As I pulled up to the impressive cabin by the bay, I was stunned by the sheer amount of people that sprawled the expansive property.
“Jesus, that’s a lot of people,” I mumbled.
I don’t know what I’d been expecting. When I got married it had been so rushed that Chris and I hadn’t really invited many people to attend the festivities.
Looking around at the throngs of people coming in and out of the cabin as well as mingling in the backyard, it was clear to see that Jill and Damon had no shortage of people who cared about them.
I craned my neck to see if I recognized anyone when I spotted a familiar mop of dirty-blonde hair and a friendly smile. I waved at Kate as I exited the car and started my way toward her.
“Thank God you’re here!” Kate rushed to me quickly and grabbed the envelope I held between my fingers.
We walked arm in arm toward the backyard of the property. My mouth watered as we neared the smoking grill and the delicious aromas coming from it. The sounds of thumping music filled my ears as we came up on the large group of people gathered around the picnic tables. The smile seemed to curl on my lips of its own accord as booming laughter surrounded me. The sound of barking became louder along with the sounds of children giggling as a happy golden retriever bounded past us, three small children chasing after.
As we passed a full table on our way down the hill, I spotted one of Kate’s husbands. Heath was talking very animatedly to a group of people I had never seen before. The smile on his face was infectious as the others had no choice but to laugh at whatever he was telling them. Kate reached out as we passed him and gave his back a covert rub with a sultry wink. I wasn’t expecting him to stop mid-sentence and grab onto his wife for a heated kiss. I felt my face warm as I watched the public display of obvious affection.
When he released her, she faced me again and fanned herself a little. Heath slapped her on the ass as a way of sending her back on her way. I couldn’t help but laugh as we continued our walk.
“Besides anyone you’re actively sleeping with,”—I winked—“do you know any of these people?” I asked Kate as we diverted our path toward the dock further down the property.
“I know a few of them, but mostly everyone you see here is part of Damon’s family.” We smiled at a few handsome Latino men as we deposited my envelope on the gift table before continuing. Reid was among them and glanced at his wife before winking her way. He didn’t have to speak to tell her that he saw the exchange between her and Heath and appreciated the show. I nearly had to fan myself after that.
“He has a big-ass family.” I giggled as I looked down at my friend who returned my laugh.
“You got that right,” Kate admitted. “It’s a good thing too. Jill is an only child so besides her parents, she only had our little circle to invite to this shindig.”
I nodded my acknowledgment as we neared the dock. “So where is the blushing bride?” I paused and glanced around again. “Or the groom for that matter?” I asked.
Kate grinned. “That’s the thing. I can’t find them. They’ve been gone for almost an hour now.” She winked my way as we stepped onto the wooden decking along the water’s edge. A few kids were standing on the rails, looking down into the water and dropping heavy stones just to watch them sink to the bottom.
A smile bloomed on my lips as the giggles fluttered from their little bellies. A bittersweet ache settled in my stomach as I watched them. I’d always wanted kids, but for obvious reasons had opted not to expose them to this cruel world. Maybe one day.
I opened my mouth to ask them if I could play when I heard something falling over in the boathouse, followed by something that sounded vaguely like a groan. I glanced at Kate and she just shook her head with a knowing smile on her lips.
She clapped her hands and squatted in front of the kids. “You guys see that blond guy up there with the dark-blue shirt on?” she asked as she pointed at Reid. When the kids nodded she continued, “He said that the first one to catch him gets to eat all the ice cream they want.”
The kids squealed in delight and sprinted toward her unsuspecting husband. When she stood again, she looked back at me mischievously.
“Oh, that was just mean.” I laughed as she walked toward the boathouse door.
“It had to be done. They don’t need to see this,” she admitted before she brought her fist down on the wooden door, giving it three solid thumps before saying, “All right, you perverts, everyone’s looking for you!”
I gave her a confused look before I heard it. The sound of a deep muffled voice before a feminine giggle. I held my hand over my mouth to smother a snicker of my own as the door opened, revealing a very rumpled, very satisfied-looking Jill.
She looked between the two of us with a lazy smile on her face as she readjusted her fire-engine-red dress and smoothed her hair. Damon slid up behind her, belt unbuckled, retucking his shirt.
I snorted when I noticed the buttons on his shirt were fastened in the wrong places. He flashed us all his crooked grin before smiling down at his fiancée. Giving her a quick peck, he pushed past her and nodded his head toward Kate and me.
“Ladies,” was all he said.
