Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 85270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
“Well, all right then.” There is a light tone to her voice, but it’s also a little shaky.
Letting my hand drop, I stand and gather our dishes, placing them in the sink, then gathering our trash and tossing it as well. “We should get going if you need to get back to the studio.”
“Yeah. Yes. Right. The studio.” She stands, and I can’t be certain, but her legs look a little unsteady. Good, that’s how she makes me feel every time I’m in her presence, at least since the night of Ramsey and Deacon’s engagement party.
“Come on, beautiful. Let’s go get your car.” I offer her my hand. I don’t want to let go, but I know that it’s best if I do. She’s too damn tempting, and my resolve is weak where she’s concerned.
CHAPTER
EIGHT
Palmer
Lifting my sex on the beach to my lips, I take a hefty swallow.
I need it. Hell, I’ve earned it after the way things in my life have been going recently. Girls’ night is exactly what I need.
The last two weeks have been insane. It all started when my car broke down, and the sexy Brooks Kincaid stepped up to be my knight in shining armor. He stopped by my studio and put my shelf together, and I admit that I ogled him the entire time. Then there was a water leak at my studio. I rent the space, so my landlord had to deal with it, but still, it was a pain in the ass. I had plumbers in and out for a few days and then a construction crew to fix the ceiling. Luckily it was in the small break room. No images or equipment were ruined.
Then this week, I’ve had a full schedule, and I swear every pissed-off kid in the tri-state area was on my schedule. Usually, I can pacify them with toys, and with the help of the parents, we get the shoot in. Let me add that I love kids—I do—but this week they’ve been holy terrors. Every last one of them. So, yeah, I’ve earned this sex on the beach and the three before it. Or was it four?
“Okay, ladies, I have a confession,” Ramsey says, draining her cranberry and vodka.
“Let’s hear it,” my sister, Piper, tells her.
“I don’t want a big wedding.” She bites her lip like she’s waiting for us to scold her.
“Then you don’t have a big wedding.”
“But isn’t that what people expect?”
“It’s your wedding, Ramsey. You make it about you and Deacon. As long as the two of you are happy with your choice, no one else matters,” Piper says gently.
“I keep hearing my father demanding I have this huge extravagant event, one to impress the masses, and I don’t want that. Honestly, we could go to the courthouse or to Vegas, and I would be happy. I just want to marry Deacon and start the rest of our lives.”
“Aw,” Piper, Jade, and I all say at once.
“Stop.” Ramsey shakes her head at us.
“We want you to be happy. Your families want you to be happy,” Jade chimes in. “You do you, and we’re going to be here cheering you on.”
“You don’t think Deacon will be upset?”
“You mean my brother, Deacon? The one who was a workaholic until you stole his heart? No, he’s not going to care at all. If I know my brother, he’s going to want a ceremony. He’s going to want to marry you in front of his closest friends and family, but it doesn’t have to be this big over-the-top event. It’s your day, babe.” I slide my arm around her shoulders from where she’s sitting next to me in the booth.
“Okay, well, since we’re spilling confessions, I have some news,” Piper whispers.
“Are you going to tell us?” I ask, leaning over the table. Ramsey does the same, with my arm still around her shoulders.
Jade grins, which tells me she already knows. “Hey.” I point to my chest. “I’m the sister.”
“Best friend.” Jade points at herself and sticks her tongue out at me, being silly. She knows I love her.
Piper’s eyes flash around the Willow Tavern before leaning over the table. Jade does the same, and I can imagine how ridiculous we look in our little girls’ night huddle in this booth. “Heath asked me to be his girlfriend.” The confession rolls off her tongue, and the smile that lights up her face tells me she had a good time without me having to ask.
“When did this happen?” Ramsey asks.
“I stopped in here Monday night for some wings to take home for dinner. He was eating at the bar. We started talking, and he asked if I wanted to get together. I said yes.”
“And?” I prompt her. “Where did you go?”
“You won’t believe me when I tell you.” Piper’s being coy and we all know it. She’s crazy about Heath, and he’s crazy about her.