It's a Fugly Life (Fugly #2)(52)

Well, with time, he’d get used to the fact that I didn’t need him to be perfect. I only needed him to be there.

Max glanced at his watch. “You and I have a company to build and a plane to catch.”

I grabbed my suitcase filled with clothes I’d shoved inside. I’d have to go shopping later because I did not have the right wardrobe for this new role I’d be taking on.

“Hey, by the way, how much money am I going to pay myself?” I asked.

“Nothing.” He grabbed one of my suitcases.

I lifted a brow. “Nothing? I have to make some money.”

He laughed.

“What’s so funny?” I asked.

“You’re marrying me.” He opened the front door to my apartment.

“I’m not going to sponge off of you. That’s weird.”

He shook his head as I passed him, wheeling my second suitcase.

He closed the door. “I see we’re going to have to work on your idea of marriage, Miss Snow.”

“Ha. Okay, Mr. Cole.”

“Starting with taking up one residence and getting rid of your revolting furniture.”

“Oh, we’re so keeping my thrift-store gems. We’ll put them in the nursery.” I was joking of course, but watching Max hold back his urge to retch was priceless.

“If it makes you happy, Lily. Then I’m all in.”





The next week, Max and I worked long hours—me not as much as him because he insisted I rest a little more than usual. Still, we managed to get up early, run together, which we loved, and put some very productive hours in at the office, including very hot sex over my awesome new desk at lunchtime. Honestly, I didn’t know if it was the hormones, the new vitamins I was taking, or simply the bliss of feeling like my life was in a good place with the man I loved, but I just couldn’t get enough of him. If I were a dude, I would’ve been walking around with a baseball-bat-sized erection in my pants all day long.

Thankfully, being the manly stud that Max was, he didn’t mind one bit, helping me with my endless sexual need. He was ready to serve selflessly.

“Yes, hard, hard work, keeping you satisfied, Lily,” as he’d say.

Anyway, we still managed to get the leases signed, materials ordered for the new locations, and have meetings with key retailers—ones who would carry our merchandise in strategic cities where we did not plan to open stores of our own. I spoke to my mother about running Lily’s Pad, and she had the great idea of adding LLL’s products, too. “Are you sure, Mom? I mean running a store is a lot of work,” I’d said. “Now you want to run two stores in one?”

“Honey, I spent most of my life taking care of you guys. For the first time, I’m doing something I enjoy for me. Of course, I do want a raise and we need to hire part-time help, but I wouldn’t dream of letting my shop go.”

How cute, I’d thought. She’d called it her shop. I supposed now it was. “You got it, Mom. See you Saturday.”

“Oh, I can’t believe you’re getting married on Sunday,” she’d squealed. “And I can’t wait to show everyone pictures.”

“Mom, you didn’t tell anyone, did you?”

“No. Of course not. Just the girls.”

Oh crap. That was something like twenty people. And possibly every person who entered the store.

“Mom! It’s supposed to be a secret.”

“Oh, now. They won’t tell a soul.”

Those women gossiped so much, they put tabloids to shame. “I guess it’s too late to do anything about it.”

“Oh, you’re such a worrywart,” she said.

Me? The queen of worrying had called me a worrywart? Wow, times really are changing.

She continued, “It’s going to be wonderful, Lily. You just focus on your special day with friends and family.”

In all, we’d invited only eighteen people—my immediate family; two of my good friends, who I’d known since elementary school, and their plus ones; and Danny and Calvin. From Max’s side, he had invited his father (we weren’t ready for his mother); Keri and her boyfriend; and a few friends of his—one of them who I knew well: Mark Douglas. Mark had also been my mentor in college and was the person who’d recommended me for a job at CC. Max also invited his sister, but we both knew she wasn’t quite in the best of shape to travel. We’d promised to visit her in a month or so, but Max spoke to her every day and threatened regularly to make her move back to the States. She’d said she might consider it but needed time. I knew Max would eventually persuade her because he always got his way and seemed genuinely excited to have her back in his life. Now that he’d begun thinking about family, I knew part of him wouldn’t feel content until she and her husband were a part of ours.

As for the wedding, I’ll be honest. When I was little, I’d dreamt of the big to-do, but now, simply having Max felt big enough. The rest of the church could be empty, and I’d be on cloud nine.

“See you in a few days, Mom. And no more telling.”

Of course, that hadn’t happened. The next day, we began seeing articles pop up in the tabloids (Keri kept an eye on that for us), and the vultures began circling outside the LLL building.

By Friday night, we had a swarm of them outside Max’s home when we pulled up in the town car with Callahan at the wheel.