Banging on the bathroom door tears me from my musings. “Are you done yet?” It’s Alex; he’s such a diva. He probably wants to put more product in his pretty hair.
I open the door and move past him. “All yours,” I say, waving my hand towards the bathroom.
“Damn, Evie. You look hot!” Alex says with wide eyes, then he lets out a low whistle.
I smirk, looking down at my outfit. I have on a black leather miniskirt, a tight white tank top, and a cropped denim jacket. My black heels have laces that tie up around my calves. This outfit screams rocking out in Vegas, and when I turn around and see the look on Joey’s face, I’m so glad I packed it.
His eyes take me in from the tips of my toes to the top of my head. “Damn, baby,” he says, getting up from the couch and walking over to me. “I don’t think I want to let you out of this room looking like that.”
I smile. “Thanks; you don’t look so bad yourself.”
He looks down at his black t-shirt, dark blue jeans, and black boots, then looks up at me raising his eyebrow. “Really?”
I nod, pressing myself against his chest and kissing him on the lips. “You look sexy in anything, Joey Adams.”
He groans in response. “Why in the hell do we have a show tonight?”
“Because you love it.”
He gives me a tight smile and nods his head. “Yeah, but I love getting laid, too, and that’s not happening.”
“Not right now, anyway,” I counter, giving him a wink before going to the table to pick up my camera. The concert is in the arena here at the hotel, so fortunately we don’t have far to go. I hear him mumble something before adjusting himself. I can’t fight the laugh that bubbles up.
“Oh, you think that’s funny?” he asks, creeping towards me.
I take a step back. “Hilarious.”
He takes a final step and presses the front of his body against me. “You feel that?” he asks. I nod in response, because I’m a little too turned on to speak. “That’s what you do to me, Sweetness.”
The feel of his hardness pressed against my softness is enough to make me want to drag him back to our bedroom. But something tells me his bandmates wouldn’t appreciate that. Well, Alex would probably appreciate that. He’s a horn dog.
“Mmm,” I hum, buzzed off the electricity flowing between us…the heat. “Later.”
“I’m going to hold you to that,” he warns.
“I hope so.”
***
The crowd is wild tonight. I’m snapping more pictures of them than the guys on stage, but I can’t help it. They’re intense and so devoted to the performances, it’s impossible not to capture this moment. I hope the images illustrate just how dynamic JACT’s performance is.
To say I’m proud of my guy is an understatement. Since getting signed by the record label, they’ve really amped things up. Where some would have settled down, having achieved their dream, JACT has only soared. They even let me help them design some merchandise to sell at shows. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to document it. Years from now, they’ll be able to look back at these moments frozen in time and remember everything, and even see some things they haven’t before.
Before long, JACT exits the stage and Challenge Demands is up. The audience is just as pumped for their set, and I capture it all. I love my job.
After the show, we hit the casino in the hotel for a little while—celebrity has its advantages since Joey, Alex, and I are all under twenty-one and shouldn’t even be on the casino floor—before taking the monorail down to Flamingo so Infrared can take some ridiculous pictures. Eventually we end up at Caesars Palace, where we spend the rest of the evening gambling—or rather Joey, Alex, and I watch the older guys gamble.
Trevor and Chase park themselves at a blackjack table and Joey and Alex stand by watching. Tommy and I head for a nearby slot machine—dollar slots, I’m not made of money—and he plays my money while I look on. I hear the boys razzing each other across the din of the crowded casino floor, and it makes me smile. They’re always having a good time.
Tommy inserts a fifty into the machine and gets my credits, then he absently presses the button as we take in the happenings around us. I wish I had my camera with me to capture the awesomeness that is Vegas, but at the same time I know I appreciate it more seeing it with my own eyes, rather than through the lens.
