Chapter Nineteen

Let's Get Ready to Party

Chloe turned into her pillow more when she noticed that it was a hard surface. She eased her head up, pushed her hair out her face and saw her husband asleep. She watched him sleep, he looked completely rested, and it was hard to believe that he was twenty-four years old. With his hair covering his forehead he looked younger and innocent. His eyelids began to flicker as he awakened from his night's rest to see his wife watching him.

"How long have you been up?" He asked as he moved to sit up only to have Chloe push him back down on the bed and move to sit on top of him.

"Only a few minutes, I was watching you sleep." She sat on top of the covers that were strategically placed over his hips.

"Why didn't you wake me up? There are so many things that we could have been doing."

"Actually, we couldn't have been doing anything since I have to go now. I was only waiting for you to wake up, I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye." Chloe put her hands on his chest to push herself up. Only to have him counter that action by grasping her hips and holding her in place.

"You're leaving?" She nodded yes. "Why are you leaving me? It's only 10:30. Can't you wait a little while before you go? You haven't been with me in a month." Still holding her hips, he maneuvered her under him so that his body was on hers.

"Philip, you can't do this. I need to get up and get ..." she was stopped from speaking as Philip moved down and kissed her. She moaned as his tongue swept into her mouth. Her hands moved from his chest to his hair. Philip moved his hands from her hips to the hem of her t-shirt. "Phil-lip, you have to stop." Chloe placed her hands on top of his to stop him from lifting up her shirt. Philip's mouth moved down Chloe's neck. "Philip seriously you have to stop. I need to get ready to go." Philip removed his mouth from her neck and got up off of her. Chloe sat up and moved away from the bed to head toward the bathroom.

"Why do you have to go so early?" He asked as he sat up on the bed, watching her gather her things to take a shower.

"When you tell someone on short notice for a major event, a day before, it causes everything to be done on that day and unfortunately it takes time. So stop frowning." Chloe said laughing a little at Philip's frown at the doorway of the bathroom. She looked at Philip and smiled at her new idea. "Well are you coming?"

Philip looked up at the doorway of the bathroom where his wife stood. Her hair lay tousled about on her shoulders. The t-shirt that she was wearing ended mid-thigh and covered her slightly rounded stomach. He looked her smiling face, then he got up and followed her into the bathroom...

Sometime later Chloe was standing in front of the mirror looking at herself one last time before she left. She smoothed her hair down and turned to see Philip leading against the doorway.

"You look good." He said as his eyes roamed over her figure in the blue slip dress. Chloe smiled at him.

"You don't think I look fat?" Philip walked to where Chloe was in front of the mirror and placed his arms around her waist. He placed his hands over the ever-growing stomach that housed their child.

"You are beautiful. Besides that you're pregnant with my child. You could never be fat with my child inside of you. And you are just now starting to look like you're pregnant." Philip looked at their reflection in the mirror and placed it in his memory as the first picture of his family. Chloe turned in his arms wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I need to go or Belle will have my head. I'll see you later." She reached up and kissed Philip on the cheek. She grabbed her purse and left the hotel room leaving Philip standing in the room by himself.


The Evans Home - The Dressing Begins...

The women were all gathered around in the room in their robes, doing their hair. Chloe was the only left to do and they were all debating on what to do exactly to her hair.

Liz had all of her chestnut hair in an upswept style. She had pinned it all up in an elegant ponytail with her hair cascading down in curls around her neck. Kay had her hair in a style that almost resembled Liz's but her hair was pulled away from her face with two combs on each side of her head to hold back her curls. It looked like her hair was pinned up. The style was truly beautiful on her. Maria had her long blonde hair placed in an elegant French roll with a few tendrils hanging down.

Belle had left her hair down. Since it almost came down to the middle of her back. The ladies had decided to give her a simple look. They left the hair straight except the ends, which were flipped up. It softened her look and brought out her natural radiance. Mimi on the other hand had opted to go for a more mature look. They layered her hair in glossy auburn waves that framed her face nicely.

All of the women had their hair done except for Chloe who was sitting in front of the vanity table. Finally, it was her turn to get her hair done. Yet, no one could agree on what to do.

"I think we should leave it down. I like having my hair down. Besides, if you remember, that's how it's going to be during the dance." Chloe said.

"Yes, that's true," Maria said as she and the other women stood behind Chloe. They all looked at her hair, then each other, and nodded.

"Up," they all chorused. Then all the women surrounded her and styled her hair up into an elegant chignon with two strands of the hair spiral curled on both sides of her head.

"Are you guys finished?" Chloe asked as she touched the hairstyle.

