Love Notes (Friends Lovers or Nothing Book 4)
Page 21
“What’s up, man? Did you piss off the dragon or what this morning?”
I burst out laughing. Clay and Sunny are pretty good friends. He has somewhat of an idea of what makes Sunny tick. For a while, I thought Clay was into dudes, but he spent Sunny’s birthday party hitting on all her friends. Erica, who has the best gay-dar out of all us, is convinced that Clay is as straight as I am.
“Is she still pissed?”
“There have been dudes with cameras outside of her studio all day. You tell me.”
I leaned against the doorframe and folded my arms.
“For the life of me, I cannot understand why she gets so pissed off at the paparazzi. Seventy-five percent of her clients are celebrities. Even if I wasn’t around, there’d still be cameras.”
“You, of all people, know how Sunny is about privacy. That’s how come Tristan was able to do what he did to her. He didn’t have to worry about his wife finding out about his girlfriend or being exposed because his girlfriend never wanted to be seen. The only people who knew they were together were us!”
“Finally!” I whooped. “Someone who agrees with me! When I said the exact same thing to Sunny, she started crying.”
“That’s why I’m saying it to you and not her. You know you can’t talk to her about Tristan. She wants to act like what he did was the worst thing to ever happen to a woman, but men been lying and cheating on their wives since we were created. I’m sure if God had taken two ribs, Adam would have had a side chick.”
“Hell yeah,” I agreed. “But dude, he had a wife and two kids. That was pretty fucked up.”
“You know he’s been calling her, trying to get her to come to New York and meet with the people from Macy’s about putting RainDrops in their stores.”
“He’s desperate,” I said.
Sunny’s studio door was just two spaces down from Clay’s office and it swung open so quick Clay and I both jumped. Sunny poked her head into the hall.
“I saw your car pull up, Aiden. I knew you were out here talkin’ about me!”
Clay started laughing, relieved that she hadn’t heard what we were actually talking about.
“Ain’t nobody talkin’ about your ass. Get back to work!”
“And you,” Sunny glared at me. “You have enough friends. Stop trying to steal mine. I met Clay first!”
I rolled my eyes and walked down the hall to her studio. Closing the door behind me, I held Sunny against my chest.
“You’re mad at me?”
“I was,” she huffed. “But what’s the point?”
I squeezed her ass through her black leggings and kissed her forehead.
“Want to grab a burger or something before we go pick up Summer from Jess’s?”
“Ha ha,” Sunny’s laugh oozed sarcasm. “You outed us on national television. You owe me much more than a burger.”
“You’re not dressed for The London,” I pointed out. “I don’t exactly love your Mayer tour shirt, and I’m sure Gordon Ramsay isn’t going to let you in his restaurant wearing it.”
“I’m a stylist. You think this places isn’t full of clothes? Give me ten minutes.”
I sat on one of the red leather sofas in Sunny’s waiting area going through twenty pictures my mother had sent of Summer playing with her baby cousin. My little girl looked like the happiest big cousin in the world.
Twenty-five minutes later (ten in Sunny time) Sunny click-clacked into the room. She’d changed into a pair of dark tight jeans and a sparkly top. Her jeans hugged the curve of her hips and butt. Her top was tight and low cut enough to hold my attention forever.
“That’s shirt makes your boobs look amazing.”
“You’re an asshole,” Sunny laughed as she sat next to me and crossed her legs. “I’m going to have to teach you what a real compliment is.”
“That is a real compliment. What woman doesn’t like to hear that her tits look amazing? That’s why you’re wearing that shirt anyway.”
“What are you looking at?” Sunny pointed to my phone.
“Pictures Mom sent of Summer and Tyler.”
Sunny took the phone and scrolled through the pictures.
“Jesus, Aiden, you have damn near a thousand pictures of your daughter in this phone. Please don’t ever lose it.”
“Mona backs them up for me.”
“You’re helpless,” she giggled. “Are you ready to go? I’m definitely in the mood for some beef wellington.
Sunny stood up, but I pulled her back onto the sofa.
“I have something to tell you.”
Sunny’s eyes darkened at the seriousness in my voice. She took a deep breath and exhaled loudly.
“I’m not going to like this, am I?”
“Listen,” I said. “I want you to know that I knew I was going to talk about us when I booked that interview this morning. I want to be able to do things with you that we’ve never done and take you places that we’ve never been. I thought people should know about us since you’re going to be my wife and all…”
“Yeah, maybe one day I’ll be your-”
Sunny’s mouth snapped shut when she looked at me and I was holding her engagement ring in my hand. I lowered myself to the floor and knelt in front of her.
“I know everything you’re thinking,” I said. “But it’s not too soon. This is ten years late. I love you so much, Sunny. Knowing you has changed my life. Will you please marry me?”
Tears glistened in Sunny’s eyes as she struggled to look at me, but she couldn’t keep her eyes off the ring.
“It’s perfect,” she whispered. “How did you know?”
I swept her hair from her face. “Because I know what you like. I know what makes you happy.” I slid the gold ring on her left ring finger. It fit perfectly.
“Aiden.” My name was a whisper on her lips.
“Is that a yes?”
“Aiden,” she whispered again.
I was getting kind of nervous. I was on my knees in front of the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with...my best friend…the mother of my child, and she hadn’t answered my question.
Sunny scooted closer to me and wrapped her arms around my neck. Her hazel eyes met my green ones as she searched my soul to see if I meant what I just said.
“Of course I’m going to marry you,” she said in my ear. “We’re having a baby.”
###
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Acknowledgements
I’ve never been good with writing acknowledgements because I have a bad memory and I’d feel bad if I left someone out.
First and foremost, I have to thank my creator. It’s not arrogance that allows me to believe that I am a great author. It is my belief that my talent is God-given and because of that, I will not fail. He is my strength, my courage, and my comforter.
As always, my family... My mother, who is my biggest fan. My sisters who support me like no other. My nieces and nephew. My world would be so much darker without them.
To my readers who I will never call fans, I appreciate you all so much that I can’t even put it into words. Anyone who has ever read a Jackie Chanel book has a special place in my heart FOR-EV-VER. Thank you so much!
Every book I write is dedicated to my grandmother and my cousin. My grandmother supported everything I ever dreamed of doing. She was so special to me and saying goodbye was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.
My cousin, DJ, was the first person I ever told that there was slim possibility that I was not going to be a doctor and he was the first person who encouraged me to pursue a career as an author. Up until the moment he took his last breath, he believed in me. Losing my best friend at seventeen is a pain that has never dulled with time. I write because I know he would be so disappointed if I didn’t.
About the Author
On a good day, Jackie Chanel is a writer, editor, and music fanatic. Most days, she's just a pop cul
ture enthusiast, coffee in the morning/wine in the evening drinker, and reality TV junkie.
"Writing books isn't what I decided to do; it's what I was born to do. At any given time, I have about fifteen characters in my head and they all speak at once."
Jackie Chanel has written thirteen novels ranging from Urban Fiction to Contemporary Romance. When she's not writing in her batcave, she can usually be found in her favorite reading spot reading one of the 700 books on her TBR list.
For more information about the author, visit her website
http://jackiechanel.com
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