileat her. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. And I could hardlybelieve I had some hand in creating her. “Never! I could never forget aboutyou. I made you, you know. You’re ingrained in my brain.”
Her shrewd eyes narrowed. “Then maybe you forgot you,”she concluded. “Because I’ve been sitting here forever!”
“Okay, okay, Miss Thing. Sit still. I’m almostfinished.”
“I have been sitting still,” she grumbled.
Her attention turned back to the TV, and this time Itried to focus on braiding her hair. My fingers weaved through her thick, softstrands as I pulled at it gently.
Before Juliet was born, I didn’t know how to braid. Ididn’t know how to do most female rituals. But it was funny what having a childforced you to learn.
“Mommy, are you an alien?”
I looked down at her again as I tied the hairbandaround one braid and moved onto the second. The question did not even faze me.“If I’m an alien then you’re an alien.”
She giggled making that squealing sound that alwaysmade me laugh too. “I mean, are you an alien tonight? You keep forgetting tolisten to me!”
I leaned over and pressed a kiss to the top of herfreshly washed forehead. “I’m sorry, Jules. I’m sad that I’m not going to tuckyou into bed tonight. It’s making me spacy.”
“Don’t be sad, Mommy. Just stay with me. Jesse canwatch the movie with us and you can talk about the bighorsieshere.”
I finished her second braid and spun her around toface me. “I would love to stay home and watch the movie with you.” The roaring panicstretched to my fingertips and made them tingle. It reached up to my shouldersand neck and pulled my muscles tight.
I glanced at my phone on the kitchen counter. Maybe Icould still cancel? Would it be rude to call him while he was probably alreadyon his way?
As if in answer to my silent questions, the apartmentbuzzer blared through the room. I dropped the hairbrush on my toe and nearlyfell backward in surprise.
“We need a different buzzer,” I told Juliet while she watchedme with an exasperated expression.
I wobbled over to the voice box in three-inch heels.“Hello?”
“Let me up!” Francesca shouted into the box. “I forgotmy keycard.”
I buzzed her up and unlocked the door so she could letherself in. I turned around to find Juliet twirling in happy circles with herarms spread wide. “The pizza’s here! Finally!”
I leaned my hip against the island and crossed myarms. “Oh, have you been waiting a long time?”
She stopped twirling and matched my pose with armscrossed and eyebrows raised. “Mommy, I’m starving to death!”
Her adorable attitude calmed some of my racing nerves,but just barely. I walked over to the microwave and checked my reflection inthe glass.
I’d pulled my dark hair into a pretty, sophisticatedbun low on my neck and applied more makeup than I had in years. I used to keepmy hair chin length, in a bob that was low maintenance and flattering. After Ihad Juliet, my hair had changed enough that a new hairstyle was in order.Besides, I had wanted to shed my East Coast look and change it up. Not justbecause it was safer this way, but because I didn’t want to remember the personI used to be. Frankie had done the same thing—only she’d finally been able tochop hers short.
My little black dress was way too little and tight andshort, but Francesca swore my unattractive bits remained hidden and my boobswere safely tucked away thanks to the high collar and long sleeves. Juliet hadsaved me from a lot of things, but she’d also helped me lose some pieces of methat I hoped to find again, like my before-baby body and sex appeal.
