Beautiful Dreams (The Beautiful Series) (29 page)

“Okay.” I smiled as the waitress arrived with our food.

We all dug in, famished from our extravagant shopping day.

“Oh gosh, this is so good!” Brooke moaned after taking her first bite.

The chicken strips were coated in what had to be the best breading I’d ever had. The appetizer also came with a delicious ranch dressing to dip them in.

“They are,” I added after swallowing a bite.

“So, what are you girls up to tomorrow?” Abbey asked before reaching for another piece of chicken.

“We’ll be recovering from today until I have to fly out at one,” Brooke answered.

“No more shopping?” I teased, knowing I darn well would not survive another day out with her.

“Hell no. I wore myself out today.” Brooke giggled. “I have to recuperate before I go home to my little girl. She is the busiest child I have ever known. Now that she has mastered crawling, I’ll be doomed when she starts walking.”

“Aw,” Abbey said with glowing eyes. “I hope I have a girl to shop with someday.”

Brooke shook her head. “Ava is definitely going to give me a run for my money. She’s already in love with purses and shoes and baby jewelry.”

I laughed. “Just like her mama.”

“Yep, and I’m beginning to think that was a bad trait to pass along,” Brooke said with affection and humor in her tone. “So, what was up with Kyle last night? He seemed really stressed out,” she added after taking a sip of her beer.

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess he’s just really busy at work. He’s worked more hours this week than the last couple of weeks put together.” I frowned.

Abbey suddenly had a guilty look on her face, and it piqued my interest.

“Um, Lily…” Abbey started to say, but then she paused. “Kyle’s stressful week at work would be my fault,” she admitted quietly.

“Oh, what happened?” I asked, curiosity getting the best of me. I felt slightly better though, knowing that his change in mood was not something more than work.

Abbey exhaled a troubled sigh and then took a long swig of her drink. She set the glass down on the table with more force than necessary. “On Monday, I was supposed to close a deal that Kyle had trusted me to do by myself. Frederick Adams, the CEO of this company got hotheaded, and thinking he could pull a fast one on me, he tried to lower the price at the last minute,” she said with rage in her eyes.

I had never heard Abbey sound so upset before, so I assumed it must have been really bad. According to Kyle, Abbey was a very hard worker. Today, it looked like her pride had been wounded.

Before I responded, she added, “And poor Kyle has had to work overtime, trying to get it all straightened out.”

“Oh. Well, I’m sure he will set the man in his place,” I said confidently. I knew Kyle would not tolerate any crap, especially when it came to business.

“Kyle said he wasn’t going to settle for anything other than what they had first agreed on. The CEO didn’t take that so well, so they’ve been duking it out for five days,” Abbey said with frustration.

“And Kyle is not one to back down from a fight,” I said more to myself than anyone else.

“Exactly.” Abbey smiled with pride. “I know the guy will eventually cave because he’s in too deep to walk away, but I just feel bad for all of Kyle’s extra work.” She shrugged. “He shouldn’t have had to step in. I was supposed to hold my ground.”

I reached over and patted her hand reassuringly. “We all need help now and again, Abbey. Don’t beat yourself up over it.”

“I know.” She sighed. “I’m trying to let it go, but I can’t help from wanting to smack the fucker.”

My eyebrows rose at her foul language. She was normally so composed. This CEO guy must have really gotten to her.

“You just need to learn how to open a can of whoop ass on him, girl.” Brooke snickered. “If you hang around me a little longer, I’m sure you’ll have tough skin in no time,” she added with a saucy grin.

Abbey threw her head back, laughing hard. “I might have to do that, Brooke!” Then, she suddenly whipped her head in my direction. “Oh, Lily! I almost forgot to ask! What are you planning to do for Kyle’s birthday next Saturday? Mom was hoping to make him dinner on either his birthday or on Sunday.”

My eyes widened fractionally. I’d completely spaced that he had told me a few weeks ago that his birthday was coming up, but he’d never mentioned an actual date.

“Since your eyes nearly bulged out of your head, I take it that he never told you?” Abbey laughed. “I’ll warn you though—he’s not big on celebrating it either.” She sighed, shaking her head.

I raised my brow at her. “He doesn’t like to celebrate his birthday?”

“Nope. He’s just the oddball, I guess,” she chortled.

“Well then, Lily, you’ll have to change that and give him an unforgettable birthday this year. How old is he anyway?” Brooke asked.

“He’s going to be twenty-nine,” I said with a tender smile, remembering that conversation of how he had impishly tried to give me a hard time, lying about his age.

“That’s right,” Abbey said.

“At least he didn’t lie to you about his age. John has been riding the thirty train for three years in a row now.” Brooke snorted as she lifted her beer.

“He did actually,” I admitted.

I laughed softly as Abbey gaped at me, and Brooke burst out into laughter.

“No way! He did?” Brooke finally asked.

“Yep.” I grinned, recalling the way Kyle’s chest had vibrated with laughter when I finally asked him how old he was. My insides swarmed with butterflies at the memory of him gazing into my eyes, running his thumb across my lower lip, and pulling me close against him. “He tried to tell me he was thirty-six.”

It was Abbey’s turn to laugh hysterically. “What gave him away?”

The reminiscence of his sexy dimple that had formed in the corner of his mouth after he said his age flashed through my mind.

“His dimple,” I answered, grinning shyly between Brooke and Abbey.

“Got to love those on a man.” Brooke sighed dreamily.

