Until May (Until Her/Him #11)(30)

“Let’s see it.” April takes a seat on the chair, and I open my robe just enough for them to see what I have on under. “Damn, I’m good.” She grins at me.

“You are, and now I need that in a different color,” July tells her, then tosses me a piece of black material I just barely catch. Holding the buttery-soft leather material out in front of me, I realize it’s a pair of leggings. “Try those.”

“I don’t know about these.” I shake my head but still step into them and shimmy them up over my thighs and hips.

“They look good on you,” June assures as I slip off my robe, then rub my hands over the soft material. “Now, for a top.” She rummages through one of the piles and comes up with a black, sheer, long-sleeved button-down and hands it to me. “Try this.”

I put it on, then go into the bathroom to check my reflection. The pants and top do go together really well, but the whole outfit is just not me.

“If you were going out with one of Wes’s friends, I would say this is the winner, but you’re not.” July comes to stand next to me, and I couldn’t agree more, because this would be the perfect outfit to wear on a date with one of her husband’s friends who ride motorcycles or work at his auto shop.

“Do you still have that long cream turtleneck dress you wore at Christmas?” April asks, going into my closet and flipping on the light.

“I do.” I follow her, then pull it off its hanger, and she takes it from me, then goes to where my shoes and boots are all lined up. She grabs a pair of my thigh-high brown suede boots and a belt in a similar color from the basket I have them all stored in.

“Trust me for a second,” she tells me, and I rub my lips together and get undressed before putting on the boots along with the dress. Once I have both items on, she tells me to lift my arms over my head, so I do, and she wraps the belt around my waist and tightens it before I let my arms fall back into place.

“Holy crap, that’s it,” June breathes, but I’m not sure I agree until I go look at myself in the mirror.

Shifting on my feet, I turn to one side, then the other, checking myself out. The very conservative sweater dress I wore at Christmas with a pair of festive leggings has been transformed into something else completely. With the belt cinched around my upper waist, the sweater pools over the top of it, showing my curves, and the boots give a small glimpse of my thighs every time I move. “It’s not too much?”

“Are you kidding me? It’s perfect.” July comes up behind me and pulls the tie out of my hair. “You look hot but still very much like you.”

“I think the biggest question is, are you comfortable?” June asks, and I meet her gaze in the mirror for a moment before looking myself over once more. The whole outfit is sexy, but still I don’t feel as exposed as I thought I would.

“It’s not something I would normally choose, but I love it.” I look at April, and she grins at me.

“Good, our work here is done.” July claps. “Now, finish getting ready and drink the rest of your drink. Your date is going to be here in about twenty minutes.”

“What?” My eyes widen, and panic fills the pit of my stomach. I don’t know how it’s possible for the time to have gone by so quickly since I got home.

“You’ll be fine, and tonight is going to be perfect.” December kisses my cheek as I grab my brush off the counter.

“And if it’s not fine, you’ll call us, and we will make it okay,” June adds, giving me a quick hug.

“I love you guys.”

“We love you too, and hopefully we will meet this guy soon.”

My stomach summersaults at the idea of them all meeting Aiden one day, or more so the idea of him meeting my parents. Not that I don’t love them, but between my dad’s overprotectiveness and my mother’s tendency to want to marry all of her girls off, things could be awkward.

“Cross that bridge when you get to it.” July laughs, reading my expression. “And call us tonight to let us know how things went.”

“I will.” I finish brushing my hair, then as they pack up the stuff they brought with them, I refresh my makeup and perfume before I add a red stain to my lips. By the time I’m done, my sisters have said goodbye, and I’m a nervous wreck, the drink I had doing nothing to relax me.

With just minutes to spare, I feed Cooper, Bella, and Blue, then pace the living room with my cell phone in my hand. My heart sinks with every minute that passes, and at 6:30 p.m., I sit on my couch and scroll through the texts between Aiden and me from today, him confirming he would be at my house to pick me up tonight, and me confirming I would be ready.

Closing my eyes, I try to rid myself of the ugly feeling in the pit of my stomach, the same feeling I had the night Mike stood me up, then remind myself Aiden isn’t some guy I’ve never met, and if he’s late, something must have happened to him.

Opening my eyes, I start to type out a message to ask if he’s okay, then jump when my doorbell goes off. With my heart pounding, I stand from the couch and head down the hall behind Cooper, who is enthusiastically leading the way. Seeing Aiden’s shadow outlined through the glass, I swing open the door, then gasp when I see the bruises on his face and a cut on his upper lip that is bleeding slightly.

“Sorry I’m late.” He places his hand against my stomach, pushing me back into the house, then closes the door as I blink at him. “I would have called, but my cell isn’t working.” He pulls his phone out of his pocket—or what’s left of it, anyway. The black device that was already in need of replacing is a mangled mess and probably not safe to carry around with the amount of glass sticking out of it.