by Nikki Ash
“Nah.” Jase chuckles lightheartedly. “Just older.” Then he looks back at Celeste and his eyes turn smoldering. There’s clearly a story there.
“I really need to get going,” Celeste announces. Her heels clack against the cement floor as she walks over to me. “Happy Birthday.” She gives me a hug.
“Wait! We’re supposed to go clubbing after this.” Olivia pouts. “Don’t go.”
“I have an early morning meeting.” Celeste moves to Olivia and gives her an air kiss on each of her cheeks since Nick still has his arms wrapped around her waist. “We’ll do lunch this week.”
Then she makes her way back over to Jax and gives him a quick hug. “It was nice to see you again.” She doesn’t wait for him to respond before she’s out the door.
“I’m going to make sure she gets into a cab safely,” Nick says, letting go of Olivia and rushing after Celeste. When I look over to Jase, his eyes are trained on the door Celeste just exited through.
“All right, so who wants what?” Jax asks.
“I want a quote across my upper back, right below my neck,” I say.
“And I want Nick’s number tattooed above my ass,” Olivia adds seriously.
“What?” I shriek. “No way! You’re name isn’t Haley, and you don’t live in Tree Hill!”
Olivia turns around to face me with a huge grin splayed across her lips.
“Oh, thank God, you’re joking.” I sigh in relief. “Don’t do that to me again!”
Olivia laughs. “C’mon, I totally had you there.”
“Honestly, as much as you love that show, it wouldn’t surprise me if you were serious.”
“Kill, you getting anything?” Quinn asks.
“Nah, I think we’ll keep it about the ladies tonight, but I do need to schedule a time to have some more of my sleeve done.”
Nick walks back through the door. “All right, she’s off.” He smiles, but it almost looks sad. Olivia must notice because she goes over to him and asks if everything is okay.
“Yeah, I think so…Celeste wouldn’t say much. She seemed upset she didn’t know Jase worked here, but like I told her, I didn’t even know they knew each other like that. Although, based on the way she hugged Jax”—his gaze lands hard on Jax—“it seems she knows the entire family more than she led on.”
Quinn snorts. “Oh, we definitely know Celeste.”
“Quinn, cool it,” Jax chides.
Nick glances over to Jase. “Did something happen between you and Celeste the night of the party?” You can hear it in his tone, he’s not being nosy. He’s in big brother-slash-best friend mode.
“Nothing worth mentioning,” Jase says coolly.
Nick gives him a long glance then nods, choosing to let it go. He turns his attention back to Olivia. “So, what are you thinking of getting? I remember you once mentioned putting my number above your ass.” He waggles his eyebrows.
“Not happening,” I tell him. “No friend of mine is getting a tramp stamp. Pick something else.”
“That’s what I’m talking about!” Quinn raises her hand for a high five. “If only I could say that to every other female who walks in here, asking for a unicorn above her ass.”
“Hey, those unicorns helped pay your way through art school,” Jax says.
“I still say a unicorn dies every time one is tattooed above a woman’s ass.” Quinn laughs.
“I’ll go first,” I offer. “I know exactly what I’m getting.”
“Sounds good,” Jase says, “You can come back with me.”
“You better not take your crankiness out on me.” I pin him with a glare.
Jax laughs. “Jase has been cranky his entire life. Well, except for when he was—”
“Enough,” Jase says, cutting him off. His voice is deadly serious, but it only makes Jax grin.
“I want to watch!” Olivia says.
“You might change your mind once you hear that needle.” Killian laughs.
“I gave birth to this guy’s baby without any meds.” Olivia points to Nick. “I’m sure I can handle a tattoo.”
Everyone cracks up laughing, and Jase walks me to the third room on the right. “Write down the quote you want.” He hands me a pen and paper. “Any particular font you were thinking of?”
“Well, it’s from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, so something fun, but not too childish. Surprise me.”
“Okay.” He grins wide. “I think I know the perfect one.”
I hand him back the paper, and he reads the quote out loud. “I can’t go back to yesterday because I was a different person then.”
