by Tess Oliver
Nix put his hand on my shoulder. "I think you should go for it. Taylor has only had eyes for you . . . ever. For some damn reason, she picked you, my friend. You've told me more than once that if something is worth the risk, you've got to take it. She's worth it."
I nodded. "You're right. What's the worst that could happen?"
"She could say no and humiliate you in front of your best friends," Dray answered my rhetorical question with enthusiasm and then tossed a dart. I hurled the can at him. It bounced off the back of his head. He barely flinched.
"I'm going to tell Taylor to forget about Cassie's corset."
The word corset snapped Nix's face back toward me. "Corset? What corset?"
Dray laughed. "We forgot to let Nix in on the secret."
"I've got to go finish this tattoo," Nix said as he walked toward the door. "Then I want details."
Four
Taylor
Scotlyn looked breathtaking in a teal blue sleeveless gown with a slit that exposed one leg. It was obvious she'd been working all day to get the house ready. Gold and pink candles, arranged with white roses around the base, were set up all over the living room and dining room. She'd even strung roses around the pendant lights hanging over the table.
I hugged her. "The place looks beautiful, Scottie. Thank you so much. And I heard you worked a twelve hour shift at the hospital yesterday." Scotlyn's early life had been scarred by tragedy. She'd been the sole survivor in a car accident that killed her entire family. It had left her so traumatized, she'd lost her ability to speak. Her love for Nix had helped her find her voice again. The nurses who cared for Scotlyn in her dark days after the accident had left such an impression on her, she’d decided to become one. It was a hard job and full of stress, but she loved her work at the hospital.
Scotlyn pushed a long blonde curl back to its place under the rhinestone headband. "It was one of those seemingly endless days when the patients just kept rolling through the door." She looked around with a smile. "The house does look pretty spectacular. I confess, I didn't do it on my own. Cassie came by earlier this afternoon to help."
"I'm so lucky to have such great friends." I took a deep whiff of the aromas floating around the room. "The prime rib smells delicious. You made an extra one just for Clutch, right?"
"I made sure to get an extra large cut of beef." Scotlyn glanced at the clock on the wall. “I thought Nix and Clutch would be back by now. How long does it take to get a twelve pack of beer?" She rolled her eyes. "Don't know what I was thinking when I thought they'd be satisfied with wine." She took my hand. "Let me show you the cake. You look stunning by the way."
I'd gone for the classic little black dress only the fabric had little flecks of silver running through it. "Took me forever to decide what to sew last night."
Scotlyn stopped and looked at me. "Oh my gosh, did you just sew this last night? You are so talented."
I glanced down at the dress. "I am pretty pleased with the way it turned out. Although you can't go wrong with a little black dress."
I followed Scotlyn to the kitchen island. She opened the pink bakery box.
"Chocolate on chocolate, my favorite."
"Clutch told me what to get." She smiled. "He looked so damn cute and so completely awkward in that suit and tie."
"I know. It's so hard to find anything to fit him. Extra large Viking just isn't a popular size."
Scotlyn's attention was drawn to the front yard. Headlights flashed through the kitchen window. "That's Dray and Cassie. I wish Rett and Finley had been able to make it. Oh, Finley did say that she got her dad's chalet in Tahoe next month. Hopefully there will be snow."
"Awesome. That should be a blast. I'll have to drag my snowboard out of my parents’ garage. I've been so busy with work, I haven't had much time for fun. I'm looking forward to getting away from the shop for a few days. I know Clutch is too."
We headed into the living room to meet Cassie and Dray. "Have you heard from Bridal World yet? Are they buying your designs?" Scotlyn asked.
I pressed my fingers against my lips to keep from saying anything.
Scotlyn knew exactly what I was doing. "Right, don't jinx the deal by talking about it. I won't ask again."
Dray and Cassie walked in carrying casserole dishes. "These need to be reheated," Cassie said as she directed Dray to follow her to the kitchen. Cassie had opted for pale pink, a color I'd never seen her wear before, but it looked great on her.
