Oh Baby(16)

"I don't doubt it," Reid said softly, giving Nadia one of those adoring smiles that would melt the heart of the most hardened cynic.

Samara felt herself grinning again. She could easily see these two as an old married couple, finishing each other's sentences and sharing funny anecdotes between swapping tender glances.

"Do you have a game tonight, Reid?" Asha inquired.

"No, ma'am," he replied.

"We're having dinner with my brother and his girlfriend," Nadia elaborated, "but that's not until much later."

"Well, I won't keep you lovebirds too long. I just wanted to meet you and get a better sense of who you are." Asha smiled at Nadia. "How tall are you, chére?"

"Five-five."

"Hmm. Have you ever done any modeling?"

Nadia looked shocked. "Me?"

"Yes, you."

"Goodness, no." Nadia laughed self-consciously. "I'm not modeling material."

"You're not tall enough for the runway," Asha conceded with a languid smile. "But you could certainly do print work. You have an exquisite complexion and stunning cheekbones, and your lips are to die for. Truly, darling, you should count yourself lucky. Unlike many girls I work with, you don't have to spend a fortune on collagen injections when you've been naturally blessed with a pouty pucker."

"Amen," Reid drawled, brushing his thumb across Nadia's luscious lips. "They're great, aren't they?"

"Indeed." Asha was smiling. "I can see that you enjoy them."

"Oh, I do." There was a wicked gleam in Reid's eyes. "More than you can ever know."

Nadia blushed hard.

Samara grinned.

Asha looked thoroughly delighted as she contemplated the young couple. Samara could see the wheels turning in her mother's head. What was she up to?

"How tall are you, Reid?" Asha asked casually.

"Six-four."

Asha made an appreciative purring sound. "You're a tall drink of water, aren't you?"

Reid winked. "I prefer Gatorade." 

Everyone laughed.

When the humorous moment passed, Asha steepled her hands under her chin, tapping her elegant fingers together. "So tell me, Reid. What kind of things do you like to see Nadia wearing? What are your top three favorite outfits of hers?"

"Hmm." Reid stroked his stubbled chin with long fingers as he considered his answer. "Top three, huh?"

"Oui," Asha said.

A purely rakish grin curved Reid's mouth. "Well, I'm particularly fond of her birthday suit-"

Nadia gasped. "Reid!"

Asha and Samara burst out laughing.

"Sorry, babe. You know I couldn't resist." Reid brought Nadia's hand to his mouth and reverently kissed her knuckles, grinning into her eyes. She tried to give him a stern look, but there was a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Reid playfully tweaked her nose before turning back to the camera. "In all seriousness, Ms. Dubois, I love the way Nadia dresses so it's hard for me to narrow down my favorite outfits. The first time we met, she was wearing a white blouse and gray pants, and she reminded me of a naughty librarian. Totally hot."

That made Nadia grin.

"I love seeing her in T-shirts and jeans and high heels," Reid went on. "I love it when she wears my jersey, but that's not an outfit so I guess that doesn't really count. I love the outfit she wore on our first date. When I picked her up, she had on a low-cut black shirt with this little red plaid skirt and fishnet tights. Oh, man," he reminisced, grinning and shaking his head. "We almost didn't make it out the door that night."

Nadia let out a breathy laugh and blushed, tucking her hair behind one ear.

Reid gazed at her, his voice softening as he ended by saying: "And most of all, I love the dress she was wearing the night she made my dreams come true by agreeing to be my wife."

"Oh baby," Nadia whispered, practically melting into her chair as she gazed back at him.

Asha and Samara shared a sentimental smile. No doubt about it. These two were the real deal.

Reid linked his fingers through Nadia's, holding her tender gaze a few moments longer before he turned to smile at Asha. "Not sure if I answered your question-"

"You did," Asha assured him, smiling. "Believe me, mon cher, you did."

Reid and Nadia grinned at each other.

"Your wedding is in June," Asha continued briskly, "so I'll need to get started right away. After the holidays, Nadia, I'd like to fly you and your bridesmaids out to Atlanta for an initial consultation and fitting."