"Yes, I think that we're done. Everyone needs to get into their dresses now so we can do the makeup. Hurry up we only have two hours left. And put the robes on over the dresses." Belle said as she began to get into her fashion show mode.

"She's right everyone. Now don't worry about you dance outfits. Theresa called earlier and informed me that everything it ready to go at the ball. So all we have to do is make it through the first hour or so. Anyway, enough chitchat, time's a wasting." Maria said as she and Belle started pushing the women in all directions.


It was 7:15 and the men sans Max and Shawn were all waiting for their wives, respectively, to make their entrance so that they could leave. They were all in tuxedos with either a bow tie or a tie, with the exception of Michael who wore an all black suit. The hall where the ball was being held was only 15 minutes away. But, they were anxious to get the show on the road. Philip was freaking out completely as he paced around the room.

"Man, would you please stop doing that. You're making me nervous." Miguel said.

"I can't. For some reason I just can't shake the feeling that something is going to go wrong tonight." Philip responded as he stopped pacing to stand in place.

"Yeah, well what could go wrong everything is...you look great." Brady said as he rose from his seat when Mimi and Kay walked into the room followed by Belle.

Mimi walked in to the room in a body fitting satin dress. It was an aqua marine (blue green) dress long and sensuous looking. The front of the dress exposed a little cleavage tastefully. As she neared the room Mimi turned around so Brady could see the back of the dress. Her back was bare; the only thing that was there was a metal disco strap in the middle.

On her right, Kay entered the room with an emerald-colored dress. It had spaghetti straps with a plunging neckline. It was also long and fit the body like a glove. This dress was bare but draped in pearls. It looked perfect on her. Belle, on the other hand, looked radiant in her two-piece outfit. The top was a lilac short-sleeved maternity peasant tunic over a black long satin ball skirt. All three women looked beautiful and added to their outfits with some personal jewelry.

"You guys look great," Miguel said as he walked toward Kay. She smiled at him and though about how great he looked in his old fashion tuxedo (with a bow tie).

Brady walked over to his wife and leaned down to her. "You know look stunning. You are beautiful." He whispered to her. "I can't wait to see you out of it later. I'm going to be imaging you without it all night." Brady told her as Mimi blushed.

Belle looked around and she noticed that Philip and Michael were the only two men left in the room without their wives. As she was about to pose the question of where Shawn was when Chloe, Maria, and Liz walked in. Chloe was wearing a dramatic long black dress with a V-neck line. The dress, although, it was fitted on her was loose enough to go over the slight swell of her stomach. With her hair up she looked very elegant and serious. Yet, her smiling face as she walked to her husband lightened her look considerably. Maria arrived behind her and headed to Michael.

Maria was in an eye-catching two-piece gown. It was orange with a pink gossamer (sheer), overlay making it seem as if the dress were multicolored. The top had spaghetti straps that on the back became connected and laced up. It also exposed about 3/4 of her back. The front of the top was a V-neck that showed a little cleavage. The skirt was floor-length and flowed around her as she walked to Michael. Liz was walking behind her. She had on a red body-hugging halter dress that had to thin straps that connected about her neck. Her back was also bare but she had a side slit that came a little above her knees. The dress was set off by a gold dangling choker added with her olive complexion and the red dress, she seemed exotic.

As Liz completely entered the room she looked around for Max. Expecting to see him in an elegant, modern tuxedo. Yet, he was nowhere to be found. "Where's Max?" She asked Michael who reminded her of a vampire with his all black tux when he stood next to Maria in her vibrate dress.

"Yeah, where is Shawn?" Belle asked Brady who was still whispering naughty things to a blushing Mimi.

Before he could say anything Philip answered both women. "Max and Shawn are at the ball waiting for us already. They are just making sure that we get the table we requested. It's getting late, so why don't we go ahead and head out to the limos." Philip said as both Liz and Belle looked appeased by his answer, they thought that it had something to do with the men's plan.

"Shawn and Max said that they would be waiting for us at the entrance. We don't want to keep them waiting." Miguel said as he glanced at his watch. "Allow me to escort you to the limo, Liz?" He asked turning to his cousin.

Liz looked at Maria and Michael and at Maria's nod she grabbed her matching purse and took Miguel's offered arm. Kay took the other arm and left the house.

"My beautiful Black ladies, shall we go?" Brady asked offering his arms to Mimi who laughed and Belle.

"It's Brady. But let's go." Belle took his arm and followed Miguel. Michael and Maria followed by Philip and Chloe left the house.

Tonight would be a night that neither the men nor the women would soon forget.