Total pages in book: 152
Estimated words: 155037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 775(@200wpm)___ 620(@250wpm)___ 517(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 155037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 775(@200wpm)___ 620(@250wpm)___ 517(@300wpm)
Loki walked past to grab some beers from the fridge.
“And the rest of you?” Remy asked.
“Ed is coming for me. And Brick is getting Juliet,” Georgie said, saving Juliet from trying to answer.
Cleo sat up once she was free from the gunk. She looked tired.
“We’ll leave you to it, then.” Loki strode back through and grabbed the bowl of candy from Kiesha.
“Hey! My candy!”
“Nope, you’re cut off.”
“You can’t cut me off! Loki!”
“Trust me,” Loki told her, holding the bowl up high as she tried to lunge for it, “I’m doing you a favor. If Harry sees you eating this much sugar, you won’t be sitting comfortably tomorrow.”
Kiesha huffed out a breath. “It’s girls’ night. You can eat whatever you want on girls’ night.” She slumped back over to sit in her chair again, though.
“Looks like you’ve all been eating well,” Remy said, moving his gaze over the coffee table.
“I’ve got all the major C’s covered,” she told him.
“Major C’s?” he repeated.
“Uh-huh. Cookies, cupcakes, and candy.”
“You forgot cavities,” Loki joked, winking at her as he walked past to the back door. Remy gave her a heated look before joining him outside.
Holy. Moly.
It was like her body had just had a jolt of electricity. All of her nerve endings felt like they were alive. And she wanted to chase after the two of them . . . to throw herself at them.
Down, girl.
“I feel like maybe we should be talking about that rather than me,” Cleo said, turning to look at Isa. “Want to tell us what that is about?”
Isa blushed but shook her head. “Nope. We’re onto you. What is it that Noah is trying to make you do?”
He wouldn’t really pressure her into something she didn’t want, would he?
Cleo groaned. “He’s trying to make me marry him!”
35
Isa stared at Cleo, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“Wait. That’s it?” Kiesha asked. “He wants to marry you and you’re freaking out?”
“You don’t want to marry him?” Juliet asked.
“Not because I don’t love him,” Cleo said with desperation. “But why would I ruin the best thing in my life by marrying him?”
Isa shared a worried look with Kiesha. Then all of them got up and surrounded Cleo, holding her tight.
“It’s not going to ruin anything, Cleo,” Kiesha told her.
Cleo sighed tiredly. “You know it can. It did for my parents.”
Isa remembered their wedding. Cleo had been ten and everything had seemed so magical. Then, within a year, it had all turned to shit.
“Marriage doesn’t ruin anything, Cleo,” Isa said. “You know that bad stuff can happen regardless. But so can good things. It isn’t marriage that makes or breaks people. It’s how they feel about each other. It’s their actions, their words, the way they love each other.”
“I know.” Cleo sniffed. “I’m being ridiculous. I just don’t want to lose Noah.”
“You won’t. That man loves the crap out of you,” Kiesha said.
Juliet nodded.
“You’re right. He does. You can’t blame him really. I am a catch,” Cleo said with a laugh.
“We all are,” Kiesha said dramatically. “That’s why we all have the hottest men in town on our arms, bowing down to us, giving us anything we desire.”
Cleo snorted.
“Well, all of us except Isa. We need to find her a man. But then, maybe she already did that?” Kiesha nodded over toward the back door.
Isa wasn’t quite ready to talk about that, though. So she was grateful as heck when there was a knock on the door. Getting up, she found Harry on the other side.
“Prepare yourself,” she said quietly.
“Oh, I’m always prepared,” he said with a charming smile.
Next to arrive was Brick who nodded to her as he walked in and picked up Juliet. Literally. He had her in his arms and out the door before Harry had even convinced Kiesha to stand.
Ed walked in at that moment, taking in the scene. He sighed. “How much did Kiesha eat and drink?”
“I don’t think she drank that much.” Although now that Isa was standing up, she was beginning to realize that she’d drunk more than she’d thought. “But the candy was decimated.”
“Kiesha, you’re going home now,” Ed told her.
“You’re not the boss of me.” She pointed at Harry. “He is.”
“And I say you’re going home now.” Harry leaned down and whispered something in her ear that had Kiesha’s mouth dropping open.
“I’m going, Daddy! I’m going!”
“I should help you clean up,” Georgie said, gathering stuff as Harry led Kiesha and Cleo out.
Poor Cleo looked more tired than when she’d arrived.
“Don’t worry, Georgie,” she said. “I’ll get it all tomorrow.”
“Are you sure?”
She nodded. Ed took Georgie’s hand and leaned in to kiss her on the top of her head. That was so sweet.
“Come on, Georgie-girl.” Ed paused. “That Remy’s truck outside?”
“Yep,” Isa replied.
“Is Loki here?” he asked.
“Yep.”
“All right then,” he said, looking thoughtful.
She knew she was blushing when Georgie giggled. She waved goodbye and shut the door behind them. Then she looked toward the back door.