Kate and I glanced at one another before busting up laughing—the kind of laugh that had us doubling over. When we looked up, a very satisfied Damon was sauntering back toward the house and Jill still looked disheveled.
Kate was the first one to quiet her laughs long enough to speak. “Really? In the middle of your own party?”
Jill grinned at us before stepping out from the doorway. She lifted her face toward the sunset and sniffed as if she was above it all.
“It’s my party, I’ll fuck if I want to.” She smiled back at us.
We all dissolved into laughter.
****
The sound of loud feminine laughter filled my ears hours later as all of us sat around a warm fire, a glass of red in each of our hands. The evidence of our fun night could be seen strung out around us in the form of empty wine bottles.
The night had flown by in a blur of good food, better alcohol, and the best conversations. After Kate and I had helped Jill compose herself, we walked around with her and she introduced us to Damon’s family and work buddies. I even met Jill’s parents.
I had to hide my grin as I watched the older couple try their best to blend with Damon’s eccentric family. I smiled fondly at them. They may be from a different class entirely, but at least they made the effort. That’s more than my parents would have done.
When I was introduced to Damon’s brothers, my jaw almost came unhinged. If it hadn’t been for Kate elbowing me in the ribs and telling me to catch my drool, I would have made a complete fool out of myself.
Liam and Oliver looked so much like Damon it was a little unnerving. Oliver introduced us to his gorgeous wife and adorable little girl. She looked just like her momma but was unmistakably the apple of her father’s eye. The love they’d shown one another had made my heart flutter.
Liam, it seemed, was a shameless flirt. His dark gaze had taken in every one of my details while we were introduced, and I swear I felt my womb perk up and take notice. Although he looked a lot like his older brother, there were a few differences.
He stood a few inches shorter than Damon but he was just as fit. His face was smooth and free of any scruff, unlike his brother’s. The biggest difference was that he was covered in tattoos, from his neck all the way down to his wrists. I found myself mesmerized by the images that swirled in dark ink against his olive-tone skin. What could I say, I was a sucker for ink.
Liam and Damon shared the same dark-brown hair and eyes, but his hair was cut shorter into one of those suave coiffed hairstyles. It looked decadently smooth and I briefly wondered if it would be as soft as it looked. A sudden memory of my fingers threaded through light-brown waves flashed behind my eyes as I spoke with Liam. Honey-colored eyes glanced into mine as he pressed his mouth to my—
I sucked in a sharp breath as images of Leo surfaced. Liam looked me over as if something had struck me. “Are you all right? It sounded like something pained you.” The concern in his voice should have made me feel giddy but all it did was embarrass me.
I shook my head to toss away thoughts of the past before I flashed Liam a bright smile. “I’m fine, I … uh, do you want to dance?” I asked around a hard swallow, in hopes of taking my mind off Leo.
Liam’s bright smile was enough to do just that as he took my drink from my hand and led me onto the makeshift dance floor. I didn’t recognize the music that was playing, but I let the sensual tune flow through me as Liam grabbed my waist. I was on the tall side for a woman, but he made me feel almost delicate as he pressed his body to mine.
We swayed our hips to the beat of the music and I let go of my inhibitions as Liam trailed his hands down my sides. He was respectful, but I felt his hands tighten as they gripped the outside of my hips. His scent of lavender and mint surrounded me, so different from Leo’s scent of bourbon and cedar.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Stop it! I scolded myself internally. I needed to stop comparing this man to Leo.
It wasn’t Leo’s hands that were rubbing small circles with his thumb against my hip bone. It wasn’t his leg that pressed between mine as he moved me to the thumping music. His breath wasn’t the one that brushed over my cheek and still dipped lower toward my neck.
I didn’t feel myself bring my arms up around his shoulders and push my hands into the hair at his nape. My eyes were closed as I pushed his face closer to my neck. I didn’t notice when I rolled my head to the side, giving him greater access.
He took a deep breath and raked his plump lips against my pulse. My breasts became heavy and my core tightened as he traced my curves until he came to rest under my breasts. My breath hitched as his thumb raked across my peaked nipple just barely.
The music came to a stop and the sounds of joyful talking filtered back in. He didn’t pull away from me as he whispered against my neck.
“Damn, I wish my brother wasn’t staring us down right now. I would take you somewhere more private if I could, preciosa.” Liam’s deep voice jolted me back to reality.
My eyes sprung open and sure enough, Jill and Damon were trying to not make it look obvious they had watched our whole exchange.
