by Kaylee, Katy
Our next stop was a taco food truck. I worried it would be too low class for the ladies, but Beth and I often enjoyed underrated cuisine from food trucks.
“Oh my god. Tacos. You’re spoiling me, Morgan. You ladies are going to love these,” Beth said to Sara and Grace. “They’re not as good as Morgan’s, but they’ll do.”
“You cook tacos, too?” Grace asked me as we stepped up to the truck to order.
“I do.”
“She’s the best cook ever.” Beth put her arm around me, giving me a squeeze. “I mean, Kade’s food is good, but it’s so frou-frou. I doubt he’s ever had a taco, and certainly not one from a truck.”
“I doubt any Raven man eats from a truck,” I quipped.
“Ash takes Hannah for dirty water dogs,” Beth said.
“It’s a terrible name,” Sara said. “But they’re so good.”
“Have you ever thought about cooking professionally?” Grace asked me as we took our tacos into the park and sat on a bench.
I shrugged. “I’ve sometimes dreamed of owning my own food cart.”
“Why haven’t you?” Sara asked, placing a napkin over her large belly.
It wasn’t bad enough to feel self-conscious about being around three gorgeous, skinny women, Sara’s pregnancy notwithstanding. But now I had to highlight my poverty.
“It takes money and time. I don’t have much of either.”
“Morgan, thank you for not dragging me to a male strip club. This has been so wonderful,” Beth said, putting her hand on my thigh as she changed the subject, like she knew I didn’t want to reveal my financial situation in front of the richest wives in America.
“What’s the point? None of the guys in a strip club would be hotter than your fiancé,” I said.
“You got that right,” Beth agreed with a suggestive eye waggle.
“I bet the Raven brothers could make another billion in their own all-male revue,” I said.
Beth laughed. “No doubt.”
“I prefer to have private showings,” Grace said.
Sara laughed. “I do like a good striptease.”
“TMI, ladies,” I said good-naturedly. In my mind though, I wondered what Kade would look like doing a striptease.
“Do you think the men are at a strip club?” Grace asked.
“I’m sure they hold you in the same regard as you hold them. They’d prefer a strip show from you,” I assured them.
“Not me,” Sara said. “This belly isn’t sexy.”
“But it’s beautiful.” Grace reached over and rubbed it like Sara was a Buddha.
Sara shrugged. “At least it doesn’t stop him from …you know.”
Both Beth and me gaped. “You still have sex?” Beth asked.
“Oh yes. I hear it can induce labor and I’m so ready.”
“How?” I asked. It seemed to me that the baby would be in the way.
“We find a way,” Sara said with a wink.
“Doggie style,” Beth offered.
“Yes. And there are other ways.”
How many ways, I wanted to ask, but it was bad enough to be big and poor. They didn’t need to know I was a virgin, too.
“What’s next, Morgan?” Beth asked me, and again I was glad for a change in subject.
“More food.”
“Yay,” Sara said. “Binge eating is a pregnant woman’s equivalent to a bar crawl.”
We all stood and I led them toward our next culinary adventure.
As we made it to the street, Beth pulled me aside. “Thank you for all of this, Morgan.”
“Of course. I just hope it's nice enough for you.”
“Oh honey, it is. I’m just so happy to spend the night before I marry the most wonderful man with the most wonderful group of friends.” She gave me a hug. “Now, what’s for dessert?”
“I know a place that sells shots served in shot glasses made from cookie dough, and other baked yum yums.”
“Show me the way,” Beth said, linking her arm in mine as we walked up the sidewalk.
Later that evening, I ordered us an SUV that took us to the townhome Ben was living in.
“He’s not here, is he?” Beth whispered to me as we pulled up.
“He said he’d stay somewhere else,” I assured her. The home had been owned by the McAdams family, but Ben and Beth had to sell it when their dad’s empire started to crash. Fortunately, Ash had bought and given it to Beth, who then gave it an ungrateful Ben. I had no idea where he was, or even if he’d remember to stay away so we could finish our ladies’ night out.
