Boss Daddy: A Secret Baby Romance by Black, L. (good books for high schoolers .TXT) 📕

but I challenged myself to get that one day, and I figured with a big strong guy like you around, even if I can’t finish it, and I won’t, someone else could,” she said. “Especially when said someone is getting a salad of all things.”

“Fair,” I said. “I’m watching my figure.”

That got a laugh out of her, and I nearly died at the sound. Lunch went far too fast, and before we knew it, we realized we needed to head to the costume shop, or we wouldn’t have any time to try costumes on. She was deadly serious about getting something perfect for the night, and that meant having enough time to try on whatever her heart desired. I had zero issue with being the eyes that evaluated her in various pieces of clothing, but I knew I was going to be terrible at it. I was fairly certain she would look good in anything.

Or nothing.

Especially nothing.

With lunch packed up in a plastic container in a paper bag in the passenger’s seat of the car, we made it to the costume shop with a couple of hours left before they closed. It was an old place, having been there for years before I was born. Every high school play and dance studio for miles around routed people to it to get their costumes of various types, and Halloween was made special by some elaborate pieces they loaned out to regulars.

“Okay, so we are going for Great Gatsby, yes?” the lady at the counter said. She wasn’t the owner, I knew that, but she had worked there since they opened. The owner was an eccentric older woman who also ran the community theater and was often seen wearing sparkly boas downtown. This lady, however, had a plump and cheerful look that was decidedly less dramatic and more motherly.

“Yes,” Hannah said. “We work at the bar that’s doing the theming. Ava said you would know about it.”

“Oh, Ava,” she said sweetly. I saw her name tag read “Grams” which I assumed was a nickname and not at all something I should blurt out to get her attention. “She’s so sweet. She lets me know when you guys do those theme nights and always sends me so much business. I’m surprised you didn’t come earlier. Some of the regular costumers have already wiped out most of my flapper costumes.”

Hannah looked over her shoulder at me, grinning widely. She was loving this. I was loving watching her love this. As Grams led us deep into rows and rows of costumes, we made it to an area with a million dresses that looked like they were ripped from different eras of glamor. Hannah disappeared into them while I looked on.

“And for you,” Grams said, coming up to me, “we will need to find something suitable for a man of grace and class, of course. Thankfully, men’s fashion hasn’t changed terribly much in the last hundred years, so it should be rather simple.”

With that, I was whisked away to an area of the store with tails tuxedos and the like. I noticed a few of the tuxedos had Velcro along the sides to be ripped away and decided not to ask too many questions. Instead, I gathered up a few items that seemed appropriate and a few others I picked solely to make Hannah laugh and went to the changing area.

For the next hour or so, we took turns trying on costumes to increasing hilarity. I was rather fond of a steampunk train conductor outfit I put together but was told that it was wildly inappropriate for the party. Still, it got a smile out of Hannah that made my heart jump up and down in my chest, so it was worth it.

Eventually, Hannah came out in a gold dress that rose high on one side and fell down to her ankles on the other. It was sleek and sexy and showed a little of her ample cleavage, and though she looked a little embarrassed when she walked out, I was floored by her.

“That’s it,” I said. “That’s the one.”

“I can’t,” she said. “It’s too much.”

“I would argue if anything it’s not enough,” Grams quipped behind me. “But you look fantastic in it.”

Hannah looked like she was on the verge of tears, and I stood up instinctively and went to her.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“I just…” she began, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. “I feel pretty in this, I do. It’s just I could never show this much of myself off before.”

“What?” I asked. “I mean, yeah, you look great, but this is nothing compared to some of the stuff the regulars wear in, much less the costumes.”

“I know,” she said. “Ethan was just so controlling about what I wore. I could never show anything, not even my shoulders. He said I was advertising myself. That it showed I didn’t respect him.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“He was just so… manipulative,” she said. “He would tell me I would look like a whore if my shorts were too short, or if I wore a bra too dark that you could see the strap through the shirt or something. But then he would see these women on TV and say I could look like them. If I tried.”

I hated hearing her talk about her ex. Not because he was her ex, but because of how he treated her. The way she spoke about him, he seemed like the kind of guy that I would have no time for. The type of guy who would make comments like Luke made but mean them. The kind of guy who didn’t say things for shock value or to rib his friend, but because he truly believed them.

“Well, Ethan’s not here. And I think you look hot. If you want that dress, then get it,” I said. “If anyone complains they are either blind, stupid, or looking for a fight, which I’ll gladly give them.” She smiled and wiped another tear