“Giselle, that’s beautiful,” Olivia says. “I remember when we read the book in our English class. You doodled the quote in your notebook for like a month.”
“Everyone can stay, but you’re going to have to take your shirt and bra off for the location you want,” Jase says. “Go ahead and get undressed and shout once you’re ready for me to come back in.”
Everyone exits but Olivia, who looks upset. “What’s wrong?” I ask her.
“Your quote is perfect and beautiful, and it made me realize I’m not sure what I want yet.”
“We can wait,” I tell her.
“No, I want you to get yours, and once I’m ready to get mine, will you come back with me?”
“Of course!” I give her a hug. “Thank you for making my birthday special.”
I take my shirt and bra off and hand them to Olivia. Then I lay down on the leather chair face down. “Ready!” I call out.
“Okay, let’s do this.”
Four
Killian
We’re sitting in the VIP lounge in Provocative, an exclusive nightclub in the Lower West Side. With Celeste gone, it’s just the four of us. Olivia is gushing over Giselle’s new tattoo, and Nick, as usual, is gushing over Olivia simply being herself. I must admit I was shocked by the tattoo Giselle chose. Most women go for the cute and popular. Like Quinn said, the unicorns. Giselle’s tattoo was deep. Although, it shouldn’t surprise me. Giselle’s actions seem to be throwing me off at every turn. I was stunned earlier tonight when I witnessed her get emotional over her ex-boyfriend showing up. I honestly didn’t think she was capable of feeling anything other than what she feels for Olivia and Reed. Even when I took her to her mom’s house, the entire time she was cold and withdrawn—dealing with the situation, but not appearing to be emotionally affected.
I’m beginning to think there are several different parts to Giselle, and maybe not all of them are so bad. I think back to Nick’s description of her. Maybe she is just a Pitbull. One who is judged unfairly based on her looks, but isn’t really as vicious as she appears. I know I’ve definitely judged her.
“It sucks Celeste isn’t here, but since we have you both together, there’s something Nick and I would like to talk to you two about,” Olivia says. “Actually two things.” She grins excitedly.
“Okay, shoot,” I say, taking a sip of my water.
“As you know, Nick and I are planning to get married, and we’ve finally picked a date! We’ve decided to get married in June of this year!”
“Oh, Livi! That’s only a few months away!” Giselle says.
“Yes!” Olivia agrees. “Also, Reed will be walking better, and football season will be well over so we can go on a honeymoon.” She stops talking to give Nick a quick kiss before she continues. “We want a small, intimate wedding, and I would love it if you would be my maid-of-honor.”
She hasn’t even finished her sentence and Giselle is already leaping across the table and into Olivia’s arms. “Yes! Yes! Yes!”
“And I’d like for you to be my best man,” Nick adds. “But if you jump into my lap, I’m going to beat your ass.”
“Awe, c’mere, good-looking.” I shoot him a wink and stand. Nick shakes his head but stands to give me a hug. “Congratulations. I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks, man.”
“What’s the second thing?” Giselle asks once we’re sea
ted again.
“We’d love it if the two of you would be Reed’s godparents,” Olivia says. “We can’t imagine anyone else loving and caring for him the way you two do.”
“Agreed,” Nick says.
“Oh, Livi, you’re killing me tonight!” Giselle hugs her friend once more, and when she sits back down, there are tears shining in her eyes. “I would be honored, even if it means sharing my godson with this guy.” She nudges me with her elbow.
“I’d be honored,” I tell both Olivia and Nick.
“Yay! Thank you!” Olivia squeals. “Oh! I love this song! Let’s dance!” She pulls Nick out of his chair, and the two of them hit the dance floor, leaving Giselle and me at the table alone as Justin Bieber sings about not giving up on love.
“You didn’t want to invite Roman out tonight?” I ask Giselle, and she glares. “What? I just figured you would invite the guy you’re dating out to help celebrate your birthday.” I shrug. I wasn’t trying to piss her off. I really was just curious.