Bored already with watching Tommy press the button, I promise myself that when I’m old enough to gamble myself, I’ll find a good ole fashioned lever slot machine. I tell Tommy to throw the last forty dollars of my credits into one spin, feeling the need to rove around the casino floor and not stay stuck in one place. My wanderlust is starting to make me twitch. So much to do, so much to see!
“No one’s looking,” Tommy says, nudging me. “You press it.”
I smile and press the button one last time, ready to let Joey know that I’m heading off to check things out. Just as I’m turning away from the machine, a shrill sound comes from it and colors begin to flash like crazy on the screen.
What.
The.
Hell.
“Holy shit, E! You won!” Tommy gives me a hug, lifting my feet off the ground.
“Way to go, babe!” Joey says, coming up behind me.
Tommy sets me down and I stare at the machine, stunned. Holy crap.
$10,000.
The machine is flashing $10,000.
“I won $10,000.”
“Hell, yeah, you did!” Joey shouts, wrapping his arms around me.
Alex steps over and pats me on the back. “Nice job, E.”
With my win finally sinking in, I break out in giggles. “Drinks on me!”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Joey
“That was fun,” Evie says, her sweaty, naked body rolling off of mine. We’re both splayed out now on the king-sized bed at the hotel, staring at the ceiling and breathing heavily.
We partied a little harder than we usually do tonight, celebrating Evie’s win and putting a small dent in it. Especially once the rest of the bands joined us. I felt bad spending her money, but she insisted and it was hard to argue with her celebratory smile. Hell, she’s hard to argue with. I’d give her my heart tomorrow if she asked.
Who am I kidding? She already has it.
“I love you, Evie,” I say before I can stop myself. I roll my head to the side to look at her and see the corner of her mouth turn up in a smile.
“You just want my money,” she jokes, not looking at me.
I roll onto my side and prop myself up on my elbow, facing her. “No. It has nothing to do with your money, though I always wanted a sugar momma,” I smile so she knows I’m joking. “I seriously do love you.”
She rolls her head on the pillow so she’s looking at me, a serious look on her face. “You mean that?”
I nod. “Yeah, I do.”
She rolls over and kisses me, taking my face in her hands. This kiss is different…it’s deeper. It means something…everything. She pulls away too soon. “I love you, too, Joey. Seriously.”
I exhale a sigh of relief, kissing her again, then rolling over on top of her and pressing her into the mattress. Nothing in the world could possibly feel better than this moment right here. Nothing.
She loves me.
I press gentle kisses all over her face…her cheeks, eyelids, chin, forehead, and nose, before rolling back to the side with a shit-eating-grin on my face.
Her confession that she loves me, too, made my day. Hell, it made my life.
“You’re not just saying that because you’re all post-coital, right?” Evie asks with a hint of vulnerability, burrowing into my side. “Because this moment is so special, and I think it might break my heart if you were to take it back.”
I move back and lift her chin to look into her eyes. Her pretty green eyes, glazed with unshed tears. “No, baby,” I tell her, kissing her eyelids again. “I’m not just saying that. I love you. I know it’s fast—”
“But who gives a shit?” she interrupts, smiling up at me.
I smile back. “Exactly. Who gives a shit? No one worth knowing, that’s who.” She settles back into the nook between my arm and my ribs and lets out a pleased sigh. “I’d marry you tomorrow, if you’d let me.” I’m surprised by my words, but I mean it. I mean every word.
Evie laughs and pats my chest. “Ok, handsome. Now I know you’re drunk.”
“I’m buzzed, not drunk. And I mean it. I’d marry you in a heartbeat, Evie Carson. I love every minute I spend with you, and I want to spend every minute with you for the rest of my life.”
Evie picks her head up and looks into my eyes, her playful expression sobering when she sees the seriousness there. “If you still want to marry me in the morning, I’ll do it. I love you, Joey, and I want to have fun with you for the rest of my life, too.”
“It’s a deal,” I say, then I seal it with a kiss.
Then it hits me.
Holy shit.
I think I just proposed.
