Maybe I’d have to concede to Ivy on this one. Maybe this was better than just doing things at the justice of the peace.
Travis and all the kids were off, likely draining the battery on Drew’s cell. Andi was being hoarded by Romeo’s mom, and everyone else was probably off drinking pear-infused champagne.
Speaking of, I reached over and plucked the crystal glass out of my husband’s hand before it could make it to his lips.
“Hey,” he protested, spinning around. When he saw it was me, he gave a wry smile.
“No drinking during recovery, Mask.”
“It’s our wedding,” he whined.
I lifted an eyebrow that I knew was perfectly sculpted. Ivy made me get them threaded.
“You need alcohol to get married to me?”
A sly glint came into his sexy blue eyes. Snagging the tie hanging around my neck, he tugged, bringing me close enough to kiss. His tongue swept past my lips, into my mouth, and over the roof. The back of my neck heated with desire, and I pressed my lips a little harder against his.
The silk he was still clutching slipped through his fingers the farther I straightened.
“If you won’t let me drink it from the glass, I’ll just have to drink it from your lips.”
“I’ll allow it,” I declared.
He smirked, and it made me want to eat him.
Grabbing the lapels of the custom black leather jacket he was wearing, I tugged him close, taking into consideration his leg was still healing.
“I like you in leather,” I told him, dropping my voice to the octave he loved. “It looks good with your scruff.”
“Yeah?”
I nodded. “I like even more that it has my name across the back.”
Instead of making Drew wear a classic tuxedo jacket, Ivy got him a custom-made black motorcycle jacket with “Mask” painted in white on the back. He wore it with a pair of black tuxedo pants, a white dress shirt, and no tie. Drew hated ties.
But apparently, he liked mine, because he pulled it again.
“You should keep this tie,” he whispered.
“Noted.”
He smiled slyly. “You look good in a tux.”
Drew got to wear a cool “race car driver” outfit to our wedding, while I got to be classic with a black tux, black vest, and black silk tie.
I even wore black dress shoes. Drew got sneakers with silver studs on them.
I would have complained to Ivy, but like the clouds, I was scared of her too.
“I look better out of one.”
His tongue darted out to wet his lips. “Can’t argue with that.”
“I love man love,” Braeden said, sidling up to join us.
“You drunk?” Drew asked as I tucked my tie back into the vest.
“Drunk on love.”
“Rome,” I yelled. “Get your boy.”
Romeo appeared instantly, and Braeden slung his arm around his shoulder. “If I was to ever have man love, it would be with Rome.”
Romeo made a choked sound.
We all laughed.
“Right, Romeo. I’m totally your man type.”
“I don’t have a man type.”
“Rome. You gonna do me like that?”
“I ain’t gonna do you at all.”
B dropped his arm from around his best friends’ shoulders and started away. Sighing, Romeo grabbed the back of his neck, hauling him back. “You’re totally my man type, B.”
Braeden hugged Romeo. “I know.”
“How about we get you some food?” Romeo suggested, taking away his champagne glass and handing it to me.
“I hope they got sprinkles,” Braeden quipped.
“Rome,” I said, stopping him before they could walk off.
He turned, meeting my eyes, knowing the serious note in my voice.
Setting the empty champagne flute on a passing tray, I turned completely toward him.
“Thank you. For everything.”
“You don’t have to thank me. We’re family.”
“Yeah. I know. But that’s especially why I’m thanking you. You didn’t have to be my family. But you are. You’re better than any family I could have been born into. We’ve known each other a long time… since freshman year. You always treated me good, considered me a friend even when I hung back and kept to myself.”
Romeo nodded.
“You even accepted me when I told you I was gay.”
“We love man love!” Braeden exclaimed.
“No more talking.” Romeo hushed him.
Braeden wrapped his arms around Rome from behind, giving him a back hug. Romeo rolled his eyes but reached up and patted B’s hands where they clasped across his chest.
“I’ll always be here for you,” Romeo answered.
I nodded. “I know. I also wanted to apologize.”
He drew back, surprised. “For what?”
“For being rough on you in the hospital. I took out a lot of anger and frustration on you when Drew was in the coma. You never said a word. You just took it and let it slide. You used your celebrity status to smooth over the people I pissed off. You told him that it was you who got the security and hired the nurses so he’d let them stay. I snubbed the charm you used more than once, and I more than once considered punching you in the face.”
Romeo laughed, his blue eyes shining. As he did, a lock of blond hair fell over his forehead and his wide shoulders shook with amusement. “Bro, you don’t have to apologize. It’s all forgotten. You’ve always been there for us too. You take care of Rim when I’m on the road. You make sure she doesn’t lock up the shelter alone at night. You had my back all through college, even when you got shit at the frat for it. When Rim…” He cleared his throat. “When we lost Evie and the press tortured us, you and Drew would distract the press in ways I knew you weren’t comfortable with just so we could breathe.”
“We love you, man,” Braeden blabbered, still hugging Romeo.
I held out my hand, and Romeo shook it.
“Now, if you don’t mind, I have to sober him up before the princess sees the state her husband is in.”