“Roman isn’t exactly the going out to a club and getting a tattoo kind of guy,” Giselle replies dryly, then takes a long sip of her Jack and Coke.
Speaking of tattoos… “Does the tattoo you got have a story behind it?” She eyes me warily, then finishes off her drink.
She sighs loudly. “It’s from a book I read.”
“Which book?” I ask, curious.
“Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.”
“The children’s book?” I give her a confused look, trying to recall which book that is. I think it’s the one with the little girl who falls down a rabbit hole.
“Yes,” she sasses. “You would be surprised how deep the story is.”
“Really?” I laugh. I’ve never read the book, but I’ve seen the movie once with my niece, and it’s hard to imagine how deep the book could possibly be with talking animals.
“Every life and love lesson can be found in that story.” She shrugs. “You should read it sometime.”
The song changes and Giselle laughs humorlessly, shaking her head.
“Don’t like this song?” I ask her.
“Are we playing twenty questions?” she snaps. I hold my palms up and she sighs again. “The song is just so fitting.”
I listen to the words for a few seconds. I don’t know who sings it, but it’s a woman and she’s singing about taking a guy home one last time even though another woman is in his heart. My eyes flit to Giselle who’s frowning. She reaches over the table and grabs a shot of Johnnie Walker, downing it in one gulp then slamming it on the table.
“Have you ever cheated, Killian?” she asks. When I don’t answer right away, she adds, “What? You can ask questions, but you can’t answer them?” She reaches for another shot and downs it as fast as the last one.
“No,” I say, answering her question, “I’ve never cheated.”
She raises her eyebrows like she doesn’t believe me, but after a few seconds, she shrugs and says, “I guess that makes sense. Rumor has it you don’t do girlfriends. You can’t cheat if you don’t commit, right?” She reaches for the last shot, but I grab it first and shoot it back.
She glares daggers my way. “Real nice. I need to get going anyway.” She stands and her body sways slightly from all the alcohol she’s had to drink, so I stand as well, putting my arm out to help her.
“I don’t need your help,” she hisses. “I don’t need anyone.”
“Yeah, maybe not, but you’ve had quite a bit to drink. Why don’t I let Olivia and Nick know we’re leaving and I’ll take you home.”
She eyes me skeptically, but shocks me when she nods. “Okay, but only because I don’t want them to have to leave because of me.”
After I let Nick and Olivia know I’m going to get Giselle home, we head outside. Since we all rode in the limo tonight, I told Nick and Olivia they could take it home and I would call for a car service to take us home. I could call for a separate one for Giselle, but with the amount of alcohol she’s consumed, I’d feel better making sure she gets inside safely myself.
The car pulls up and I open the door for Giselle. She slides in, and I go around to the other side to get in. I give the driver Giselle’s address. The ride to her place is silent aside from the music playing on the radio. Giselle stares out the window, and I find myself staring at her reflection in the same window. A song comes on that catches my attention. It’s upbeat…different…and the words hit me hard. I ask the driver to turn it up and he does. The guy is singing about being broken and lonely, but he isn’t sad about it. He’s reveling in the fact the girl he’s with is just as broken and lonely. My gaze stays trained on Giselle. I can’t be sure, but I’m almost positive a tear rolls down her cheek. It’s hard to tell.
I glance down at her hand, and without thinking, reach for it. Her head swings my way, her glassy eyes meeting mine before she looks down at my hand covering hers. Intertwining our fingers, I pull her into my side. She stiffens but doesn’t fight me as I wrap my arm around her shoulders and gently guide her head to my shoulder.
“Do you ever feel broken and lonely, Killian?” she asks softly.
“Every damn day,” I admit. She looks up to meet my gaze and nods once.
“Me too,” she whispers.
The car arrives at her place, and Giselle thanks me for helping her get home safely. When I offer to walk her up, she tells me she can handle it, then she leans over and gives me a chaste kiss on my cheek. As I watch her walk into her building, I can’t help but wonder just how many layers of Giselle there are hidden deep down under the surface. And then I shock the hell out of myself when my next thought is that I’m pretty sure I want to see every one of those hidden layers.