The idea of being with Evie forever?
That feels pretty damn good.
***
I wake in the morning—er, afternoon—feeling refreshed and ready to take on the world—with Evie by my side, if she’ll really have me.
I get up to relieve myself, then return to the bed to wake her up. I begin by laying kisses on the tips of her toes, and make my way up her legs.
“Mmm. Do you have some kind of foot fetish I need to know about?” she asks, her voice husky with sleep.
“Nope,” I say. “Just an Evie fetish.”
“Well, don’t stop,” she says, nudging me with the leg I’d abandoned.
I send a devilish grin her way, before resuming my task where I left off on her thigh. I continue to kiss up her body, purposely skipping a certain place that has her groaning in disapproval, and making my way up her belly and between her breasts, before landing on her chin.
“What’s all this for?” she asks as I rest myself above her, holding most of my weight on my elbows.
“Can’t a guy wake his fiancé up by kissing her all over?” I tease, waiting for her reaction.
She tenses. The moment is brief, but it’s there, before she relaxes again with a big smile on her face. “A guy can do whatever he wants with his fiancé.”
“Is that right?”
“Mm-hmm,” she affirms.
I spend the next hour giving her a sample of everything I’d like to do to her.
***
I come out of the bathroom after my shower with my towel wrapped around my waist, and find Evie still sprawled out on the bed, looking completely sated, with her cell phone in her hand.
“Did you know the court that issues marriage licenses here in Vegas is open until midnight?”
I smile, loving that she’s looking up how to get married in Vegas. “No, I didn’t know that.”
“Well, it is. And there are little wedding chapels all over the place.”
That I knew from our brief walk on the strip. I take a seat at the edge of the bed and take her hand in mine, causing her to set down her phone. “We really doing this?” I ask, hopeful.
She smiles. “Yeah, I think we are.”
I lean in and give her a kiss, then stand up and whoop at the top of my lungs.
“Shut up!” I hear yelled through the door from the common area of the suite.
I walk to the door and open it wide, causing Evie to shriek and cover herself with the bedsheets. “We’re getting married, bitches! Be dressed and ready to go in an hour!”
I slam the door, just as I hear Alex yell, “What the—,” and a thud, from someone—probably Chase—hitting him. I look back at Evie, who is smiling at me.
“You ready, baby?”
She smiles and nods, tears in her eyes. Happy tears, I hope. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Evie
I’m getting married.
I’m getting married!!
After taking the quickest shower known to woman, I leave Joey to rally the troops and head down to the shops in the casino to find a dress. I brought a couple with me, but this is my wedding.
My wedding!!
I stop in my tracks and take a deep breath. What the hell am I doing? Am I making the right choice? Am I certifiable?
The answer to those questions are: I’m following my heart; yes; and absolutely.
I’m going to marry Joey today.
I’ve got to call my momma!
I start walking again, digging in my purse for my cell phone as I go. “Gotcha,” I say as my fingertips brush the bejeweled phone case—pink, of course. I hit the speed dial for my mother and put the phone up to my ear.
“Evie, is that you?”
“Hi, Momma,” I answer, tears filling my eyes when I hear her voice. I hadn’t realized how much I missed her until now.
“Hey, baby. How’s it going? I thought I’d have heard from you by now.”
I feel guilty instantly. I haven’t called my mom since I joined the tour. I’m surprised she and my dad hadn’t blown up my phone before now.
“I’m sorry, Momma. I’ve just been so busy,” with Joey, I add to myself. “Everything is great. This is such an amazing experience, and I’m having so much fun.”
“Tommy’s taking good care of my girl, then?”
“Of course,” I say. Tommy and Joey. I spot a women’s clothing store and make a beeline for it.
“There’s so much noise; where are you? What are you doing?”
“We’re in Vegas. I’m in a casino.”
“You’re not old enough to be in a casino,” she points out.
