Las Vegas, Nevada
“Well, Taylin, you managed to drag me to an all-male review. And with my mother-in-law nonetheless!” Jocelyn teased.
Janet laughed coolly at their side. “No complaints here.”
It’d been almost a year now that she’d refused the girls’ night out to a similar show, and it had been the best decision of her life. Tomorrow she would marry the man who she’d taken a chance on that night. He’d shown her a glimpse of the world, and kept his promise of adventure; the heart-wrenching and the incredible. She was the luckiest woman in the world, and nothing had ever been truer. He’d picked her and that was that.
“What do you think the boys are doing?” Janet asked.
“I’d guess—” Taylin started with a gleam in her eye.
“Nope,” Jocelyn cut in. “I don’t want to know. I don’t want to think about it.”
“Oh, honey, I’m sure it isn’t that bad.” Janet laughed.
“You do know that Preston planned the boys’ night?” Jocelyn countered.
Janet took a deep inhale, clicking her tongue. She’d known Preston since he was a kid, and the reaction wasn’t exactly reassuring.
“Forget them! What should we do next? It’s not even midnight yet!” Taylin exclaimed with excitement. “I need another one of those massive drinks. Maybe a little gambling? I could get us a limo, and we could do a little club hopping?”
Jocelyn took a cleansing breath. They’d already done enough to satisfy her expectations of a bachelorette party. Fancy dinner, multiple large cocktails with the insistences of extra shots, and half-naked men. Jocelyn was done for the night. She knew that Taylin had been trying to keep her mind off her failing marriage, but tonight was not the night for Jocelyn to go buck wild. Not that it was ever her style, but in less than fourteen hours she was going to be a married woman, and beauty sleep was a must; especially if she was going to avoid a hangover and baggy circles under her eyes.
“I love you dearly. And this has been the best, but I’m done for the night. Please don’t hate me,” Jocelyn said with a halfhearted smile.
“No. I get it,” Taylin said somberly.
“Taylin, I’ll go have another drink or two with you. I haven’t gambled in years, and I’ve always wanted to try roulette.”
Jocelyn was taken aback by the invitation her mother-in-law was extending. In all reality, there wasn’t much of an age difference between the women, and it might be great for Taylin to hang out with a fresh perspective.
“Really? Yes, yes, yes!” Taylin agreed, pouncing around. “As long as it’s okay with you?” she asked Jocelyn.
“Duh. Yes. Please. Have fun. Just be back in time for the wedding.” She winked.
The women exchanged hugs, and Jocelyn mouthed a thank you to Janet.
Walking through the hotel, Jocelyn pulled out her cellphone, only to find no messages from Mason. Though she hadn’t expected one, she had kind of hoped for one. But he was probably being respectful of her girls’ night out. She wanted to do the same, but since her night was over she decided he should at least know that.
Jocelyn: Hope you’re having fun! I’m headed to bed. Taylin took your mom out. Lol. See you tomorrow. I love you!
Making it back to her suite without a response from Mason left her a little deflated, but it was nothing a hot bath and the cushy bed couldn’t fix. Sleep, her body begged. She was sharing the large room with Taylin and only hoped that Janet got her home in one piece, and without incident.
* * * *
Mason fumbled with his cellphone, trying to send a message back to Jocelyn, but his drunk hands weren’t working. He hadn’t felt the vibration in his pocket earlier in the night and cursed himself now. He missed her. This spending the night apart was shit.
“I gotta see her, man,” Mason demanded, entering the elevator and hitting the button for floor number 23.
“Oh no, you don’t. We gotta get you to bed. Tomorrow’s the big day. You can wait one night,” Bo tried to reason, hitting the button for their floor.
But he couldn’t wait, he had to see her. Now. He’d been out drinking, falling into the peer pressure of his buddies and brother was a terrible influence. But it was his fucking bachelor party, his one and only, so he followed as a willing participant as they bounced from one club to another until he’d had enough.
The doors chimed as they open to Jocelyn’s floor, and Mason took off down the hall toward her room, an escape from his friend’s reluctance.
“Jocelyn.” He knocked. “Baby, it’s me.” He paused, knocking harder when he wasn’t answered. “Joss. Joss. It’s me. Ohhhh, wifey, open the door.” He snickered.
“Mason, what are you doing?” her sweet voice called from the other side, melting him.
“I came to tell you that I’m gonna marry the fuck out of you tomorrow. Today?”
Her giggle from the other side of the door called to him and perked up his cock. He wanted her. Sure, he was drunk, and knew it, but each day he craved her more.
“You gotta go. We aren’t supposed to see each other tonight.”
“Fuck ‘supposed to’. Come on, let me in. I won’t disappoint you. I just have to be with you.”
“Mason!” he heard his name but shrugged off the scolding tone from Bo. “We need to get you back to the room.”
“Just kiss me good night. One teeny, tiny kiss,” he pleaded again, trying to use a seductive tone, but knowing it was slurred.
“No way. If I open this door, you’re never going to leave,” she said with a poor attempt at a stern tone.
“I don’t want to leave. Ever.”
“Please, go sleep it off. We both need our beauty sleep.” Her voice dropped as she pleaded.
“I saw you covered in dirt hiking in the mountains for three days—you peed in the forest, I’d marry you like that!”
“Mason!” she chastised with a pound against the door. “You promised you wouldn’t bring that up.”
“I’m gonna marry you. You’re mine. Forever. I’m gonna marry you,” Mason promised, leaning against the heavy, cool door, enjoying the contrast to his skin.
“All right, lover boy. You gotta go. If your big ass passes out here, I’m not gonna be able to get you back to the room,” Bo said, pulling Mason’s arm around his neck.
“Night, Jocelyn.” Bo gave a knock on the door as he pulled Mason away.
Mason heard the faint, feminine voice call back, but the hallway was starting to spin, and he knew his friend was right. He needed to get back to the room before he made himself comfortable on the vomit colored carpet.
“Bo, I’m a lucky son-of-a-bitch,” he said, stumbling along. The walk back seemed longer than he remembered, and his legs were unusually heavy.
“The luckiest.” Bo pulled him along. “Don’t stop.”
“I know you’re patro…pat-try-ize… You’re being a dick. But it’s true.”
“I’m not, bro. You are a lucky bastard. But if you don’t get to bed, you’re gonna miss your own damn wedding.”
Mason stumbled into the elevator, greeted by Derrick. From what he could make out in his altered state Bo texted for backup.
“Isn’t this best man duties?” Derrick scoffed. “Where’s Preston?”
“Really? It’s Vegas. He made sure to get his own room for a reason.”
“That guy.” Mason chuckled as he was dragged out of the elevator, and the next thing he knew he fell like timber onto a plush bed, eyes closed, and his world went dark.