* * *
“Uncle Killian, you’re here!” My adorable niece, Julia, flies down the steps and jumps into my awaiting arms. “I have a new princess movie. Can we watch it, please?” she begs.
“Not right now, kiddo,” Dylan says before I can answer her. “Uncle Killian and I have business to discuss.” My brother, Dylan, who is also my attorney, is all about business.
Julia pouts, and I pick her up and throw her into the air. “My goodness, I think you’ve gained ten pounds since the last time I was here.”
“Not true.” She giggles. “Do it again!” I throw her into the air one more time before I set her down.
“I think you’re taller too.” I tilt my head to the side. “How old are you now? Fifteen?” She giggles some more.
“No! I’m four, silly!”
“I could’ve sworn you were fifteen. Huh.”
“Killian, congratulations on the win!” My brother’s wife, Christina, gives me a kiss on my cheek.
“Thank you,” I tell her. “Two down, two to go.”
“You guys got this. Your brother cleared his schedule, so we’ll be there cheering you on at the next game.”
“Sounds good. How’s little man doing?” I rub the top of her pregnant belly.
“He’s content in there. The real question is, how am I doing? I’m ready for him to come out.” She laughs.
“Only a couple more months, right?”
“Nine weeks, four days,” she corrects me with another laugh. “Are you staying for dinner?”
“Of course. Julia and I have a new princess movie to watch, don’t we?” I shoot a wink to my niece, who grins.
“Yes!” she squeals.
“Okay, go handle business with your brother. Dinner will be ready in about an hour.” Her voice raises a beat louder to let my brother know that’s all the time he has to hold me hostage.
“How’s Nick doing?” Dylan asks, pouring us both a drink.
“He’s good. He and Olivia picked a wedding date and asked me to be the best man. They’re getting married in June.”
“Good for them. We should all barbeque soon.”
“For sure.”
He hands me my drink. “All right, let’s get down to business.”
We spend the next hour going over sever
al contracts, endorsement deals, my bills, and a few new investments I asked him to look into for me. He commends me on making smart choices with several investments that have made me a substantial profit. Going into my career I knew many professional athletes end up broke and filing for bankruptcy. I wanted to make sure I’m never in that situation. If my career were to end tomorrow, I need to know I’ll be okay.
“Boys, dinner is ready,” Christina yells from somewhere in the house.
“You heard the woman.” I stand. “Dinner is ready.”
“I think you use my wife for food,” Dylan accuses lightheartedly.
“Hell yes, I do,” I admit as we head to the dining room. “You know I can’t cook, and your wife can.”
“Maybe it’s time you got a wife of your own,” Dylan says with a laugh. He sits down at the table next to his wife, and I sit next to Julia, who is already munching on her chicken nuggets.
“Your date to the party the other night was pretty,” Christina says.
“Who?” I ask, placing a piece of lasagna onto my plate and grabbing a roll.
“Well, I guess that answers the question I was about to ask…” Christina rolls her eyes. “If there’s a chance she’s someone serious.” She makes my brother a plate of food and hands it to him before she makes herself one.
“I went to a birthday thing for Olivia’s best friend, Giselle, the other night. I wasn’t sure if maybe the paparazzi got pictures.” I cut up my food then take a bite.
“I was referring to the woman you had on your arm at your endorsement party for that car.” She’s talking about Tabitha.
“Being as she was rented for the night, I don’t think it’s anything serious.” I shoot Christina a wink, and her eyes go wide.
“You paid for a hooker,” she whisper-yells. “Killian!”
“She’s not a hooker.” I laugh nervously, immediately regretting I said anything. “She’s an escort.”
“What’s an escort?” Julia asks, reminding us of her presence.
“Nobody, sweetie,” Dylan says. “Are you all done eating your nuggets?”
“Yes! Can I get the movie ready for me and Uncle Killian?”