Page 123 of Tempt
I’d found love—the greatest plot twist life has to offer.
* * *
We stopped on the way home and picked up some groceries and champagne, planning on making dinner and ringing in the new year with a cozy indoor picnic for two in front of the fireplace. But as soon as Zach got the fire burning, he came into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around me from behind, kissing my neck.
“I can’t use a knife if you’re going to do that,” I said, giggling as I tipped my head to one side.
“Then put down the knife.” He took it from my hand and set it on the counter.
“Aren’t you hungry?” I asked as he led me into the living room, where he’d spread out a blanket in front of the fireplace. The curtains were closed, the fire was crackling, and the only lights came from the tree we’d decorated together.
“I’m starving,” he said, lifting my sweatshirt over my head. “But only for you.”
We undressed each other quickly and tumbled onto the floor, where we made up for lost time, luxuriated in the moment, and let dreams of the future enrapture us. When he was buried deep inside me, his skin golden in the firelight, I reached up and touched the silver in his hair, the edge of his jaw, the back of his neck. “I love you,” I whispered as he moved above me. “You’re all I’ve ever wanted.”
“I love you too.” He pressed his lips to mine. “You’re all I’ll ever need.”
EPILOGUE
MARCH
MILLIE
“SHOOT!”
Winnie stopped her dramatic strutting on the rented catwalk and looked over at me. “What’s wrong?”
I stared at my cell phone in dismay. “Olivia, one of the models, just had to drop out. Her dad had some kind of health emergency, and she has to fly to Houston right away.”
“Oh no!” Winnie carefully hopped down from the three-foot-high runway that bisected the room full of tables for ten, all of which were sold out for this afternoon’s show.
“He’s going to be okay, but I’m down a model, and I can’t get ahold of the agency to find a replacement.” I set my phone on a table and rubbed my temples. “What am I going to do? It’s nine already, and the show starts at two!”
“Do you have any friends who’d fill in for you?”
“None that are the right size.”
“What size does the model need to be? Could you fill in?”
“Me?” I shrank back. “No way—I’m strictly behind the scenes.”
“But I’ll be here behind the scenes. And wouldn’t that be better than cutting dresses from the show?” Her eyes lit up and she clapped her hands. “Come on, it will be fun! Remember that fashion show you were in with Dad when you were a kid?”
I laughed. “When I forced him to wear the homemade T-shirt covered with glittery pink and red hearts?”
“Yes!”
“That was the extent of my modeling career, Winnie. I’d probably fall flat on my face walking this runway in wedding gowns.” I frowned and dropped into a chair. “Although I hate to think of those dresses not being in the show—they’re some of my favorite looks. I don’t understand why the agency isn’t getting back to me.” I reached for my phone to try them again, but Winnie took it away from me.
“I think the best plan is to do it yourself. The chances of finding the perfect model last-minute are slim to none, and at least if you fill in yourself, you might have time to do some quick alterations if necessary.”
I chewed the inside of my cheek. “I can’t do them myself. I’d need Diane.”
“Get her on the phone right now.” Winnie handed my cell back to me.
“She’s at the shop,” I said, placing the call. “We’re fully booked with fittings. She might not answer.”
But she did, and she said if I hurried over to the store and put on the dresses in question, she’d see what could be done. She wasn’t sure she could rework all four of the dresses to fit me in time, but she thought at least one or two might be possible.