When they were gone, Drew circled around behind me, slipping his arms around my waist.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Braeden made me want to cuddle you.”
I laughed.
“Trent,” called a voice I hadn’t heard in a while, making me smile.
I looked up as Liam Mattison and his wife Bellamy approached.
“Liam,” I said, offering my fist to pound it out. Letting go of me, Drew did the same. “Thank you so much for coming all the way from Colorado for the wedding.”
“Perfect timing,” he said. “The ski resort’s off season is now.”
“Bellamy,” I said, leaning in to hug the blonde at Liam’s side. “You look beautiful as ever.”
“And as pregnant as ever,” she said, cradling the small bump at her middle.
“Dude, give the poor girl a break.” Drew ribbed Liam.
Liam laughed. “Hard to do when my girl looks like she does.”
Bellamy blushed.
“This is number… four, right?” I said, trying to remember how many kids they had now.
I’d only met the first two, Shaw and Noah, when our family went to BearPaw Resort for vacation after we met Liam at a Hall of Fame Event. (Dude is an Olympic medalist for snowboarding!) Bellamy had been pregnant with number three, which had been a little girl named Everly. And now she was pregnant with this one.
Bells nodded. “Yes. Number four. And after this one, I’m done.”
“We’ll see,” Liam murmured.
“Don’t you let him talk you into any more kids,” Alex exclaimed, joining the conversation, his wife, Sabrina, in tow.
Alex was basically Liam’s brother and helped run BearPaw resort. He used to be military… and when I say military, I mean he was a badass.
“You gonna end up with twins like us.”
“Sabrina,” I sai
d, reaching out to hug his wife. “How are Daniel and Donovan?”
“Rotten as ever!” She laughed.
“Bellamy!” Rimmel exclaimed, rushing up to the group from behind.
I stepped aside so she could slip between me and Drew. London, who had a giant gold bow around her head, smiled up at me, and I plucked her out of Rim’s arms.
“Lo,” I said, holding her above my head and making her laugh.
Bellamy, Rimmel, and Sabrina started going on about everything as though they didn’t talk regularly on the phone.
“Dad!” Travis yelled, making both me and Trent turn and reply, “What?”
He appeared out of nowhere, his hair messy and the jacket to his suit long gone. Half of his shirt was untucked, but he was smiling.
Seeing what was coming, I casually stepped behind Drew, offering some extra support for the moment Trav flung himself at him.
“Oomph.” Drew groaned when he caught him, his body slightly rocking back into mine. Once he was steady, I stepped back around him to look at our son.
It wasn’t that Drew wasn’t strong enough to catch Travis. It was just that Drew was still healing from the accident, but he refused to tell Travis he couldn’t launch himself at him.
“What are you doing?” Drew asked.
“Can I have cake?”
Drew glanced at me. “What do you think, Dad? Can this little savage have some cake?”
“Only if I can have some too.”
“Is this Travis?” Liam asked, stepping forward.
Trav tucked his arms around Drew’s neck.
“Yep, this is our son, Travis,” I said. “Trav, this is Liam. He gets medals for riding a snowboard.”
Travis’s eyes widened.
“And he has a really big dog named Charlie,” Rimmel added.
“Cool!”
“We’re going to get cake,” I told everyone, handing London back over to her mother and shaking Liam’s and Alex’s hands. “Thanks for being here. We’re going to have to bring the kids back to the resort when Andi is a little older.”
“Anytime.” Liam agreed.
One the way to get cake, I plucked Trav out of Drew’s arms because I still worried about his ribs and leg.
“Since you’re married, does that mean we’re a family now?” Travis asked.
Drew and I both stopped walking.
“We’ve always been a family,” I told him. “Since the first day I saw you.”
“But now you can adopt me, right?”
We exchanged a look. I hadn’t realized how much Travis understood. How much he heard without actually being told.
“Yeah, buddy,” I said, truthful. “Now we can adopt you. We already signed all the paperwork. We’re just waiting for them to, ah, mail it back.”
It was hard to explain all the legal shit involved in adopting a child to a five-year-old.
“Does that mean I can stay with you forever and ever?”
Drew stepped forward, ruffling the back of Travis’s hair. “Forever and ever, okay? We’ll always, always be here for you.”
“Andi too?”
“Of course!” I scoffed. “Can’t leave out my little peanut.”
“I love you, Dad.”
I choked.
“I love you too, son,” I said without hesitation, even though it was hard to speak. “No matter what, okay? I’ll love you no matter what.”
“Forever and ever,” Drew added.
Travis hugged me, and Drew quickly swiped the tear off my cheek over his little shoulder. Oh my God, a child’s love was so pure. It was the purest thing I’d ever experienced.
“What about me?” Drew asked when Travis pulled back.
He held out his arms, and Drew pulled him close. “I love you too, Dad.”
Damn. This was the best day of my life.
“Cake now?” Travis asked, completely oblivious to the giant gift he’d just handed over.
“You can have the entire thing,” I said.
When we made it to the cake table, I handed him a fork and pointed at it. He started eating.
There was a good-size hole in the side when Ivy came running over.
“Oh my God!” She gasped. “You haven’t even cut that yet!”
