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My eyes jump from his lips to his eyes in shock.
“Really?”
He looks at me from the corner of his eye and smirks.
“Oh yeah, I was a big showoff. Still am if I’m being honest.”
I cover my mouth with my hand to stop a laugh from escaping, and he turns to face me, humor making his eyes spark. I get lost staring into his eyes, and after a moment, the humor fades from his face and his expression become serious. A spark lights a tense heat between us and my breathing picks up at the heat that is slowly starting to fill his eyes.
Just like in the dream.
The more I think about the dream and see him make the same expression, the more I wonder if it wasn’t a dream at all, it was a memory. I feel a small brush of his hand on my lower back, and I suck in a quick breath at the touch.
“Mommy! What do you think of my dress?”
Sophia’s voice makes us jump apart, and we both turn to look at her and the two smirking women behind her.
“It’s beautiful, baby girl, just like you.”
I walk over to her and squat in front of her, making sure I don’t flash anyone. She is in a pretty pink little dress that has spaghetti straps and crosses at her back. There are little bows on top of each of her shoulders. It also comes to just above her knees, and I make a mental note to grab some shorts on our way out.
Jillian claps her hands, making everyone jump. “Alright, the dresses are perfect; I don’t think we will need to make any adjustments to either, Meg. Now, you two go change; I will pay for everything, and we can get going.”
I stand and go back to my dressing room while Sophia spins around and goes back into hers. As I turn to pull the curtain closed, my eyes meet Chandler’s again, and the heat is still there. I keep his eye until the curtain closes behind us, taking a calming breath once he can’t see me.
The event turns out to be a type of outside luncheon that one of Chandler’s investors is holding. We’ve met a lot of people today, and it’s felt very overwhelming; some people know who I am, and some people don’t. I prefer the ones that don’t, I feel more in control when dealing with them. Luckily, it seems to be a smaller get-together, and there aren’t too many people.
Sophia is in her element with all the attention. I’m currently hiding by the table that has all the drinks, watching as she walks around holding Chandler’s hand as he introduces her to more people and talks with them. It’s the most he’s ever been alone with her, and I want to take the chance to watch how he does with her without me right next to them.
From what I’ve seen so far, he’s been great. He never forgets to introduce her, and he’s attentive that she’s with him. He never lets go of her hand, and when she tries to get his attention while he is talking, he instantly turns to her.
Now, I watch as he talks with an older gentleman and Sophia just watches as her dress swishes around her legs as she twists, still holding on to Chandler’s hand.
“Hey, you. What are you doing over here all by yourself?”
Jillian steps up next to me and places her hand on my upper arm. I turn and give her a smile before turning back to my daughter and her father.
“I’m just taking a breather and watching them together.”
She turns to look over to where I’ve pointed and smiles at what she sees.
“They are really adorable together. I’m impressed with my boss and how he’s adapting to being a dad.”
I nod in agreement, but I don’t really know what to say to her.
“I know I was only giving you bits and pieces about him today before we got interrupted, but if you have any questions, you can always come to me. Whether it’s about him or about this world. I can tell you whatever you need to know.”
I squeeze her hand still resting on my arm and smile at her.
“Thank you for that. I really appreciate it. I have no idea how to be a part of this world. I don’t remember anything about it. I don’t even know how to be near Chandler, you know? He’s still a stranger to me.”
We both look back toward him and Sophia, and Jillian rubs my arm.
“I know it’s difficult right now, but I promise you he’s a good guy. You can trust him. He wants nothing more than to be there for the two of you. Once he decides to tell you everything himself, you will see that what he’s been doing will prove that to you.”
Her words are meant to be comforting, but they have the opposite effect on me. I don’t want him to feel like he has to prove anything to me. I don’t even know if I want to be involved with him past our fake marriage and our daughter.
I agreed to the marriage because it will help Sophia in the long run, but there’s a big part of me that wonders if this is a bad idea. I don’t like feeling obligated to do things for him.
