Breathe Out (Just Breathe, #2)(57)

I gasp immediately, awe struck when I see my reflection.

“Her hair definitely needs to go up,” Denise mentions. “It’ll look the best that way while preventing it from getting snagged on the dress.”

“Definitely,” agrees Nathan and Jared at the same time.

“I’ll need tape or something to keep my boobs in place,” I add, choking back tears.

“Of course,” Nathan agrees.

My body shakes as I spin slightly, catching a glimpse of the openness of the back of the dress that starts under the necklace and trails all the way down to the small of my back. The beads and gems sparkle under the light.

“How does it feel?” Nathan asks, seeing me turn and shift.

“Good,” I reply. “It feels great.”

“Good,” Nathan sings, clapping his hands.

Everyone stands around in silence for several minutes, letting me soak up the moment.

“I was thinking of having you wear the bracelet Jared gave you,” Nathan comments at some point.

“Okay,” I confirm, unable to look away from the mirror.

“And, your gold Valentino’s,” he adds.

“Sure.”


“Shine some lights on her, babe,” Jared instructs. “We need to know which color underwear she needs to wear without exposing herself too much or at all.”

With Denise’s help, we determine that nude panties are the best way to go. I comment about needing tape over my nipples, but Jared argues that the beads and gems would hide them. He peels back the right side of the top slightly and confirms it, announcing to the room that my lights are on, yet there’s no external indication of my excitement. Nathan has me walk up and down the store, turn, spin and bounce a few times just to make sure nothing will pop out or off of the dress.

“Denise’s sister is going to come and do your hair and makeup, so make sure you bring your entire collection,” Jared informs me while I change out of the dress.

“Okay.”

“You might want to bring some of your jewelry too. Nathan might see a pair of earrings or something else that adds to the piece,” he adds.

I nod my understanding.

“You okay, Kitten?” Jared checks, eyeing me.

“Yeah,” I mumble.

“Excited and nervous?” he speculates.

“Yeah,” I agree.

Since Nathan has all of the pieces finished and is just really knit-picking over minor things, he, Jared, Pop-Pop, Sadie and I head back to his and Jared’s place for dinner. I settle into my room after a long walk on the beach with Jared and Sadie. Jared joins me in my room like old times, letting Nathan rest since he’s been pulling early mornings and late nights for weeks now. Pop-Pop is already asleep in the next-door bedroom.

“Pop-Pop’s met a lady friend,” Jared suddenly announces.

“Really? Good. Good for him,” I commend.

“Now we definitely need to find him a place out here,” Jared admits.

We snicker at the thought of Pop-Pop needing privacy with his friend.

“Maggie seems to be completely back to her usual self,” he adds.

“Definitely,” I agree. “How are you handling things with Naturally Me?”

“Good. Great,” Jared honestly answers. “We’ve got a backlog of topics to do and I know the ins and outs of how you handle everything on the site and the videos. The team’s been really great and Pop-Pop has really taken quickly to everything.”

“Good,” I praise.

“How’s Maggie handling the new position?”

“Wonderfully. I think it’s reinvigorated her,” I offer. “She was already doing better since the . . . but now, it’s like it never happened.”

“She’s always been quick to move on,” he comments.

“Yeah.”

“So, what’s new with you?” Jared inquires.

“What do you mean?” I inspect.

He knows everything that’s going on with me — okay, maybe not everything.

“Just checking in to see if I’ve missed anything,” he states oddly.

“No,” I reply, unsure of what he might be hinting toward.

My phone suddenly chirps from a text message. I glance in its general vicinity, but ignore it.

“Do you need to get that?” Jared checks.

“No. It’s nothing important and it’s late,” I remark.

“You sure?” he questions speculatively.

“Yep,” I concur.

“Might be important,” Jared quips.

“Nope,” I disagree, wanting to downplay it.

Jared doesn’t pry any further and I don’t reveal anything.

Jared stays with me in the room, hanging out like we always do. When I notice that he has fallen asleep by the way he’s breathing, I grab my phone and text Joe back. We exchange a few lines of communication, but there definitely isn’t anything time sensitive to his comments.

Realizing that Jared is out for the night, I cover him with the blankets and turn off the bedside light before tucking myself in. Sadie curls up and sleep surrounds me easily after midnight.





Seventy Two


The next night Sadie and I stay in Santa Monica and end up heading home early Monday morning after going to Nathaniel’s with the guys. I work all day Monday from home, doing my best to avoid my itch for Joe.