First Kiss Last by Sara Miller (read e book .TXT) 📗

Leah sighed contentedly. She’d needed that. She felt deliciously limp and didn’t want to move. Didn’t want to break the spell. She missed Cade—and not just the sex either, although she definitely missed that too. Leah missed every aspect of their shared dream life.

Leah wasn’t sure when she started crying but she was. The memories, the emotions, it was all too much. She let the tears fall.

Chapter 37

Leah was at the mall. She didn’t remember falling asleep. She didn’t remember waking up and driving anywhere. She was just here. Which had to mean this wasn’t real. Her first true dream in months . . . and she was at the mall? How unfair. She laughed at her reaction and looked around.

She, Cade, and the kids had Christmas shopped at this mall. Leah recognized Sky’s favorite store beside her, where Sky got her beloved sweater and showed Leah exactly which headbands she liked.

Leah did not have long to wait to find out why she was here. Sky and Liam were making a beeline for her, smiling excitedly.

“Miss Leah! You’re HERE! Is it really you?” Liam stopped just short of jumping on her. At the last second he hugged her tightly instead.

She hugged him back best she could, patting his back. Her pregnancy made simple things awkward.

“Hey,” Sky did not say much but her whole countenance communicated excitement. Her blue eyes flashed with anticipation. Her gaze kept slipping to the store-front display.

“Are you ready to find a dress?” Leah asked, instantly realizing her role in the dream.

“O.M.G. Yesss!”

Liam rolled his eyes. Clearly he did not care much for dress shopping. Still, he took Leah’s hand possessively and stood close, unwilling to stray from her side.

“I think we should strategize before we just start going from rack-to-rack,” Leah said. “And I’m hungry. How do pretzel nuggets sound?”

Before Sky could say yes, Liam was pulling her toward the pretzel place. Leah knew what these kids liked and placed an order for them all, including plain and cinnamon/sugar varieties. She also ordered fresh-squeezed lemonade.

As they ate their treats, Sky and Leah discussed what Sky was looking for in a dress. Leah loved to watch her face as expressed her thoughts. She had missed seeing Sky like this.

“I’d like it to be like knee length, I think. Not so short that Dad won’t let me wear it but also not too long. ’Cause I don’t want anything I can trip on. And I don’t want it to be short in front and long in back. I hate those!” Sky rolled her eyes.

“Oh, good thinking. I agree. What about color?”

“I like green!” Liam put in his opinion without even looking up. He was playing with a toy from a vending machine Leah had spotted while they waited in line. Best fifty-cent purchase she’d made to date.

“Probably not green. I like green, but not for a dress.” Sky let Liam down easy. Thankfully, he hadn’t seen his sister’s face. Leah almost laughed aloud at Sky’s horrified reaction.

“I don’t have a specific color in mind but I kinda have a general idea?” Sky’s words came out as a question, which left Leah confused.

“Like what?”

“Like . . . I want it to be a cool color, not cool-cool, but as in not warm. Ugh. I’m not explaining well.”

Leah pushed a pretzel nugget toward her. Sky chewed and considered her words. Liam flew his tiny toy airplane through the air. He made little shooting noises and Leah smiled before turning her attention back to Sky.

“Try again,” she suggested.

“Okay, so like in a cool tone. Like blue. But . . . it could be more towards purple or more like aqua. Anywhere in that range. Does that make sense?”

“Nope!” Liam grinned, clearly trying to tease his sister.

Sky laughed and ruffled his hair. He tried to dodge her but she was quicker.

“I think almost any color in that range would look great on you,” Leah said, smiling at the sibling antics. “What about the neckline? Sleeves? Straps? Is there a dress code?”

“For school we can’t do strapless, but this is sponsored by the community center. I don’t think the same rules apply, but . . .”

Leah lifted an eyebrow.

“But Dad would lose his you-know-what if I bought a strapless one. He would probably make me return it and maybe not even let me go to the dance. So not worth it! Plus,” she confessed, “I’m not sure if I’d be comfortable without at least one shoulder strap.”

Leah had never worn a strapless dress in her life. She was just not built for it. So she instantly understood. Leah told Sky how smart and mature she thought she was. Sky blushed and also seemed very pleased.

“Liam, did you get enough?” Leah asked.

In answer, he quickly grabbed two more nuggets and popped one in his mouth immediately. Sky took one and Leah took the last one. They finished their drinks then hit the restrooms to wash their hands.

In the first store, Sky found three dresses she liked enough to try on. None of them were the perfect dress though. The first one had a high neckline that was not flattering for Sky’s age. The second was too loose on the shoulders, which could be disastrous when dancing. The third looked way too formal once Sky had it on.

“Now what?” Liam shrugged. “Are we done?”

Sky looked slightly annoyed.

“Nope,” Leah answered before Sky could sass her brother. “We’ll go to another store. And if we don’t find her dress there, we’ll try another store.”

“But what if she doesn’t find one at that store? Will we go to every store?!”

“Maybe not every store,” Sky laughed, relaxing. “Just help me find one so we don’t have to, okay?”

“Deal!”

“Let’s check this store next.” Sky stopped in front of a store clearly devoted to teen girls. There were a plethora of dresses to choose from.

Leah quickly helped pull several dresses that met Sky’s criteria. She held them out and Sky nodded to all