“This place is a hole.” I wrinkle my nose at the dark stains on the floor, each gathering of blotches shaped like constellations. The walls are filled with plug-in beer signs and sports memorabilia yellowed with age. Even worse is the country twang screeching from the jukebox. “Why on earth do the guys hang here?”
Shay rubs the tabletop with her napkin before setting her elbows on it. “It’s a bromance thing. They’ve been coming here since they were teens.”
“I think it’s cute.” Lily plays with the ring on her necklace. “And the bartender was sweet. He told me all about his rose garden. This place has character.”
Only Lily could find charm in a rundown dive bar. The boys are at the back, playing pool, sipping beer, and cracking jokes. Three buddies. Our boys. Nico was right—I like being his, knowing he’s mine. Every inch of his towering frame at my disposal. And it has been disposed. If last night were a statutory holiday, I’d name it: National Thoroughly Fucked Day.
The ache between my thighs echoes what we shared, aftershocks still tingling. Nico let loose, unleashing all the power he keeps locked up. He pounded into me, and I took it, trading pieces of ourselves. He also offered me his vulnerability. My strong, powerful man whispered his fears into my skin. But he didn’t tell me he loved me. Not that I confessed, either.
I couldn’t risk hearing silence in return.
Pushing the thought away, I focus on my girls. “The website looks great. Can’t believe it’s live.”
Shay sips her beer. “I’m still not sure about the logo, but for the most part, I’m happy with it. We’ll add content later.”
Our different strengths have facilitated our start-up business. Shay designed our logo and decided on content, Lily used her computer skills to make it happen, and I worked the layout and found stock photos. Expanding on that is my forte. “Once we do our first event, I’ll choose shots to include. Maybe have separate pages—some black-and-white, some color. A mix of artistic and candid stuff.”
Today I ran my solo photo session like a champ. The client, Ashley, was shy at first, hesitant to show me her flower tattoos and the scars beneath. But I came prepared with the music she liked and talked to her about my ink. Before the hour was up, she hugged me, happy tears threatening to fall. My favorite image is of her beneath a cherry blossom tree. The blooms are long gone, the fall leaves amber and orange and gold. Ashley’s bare back is toward me, bark and leaves crisscrossing her inked scars in a tapestry of hope. She’ll have that image because of me, just like the future clients of Over the Top Events.
Shay taps her nails on the table, timing each click to the shrill country tunes. “I guess we have to get ourselves a job.”
We stare at one another. We hum. We sip our drinks. When a solution doesn’t present itself, I say, “Please tell me this won’t be a repeat of the carwash.”
Shay’s mouth drops open, as though I claimed the earth is square. “The carwash was the best.”
“If we were auditioning for a slutty mud-wrestling show, maybe.”
“I’m with Shay on this one,” Lily says. “It was a blast. We should do it again.”
Or not. After I set fire to Gord Dwyer’s barn, the girls suggested we raise money. I was upset, and my community service wasn’t going to help him rebuild his stalls. Unfortunately, the day before our planned carwash, it rained hard enough to strip paint. Shay’s brilliant idea: Pour muddy water on the clean cars parked at the Freshco, then set up our carwash at the exit. I got overeager and tipped a bucket of mud over Lily’s head. She hurled hers at me. In minutes, the three of us were doubled over, dying of laughter, muddy bubbles squirting from our noses.
A year later I dropped an anonymous envelope of cash in Gord’s mailbox, but our joint business venture tanked.
“We’ll have to advertise,” I say. “In one of the local papers, or in a mailing or flyers.”
Shay nods, too slowly. “Sure…but if we hold one awesome gig, it’ll snowball. People will talk. But it’ll have to be impressive.”
“Like male-waiters-wearing-diamond-encrusted-thongs impressive?”
Shay smirks at me. “More like what’s-between-Nico’s-thighs impressive.”
I snort, nearly choking on my beer. She has no idea. I glance at Lily, sure she’s blushing ten shades of red, but her gray eyes are downcast, her fingers still fiddling with her necklace. This is quiet, even for her. “Everything okay?”