Scotlyn and I followed them to the kitchen to help. "Dray, you look dapper in that suit." Scotlyn leaned closer and squinted at the healing gash over his eye. "Thought the doctor told you to take a vacation from the fight ring."
Cassie piped up before Dray could defend himself. "He's an idiot. And he thinks he's immortal. I told him I'm not going to spoon feed him cream of wheat and lime Jell-o when he's turned into a vegetable."
"It was just one night. I'm out of the ring now until the doctor gives me the O.K.." Dray turned to Cassie. "And, just so we're clear, I prefer strawberry Jell-o."
The front door opened again, and Clutch's deep voice rumbled through the house. On our drive to Nix and Scotlyn's, he had seemed completely preoccupied, almost muddled. We couldn't seem to hold a cohesive conversation. So I gave up trying to have one and turned up the music. I'd brushed it off as the shirt collar and tie cutting off some of the blood flow to his brain.
Clutch stepped into the kitchen, and suddenly, the entire space seemed to shrink. The twelve pack of beer looked comically small in his big hand. I knew wearing a suit wasn't going to be his thing, but he sure looked dreamy. I had to nudge myself to take a breath as his blue gaze landed on me.
"Hey, birthday girl," he spoke directly to me, but everyone else turned to look at him too. Clutch shot a scowl at Nix and Dray, as if telling them to be cool. I had no idea what was up, but it seemed he had some kind of birthday surprise for me. I tamped down my excitement, knowing that his surprises were generally just sweet gestures of affection or the occasional pair of earrings. Clutch and his brothers had grown up with two hard-working parents who were big on discipline but short on love and emotion. And, while our relationship was brimming with passion, and I knew Clutch loved me, possibly even as much as I loved and adored him, he always had a hard time showing it. It had taken some time and energy and probably way too many missteps on my part, but the hard layer his parents had created was slowly peeling away. I wasn't expecting him to cry at the end of a sad movie yet, but he was getting much better at showing his feelings. Like now, as he stared at me across the kitchen island, wearing a look on his face that I couldn't quite read and that I'd never seen before.
I blew him a kiss to break his apparent trance. His mouth turned up in a faint smile.
Scotlyn pushed a bottle of champagne into an ice bucket. She'd thought of everything, even a toast to me for finally reaching an age where I could join my boyfriend and best friends for drinks at a bar. I was well into my career as a fashion designer, but now I could finally feel like an adult.
Scotlyn picked up some fluted glasses and Cassie helped. "Nix, could you carry the champagne out to the patio? I thought we'd share a few toasts with the birthday girl and celebrate whatever else might come up." She winked at Nix. That's when I noticed a lot of stolen glances being shot around the kitchen.
All I could think was that I was getting a surprise of some kind. A puppy or kitten would be nice. I'd already figured out where I could place a dog pillow or cat tree in my office. I'd been hinting about it to Clutch for weeks.
Clutch offered me his arm to lead me out to the patio.
"You know how you've been asking me to wear those high heels when we—you know," I lowered my voice so only he could hear me. "For my birthday, I'm going to make you wear the top half of that suit in bed tonight. Necktie and all. And when it gets too tight, you can find another use for it." I winked up at him. Normally, a sexy suggestion about a necktie would have gotten a reaction, but my giant lover was out of sorts toni
ght. "Hey are you all right? You seem a little off tonight."
"I'm fine." He stopped and turned to kiss me just as the Ramones ringtone on my phone went off.
I hopped up to give him a quick kiss. "I've got to answer that. Mandy is working late, and she's probably having a problem with the security system." Clutch looked thoroughly deflated that I was leaving. "Go on out to the patio. I'll be right there. This won't take long."
Clutch joined the others on the patio, which, like the house, had been lit up with string lights and candles. I picked up my purse off the entryway table and fished out my phone. "Hey, Mandy."
She squealed into the phone so loudly I had to pull it from my ear. "They called, Taylor. Bridal World called and they want the collection."
I was stunned into silence, trying to decide if the call was real.