“I know it’s bad to not want him here, but — ”
“No one blames you for not wanting him around. He’s not himself anymore,” I said to Beth.
Once inside, I pulled out more finger foods and nonalcoholic drinks that I’d left there earlier in the day. At the knock at the door, I told the ladies to all gather in the living room.
I opened the door to let in the team of ladies and men. “Welcome to spa night,” I said to my guests. “You can have massages, facials, mani-pedi, the works.”
“Oh, I want a foot massage,” Sara chimed in right away.
“I want the works,” Beth said, her smile so bright it made me feel like I’d made the right decision. It had been hard to go to Ash and tell him I wanted to offer a full-service spa night, but I didn’t have the money to cover an at-home spa visit myself. He was very gracious as he said he’d pay for whatever I wanted to give Beth. I appreciated his generosity, even as I envied that the money he’d spend would be barely a drop in the bucket for him, and probably a year’s income for me.
I pushed away my own insecurities and joined in the fun with the ladies.
“You sure know how to throw a party,” Sara said, sighing as one of the masseuses kneaded her foot.
“We’ll be so relaxed and pretty for tomorrow,” Grace said. “Oh, speaking of which. Here’s my present. It’s for the honeymoon.” Grace handed Beth a box.
Beth opened it and laughed. Inside was a beautiful teddy.
“There’s a slit at the bottom, in case he’s in too much of a hurry to get it off you.”
Beth blushed. “And these?” She pulled out a bunch of condoms.
This time Grace blushed. “Hunter and I have decided we don’t need them.”
“Because you’re on the pill?” Sara asked.
Grace shook her head.
“Oh!” Sara’s eyes watered.
“Do you have anything to report yet?” Beth asked.
“Not yet. Soon, I hope.”
I watched my best friend Beth, looking so happy with her soon-to-be sisters-in-law. I was grateful that they’d accepted me into their group. They were all in a different social class than I was, but when it came to how they treated me, we were all the same. I wiped my own tear away at how lucky I was to have them in my life. I might not ever get my fairy tale, but it was hard to complain with friends like the Raven wives.
7
Kade — Saturday
There was a part of me that was concerned by how eager I was to see Morgan again. She wasn’t the first woman I’d ever been attracted to, but she was the first who seemed to haunt me. That was disconcerting. At the same time, I was feeling alive for the first time in a long while. I hadn’t ever looked forward to anything as much as I was looking forward to seeing her again at the wedding.
At the church, I hung with my brothers as we waited for the women to finish getting ready. I was minutes away from seeing Morgan again, and I was feeling antsy about it.
“What’s up with you?” Hunter said, frowning at me. “You’re acting like a nervous groom.”
“Fuck off,” I snapped.
He jerked back and looked over to Chase and Ash, both of whom stopped what they were doing to stare at me.
“I thought I was the one who should be in a mood since it’s my wedding day,” Ash said.
I took a deep breath, knowing I was completely off my rocker. “Sorry. Just want to make sure the d
ay goes right for you.”
I wasn’t sure they bought it, but thankfully, the wedding planner knocked on the door to let us know it was time to take our places.
Before we headed out, our father showed up. Considering how he’d kept Ash and Beth apart for so many years, he had a lot of balls to be there.
“Your mother would be proud of you,” he said to Ash. “Of all of you boys.”
Ash tensed, and I wondered if he was going to lay into Dad about how he’d nearly ruined his life and kept him from knowing his daughter. Not wanting to have a scene just before the nuptials, I slapped my dad on the back.
“It’s time to get this show on the road, Dad. Why don’t you go take your seat?”
He nodded. “Right.” He looked at each of us for a moment, and then left the room.
“Good job, Kade,” Chase said.
“Thanks, man,” Ash echoed.
“Just doing my best man duties.” Eager to get to Morgan, I said, “Shall we get this party rocking?”
Ash grinned. “Rock and roll.”
“See ya at the altar,” I said. Chase, Hunter and I headed out toward the foyer of the church, where Beth’s attendants would be waiting.
