Chapter Ten
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Adalynn
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After leading us to the blue room, my dad, all eager and excited to show off his vintage whiskey to the billionaires—and they seem equally excited—redirects them to the man cave.
Although I know for a fact that they drink whiskey that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars more than my dad’s pride and joy. They’re billionaires, for crying out loud.
I can only imagine how happy my mom is going to be making sandwiches for them too. Again, they’re billionaires. They’re used to Michelin-star chefs.
Ugh, I groan. They better not say anything snarky to my parents; I’ll... kick their nuts.
But once I’m alone in the bedroom, I stand there gaping like an idiot for ten minutes straight before I recollect myself.
I can’t explain what unfolded if my life depended on it. What did happen anyway? I know I was kissed. My lips are still swollen and tingle, and I can still taste their minty breath on my tongue. Oh boy, that really did occur; no imagination there.
Lily. I need to speak to Lily. Thankfully, she answers on the second ring.
“Hey, you.”
“Lily, you are not going to believe what just happened.” I tell her everything, then have to hold the phone away from my ear as she squeals loudly.
“I don’t know what to make of this. I don’t know what to do.”
“Okay. So, they arrived at Crystal Cry. They called you their little future bride. They kissed you under the mistletoe. They’re not leaving. They’re having a drink with your father and eating a sandwich your mom made them. Basically, they’re playing the part of your fiancés.”
“But how do I know for sure? And why, Lily, why are they doing this? They’re not supposed to exist in my world this way. It’s all wrong.”
“And yet they are. Listen, I can’t explain the quantum mechanics of it.
Just think of it as a Christmas miracle.
They’re playing the part you needed them to play, and since they have no intention of ratting you out, just go with it.
” Lily screams again. “I can’t believe they’re right there with you.
I wish you could have bottled the look on Ines’s face. ”
“I do too,” I say, smiling. “It was epic. I saw her malfunction in real time right before my eyes.”
“See? It’s all good. Mission accomplished.
Look, babe. This is good. You just need to let it run its course.
When the universe gifts you with three sexy-as-fuck billionaires on your doorstep, staying in character as your fiancés, you don’t give your universe the middle finger and question things.
You take and use it to your advantage. No one is going to say, ‘Oh, poor little to-be-married Adalynn’ now, are they? ”
“You’re right,” I say, sighing and rubbing my forehead. “I have no idea what their game plan is, but as long as they haven’t snitched on me, I’m good.”
“That’s my girl.”
“I just have to get through the dinner tonight, Christmas lunch tomorrow, and then I can leave the next day, and it might just all work out.”
“Exactly.”
“Okay, Christmas Eve dinner first.” But even as I say that, I envision the dull outfit I packed. Granted, I was going to sit with the children. But now...
“Crap. I can’t wear the clothes I brought; I’ll be—”
“Say no more. I’m done baking, so I’m on my way to you right now. I have the perfect thing for you to wear. I finally get to dress you. I’ve waited all my life for this, girl.”
“No, it’s a forty-minute drive.”
“You’re not talking me out of this. Universe, Adalynn. Your universe is giving you things. Take it, dammit.”
How lucky am I that Lily is a fashion designer who always has a wardrobe for any occasion on hand, no matter where she is?
Okay, so I won’t be going down to dinner in drab couture while everyone else is dressed in their finest garb. I can tick that off my list of things I can change.
Thankfully, I don’t see them for the rest of the day. My parents are not going to leave them alone, and my mom keeps telling me they’re so insanely good and kind and just perfect gentlemen. And refuses to question why they’re there in case she breaks the spell.
Gentlemen? Are they really though?
I tried the entire afternoon to get them alone to ask them what the hell, but it was impossible. It was almost as if they didn’t want to be alone with me at all. What is going on?
And unless I wanted to be in the room with them when they were in different states of dress while they showered for dinner, I wasn’t going to get any answers from them either.
My mom didn’t make it any easier too. She dragged me away, made me promise to just let everything play out, and made me wait in her bedroom for Lily. Now it’s already dinner time.
I don’t recognize myself in the mirror, and neither does my mom.
The dress Lily brought fits me like a glove. It’s velvet and long-sleeved, but the back and front dip low into a couple of layers of ruffled fabric. The back exposes my bare skin, while the front offers just enough of a hint of cleavage.
I can’t wear a bra, but I drew the line at a pair of panties and donned a seamless pair. The fabric hugs my curves, and honestly, I didn’t know I had any hips or an ass to save my life, but apparently I do.
Lily did my hair before she left, leaving me with enough makeup to create a full glam look. Luckily, I didn’t mess up my face; it actually all turned out okay.
I feel like a new woman—one who is going to be seen. Usually, that makes me shy away, but not tonight. Whatever happens, I want to look like this. I want to be seen. By them. Which is stupid because tomorrow I’ll go back to being me.
I leave the room before I change my mind. If I’m going down tonight, I would at least look good and I promised myself I wouldn’t cry and ruin my makeup.
I didn’t expect to make an entrance, but I did. As I walk into the dining room, I see no one else but them. Only them. I barely hear my family joke about where the real Adalynn is.
I see only them.