"Taylor? Did you hear me? You got the contract. They want the whole damn collection. You need to call them next week to set up a meeting at their corporate office in Pasadena."
I had to brace my free hand on the entryway table to keep from falling over with shock. "Oh my god, Mandy, I'm having a hard time absorbing this. You're sure they said yes?"
She blew a puff of frustrated air into the phone. "I think I can tell the difference between yes and no, boss. It was a resounding, enthusiastic yes."
I hadn't realized I was shaking until I reached up to tuck my hair behind my ear. My friends were outside on the patio talking quietly about something. I could see the big, blond head standing up above all of them. "Mandy, I've got to go tell Clutch before I jump out of my skin with excitement."
"Of course. Happy birthday, Taylor, and congratulations."
"Couldn't have done it without you. I'll call you later, Mandy. Bye."
I hung up and jammed my phone back into my purse. I considered taking a few deep breaths to calm myself but realized that was going to take too much self-control. I ran through the living room and slid open the patio door.
"I got it! I got the contract. They want my designs!" I ran straight to Clutch and jumped into his arms for a kiss.
"Wow, Taylor. That's huge." Cassie was the first to discern my words from my screams.
I dropped back to my feet and peered up at Clutch. A look of confusion turned to mildly pleased, but it seemed there was a touch of sadness in his face.
I kissed him again. "This means I can expand my business." I held up my hand. "Look, I'm shaking."
Clutch wrapped his long, thick fingers around mine and kissed my knuckles. "I'm so proud of you, baby." I knew he was speaking from the heart, but it seemed he had to work hard to produce a bigger smile.
I reached up and brushed my hand along his jaw. "You look as shocked as I feel." I spun around for hugs from everyone else. I couldn't stop trembling with excitement.
"This is so huge," Scotlyn gushed. "But I'm not surprised. Guess you'll be a busy woman now."
"The scope of it hasn't hit me completely yet." I hopped up and down, knowing damn well I was acting like a little kid. But I didn't give a darn. And I knew Clutch and the others well enough that they didn't care either.
I waved my hand around at the decorations on the patio. "I'm spending my twenty-first birthday with my best friends." I grabbed Clutch's hand. "And the man who I have been crushing on since I was old enough to love boys. And now this. I can't think of one other thing that could make this birthday more perfect."
Nix and the others glanced toward Clutch. An unexpected hush fell over the patio.
I looked up at Clutch. "What's wrong?"
Clutch pulled me into his arms. "Nothing at all. Congratulations and happy birthday, sweetie. I love you." He squeezed me in his massive arms. I breathed in the scent of his aftershave. Just being close to him helped relieve some of the earlier shakiness. It always felt right being next to him. I wondered how I would ever survive without his embrace.
Clutch lowered his arms. "Hey, Scottie, let's pop open that champagne. We've got something huge to celebrate."
Five
Clutch
I finished up the paperwork on my desk and wondered when I'd switched from having fun tinkering with old cars and hunting for vintage parts and become that boring guy behind the desk. Unfortunately, paperwork came with any business. At least there was still some time to mess around with the cars in between office hours. And, I still had my amateur racing career, even though sometimes it seemed my favorite pastime was slipping away from the present. Maybe it was a good thing I hadn't asked Taylor to marry me. I wouldn't have anyone telling me not to race. I could keep all of the fucking freedom that came with bachelorhood. And even as I finished my little pep talk, the cold knot in the pit of my stomach hardened again. It had formed the night of Taylor's birthday party when her excitement about the deal with the bridal store made her shake with enthusiasm. It had been my cue to postpone the proposal. She'd said it herself, there wasn't anything that could have topped the business deal that night.
My biggest problem had been getting through the rest of the night avoiding judgmental looks from everyone else. I'd decided right then that if I ever worked up the courage to ask her again, I wouldn't tell a fucking soul. It would be just between me and the ring. And Taylor, hopefully.
