The Pickup (Imperfect Love 1)

“Okay,” I agree.

“Are you kids going out tonight?” Corrine asks, changing the subject.

“Yes!” Celeste answers before I can. “I’ve been wanting to check out AM Southampton!”

“Giselle?” I ask. “You down?”

“Hell yes.”

“Well I’m definitely down,” Killian adds.

“I guess that’s a yes then,” I say through a laugh.

After we spend the rest of the afternoon hanging out, Giselle, Celeste, and I go upstairs to get ready. We’re all dressed in slinky, way too tight dresses, and as I stand next to Celeste in the floor length mirror, I get choked up. The woman reminds me so much of my mom. She must be almost six feet tall in heels with a slender, yet feminine body. She’s tanned and…perfect. I clearly got more of my dad’s genes than my mom’s since I’m only five foot five and curvy.

“We look hot,” Celeste winks as Giselle walks over to join us.

“You remind me of my mom when she was younger.”

Celeste’s face whips around to mine. “Really?”

I nod. “I used to wish I could have had her height and body.”

“You might not be tall, but you’re beautiful, Olivia. Trust me. You look a lot like your mom. You have her eyes and nose, and when you smile you light up the same way she used to in her photos.”

“Really?” I ask as tears fill my lids. It’s the first time anyone besides my dad has ever told me I look like my mom.

“Really! Now wipe those tears, and let’s get this party started!”

Twenty-Six

Nick

“Holy shit, bro.” Killian’s eyes dart over my shoulder, and when I turn around, the women are standing at the bottom of the stairs. All of them in dresses that I’m almost positive are illegal in several countries and high heels that could kill a man—figuratively and literally. They’re all wearing makeup and look beautiful in their own way. But my eyes zero in on Olivia, who looks devastatingly fucking gorgeous.

Closing the gap between us, I pull her into my arms and give her a kiss on the corner of her mouth so I don’t ruin her lipstick. “You look stunning, Liv,” I whisper in her ear.

“Thank you.”

“All of you look beautiful,” Killian adds. “Now let’s go.”

We pile into the SUV I ordered, and about twenty minutes later, we’re at AM Southampton night club. Of course the bouncer recognizes us right away, and we’re let in and brought over to the VIP section.

“Let’s dance.” Olivia pulls me onto the dance floor before we can even sit down. The music is thumping, and the club is crowded as hell. I pull her into my arms, and she grinds her body against mine to the music.

“It’s like we’ve come full circle,” she yells over the music, and I laugh. She’s right. A year ago, we were at a club dancing just like this. I thought back then she was the one for me, but now I know she is.

We spend the next few hours drinking and dancing, and only when Olivia is so drunk and horny that I fear for the pictures that might surface, do we call for the car service to come back and pick us up.

“I need you to fuck me good and hard,” Olivia slurs as we walk up the steps to our room. I chuckle at her brazen remarks. Killian, Giselle, and Celeste all laugh, and it’s then Olivia remembers we aren’t alone. We reach the landing, and Olivia throws her arms around Celeste.

“Thank you for not having sex with my boyfriend. If you did, we wouldn’t be able to be friends and then you wouldn’t be able to one day be a princess like me.” Celeste shoots me a please help me look, but I just shake my head. My woman apparently has no filter when she’s drunk.

“And don’t you worry. When we get back from vacation, I’m going to find you a prince to love. I’m Princess Aurora, but you can be…” Olivia backs up, swaying slightly, and looks at Celeste for a moment. “You can be Belle.” She nods, agreeing with herself. “She’s not born into royalty and has no desire to marry Gaston, but when she meets the beast, she can’t help but fall in love. While some would say the beast saved her, I think they actually saved each other. You’re going to meet a man, and you’ll both find love in each other. Yep! You’re definitely Belle.”

“And which one am I?” Giselle asks, of course playing along.

“You’re…” Olivia taps her bottom lip in concentration. “Rapunzel.”

“Rapunzel? But I have brown hair.”

“It’s not about how she looks. Rapunzel is strong and brave and knows how to stick up for herself.” Olivia crosses the landing, and when she’s only a few inches away from Giselle, she places her hand on her cheek. “And one day you’re going to meet a prince you will trust with all of your secrets and he’s going to save you just like Flynn Ryder saved Rapunzel.”