Page 89 of Worth the Try
He chuckles. “You’re leaving that dress on later.”
“Promise?”
“Mm,” he hums, his eyes alight. “You’re a good dancer yourself, you know.”
“Part of my pageant training,” I respond. “Mom made sure I knew the basics of all types of dances.”
He grunts noncommittally, having learned enough about my relationship with my mom to not be much of a fan. “Was that what you did for the talent portion?”
I scan his face for any hint of teasing, but there’s none. “No. I played flute.”
“Do you still play?”
I shrug. “Ican, but it’s not good. I donated the instrument to an organization similar to this one after college, actually.”
He smiles, his warm brown eyes crinkling. “I love your heart.” He pauses. “And I loveyou.”
The words are on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t make them come out. I rest my head against his chest, and he pulls me tighter. “There’s no place I’d rather be,” I whisper, hopingit’s enough. Loving him is utterly and completely terrifying. But also…perfect.
We leave the dance floor after another song, and the night goes on as we rejoin our friends at a table near the back of the ballroom for the seated dinner. All around us are athletes and their dates, fans who’ve bought or won tickets to the event, and other people with way too much money.
“It’s weird, right?” Kari says, leaning over as the desserts are served.
“Which part?” I joke.
“I get that this is benefiting a charity, but couldn’t we just take all the money we spent on clothes and rentals and the event itself and funnel that into the organization? We’d probably double or triple the impact.”
I appraise her with a grin. She’s gorgeous tonight, resplendent in a ruby-red gown and gold jewelry, half her black bob slicked into finger waves and the other half swinging free to her chin. “Spoken like a woman with a vision.”
She shrugs, her eyes sliding to Lennox and his date before darting away. “I just think these are silly, but I have to attend them.”
I stand, and Ansel rises with me. “I’ll be back. Powder room.”
The restroom is empty when I walk in and take care of things. But when I exit the stall, there in front of me, like the worst nightmare in the history of nightmares, is Lauren.
Shit.
This can’t possibly end well.
Chapter 31
Elodie
“What do you want.” It’s not a question. It’s a demand. I keep eye contact with her as I stalk to the sink to wash my hands, and I’m surprised to see they’re not shaking.
Given how furious I am at this woman, that’s honestly a miracle.
“Seems you’re getting awfully cozy with the father of my child,” Lauren sneers. It’s a terrible look on her, turning a face that should be beautiful into something horrible and ugly. Her dress should be embarrassed to be seen on her.
“Great observation there, genius,” I drawl, happy to have found my well of anger brimming and ready to go. “Anything else?” I ask, grabbing a paper towel and drying my hands. For the briefest of moments, I seriously consider balling it up and throwing it at her, too.
She steps forward, putting us about five feet apart. “You need to convince Ansel to do what’s right.”
“And what’s that—pay you to go away, or let you take his little girl away from him?”
Lauren’s eyes flash. “She’smydaughter, you know. Not yours.”
A bark of laughter comes out. “Your daughter? Yourdaughter? Bitch, please.” I close the distance, getting right up in her face while keeping my hands fisted at my sides. “You lost the right to call her that when you left her on Ansel’s doorstep all those years ago. When you told him that if he didn’t take her, you were tossing her into the system. When you didn’t so much as call to check on her in the years since. So let me be perfectly clear: You. Are. Not. Her. Mother. Not by a fucking long shot.”