Her business was taking off so fast, I was starting to feel that I would just be a giant obstacle. This new contract would expand her business, which in her line of work, meant a lot of travel. I didn't want to be the one to tie her down. I wanted more than anything for Taylor to be happy. Although that wasn't entirely true. More than anything, I wanted Taylor with me, forever. But the timing wasn't right. I needed to give her space to grow into her adult life. I only hoped there would be room for me afterward.
I closed up the shop and headed out to my car. I pulled out my phone and texted Taylor. "I'm in the mood for spaghetti and meatballs. Luigi's?"
"Sure. I'm just cleaning up. Meet you at my place."
"Perfect." We had decided to keep our own places, mostly to appease Taylor's parents. Her mom and dad, and even her older brother Jason, who was a close friend of mine, had not been too thrilled with our relationship. In fact, horrified would have been a better way to describe their feelings about us. I was from the poorer side of town, and I was in my mid twenties before Taylor had even reached eighteen. Slowly, her parents and her brother had come to terms with the notion that Taylor and I were together and there wasn't a damn thing they could do about it. They'd even opened their minds to the possibility that I wasn't as horrible as they thought.
I headed out to my '64 Nova, a car that had won me my last three races. My phone rang as I climbed into the driver's seat. I considered not answering Rett's call. I hadn't spoken to him since I'd told him that I was popping the question. Rett helped his girlfriend, Finley, run an animal rescue farm about an hour out of the city. They were generally so busy with the farm, they had little time to talk to friends and family. Never in a million years would I have predicted my hard-to-handle brother would end up working with rescued animals or, for that matter, have a steady girlfriend. Rett had been the town heartthrob, a title he'd taken over after Nix, the original town heartbreaker, had moved on to adult life. But Rett's girlfriend, Finley, wasn't just any girl. She was the daughter of the famous rock star Nicky King, and she was nothing short of amazing.
The phone was just about to go to voicemail when I decided to get the ribbing over with.
"Hey, I heard you chickened out." They were the first words out of Rett's mouth and I'd expected them.
"You're only brave enough to say that because you are a hundred miles away on the telephone instead of standing in front of me."
"Hell yeah. You think I'm stupid or something?"
"I won't answer that. And I didn't chicken out. The timing was bad. Taylor landed a big contract for some of her designs. After that, a wedding proposal would’ve been like the last fizzle from a bottle of champagne. I decided to postpone. But I've got the ring. Just need to find the right time."
"Yeah
, I guess I don't blame you. It would have been sort of anti-climactic. Hey, speaking of climax, I heard Taylor was designing some hot little corsets—"
"Smooth transition, Rett. You have to ask Taylor about it. Something tells me those honeymoon corsets are going to be even more popular than her bridal gowns."
"I'm going to tell Finley to call her. Not that we need anything to fire things up."
"Don't need to hear details. Save it for Dray. Anyhow, I'm on my way to see Taylor right now. I'll talk to you later. Say hi to Finley."
I dropped my phone on the seat. It was the last time I would ever tell people before proposing, that was for damn sure. Hell, I might even keep myself in the dark beforehand. Then I wouldn't have time to over think it.
Six
Taylor
I parked in my spot under the carport and heard the rumble of Clutch's Nova as he pulled up to the curb out front of the apartment building. The sun was just starting to set, and for a change, the evening air was cool, almost brisk.
I opened the trunk of my car and pulled out my design portfolio. I had some finishing touches to put on a few of the dresses before my meeting with the Bridal World buyers. The parking lot was surrounded by a six foot brick wall, but my six foot plus guy could easily be seen on the other side. I waited for him to round the corner.
My heart still did a somersault at the sight of him, just like it had when I was seventeen. Only back then, seeing him meant anguish because I was so crazy about the man and he paid so little attention to me. I was just a pain in the butt kid. I could still remember sitting at a car meet with my school friends. Clutch walked by us and I confidently announced that one day I would marry Jimmy Mason. He'd heard me and nearly broke into a run to get away. My friends had a good laugh. Of course, now I understood why he had to work so hard to ignore me. But back then, all I knew was that my soul was being crushed with wanting him.