Fire bloomed across my cheeks as I gently pushed away from Liam. He grinned down at me before kissing the back of my hand with a low bow, only deepening my blush.
“Thank you for the dance, Emily,” he murmured before dropping my hand.
I nodded my head, turned, and rushed away from him as though my ass was on fire. Jill caught up with me before I could get too far, looping her arm around mine as we walked toward the open bar.
“We have a spare bedroom if you need to make use of it.” She barely contained her snort as I glared at her.
“Oh, hush!” I scolded her with a solid slap to her arm.
She laughed then and I couldn’t stop the giggle that bubbled up my throat.
“It’s all right, I totally get it. Damon’s brothers are fucking hot as hell.” She smiled my way before reaching behind the bar and grabbing two bottles of wine. “You don’t need to be embarrassed. Anyone could get caught up with any of the Santos men,” she said as she thrust the bottles into my arms before grabbing two more for herself.
I felt heat rise to my face again. “I’m not embarrassed because of the dance. Although, that was the most action I’ve seen in quite a while.” I paused to look over at the woman I could call one of my best friends. “I’m embarrassed because I was thinking about another man the entire time,” I admitted quietly.
Jill pursed her lips together and nodded her head. “Ah, Cruz, was it? Leo?” she asked and I bulked. My reaction was enough of an answer for her as she continued. “Yeah, I figured. You know, he was invited here tonight. I didn’t tell you because he said he would be out of town and wouldn’t be able to make it anyway,” she admitted.
“I don’t know much about your past, Em. But, seeing the way you reacted to him being at my old house last year, I could guess it was a lover’s scorn type of reaction.” She shrugged. “Judging by the intense sexual chemistry, I would also say there’s a little bit of unfinished business between you two.”
I sighed and looked toward the sunset. “There’s a lot of fucked-up history to unpack regarding Leo.” I flashed her a sad smile, hoping she wouldn’t push. I wasn’t ready for my friends to know just how pathetic I used to be.
She pointed her index fingers at herself around the bottles she held. “Hey, you’re talking to the queen of keeping secrets. You can talk to me whenever you’re ready,” she offered. “In the meantime, if you want to get a little piece of Latino tail on the side, I can hook my bitch up.” She grinned so proudly at me I couldn’t stop the laugh that rose.
Maybe it was because of my shitty past that I had such a great group of friends now. Maybe this was my reward. Either way, I gave Jill a quick hug as a thank you before we headed toward the water.
Three hours later, I looked around our circle with a grin that had been plastered on my face for most of the evening. Kate sat next to me telling a very animated tale of her and Jill growing up together while the rest of us listened intently, laughing at the story.
Next to Kate sat her daughter Lindsey. Her dark-brown curls almost looked black against the waning sun. She also held a glass of wine in her hand, even though she wouldn’t be of age for another month. She giggled against her glass as she watched her mother.
Jill sat across from me, face flushed red from the alcohol rather than the embarrassing story Kate was reminiscing about. Jill leaned forward in her seat and pointed a finger at her best friend. “I still swear to this day he was trying to kill me!” She laughed.
Kate’s belly laugh was infectious as she cackled. “Imagine a seven-year-old Jill, riding her bike without training wheels for the first time down our street. She was screaming her ass off that her dad was trying to kill her!” She heaved in a breath around her giggles.
Jill rolled her eyes but smiled widely at the newcomer to our little group. The younger beautiful Latina was wiping away tears of laughter. Her short inky-black curls framed her round face so well I could swear the hairstyle was invented just for her. Her dark-brown eyes matched that of her brother’s, as did her smile. She was a short thing, standing at least five inches shorter than my 5’8’’ frame. She was on the thicker side, like many of us, but her soft curves only added to the feminine confidence that surrounded her. Sofee was Damon’s little sister, and she fit right in with the rest of us perfectly.
“My father thought it was a grand idea to take my training wheels off and throw them away. After he promised he wouldn’t let me go, the old bastard pushed me away from him. That wouldn’t have been so bad if we hadn’t been going downhill!” Jill sounded outraged but the fond smile on her lips said otherwise.
I was gasping for air as I gripped my stomach. Maybe it was the wine, but we all found Kate’s story extremely hilarious.
Kate continued around her humorous laughs. “The only thing that made it all the funnier was when she crashed into Mrs. O’Malley’s peonies! Man, was she pissed!” she hollered before she slapped her knee and howled.