"Yes, ma'am," Nadia said eagerly. "Just say when and we'll be there."

"Très bien. We'll choose a weekend that works for Reid so that he can accompany you. Your brother can come, too, so the groom won't be the only guy. My husband and I, along with Samara and her husband, will have all of you over for a small dinner party."

"Really?" Nadia traded excited glances with Reid. "We'd love that!"

Asha smiled. "Excellent. It's a date."

Reid and Nadia beamed with pleasure.

"Mason will join us, of course." Asha's eyes twinkled. "Perhaps he might hit it off with one of Nadia's lovely bridesmaids."

Reid grinned conspiratorially. "That's the plan."

Everyone laughed.

As soon as the call ended, Asha clapped her hands together and exclaimed, "I love them! They're absolutely delightful!"

Samara was grinning. "They are pretty adorable, aren't they?"

"Adorable? Ils sont magnifiques!" Asha declared, kissing her manicured fingertips. "They're the perfect couple to launch our Forever collection for younger brides."



       
         
       
        

"Totally agree," Samara said without hesitation. "They would be perfect."

"Absolument. They're positively gorgeous. But even better than that, they're madly in love! You can't manufacture that kind of chemistry." Asha's eyes gleamed with inspiration and excitement as she drummed her nails on the table. "I'll need to fly them out to New York to do photo shoots for the advertising campaign. I'm picturing-"

"Whoa," Samara laughingly interjected. "Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself? Let's not forget that Reid is a hockey player-"

"I know. All that brawn and rugged masculinity? All that leashed testosterone? Mon Dieu," Asha purred, fanning herself. "That sweet little girl is going to have her hands full."

"I'm sure she already does," Samara said with another laugh. "But what I was saying is that Reid is a professional hockey player, so he probably doesn't have time to be our spokesmodel. He's on the road a lot-"

"That hasn't stopped him from accepting other endorsement deals. What's one more?" Asha pressed a button on the speakerphone to summon her senior assistant, who'd left after setting up the Skype call. "Charvi, I need you to put together a portfolio for Reid Holden and Nadia Warner. I'm considering them for our Forever campaign and I want to see how well they photograph-separately and together."

"Yes, ma'am." Asha's efficient assistant was already searching Google, her fingers clicking across her computer keyboard. "I see that Reid has endorsement deals with Nike, Gatorade, Ford, Goodyear and Bauer. So finding plenty of shots of him will be a piece of cake. Nadia might be trickier but- Never mind. Her Instagram is a goldmine."

"Excellent. Get those portfolios to me by four o'clock." Asha clicked off the speakerphone and smiled in satisfaction. "I'll have to thank Mason for putting those beautiful young lovebirds on my radar."

Samara chuckled, shaking her head at her mother. "You are truly a force of nature. What Asha Dubois wants, Asha Dubois gets."

"Oui, c'est vrai," Asha blithely agreed. "And you're a perfect example of that, ma chérie. I've always wanted you to come work for my company, but you resisted for years. And now here you are."

Samara sighed. "C'est vrai."

What else could she say? Asha was right. For years Samara had wanted absolutely nothing to do with House of Dubois. She was so angry with her mother, so hurt and damaged by their toxic relationship, that she'd refused to even consider the possibility of working for her. It was only after they reconciled that she'd had a change of heart, and she'd never looked back. 

Smiling at the thought, Samara selected a red macaron from the plate of pastries and bit into it, savoring the exquisite raspberry flavor. "I know we've been tossing ideas back and forth, but I think I've finally come up with the perfect way to tell Marcus about the baby."

"Really?" Her mother looked intrigued. "Do tell."

Samara grinned at her. "It's definitely dramatic, and it definitely promises to be memorable. But … "

"But what, chére?"

"But it's going to be pretty extravagant," Samara admitted. "Extravagant and expensive."

"Extravagant and expensive? Now you're speaking my language!" Asha cupped Samara's face between her hands, kissed her on the forehead and smiled excitedly. "Tell me your idea so I can help you plan your surprise, darling. It's going to be spectacular. Just you wait!"