The minute I saw Morgan, my heart stopped. Good Christ she was beautiful. Her dress was a deep teal green that made her skin look like porcelain. All the women had the same color of dress, but in a different style. Morgan’s was by far the most stunning. The halter of the dress accentuated her full breasts. The dress tapered in at the waist and hugged her hips, highlighting her magnificent curves. My mouth watered as I longed to peel the dress off and feast on her.
“Ready?” I managed to ask when I reached her.
She smiled. “Yes.”
I took her arm in mine, feeling a jolt of electricity fire through me as her sweet lavender vanilla scent threatened to intoxicate me.
“You’re beautiful,” I whispered to her as we moved behind my brothers and their wives.
A pretty pink hue rose on her cheeks. “Thank you. You look handsome, as usual.”
I grinned, loving that she thought I looked good. I laughed inwardly at myself and this crazy crush I was having on her.
Pachelbel's Canon played, giving us our cue to make our way up the aisle. The church was crowded with people, most of whom probably just wanted to be seen at the Raven-McAdams wedding. The merging of the two families, both in business and in marriage, was seen as a big deal.
When we reached the altar, I didn’t want to let her go, but I couldn’t very well have her stand with me on the groom’s side.
“Daddy, I got the rings,” Hannah said holding up the pillow to show Ash. It was so fucking adorable it had the congregation doing a collective “aww.”
Ash smiled, like the proudest man in the world. “You’re doing such a great job, cutie pie.”
Hannah grinned. The music changed to the wedding march, and Beth appeared on the arm of her brother Ben in the entrance of the sanctuary. Thank fuck he showed up, I thought.
Ash gasped, and I couldn’t blame him. Beth was a vision. I glanced at him, and all the love I’d just seen for his daughter shone in eyes for Beth, too. Her gaze zeroed on his, and it was like magic the way their love infused the room. Ash was a lucky son-of-a-bitch to have a woman love him like that. So were Chase and Hunter. I’d never tell them that, of course. It would be admitting that maybe love wasn’t such a sappy thing after all.
I glanced over at Morgan. She was smiling as if she saw the magic too. Her gaze shifted to me. At first, she appeared to be surprised that I was watching her. Then she had that adorable blush again as she turned her eyes away. I wondered if her cheeks flushed like that during sex too. If I was lucky, I’d find out later tonight.
The ceremony was lovely, made extra special with Hannah there. It wasn’t just Beth and Ash getting married; it was the three of them becoming a family. Finally, Ash was able to kiss his bride and we were able to make our way back up the aisle. I hoped I wasn’t too obvious as I latched myself back to Morgan.
“That was so beautiful,” she said.
“It was a long time in the making.”
“Do you believe in love?” she asked.
I turned to look at her. I didn’t use to, but my brothers were making it hard to deny. The question was, did I believe in love for me? The jury was still out on that. “Sure.”
“For some people anyway,” she said.
I frowned. “Not for you?” Any man would be a fool not to love her.
“I don’t know. How about you?”
I sighed. “I don’t know.”
When we made it to the foyer, the wedding planner herded us to have professional pictures taken. When it came to just the men, Ben started to balk at being in a photo with Ash.
“Careful, Ben. I won’t let you fuck this day up for Beth,” Ash warned him.
“You already fucked — ”
“Hey!” I got in front of Ben. “Have some respect for your sister. Jesus, your niece is right there.”
Ben seemed to catch himself and walked off.
“Let him go,” Ash said, with a menacing glare toward Ben.
Eventually, we all got into limos to head to the reception. Ash and Beth got their own and I could only imagine they would be starting their honeymoon early in the back of it. I’d have done the same with Morgan, except that we weren’t alone in our limo. My brothers and their wives were with us.
When we got to the hotel ballroom, we had to stand in a line to greet everyone. Wedding traditions were strange, I thought, but it was Ash and Beth’s day, so I stood in line and welcomed everyone.