Jill shook her head and dissolved into another fit of giggles with the rest of us. “I still don’t know how to ride a damn bike!” she screeched.
The wine and the stories kept coming for the next hour until the sun had fully sunk behind the horizon. Most of the party had dissolved and it was just our group, Kate’s husbands, Damon, and Liam. I tried not to dwell on the thought that Liam was still here and he kept glancing at me now and again.
I watched as Reid strutted up to a very inebriated Kate and knelt behind her chair. I tried not to blush as he leaned in to whisper in her ear. I could only imagine what was being said. Kate giggled and turned her head to face him. She gave him a quick kiss before speaking to us. My heart seemed to sputter at the obvious love they shared.
“Well, girls, it’s getting late so I think we’re gonna get going,” she said, trying to hide her smirk.
“You just want to get laid.” I snorted.
“I already offered Em the spare room, do you need to borrow it instead?” Jill grinned behind her nearly empty glass.
Kate scowled playfully at us. “Not all of us had the chance to sneak off in the middle of the party to get a quickie.”
“Okay, I don’t want to hear any of this.” Sofee plugged her ears but had a smile on her lips.
“Same here!” Lindsey waved her hand desperately.
Jill snorted loudly. “I make no apologies.”
We all laughed at the playful banter before we stood and made our way back up to the house. The moment I took a step, my legs felt a little wobbly and I giggled.
“I think the wine finally hit me,” I admitted with a loopy grin.
Jill wrapped her arm around mine. I wasn’t drunk but I definitely shouldn’t drive. “The offer stands to use the spare room tonight,” she said and I glared at her. “Alone if you want, although that’s boring.” The mischief in her grin made me snort again.
We waved at Kate, Lindsey, and the boys as they climbed into their car.
“No, my flight is super early so I need to go home. Do you mind if I leave my car here and I’ll just call an Uber? If Damon wouldn’t mind driving it to my house while I’m gone and just parking it, that would be awesome,” I asked.
“I can drive you home.”
I jerked around to the sound of Liam’s voice and flushed. Jill squeezed my arm and seemed to bounce up and down with excitement. I gripped her tighter in silent warning.
“No, I couldn’t put you out like that,” I tried.
He shook his head. “Nonsense. Come on, I can drive you in your car and Sofee can drive my bike behind us. She only had one glass so she’s fine to drive.” His smile bloomed across those sensual lips. Sofee stood behind him and gave me an encouraging nod as if confirming that she was indeed fine to drive.
“I—”
“She would love to.” Jill cut me off and all but pushed me into Liam’s arms.
I stumbled but Liam steadied me against his chest as I sucked in a sharp breath. I whipped my head back to my so-called friend and scowled at the smirk she had on her lips.
“Thanks,” I gritted behind clenched teeth and gave her a tight smile. Jill just winked at me before sauntering off toward a grinning Damon. Bunch of traitors.
I took a deep breath and faced Liam with a soft smile before letting him lead me to my car. I watched as Sofee strapped a helmet over those thick curls before slipping on an overly big leather jacket. Judging by the sheer size of the garment, I assumed it was Liam’s.
I became mesmerized by the design sprawled across the back of the weathered black leather. The Insidious Seven, I mouthed to myself. The intricate letters surrounded an extravagant design that depicted a wicked-looking skull sitting in what I could only assume was hellfire. At the bottom of the picture, it read “New Orleans Chapter.”
Was Liam in a motorcycle gang?
I watched almost dumbly as Sofee straddled a metallic purple chopper sitting in the driveway. She didn’t seem to care as her white sundress rode up her smooth caramel-toned thighs. She looked like this wasn’t her first time on the sleek machine as she started the engine with the proficiency of an expert. The deep rumble of the bike was enough to make every last morsel of feminism leave my body. The sleek metal seemed to shimmer, even under the dim moonlight. The black leather seat looked well used but still in pristine shape. The shiny chrome wheels even looked as if they were brand new.
“That’s your bike?” I asked almost dumbly.
Liam smiled at the lustrous machine proudly before looking back toward me. “Boy, I hope so. Otherwise, Sofee is getting ready to steal someone else’s bike,” he teased.
I puffed a laugh before rolling my eyes and smiling at the handsome Latino as he opened the passenger door of my car. Once seated inside, I mouthed a thank you before he closed the door. When I looked up toward the house, Jill and Damon were blatantly staring at me with huge shit-eating grins on their faces.
I gave them a flamboyant smile before flashing them both my happy middle finger.