“I’m not gambling,” I tell her, leaving out the events of the night before. Underage drinking and kinda sorta gambling…the perks of being in a popular band’s entourage. “I’m shopping.”
“Oh,” she perks up, casino forgotten. She loves shopping. “What are you shopping for? Do you have enough money?”
Guess I can’t exactly tell her I won a jackpot last night… “Yes, I have enough money. I’m, um, buying a dress.” I cringe, waiting for her next question as I step into the store and glance around, looking for their dress section.
“Oh, that’s nice sweetie.” I hear her mumble something to someone in the background and then she’s back. “What do you need a dress for? Didn’t you pack some?” And there it is.
“I’m not really sure how to tell you this, Momma.” Which is surprising because I’ve always been able to tell my mother everything.
“Oh my Jesus. Evie Marie Carson,” she’s using her stern mom voice. She knows. She has to know. She can’t know.
Can she?
“You better not be getting married.”
What.
The.
Hell.
“Momma!”
“You are!”
“What? How do you know? What?” Seriously, does she have a sixth sense or something? My freak out is starting to draw the attention of other shoppers, so I tone it down a notch and continue looking for the dress racks.
“Oh, Evie,” she sighs.
She’s silent for several moments, and I have to look at my phone to see if she’s hung up on me. I’ve surprised my parents a lot in my nineteen years, but I know this takes the cake.
“Momma?”
“My little Wildflower,” she finally says, and I can practically see her shaking her head. “You’d better bring this boy home. Fast. Your Daddy is just going to flip out.”
“Do you have to tell him?” I cringe, imagining my father’s reaction. He’s not a mean man at all, but he is pretty conservative and traditional. He loves me in his own way, and I love him, but we don’t really understand one another.
“Evie Marie Carson! I will not keep something like this from your father.”
I sigh. “I know, Momma. I was only teasing.” And hoping…
“I’m not even going to ask you if you’re sure because I know you. I know you d
on’t do anything you’re not sure of. I just pray you’re making the right choice, Evie.”
I smile. As much as I make her crazy, my Momma understands me. “Thanks, Momma. I’m making the right choice. I promise. I love you.”
“I love you, too. But don’t be surprised if your brothers show up in Las Vegas before you leave.”
“Momma,” I groan. “Why do you have to tell them?”
“They live here, Evie. They’ll find out sooner or later. Probably when your dad heads out to the back of the property and starts shooting.”
Damn it. She’s right. Whenever my daddy doesn’t know what to do with me, he heads out to the back of the ranch, sets up his targets, and shoots.
Maybe he’ll use up all his ammo before I take Joey there for a visit. Who am I kidding? A Texan would never run out of ammo.
“Okay, Momma, I gotta go.”
“I love you, sweet girl. Your daddy loves you, too. We all do. We just want you to be happy. Promise me you are.”
Tears well up in my eyes again. “I’m so happy, Momma. He makes me so happy. I love Joey. He loves me, too. He’s special. He doesn’t have a good family, Momma. Not like I do. Promise me y’all will accept him when he comes there. He’s a city boy, so he won’t know which end of the sheep is which, but he loves me.”
She chuckles at that. “Of course we will, sweetheart. You know it won’t be easy with your daddy and brothers, but you can’t just run off and marry a guy in Las Vegas and expect it to be easy.”
“I know, Momma.” She’s right. They’re going to give us—mostly him—hell.
“I love you, Evie. Be good. Visit soon. Stay out of trouble.”
“I love you, too, Momma. Bye.” I tap to end the call and stuff my phone back in my purse.
That was exhausting.
I know I’m disappointing my mother by marrying Joey here in Vegas. I know it’ll disappoint my father and brothers, too. But like she told me back when I first talked to her about Joey, when you know, you know. I’ve never lived my life for anyone other than myself, as selfish as it sounds, and I’m not about to start now.
I’m going to marry that boy today.
Wildflowers (JACT 2.5) Page 10