“Aren’t women the ones who are supposed to lie about their age?” Abbey asked with humor.

“Yep.” I chortled. “But apparently, men do, too.”

“I’ll say,” Brooke said, rolling her eyes playfully. “So, back to Kyle. What are you going to get him for his birthday?” she asked curiously.

“Shit…” I stalled. “I don’t have the slightest clue.”

Brooke and Abbey laughed at me.

“Good luck with that.” Abbey snickered.

In the blink of an eye, my short visit with Brooke was over. I was glad that she had come to visit me. She’d had the chance to be a part of picking out the bridesmaid dresses, and she’d been able to spend time with Abbey before the wedding. The three of us had definitely had some great bonding time over shopping and drinks.

As I lazed on the couch, wrapped in Kyle’s arms, I suddenly wished tomorrow wasn’t Monday already. I wanted to run away and live on an island where neither of us had to work.
If only…

“What are you daydreaming about now, beautiful girl?” Kyle asked before leaning forward to kiss the top of my head.

I nuzzled in closer into his chest. “A world where nine-to-five from Monday through Friday doesn’t exist,” I said, voicing my thoughts.

Kyle’s deep chuckle vibrated his chest, and I felt it against my cheek.

“That would be awesome,” he replied, running his hands through my hair that was still damp from our shower. “What would you do with all those extra hours?”

“Spend them like this,” I said softly, reveling in the feel of his warm body beneath mine.

“But then, you’d get bored with me and want to trade me in,” he teased.

I lifted my head, tipping it up, to meet his eyes that were filled with adoration. “Not possible,” I said, shaking my head in disagreement. Then, I grinned, feeling playful. “Unless The Rock or Brad Pitt came along.”

His eyebrows rose with amusement. “Got a thing for older men, do you?” he drawled in a tone full of challenge.

“Oh yeah.” I smirked, wanting to rile him up. “Or—”

Surprising me with his tickling ambush, he cut me off before I could name the rest of my list.

“There’s more?” he asked.

I thrashed around, trying to dodge his efforts but failing miserably. His strength overpowered mine as he flipped me onto my back, and he continued his assault with his body looming over mine.

“Lots!” I squealed loudly, not ready to give up.

“Oh, Lily, you’re asking for it now,” he said in a low and dangerous tone.

He snaked his hands up my side to go for the kill—my armpits.

“No! Okay! You win!” I cried, laughing uncontrollably. “Only you!” I added breathlessly.

He stopped instantly. A wicked grin spread across his features, and I couldn’t help but smile. He was breathtakingly beautiful when he was this carefree.

“That’s more like it,” he breathed heavily. Then, he cupped my face, suddenly turning serious. “When you smile like this,” he added, stroking his thumb over my bottom lip, “and your cheeks flush”—he turned his hand over to caress up my cheek with the backs of his fingers, making my heart stutter in my chest—“your beauty knocks the breath out of me every single time. I’ll never tire of telling you how much I love you.”

It was moments like this—when he left me near speechless with his words—that I knew he loved me as much as I loved him.

“I feel the same way about you,” I whispered, lifting my hands to run them up his shaved face. I could hardly wrap my mind around the fact that he was mine.

Kyle lifted me fluently in his arms, and then he turned toward the direction of our room. He carried me to bed with our lips never breaking contact. His kisses soothed my soul, healing it, and I prayed I was doing the same for his. Deep down inside, I knew that we had more in common than he had yet to tell me.

While making sweet, tender love, I poured all of my strength into him, praying that someday, he would confide in me the way I had in him.

I would never grow to care for Monday mornings, especially ones that involved Kyle leaving for work before I awoke. To top it off, I had awakened early and decided to go for a long run. I tortured my aching muscles as I ran approximately six miles out into the wilderness of Kyle’s backyard.

After not working out in almost a month, I regretted my bright idea about ten minutes in as sweat poured down my face. It was like my body was punishing me for slacking for so long. Harley trotted alongside me, wagging his tail.

Just when I was about to quit and walk back, I played “Scream and Shout” with Will.I.Am’s and Britney Spears, in hopes of bringing my adrenaline up a notch. I breathed a sigh of relief as I felt my body kick into gear.

My mind flooded with thoughts as I ate up the miles beneath my feet. I still had no idea what I was going to get Kyle for his birthday. Everything in the house was complete. His garage was fully stocked with toys, and so was his closet.

So, what do I buy for a man who has everything?

This was going to take some serious thought. It was a good thing I had four more days to come up with an excellent plan.

Our wedding was quickly approaching. I felt like we still had so much more to plan, but Brooke had reassured me that everything was set to go. The only things left to check off were finding the perfect wedding ring for Kyle and planning our honeymoon.

There were so many places to choose from. I had no idea where to start. The only part I knew for sure was that our destination was definitely going to include a warm beach.

As a little girl, I had always been fascinated by dreams of traveling the world. I’d spent many hours clipping out pictures of tourist areas, like France and Ireland and Scotland. However, for our honeymoon, Hawaii kept entering my mind at every turn.

I slowed my speed to a jog as the back of the house came into view. My breathing evened out as I made my way to the back door. Once inside, I resisted the urge to sprawl out on the living room floor by striding straight into our bathroom for a shower.

While dressing for the day, I was quite proud of my early morning accomplishment. After I strode up to the loft, I turned on my laptop and noticed that it was nine o’clock sharp.

My phone beeped next to me, and I glanced down to see a text from Kyle.