Filed To Story: The Perfect Spiral Book PDF Free by Ashley Constantine
Knox is in the middle, and I catch his eyes in the rearview mirror more times than I’d like to admit. Memories of last night keep flashing through my mind.
That tongue working wonders down low for me. Focus on the road, Alex!
The drive to the shop takes about half an hour, so Andy takes over as DJ, plugging her phone into the aux cable.
“Let’s play a good girly song-one of Alex’s favorites!” She smirks, scrolling through her phone. I know whatever song she chooses will be anything but girly, so I roll down my window.
You better check yo self before you wreck yo self
“Alex! Get out here now so they can tailor you, and I want to see it! I haven’t seen the dresses on people yet!” Sam’s voice echoes through the room.
“Someone’s a little impatient,” I mutter under my breath, earning a chuckle from the woman behind me. I step out onto the platform, the dress swishing around my ankles. The room falls silent.
Oh no, they don’t like it.
“Wow, Alex! You look-” Andy begins, his voice trailing off.
“Beautiful.” The deep voice behind me sends a shiver down my spine. I glance in the mirror to see Knox, his gaze locked on mine.
My heart races. He thinks I’m beautiful. Or is it just the dress? It must be the dress.
I run my hands over the fabric, looking at my reflection. “The dress is beautiful, isn’t it?”
I turn to the side, catching Kyle’s eye. “The dress is pretty, but you look beautiful, sis.” I see heads nodding in agreement, mouths hanging open in surprise.
“Damn, am I marrying the wrong sister?” Tyson teases, earning a smack from Sam.
I turn to face Sam. After all, it’s her wedding. If she doesn’t like the dress, I won’t be wearing it. I hold out the dress, looking down at myself. “Well? What do you think? Do you like it?” Her eyes scan me, a critical look on her face. Please like it. Please like it.
“No, I don’t like it…” My heart sinks. Back to square one. I start to lift the dress to step down from the platform when she continues, “I love it.”
She rushes over, hugging me tightly. “You look so beautiful, Alex. You’ve left a few boys speechless in this room.” She grins, sitting next to my mom who’s crying on the sofa.
I laugh, rolling my eyes as I walk over to her. “Alex, you look so beautiful,” she whispers, her fingers covering her mouth.
“Beautiful is an understatement,” Delilah adds, her eyes welling up with tears.
They both start crying harder, and I see Knox making his way over to his mom, a smile on his face. “Mom, stop crying, will you?” He’s trying not to laugh, biting his lip.
But his smile brings back memories of last night, his blue eyes filled with an emotion I couldn’t quite decipher.
Once they’ve composed themselves, I start to head back to the changing room. But before I can get far, Knox touches my arm. “Can I talk to you?”
We make our way to the changing room, closing the door behind us. “What’s up?” I ask, standing in front of him. His eyes roam over the dress. “Knox? What’s up? Is there something you need?”
“Oh, um… well, I just got a call from my agent. The Science Conference publicist called her to ask if you’d consider speaking at the Girls in STEM talk? It’s in New York, and they said they’d pay.”
“What? Are-what?” I stand there, stunned. “I-I can’t even talk in front of people.”
He steps closer, placing his hands on my shoulders. “You don’t have to if you’re not comfortable. I can tell them you can’t do it. But I’ll be there with you.”
“What? What do you mean you’ll be there with me?”
“I’ll be going to New York for an event with People magazine for an award.”
“What award?” I blurt out.
“Uh-sexiest… man alive thing.”
I raise an eyebrow, smirking. “Don’t give me that look, baby doll! Look, if you decide to do it, will you come with me to the event? If you don’t want to do it, will you still come with me to the event?”
“What about Lauren? Wouldn’t she be better at that than me?”
“I’m asking you, not her… But if you don’t want to go, I’ll go myself. If it’s any consolation, I think you should do the talk. You’d be a good role model for girls, regardless if they’re interested in a career in STEM.”
“What? Me? I-“I pause, weighing the pros and cons. I’ve never been good at public speaking. But this is a great opportunity to make a name for myself in the STEM industry.
Come on, Alex. Just do it!
“Fine, I’ll do it. But I have two conditions. One, all the money I’m getting goes to help girls get an education in STEM programs. And two, no personal questions about me. Only about the science and engineering aspect.”
He grins, pulling out his phone. “So that means you’ll be my date?”
My heart races at the word ‘date’. Is that what this is? No, it’s not a date. You’re just his date.
“Sure, I mean, I’m there already, right?” I try to sound as nonchalant as possible.
“Perfect! The event is in the next few days. My agent will fill you in on the details,” he said, circling around me to reach the door. He swung it open, then paused, leaning back into the room. “Oh, and baby doll?”
“Yes?” I responded, twisting my body to look over my shoulder at him.
“You look absolutely beautiful,” he said, winking at me before he closed the door behind him. His words sent a pulse rippling through my body.
My heart pounded in my chest, my palms were slick with sweat, and I could hear my own breath echoing in my ears. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach, and I stood there, frozen, staring at the closed door.
He just called me beautiful.
I quickly changed out of the dress and back into my own clothes, not waiting for the woman to come help me. I hung the dress back on its hanger, left the room with it in hand, and handed it off to the woman.
I wouldn’t need any further adjustments until a week before the wedding. We’d all have to try our dresses on again to ensure they fit perfectly.
I walked back out to the group, who were standing and sitting around, watching the other bridesmaids model their dresses. Amy, Sam’s college friend, was currently showing off hers. She looked gorgeous, and her smile told me she loved it too. My phone buzzed, and I glanced down to see a message on the screen.
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.