“He wanted cake,” Drew told her.
She tossed her hands up in the air. “Then why didn’t you just cut him a piece?”
“He told us he loved us,” I said.
Ivy’s eyes filled instantly with tears. “Eat the whole thing, honey. Whatever you want.”
“Thanks, Aunt Ivy,” he said and shoved more in his face. There was icing all over his shirt and cheeks.
“He’s adorable,” Ivy declared and hugged both me and Drew at the same time.
“Thank you for planning this wedding, sis,” Drew said, pulling back. “It’s seriously better than anything we could have done ourselves.”
“You two deserve it. After all this time, after everything…” She sniffled and waved at her eyes like she was afraid to cry more. “I just love you both so much.”
“We love you too,” I told her.
Jax, Blue, and Asher came running over, all of them in the same savage state Travis was in. “Cake!” they all declared and reached for it with their hands.
Ivy nearly fainted.
“There’s a cupcake table,” she announced, pointing. “Cupcakes!”
The boys went racing off toward it.
“You can stop worrying now.” I assured her. “Even if they did eat the cake before we could cut it, this is still the best day ever.”
Romeo and Braeden joined us, Braeden looking a lot more alert than before. “Hey, no one told me we were having cake,” he announced and put his hand in the hole Travis made.
“Braeden James Walker!” Ivy bellowed.
Well, maybe he wasn’t as sober as he looked.
“It needs sprinkles, blondie.”
Everyone burst out laughing. Even Ivy.
“I give up,” she said. “You’re all a bunch of ill-mannered cavemen.”
“But we love you, baby,” Braeden drawled.
“Kiss me,” she demanded.
Braeden kissed her, and she squealed because he had cake all over his face. And his hands.
The DJ started playing a new song, the same one I used in the movie I’d made for Drew.
“Come on,” I said, grabbing his hand.
When we stepped onto the dance floor, everyone started to clap. And chant, “Kiss, kiss, kiss…”
I kissed him.
“Dancing really isn’t my thing, T,” Drew said when I pulled back, leaving my arms around his waist.
“Just stand really close to me,” I whispered. “That’s all I care about.”
He laughed under his breath and mirrored my position. Sliding my hands up his back a little, I pulled him closer and started swaying. “Foot okay?” I asked.
He grunted.
“I love you,” I whispered.
He echoed, “Love you back.”
I kissed him again.
47
Drew
* * *
I was sitting in Trent’s lap, and my hair was messed up from his hands constantly running through it.
Sweet Lord, I was turning into Rimmel. Thank God I didn’t wear glasses.
I glanced around the full table for an empty chair. There wasn’t one. It was the reason I was sitting in his lap to begin with.
Actually, no, it wasn’t. I was in his lap because I liked it here. But there really weren’t any chairs.
His broad hand slid underneath the back of my leather jacket to rub over my back. “You’re hot.” He frowned. “Take this off,” he murmured, reaching for the jacket.
“No.” I refused. “I want to wear it.”
“Its July. You’re wearing leather.” He scowled.
“But it has your name on it.”
He pursed his lips. He couldn’t argue with that.
“You feeling okay?” he asked, changing t
actics. Still, there was no less concern in his tone.
“I’m fine, frat boy. I promise.”
“It’s been a long couple days.” He worried more. “This has been a lot.”
True, this had been a lot more than we’d been used to as of late, but it was good. It was nice to feel like we were really getting back to normal.
Pressing my forehead to his, I repeated, “I promise I’m okay.”
“We have business to discuss,” Gamble declared, stepping up to the table like he was the head of it.
I guess he kinda was.
“Dad.” Joey groaned. “We’re at a wedding, not a business meeting.”
“You know how hard it is to get all my kids in one place these days?” Gamble announced.
Jagger, Joey and Lorhaven’s youngest, was sitting on Joey’s lap and clapped and laughed at his grandpa’s declaration.
“At least someone in this family appreciates me.” He grumped, giving the boy a grin. Jagger laughed again, his green eyes and wild, curly dark hair making him look like the perfect accomplice.
“Traitor.” Arrow grumped.
Lorhaven gave him the evil eye. “What’d you say to my son?”
“Where’s Sophia?” Gamble asked, looking around for his granddaughter.
“Playing with Nova,” Joey replied. She looked beautiful as ever in a curve-hugging gold glitter dress and her wild mane of hair pulled up into a high ponytail.
Lorhaven was wearing leather too—but he didn’t look as good in it as me—and his arm was draped over the back of her chair, his body swiveled toward his wife and son.
Across the table, Arrow sat so close to Hopper he was practically in his lap, and there were three empty plates in front of him.
“You’ve been driving really well this season,” I told him. “More cautious than usual, though.”
“I’m still at a good ranking,” he said, sliding a glance in Hopper’s direction.
Ahh.
“A damn good ranking.” Hopper agreed.
I nodded. “Proud of you, kid.”
“I’m not a kid,” he muttered but then smiled. “Thanks, Drew.”
“And you,” I said, turning my attention to Lorhaven. “Now that I’m not in front of you, you’re number one.”
He scoffed. “It’s not like I haven’t beat you before.”
#Fate Page 30