All It Takes (Romancing Manhattan 2)

I’ve missed her more than I ever thought possible.

“That’ll be fun.”

“Mm. She’s nervous about the party, so I want to be there for her too.” She presses a sweet kiss to my shoulder. “And you. I’ve missed you too. I’m just stubborn.”

“No.” I smile into the darkness. “Not Sienna Hendricks.”

“There’s no need to be a smart-ass.”

Chapter Twenty

~Sienna~

“Oh, we needed this,” Louise says with a moan as the pedicurist scrubs the bottom of her feet. “They’ve been killing me, with all the walking I’ve been doing.”

“That’s one thing about being an event planner,” I reply with a smile. “You’ll be on your feet a lot.”

“I need to get into better shape.”

“Well, I’m proud of both my daughters,” Mom says, watching us with misty eyes. She’s been misty-eyed all week, just like me.

But I’m feeling so much better today. I haven’t told them that Quinn came to stay with me last night, and I don’t think I will.

I’m going to keep that just for me.

I hadn’t been able to paint until last night either, and finishing the piece I started a month ago was important for me to be able to move forward. And Quinn showing up? Well, that was exactly the balm I needed to soothe me.

“Thanks again for helping out tonight, Mom,” Louise says. “It’ll be awesome to have you there; if nothing else, you can give me moral support. I know it’s just an engagement party, not the actual wedding, but London is famous. There will be celebrities there, and this could get me some amazing contacts. In fact, London’s already hired me to do the wedding.”

“Oh my God.” I reach over for Lou’s hand. “I’m so proud of you. That’s amazing. You’re going to knock it out of the park.”

“It helps that London isn’t a bridezilla.”

“What time is Quinn picking you up?” Mom asks.

“He’s coming over at five,” I reply and take a deep breath. Even though I saw him last night, and it felt wonderful, it doesn’t mean that we don’t need to have a pretty heavy conversation.

He was gone when I woke up this morning. I was sad that he didn’t wake me to say good-bye. Maybe he thought it was for the best.

I’m excited to see him today, and to apologize. I owe him that.

“That’s early,” Lou says with a frown. “The party doesn’t start until seven.”

“We’re going to talk.” I shrug a shoulder. “We have some things to work through before we can move forward.”

“Don’t punish him anymore,” Louise says.

“I’m not punishing him.”

“Aren’t you?” Mom asks. “You’ve talked with your father more than you’ve spoken with Quinn, and Quinn didn’t do anything illegal.”

“My father is my father, and he’s in pretty deep trouble. I kind of had to talk to him.”

“No, you didn’t,” Mom replies. “But you’re a good person, Sienna.”

“Let’s just enjoy this pedicure and think about tonight,” I suggest, wanting to change the subject. “What’s for dinner, Lou?”

“We decided to do a buffet for this event, and a sit-down for the wedding.” Louise goes into great detail, telling us all about the meal options tonight, how London insisted on serving Cristal for the toasts, and all the small details.

“I’m excited,” Mom says. “It’s going to be beautiful.”

Stop punishing him.

Is that what I’ve been doing? If so, it wasn’t intentional. I needed some space to handle all the shit thrown at me this week.

I check the time. 4:55.

He’ll be here any minute.

I bought a new green dress for this party. It complements my hair, and it fits my body well, with spaghetti straps and a long hemline with a slit up to my thigh. And, of course, I’m wearing the Louboutins that Quinn bought me.

I’m fastening my earrings when Quinn rings the bell. I open the door, and his jaw drops as his eyes travel from the top of my head all the way to the tips of my toes.

“Fuck.”

“Not exactly what I was going for.” His lips twitch as his eyes land on mine and he holds out a bouquet of fragrant flowers.

“For you.”

“Thank you.” I fuss over the blooms, burying my nose in them as I carry them to the kitchen for a vase. “These are beautiful.”

“You’re beautiful.”

“Thank you,” I repeat. I set the flowers on my dining table and turn to the sexiest man I know, who’s decked out in a tux that fits him like a glove. “You look fantastic.”

“It’s the monkey suit.”

“No, it’s the man in it.”

His eyes flare with lust and his hands curl into fists, but he doesn’t come to me. Not yet.

“We need to talk,” he begins and leans his hip on the countertop.

“I know.”

“First of all, thank you for last night. We both needed it.”

“We did.” I cross my arms over my chest, but then worry that I’ll wrinkle the dress, so I drop them. “I should have waited to put this on until after our talk.”