That’s when the blush comes, her cheeks staining pink. “Amazing, actually. And I think I have a solution to our problem.” Without another word she reaches behind her neck, unclasps her necklace, and slips the ring from the chain.
Holy freaking shit.
Shay smacks her hand on the table. “Holy freaking shit.”
Lily turns the antique ring over. The center pink stone reflects her rosy complexion, the surrounding gray diamonds a match for her eyes, all bound with detailed gold filigree. Sawyer couldn’t have a chosen a more perfect ring. She slips it on her finger, and Shay and I barely contain our squeals. Sawyer will lose his mind.
Drinks forgotten, we all lean close. “Why now?” I ask. “What changed?”
Lily fixes the strap of her blue dress, the color similar to the one I wore to Neverland Farms. The virginal look is much better on her. “Nothing changed, really. But I was talking to my mom last night about visiting home, and as much as I miss them, the idea of being away from Sawyer was unbearable, even for a short while. It clicked, I guess. I love him so much it hurts, and I trust him. I’m ready for forever.”
Shay sits taller. “Does this mean we get to plan your wedding?”
Beaming, Lily glances at her ring. “It does.”
I refrain from jumping over the table to hug her. “It would be an honor.”
“It’ll be the most beautiful ceremony Vancouver has ever seen,” Shay adds.
A gut-busting laugh comes from Kolton. Sawyer does some weird kung fu move then cuffs him on the back of the head. I stare daggers at them. “With Sawyer as the groom, beautiful might pose a challenge. He might push for a samurai theme.”
Lily’s skin blanches. “He wouldn’t…would he?”
“He definitely would,” Shay says. “But we’ll cut the bastard down at the knees. Kidnap him if—” Flustered, she flaps her hands to quiet us. “They’re coming back.”
I do a Flashdance solo, running my feet on the spot under the table, and I nearly kick Lily. “Are you freaking out? Because I’m freaking out, and I don’t do freaking out.”
My smile is too wide and too toothy to be natural, my heart tripping over itself, a beat that pounds faster at the sight of Nico walking our way. Kolton punches him in the shoulder as they approach, and Nico whacks him back before shooting me a devilish grin. Then his brows slant, as if chastising himself for having fun. Since last night, his moments of levity have been fleeting, but at least they exist. We might have to add more crazy monkey sex to our weekly regimen.
He slides in next to me, the other guys leaning against the sides of our booth. Kolton nods to Lily. “I apologize in advance for Sawyer’s Halloween costume.”
Lily’s hand is on the table, her ring in plain sight. To me it’s a pulsating, glowing thing. The boys are clueless. Wary, she studies Kolton. “I thought he ordered that Iron Man one.”
“He did, but he just lost a bet.”
These guys live to embarrass one another.
Lily’s Oh God is barely out when Kolton swigs the rest of his beer and plants his glass on the table. “Your boyfriend will be a Power Ranger this year, complete with spandex unitard.”
“In pink,” Nico adds.
Shay’s focus shifts from them to Lily’s hand, back and forth, like she’s a bobblehead doll ready to burst. I probably don’t look much better.
Still unaware he’s about to get his wish granted, Sawyer shrugs. “I’ll wear it with pride.”
“No socks stuffed down the front.” This from Nico, who’s packing a heat-seeking missile between his legs.
Sawyer scoffs. “Like I need the boost. Any bigger, and the trick-or-treaters will—” He stops mid-sentence. He blinks. Then he blinks again, his gaze glued on Lily’s hand. “You put it on,” he whispers.
I grab Nico’s knee, and Shay fans her face. Lily and Sawyer get lost in each other’s eyes, a silent conversation passing between them. Then he says, “Get over here.”
Impatient, he reaches over Shay and pulls Lily up until she’s standing on her bench and walking on the table and falling into his arms. And God, their kiss. Of the three of us, Shay’s usually the one for PDA, but Sawyer and Lily are in their own galaxy, their bodies molded as he kisses her senseless. For the second time in two days my eyes burn with happy tears.
