by Kaylee, Katy
David clapped Ted on the shoulder and Ted reluctantly pulled away from me, his arms still around me. David rolled his eyes fondly. “Save some of it for the wedding night.”
“Very funny.”
“I’m hilarious.”
I kissed Ted on the cheek. “Let’s break open the champagne,” I told him. “He’s right, you know.”
“Doesn’t mean I want to stop,” Ted growled, but he gave me a wink and let me lead him over to where we’d laid out dinner on the porch.
The officiant, a close friend of David’s mother, took some food to go before she headed back into town, leaving just the four of us and Annie for dinner.
We did, in fact, open up the champagne, and then David got up and raised his glass in a toast.
“When I met Ted, we shared a deep bond - we had both had our hearts broken. But as much as he’d tell me that he wasn’t ever going to find someone to spend his life with, I knew Ted was too damn great of a guy to remain single forever. I just never expected that the woman he’d finally land would be the same one who’d broken his heart.
“I gotta admit, when I heard about Roni, I was nervous. I didn’t say that to Ted, of course. I thought that one way or another he had to put Roni to rest, and the only way to do that was to try things with her. If they failed, then he could finally move on, but if they worked out… Well.” David grinned at us. “You see how that turned out. I’ve never been so glad to be proven wrong about someone. Veronica, you’re Ted’s heart and soul, and he’s yours, and it’s delightful. Kind of disgusting how cute you two get sometimes. I’ve no doubt you two are going to be happy, and I can’t tell you what a relief it is to know that my best friend, a brother to me, is going to get the person and the life he deserves. Here’s to you both.”
We all clinked our glasses together, and then David nudged Layla, who blushed. “I can’t,” I heard her whisper.
“Yeah, you can, it was really great. They’ll love it.” David took her by the elbow and gently raised her up. In a louder voice, he said, “Layla’s got a few lovely words for you two.”
Layla’s face was as red as the sunset behind us. “I… I just wanted to say that Veronica might not believe it, but she’s one of the bravest people I know. We tend to think about bravery as saving someone from a fire, but it takes a lot of courage to do little things, too. Sometimes I think it takes even more courage. You save someone from a fire you’re not… you’re not thinking you’re just… just doing, you know? I mean, who wouldn’t save a person’s life?”
“But, um, it takes a lot to step out from the kind of society - the kind of life - that you’ve always known. To say goodbye to your family and friends and even if you know you’re doing what’s right for you and you’re leaving somewhere toxic… it’s hard. And you’ve given me the courage to do that for myself, Veronica, so thank you. You deserve happiness, and I’ve never seen you be happier than with Ted. And thank you, Ted, for making her happy.” Layla smiled at us and we all clinked glasses again.
I felt full with happiness. I was glad that I had such good friends, that Ted had such good friends, who supported us. Who understood us.
After dinner, Layla and David took Annie with them back to their hotel nearby. I was a bit anxious - this would be the first night that Annie wasn’t with us. But we had talked about it and we had decided that for our wedding night, we wanted one night to ourselves, without interruptions, a chance to be those honeymooning newlyweds without a care in the world.
We saw Layla, David, and our darling baby girl off, and then Ted scooped me up, making me shriek with laughter and surprise. “What are you doing?”
“Carrying my bride over the threshold,” Ted replied, suiting the action to the word. “What does it look like I’m doing?”
I laughed, holding onto him as we entered our house. Already the walls had pictures on them from Annie’s birth, our weekend adventures, and days out together. Ted kissed me, then bumped our noses together. “You okay?”
I nodded. “I will be, I’m just… it’s our first time away from her.”
“She’ll be fine.” He kissed my nose. “But I’m not surprised that you’re worrying. It’s natural.”
“Because I’m a worrywart?”
“Because you’re a fantastic mother,” Ted replied. “Just as I knew you would.”
“Flatterer.”
“I speak nothing but the truth.” He kissed me again. “Now, I think you mentioned something the other day about wanting a sibling for our daughter…”
“Oh, my, do you think we should get started on that?” I fluttered my eyelashes and Ted laughed, then kissed me a third time - this time passionately, and with no intention of stopping.
I kissed back, letting him carry me upstairs. Somehow, despite everything, I had managed it - all of the dreams that I hadn’t even dared to have had finally come true.
*** The End***
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Best Friend’s Li’l Sis
Just Another Chance
Misunderstood
Misbehaved
Just Faking It
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Excerpt (Best Friend’s Li’l Sis)
Description
Amber
How would I describe myself?
Single mom.
Strong as steel.
Stupid – because I listen to my heart and not my head.
Logan
This job interview was supposed to get Amber in front of me so I could apologize for hurting her. So I could figure out how to get a second chance to make her mine.
I don’t care if she’s had kids since us – I’ve always wanted to be a dad.
She’s my best friend’s li’l sis – we’ll figure that out.
I’ve got money – but I can’t buy her.
