Emily's POV
"Slow down, Lex!" I said, giggling behind him as he dragged me toward my room.
He came to a stop and raised his head.
"Close your eyes, mommy," he said seriously.
Milan and Jax had followed us in, curious to see how I would react to the dress they picked for me. I turned my head toward the two, unsure what to do.
Jax, who was holding Lilly in his arms, gave me a smile and nod of the head, which made me flinch. He was never one to get excited about anything.
I turned to Lex, and I closed my eyes. He opened the door and took my hand, leading me inside my bedroom.
"Okay, mommy," he said. "You can open your eyes now."
My gaze landed on the dress hanging on my closet door, and I blinked a couple of times to process what I was seeing.
"Wow!" I gasped. I have never seen such a beautiful dress.
I carefully lifted the dress off its hanger, hanging it open against my body. The skirt hung touching the floor, but a pair of 6' stilettos would do the trick and would lift the dress just enough to sway above the floor.
I couldn't believe my eyes, and tears welled up in my eyes. My fingertips moved over the beautifully crafted top—every stitch was perfectly and carefully sewn.
This dress didn't form part of Xavier's collection; I would have recognized the dress.
"Xavier bought it for you," Mila said, seeing my facial expression change. "He knew you wouldn't accept dresses, so I borrowed them from him."
I had a problem with accepting gifts from Xavier and Mila. They have been so good to me, and I will never be able to repay them for what they have done for me.
"You are too clever for your own good," I said. "It's perfect; thank you."
I wiped the spilled tears from my face and looked at myself in the mirror.
I can already imagine myself wearing this dress.
"Mommy!" Lex called, sitting on my bed and gesturing to the box. "You still need to open these!"
I hung the dress back on the hanger and made my way to bed.
"And what are these?" I asked.
"Your mask and shoes, Mommy!" Lex said, opening the box for me.
"Wow!" I said, my eyes widening when I took the black stilettos out of the box. "These are..."
"Lex picked them up and paid for them," Mila said, coming closer.
Lex stayed with Mila and Jax, mostly when I was on the road.
I made sure that there was enough cash in Lex's bank account to make him live comfortably. Mila would take him shopping once in a while and buy all the necessities they needed.
A smile formed on my lips. Jax had this brilliant idea of linking the two dwellings with a door, separating us and giving us all our much-needed space and privacy, yet at the same time, it gave Lex freedom to move from one home to the other by just unlocking the door.
That way, Lex would never be alone at home and could still stay in his own room when I was away for work.
"You did?" I said, pulling him closer to me. "They are beautiful!"
I kissed the top of Lex's head, thanking him.
I loosened the straps on the shoes to fit them, and Lex got off the bed to help me.
Ironically, the shoes gave me much-needed height and were very comfortable.
"You guys surely have a great eye for finding the perfect fit!" I commented. "Thank you."
Mila picked up a box on my dresser and handed it to me.
"You will need this for tonight," she said. "I will see you at 7 p.m."
I wanted to say something, but Mila stopped me.
"The drive is over an hour long," she said. "I have made lasagna for dinner, and we should eat before we leave."
I nodded in understanding, and Mila left my room, leaving Lex and me alone.
"Mommy, are you going to get ready now?" He asked.
"No, champ," I said. "We still have an hour before we need to go eat."
"Can we bake some chocolate chip cookies?" he asked, hopeful.
"Okay," I said, getting up. "Let's see if there is still chocolate chip cookie dough left in the fridge."
Half an hour later, I set the baking tray on the counter, and the smell of fresh cookies filled the air.
Lex and Lilly popped their heads out of Lex's room.
"Are they done, mommy?" Lex asked, coming closer.
"They sure are," I said.
Lex pulled a chair out for Lilly, helped her onto her seat, and then took a seat next to her.
"I guess you want a cookie?" I asked.
Both nodded.
I pulled the drawer out and took out some plates and glasses, then headed to the fridge, got some milk out, poured each glass, and handed it to them. Then I set two cookies on the plates for each of them.
Lex and Lilly licked their lips.
"Shh," I said, gesturing with my finger on my lips. "This is our little secret. Aunt Mila is going to be very angry at me if she sees me giving these to you now. You had better eat them quickly."
The kids giggled as I pushed the plates toward them.
"Be careful," I warned. "They are still hot."
Mila walked in the second the children finished eating and crossed her arms around her chest, annoyed.
"You didn't, did you?" She asked.
"Did what?" I asked innocently.
Mila came closer to the counter and rolled her eyes at me with a sigh—the evidence left on both kids' lips.
"What?" I said, shrugging. "I can't help it. I haven't seen or spoiled them for such a long time; it's a necessity."
"Not before dinner," Mila said, annoyed.
"Okay," I said. "I'll try remembering that next time."
Mila shook her head, knowing that I would purposely not remember, and gestured for us to follow her to the dining room.
Supper went quickly, and before I knew it, it was time to get ready.
I took a long and relaxing bath and quickly got dressed.
I was drying my hair when Mila walked in. She had chosen a navy blue dress with gold embroidery. Her hair was pinned up, and her make-up was done beautifully. She looked stunning, and it would be hard for Jax to let her go out like that.
"Let me help you with your hair," she said, taking the brush from me.
She quickly braided my hair, hiding the tail under the braid. She finished off my hair with loose curls, coming down the side of my face.
I finished my make-up, leaving my face as natural as possible. I didn't do much with my eyes; they were hiding behind a mask.
"Wow, Mommy!" Lex called as he ran into my room. "You look like a princess! Can I have the first dance?"
I giggled in response, and Mila nodded, giving me a minute to spend with Lex before we left.
I searched for a song on my cellphone and pressed play.
Lex took my hand and bowed his head like a real gentleman, and I curtsied in response.
Xavier was giving him classes in dancing, and Lex didn't shy away. He loved dancing just as much as I did.
"You are an exceptional dancer," I said when the music stopped. "I would like to have another someday."
Lex nodded, kissed my hand, and took a step back.
"Thank you, my lady," he said. "You didn't do anything bad to yourself."
I couldn't help but laugh.
I squatted in front of Lex and kissed him.
"Be a good boy tonight," I said. "I will see you in the morning."
Lex hugged me before he rushed off toward Mila's side of the house.
I grabbed my clutch and headed to the door.
Mila waited for me outside, next to Xavier's limousine.
They had gone out of their way to make this night as memorable as possible.
I quickly linked Xavier to my gratitude and closed the link before he could reply.
The driver opened the passenger door for me and helped me and Mila inside.
Who I ended up dancing with later that night had me almost begging for more.
****