“Any longer, and the regulars will pull up stools to watch.” The old bartender tips up his cowboy hat, revealing crinkled eyes.
Lily barely manages to unlock her lips from Sawyer’s.
Nico angles his body toward mine, planting his massive forearm on the table, caging me. Eyes soft, he brushes my bangs aside like he often does. “Looks like we have a wedding to attend. Will you be my date, Raven Hunt?” He says my name slow and deliberate, as if tasting the syllables, savoring them. Each letter spirals through my belly.
Did he make the women before me melt like this? Did he turn their names into poetry? I frown, unsure why I’m running in circles again, questioning his feelings. Probably because this is the guy who’s known for falling hard and fast.
And he’s still standing.
He looks about to speak again when his phone rings. He slides out of the booth to take the call. Shay and Kolton are already headed for the door, a final congratulations shouted as they disappear. I get up and try to hug Lily, but Sawyer won’t release her hand. I settle on kissing her cheek. “I’m so happy for you and can’t wait to plan the wedding.”
Sawyer drapes his arm over Lily’s shoulder. “What color cape should I wear?”
She gawks at the question, so I jump in. “There will be no cape, no weird sound effects, nothing spandex, and definitely no lightsabers.”
“What kind of boring wedding are you planning?”
“An adult wedding.”
“For geriatrics.”
“Don’t test me, Sawyer. You won’t win.”
“You’re no match for my superpowers. Right, babe?”
Lily’s answering silence unnerves me. Pulling this wedding together may be more challenging than expected. We can’t make our mark as event planners if the thing is a gong show. “You can always back out, Lil. It’s not too late.”
Sawyer pokes a finger at my chest. “One more comment like that, and you’ll be the entertainment, wearing a tutu and dancing with my nieces.”
I shudder and give Lily a reassuring squeeze. The man’s immaturity will have to be tamed.
As they leave, Nico appears from the back, practically vibrating. If Shay looked ready to burst with Lily’s news earlier, Nico is a piñata about to pop. His grin is infectious. “Are you excited because Sawyer threatened to put me in a tutu?”
“No, but I’d love to see that.” He inhales deeply and shakes his head as if dazed. “I just got a call.”
“I know, big guy. I watched you leave to answer it.”
He scrubs a hand down his face. “The impossible might have happened. We could get a confession to clear Josh.”
My heart jumps, this much good news difficult to ingest. “Seriously?”
He nods, his blue eyes shining with a thousand emotions. “We’ve had leads before, so I don’t want to get too excited. But I need to head to the station.”
“Go, go, go. I’ll bus home. Call me as soon as you know anything.” I wrap my arms around his wide shoulders and squeeze him as hard as I can.
A deep kiss later, he hurries out, and my levity slides. I desperately want this for him. To see him at peace, his family intact. Erase that brooding frown from his face. But if this confession isn’t solid, my mountain of a man could tumble.
My phone buzzes, and I look down to see Rose’s name. The sight exacerbates my nerves. I’ve been stewing over her avoidance of personal subjects, unsure what it will take to bridge the distance between us. Maybe Nico is the key. If I tell her I’m in love and share my fears for his happiness and his silence on the L-O-V-E topic, she might offer a secret of her own. I bite my lip, thoughts of love grounding me. No matter his hesitations, I am pathetically moony over him. Memories of my Sexy Beast and how we defiled his couch last night have me grinning again, my newborn sappy side stretching its legs.
Then I read Rose’s message.
I’m in trouble. I need your help. I’ll call you as soon as I can.
Trouble? What does trouble mean? My breathing grows shallow, unease twisting my gut. Something bad has Rose freaking out, but for the life of me, I can’t figure out what. I scan the room, as though the answer will magically appear. Or Nico. I wish he were here to tuck me into his side and tell me not to worry. That this churning in my stomach will cease. But I’m alone with my galloping pulse. I race out the door.