I was her first – she was mine.
I want her to be my last.
Wait…is that even possible?
Logan
Logan ran his hand through his medium length brown hair, staring down at the fourth shot he had taken that night. It was good being home from the dorms, at least as home as he was ever going to get, what with him living with the Stark family since he was in high school. He looked up as Jordan, his best friend, walked up and sat down on the stool next to him, shaking his head.
Logan leaned back, looking over at the gaggle of girls Jordan had just been talking to. “No dice?”
Jordan took his shot and put up two fingers, signaling the bartender for another round. His dark hair and blue eyes made him a magnet to girls, but his laissez faire attitude put up red flags for most of them. “They are all celebrating graduating from college. They have that ‘we can tackle the world’ kind of attitude right now. I’m sure they’ll come off of it eventually. I didn’t really want to spend my night listening to a girl talk about her future aspirations, anyway.”
Logan lifted an eyebrow. “You sure are a lady’s man.”
Jordan snorted. “My wallet is a lady’s man. I just have nice hair and good eyes, or so I’ve been told.”
Logan took a sip of his drink, chuckling. “Your mom tell you that?”
Jordan nudged him. “Very funny. I like how you are a junior in college, yet you have the mindset of a high school kid.”
Logan tilted his head back and forth with a smile. “You know me, gotta stay young at heart.”
Jordan took his other shot. “You know how you keep yourself young? You fucking get laid every once in a while. Seriously, girls fall all over themselves for you, and you brush it off like it’s nothing. I’ve n
ever seen you take a girl home.”
Logan shrugged. “That’s because I’ve never taken a girl home. I mean, I don’t know why you would have thought that would have changed at this point. It’s not like I’ve never had a blow job or messed around, just not the full length of the field yet. By choice, obviously.”
Jordan shook his head as if he were disappointed. “Hey, it’s your life, bro. You’re the one missing out.”
“Oh yeah, between your stories of clingy ass chicks and the hell you go through to get away from them, I really feel I’m losing out,” Logan replied.
Jordan slapped him on the back. “All worth it in the moment. So, how did last semester go? You come up with any genius ideas for your company?”
Logan rolled his eyes. “I know I want a tech company, hands down. It’s so hard to get into that shit, though. There is an internship across the country I have my eye on. I don’t want to leave L.A., but if it gets me rolling, I’ll do it. I don’t want to be a slave to the man for the rest of my days. How about you?”
Jordan scoffed. “You know that college shit was for show. I’ve got the production company to inherit in a few years. Until then, I’ll try to get through the bullshit with my father, and just enjoy myself. I plan on doing a little work this summer, since they’re producing a Helena Alvarez flick, and she is smoking hot.”
Logan lifted an eyebrow. “Yeah, because you have a chance at that.”
Jordan laughed. “Hey, man, you never know unless you try. Besides, Dad wants me to get the ropes down early. You know there’s a place there for you, in a heartbeat. Dad thinks of you like a son.”
Logan nodded. “I know. I just really don’t want to do the whole movie thing; it’s not me. I’ve got real ideas and plans, and I want to see those through.”
Jordan looked over his shoulder. “That’s great, man, but uh, right now I am about to see Alexa through. She just came in with a cute friend. Why don’t you come over with me? They are sure things.”
Logan glanced over at the girls. “Nah, thanks though. I’m seeing double. I think I’m actually gonna grab a cab and head home. It’s almost two, anyway.”
Jordan sighed. “Alright man, your loss. I’ve got the tab, just don’t be too loud when you go in. Don’t want to wake up Amber. She just got done with all the graduation celebrations and I’m sure she crashed already.”
Logan finished his drink and patted his friend on the shoulder. “You got it, buddy. Don’t knock anyone up and don’t piss anyone off too bad.”
Jordan smirked. “I’ll do my best on the pissing people off thing, and there will be no babies for this guy. Got the ultra-heavy duty made of reinforced steel condoms.”
Logan grimaced. “That sounds absolutely miserable, but hey, whatever floats your boat, right?”
Jordan laughed as he walked off toward the girls, putting his arms up and draping them over the two of them. Logan just shook his head with a grin and pulled out his phone. He dialed up the app for Uber and ordered a car, taking a seat on one of the benches outside of the bar in the meantime. He was a bit more plastered than he had thought he was. He gripped the handle of the arm rest and attempted to make himself look sober as people passed by on the street. The bars were closing soon, so there would be an onslaught of drunk people trying to get a cab. It would probably take a hot moment.
Logan stared over at a group of people leaving the bar across the street. There were two very hot girls with their very handsome significant others. He had planned to be one of those guys; had watched all the videos and how to’s, attracted them right and left, but for some reason never fully followed through with it. After his parents deaths, he had buckled down, trying to make a future for himself because though the Stark family had taken him in and treated him like one of their own, he knew eventually it would just be him. He had to create stability for himself. Right then, however, he just wanted his Uber to show up so he could try to put some food in his stomach.
