After All - Romancing Manhattan

“Why is it so bright in here?”

“Because we might have had a bit too much fun last night,” Sienna says, gratefully accepting the pills and the bottle of water I pass her. “Thanks.”

“I need some of that,” London says. “And coffee. All the coffee in all the land.”

My phone buzzes with a text from Carter.

Hungover? What the hell happened last night?

I show Sienna my phone and she laughs, then shows it to London.

“I guess we’d all better let the guys know we’re alive.”

London and Sienna reach for their phones and I reply to Carter.

I made some new friends. Sienna tried on my shoes and we drank all the vodka in Manhattan. I’ll be there by ten.

“I have rehearsal in an hour,” London says with a groan.

“I don’t have to be to the office until noon,” Sienna says.

“I’m already late,” I add and we all grin at one another. “When are we doing it again?”

Chapter Nine

~Carter~

“I could have gone with Grandma tonight, so you could pick Nora up by yourself and have a gross kissing sesh in the limo.”

I stare down at my daughter, who’s all dolled up in an adorable blue dress, with curled hair and just a hint of mascara on her lashes, not that I think she needs it, but she begged.

And she’s been such a trooper lately, I couldn’t turn her down.

I did, however, say no to the winged eyeliner. Whatever the hell that is.

“I want you with me,” I reply mildly. “Are you excited for tonight?”

“I always love to go to London’s shows,” she replies. “Maybe I want to be an actress when I get older.”

“Well, your aunt London can give you lots of pointers.”

The driver parks in front of Nora’s building.

“I’ll wait here,” Gabby says.

“No way, you’re coming with me. We’re picking her up.”

Gabby doesn’t roll her eyes. She doesn’t frown. A smile slides over her face and she hurries out of the car with me.

I don’t know why she thinks that I don’t want to include her in things with Nora and me. We love having her with us.

I’ll have to explore this more later.

We take the elevator up to Nora’s floor and ring her doorbell. Seconds later, she opens the door, and it’s all I can do to keep my jaw off the floor.

“Whoa,” Gabby says. “You’re so pretty!”

“Thanks.” Nora flushes and glances down at her black gown. It flows to just below the knee, showing off her beautiful calves and red heels. The dress is strapless, but she has a faux fur wrap draped over her shoulders. She’s painted her lips red and pulled her hair up into an intricate knot at the back of her head.

“I don’t have the words,” I murmur and lean in to press a kiss to her cheek. “You’re absolutely stunning.”

“You’re both good for my ego,” she says with a little laugh and reaches for her red clutch. “And you also look fantastic. Both of you. Gabby, I love your shoes.”

My daughter preens and rocks back on her heels, showing off her black, sparkly shoes that have a small heel on them. She’s trying to grow up so fast, but I’m holding strong on keeping her in clothes appropriate for her age.

“Thanks,” Gabby says. “I wanted higher heels, but Dad wouldn’t let me.”

“They’ll just make you miserable,” Nora says with a wink. “You made a wise decision.”

“I like the sparkles,” Gabby agrees. “Dad got us a limo.”

“Fancy,” Nora says. “Should we go then?”

I gesture for the ladies to lead the way to the elevator, making sure Nora’s door is locked up tight behind us.

I reach for Nora’s hand and link her fingers with mine. “You take my breath away,” I whisper into her ear.

The doors open before Nora can reply, and Gabby leads us out to the limo, where the driver is waiting to open the door for us.

“Miss,” he says with a happy nod to Gabby as he opens the door and then turns to Nora. “Welcome aboard, madam. There are refreshments for you, but the drive won’t take long.”

“Thank you,” Nora says with a smile as she climbs inside. I sit next to her, with Gabby facing us. “Wow, this is fancy.”

“Have you ridden in a limo before?” Gabby asks her.

“Once, for prom my senior year of high school,” Nora replies. “But it wasn’t this nice. How about you?”

“Yeah,” Gabby says with a nod. “We take them a lot to things like this, and sometimes to and from the airport.”

“Of course,” Nora says. I hear a twinge of nerves in her voice.

“Having a car service on hand is helpful when you travel as much as Maggie does,” I explain. “And she loves to take Gabby on vacation with her.”

“We’re going to Hawaii for spring break,” Gabby says. “Hawaii is our favorite place.”

“Well, that sounds like a ton of fun. I’ve never been there, so you’ll have to tell me everything about it. And show me pictures.”