Chapter 279: All Good to Go
** Harper **
Friday felt absolutely phenomenal.
The Miracles office was an erupted volcano of cheers and shouts as everyone gathered on the top floor of the building, watching the trailer come live on the harbor landmark. The official reveal of their new product’s public debut was as dramatic as anyone could have imagined, and a hundred times more successful. The project directors were so thrilled that they even ordered a case of champagne right on the spot, turning the final evening of the week into a grand celebration.
Harper could barely stop her heart from leaping out of her throat as she clutched her phone and shared this once-in-a-lifetime moment with Eli. This was only the beginning, of course — there would be many, many more of these rough deadlines and satisfying accomplishments to come in the near future — but at the moment, she felt as if another pivotal Chapter of her life had been completed. It was her very first career milestone, one that proved what she could do to make her dreams come true.
She let herself indulge in that contentment for once, sharing toasts and congratulations with her coworkers well into the night. When she returned home, tipsy yet thankfully not drunk, she was greeted with an enormous hug that knocked all the air out of her lungs. Then a second round of celebrations ensued, this one much more wild and cathartic for the soul.
They would’ve kept going all night, if not for the gala waiting right ahead the next evening that forced her to get some good sleep.
"Mmm ... I’m not waking up with raccoon eyes, am I?" When the alarm went off at noon, Harper was still groggy, and she rolled her head back in Eli’s arms with a huge yawn. "Darn, I completely forgot about that facial I was going to do last night."
"Pretty sure you aren’t supposed to get those every week." Eli chuckled, brushing his lips lightly over her forehead. "And don’t worry, it’s still flawless and perfectly kissable. No raccoon eyes either, and I even took a lot of effort to make sure not to leave any marks on the rest of you last night. You’re all good to go for that beautiful dress of yours to show off whatever part of your skin you’d like."
Oh, the dress ... If there was anything at this point that could excite Harper even more after all the thrills last night, it’d be the gorgeous gown that she would finally get a chance to wear for real. One that certainly showed a lot of skin for hickeys to be just a little troublesome.