“Are you Logan?” he heard a voice call out.
He opened one eye and saw the Uber driver with the back-passenger door open. Logan nodded and groaned as he got up, trying to walk in a straight line to the car. The driver just chuckled. He was a thin, middle-aged man with a bowler hat. Logan was pretty sure that in any other situation, he would have shied away from a driver like that, but weird was the name of the night, so he went with it.
As the driver climbed in and put the address in his GPS he chuckled again, looking in the rearview mirror. “Going home alone on a beautiful night like this?”
Logan scoffed drunkenly. “My best friend will make up for it, trust me. Besides, I’m way too drunk to not make a fool of myself.”
The driver headed down the block and up to the gates of the house, letting him off there. He leaned in and gave him a cash tip. The driver held it up and smiled. “Sometimes all it takes is being a bit of fool. You remember that, in the future.”
Logan put the security key in and stumbled across the courtyard to the front door. He held the doorknob tightly, straightening himself up, even though he figured at three in the morning everyone would be in bed. He crept into the house and across the marble entrée way floor, deciding food was the best option. As he rounded the corner, he ran straight into Amber, Logan’s little sister. Well, not so little anymore. She slammed into his chest and backed up, looking at him strangely.
Logan put out his hands and touched her shoulders. “Oh man, I’m sorry Amber. Shit. I was just… food I think.”
Amber giggled rubbing her forehead, her bright blue eyes shimmering even in the dark of the hallway. “Are you… are you drunk?”
Logan held his fingers up. “Just a tad. I thought everyone would be asleep.”
His knees shook and he stumbled to the side, catching himself on the wall. Amber put both eyebrows up and one hand on his side to steady him. “I was up studying for my placement exams at Yale. Why don’t you come into the kitchen and sit down? You could probably use some food and water.”
Logan got his footing, feeling the warm tingle of her hand on his side. He pushed the feeling to the background and rubbed his face. “But you just graduated, like, yesterday from high school. You don’t take those exams for weeks.”
Amber shrugged, turning him toward the kitchen. “I know, but I want to be ready. I don’t want to end up in some remedial math class with a bunch of idiots.”
Logan walked with her. “Do they even have those at Yale?”
Amber pursed her lips. “They have those everywhere.”
She flipped the light on in the large kitchen and motioned to one of the chairs at the breakfast bar. Logan watched as she walked over to the fridge, noticing the tiny shorts and slinky tank top she was wearing. The sight of her standing there barefoot, with her long, dark hair cascading down her back sent a shiver to all the right places. He diverted his eyes as she turned around, carrying a loaf of bread, some mustard, cheese, and lunch meat.
Logan tried to think of what to say, but his mind was foggy from the whiskey. “So, tell me again what you want to study there?” he said, struggling.
Amber tilted her head back and forth as she started making him a sandwich. “History is my first choice, but dad thinks I need to go for something like business. I don’t know, they said I can choose after my first year, so I can get in the swing of things and do some research for the future. All my attention up to this point was just getting into Yale.”
She finished up his sandwich and put it in front of him, filling a glass with water. He touched his finger to the bread, lots of different thoughts running through his mind, but mostly how he could see the curve of her perfect breasts through her tank top. He picked up the sandwich and took a bite, glad that he was getting something into his stomach.
He looked up at her and saw her watching him eat. Her cheeks turned red. “Anyway, that should help soak up some of the alcohol. Let me guess, my brother is going home with yet another girl.”
Logan grinned. “You know him o
h so well.”
Amber shook her head and started putting things back into the fridge. “Unfortunately, I do, and all of his nasty habits. I can only imagine what will happen when he falls in love with one of them one day. Poor girl.”
They both laughed, knowing how much Amber adored her brother, but how much of a hot mess Jordan was most of the time. Logan eyed Amber again, this time feeling the strength of the liquid courage coursing through him. He stood up, a bit wobbly, and walked over behind Amber, sliding his hands around her waist from behind and leaning down, whispering into her ear. “I figured it would be a good time to tell you how fucking sexy I think you are. I’ve always thought it, and my dreams about you at night are too hot to handle sometimes. I can’t hold it back any longer.”
Amber turned around and faced him, looking into his big green eyes. She put her hand on his chest and gently pushed him back with a smile. “Go eat your sandwich; you are drunk and confused. Trust me, we will laugh about this in the morning.”
Logan sat back down sheepishly, knowing there wouldn’t be any laughter on his side.
Amber
Taylor took a sip of her iced tea and pulled her hair up into a knot on the back of her head. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes sparkling as she recanted the tale of a romantic night with her boyfriend, Casey, the week before. Amber was leaning forward on one hand, smiling at her best friend, so glad she was happy.
“It was nuts, seriously girl. It was way more than I expected from him,” Taylor gushed.
Amber grinned. “He doesn’t come off like the romantic type that’s for sure, but he is probably different behind the scenes.”