I wanted to have alone time with Morgan, but as the last of the guests arrived, I noticed Ben pulling a flask from his pocket and taking a swig. From the way he swayed, it wasn’t his first sip.
“Fuck,” I said under my breath. “Excuse me,” I said louder as I exited the greeting line.
I tapped Chase and Hunter on the shoulder and nodded toward Ben. They excused themselves from the line as well.
“Why don’t you distract him, Chase, and I’ll divest him of his flask,” Hunter said.
“You some sort of marine ninja pickpocket?” Chase asked.
“Marine ninja is an oxymoron.” I grinned at Hunter.
“I’ll show you a moron,” Hunter laughed.
Chase and Hunter headed off to deal with Ben, while I headed to the bar and the head of the catering staff to let them know not to serve Ben any booze.
I looked out over the ballroom, and it seemed like all was well. Beth and Ash were staring at each other like no one else was there, while everyone else chatted. The band played in the background and a few people started dancing.
I heard a commotion across the room, and saw Ben stagger a bit as he confronted a waiter who had taken the champagne away from him. Ben then started to make his way toward the microphone near the band.
“Ah, hell no,” I said. I hurried toward him, and it appeared that Alex had the same idea as she reached him before I did.
“Hey Ben, now isn’t the time for speeches,” Alex said as she looped her arm through his and spun him away from the mic.
“I’ve got a few things to say.” Ben’s words were slurred and I realized he was drunker than I’d initially thought.
“I’m sure you do, but it’s not time for that.”
“You’re not the boss of me.” Ben unsuccessfully tried to untangle his arm from Alex, but she had a good grip on him. I’d have to mention to Dad that she deserved a raise for dealing with this.
I waved a hand toward Chase to signal him about what was going on. He nodded, and leaned toward Hunter to say something to him.
“We can take care of this, Alex,” I told her.
“I can handle it, Kade. Go celebrate your brother’s wedding.”
With a firm grip on Ben, she tugged him out of the ball room.
“What’s Alex doing?” Hunter asked.
“She says she can handle it.”
&nbs
p; “I’ll notify security to keep an eye on them,” Hunter said pulling out his phone.
With Ben taken care of, it was time to do as Alex said, celebrate my brother’s wedding. First on my agenda, find Morgan and make sure no other man here got access to her. I searched the room, my gaze going to her as she chatted with other guests of the party. I strode with singular purpose toward her. The woman was mine tonight.
8
Morgan — Saturday
The wedding was so beautiful, and I couldn’t have been happier for Ash and Beth, and, of course, Hannah. The ceremony was made even more memorable by the attention Kade was giving me. I wanted to believe it was true interest, but I suspected he was just treating me as his plus one, since I was the maid of honor and he was the best man. The only problem was that each time he touched me, whether it was his hand on my lower back when he escorted me to the table for our meal, or brushing my left hand with his right as we sat next to each other, sizzles of electricity went through me. I was a bundle of buzzing nerves, wanting to put my hands all over him.
Once the first dance between Ash and Beth was done, Ben was missing to take the place of the father-daughter dance. Cam Raven stepped up. “I’d be honored and humbled if you allowed me,” he’d said both to Beth and Ash. She looked at Ash, who gritted his teeth but nodded. I wondered how long it would take him to forgive his father for keeping them apart.
As I watched Beth dance with him, I could see she was talking to him, and based on a few flinches from him, I suspected she was giving him an earful about how he would have to stay out of their relationship from now on.
They were barely finished, when Kade’s arm was on my back leading me to the dance floor.
“Let’s dance,” he said, his voice husky. Even his voice made my body tingle. How did he do that?
“I’m not a good dancer,” I said, feeling self-conscious.
“Just let me lead. I know what to do,” he whispered in my ear as he pulled me close. The dirty part of me heard it as innuendo, and of course, I’d have been more than happy to let him lead in the bedroom. Dream on, Morgan.
As the dance went from one song to another, it felt like he’d pulled me closer each time. I liked how my body felt pressed against his. The way his cologne filled my senses until I was as drunk on it as the champagne.