Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 100226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
“I’ve been doing this longer than you’ve been alive, little girl.” He grabs a paper towel and sets to work cleaning her up. “I know what I’m doing. Maybe I’ll come into your coffee shop and tell you how to make a mocha.”
“You know that I have a coffee shop?”
“I know a lot.” He winks at her and then says, “Have a look.”
Millie looks down at her wrist. I’ve already stopped breathing. It’s fucking gorgeous. But Millie starts to cry.
“Shit,” Rich grumbles. “I hate it when women cry.”
“It’s so…perfect.” She sniffs and then, to Rich’s horror, launches herself into his arms and hugs him around the neck. “You’re the best, Rich. This is so perfect. Thank you for being Holden’s friend.”
Tentatively, with his eyes on me to make sure it’s okay, Rich gently closes his arms around her and gives her a little squeeze.
“I’m glad you like it, honey. Now, get your butt out of my chair so I can work some magic on your man.”
“Okay.” Before she can move away, he covers her ink with some plastic, and then we switch places. Millie takes my hand in hers. “Are you nervous?”
I chuckle and give her a squeeze. “Terrified. Hold me.”
She laughs and presses a kiss over my tattooed knuckles as she clings to my right hand. My left arm is clean, no ink, until today when I’ll get her name on my finger.
“This is gonna go quick,” he tells me. “But the fingers hurt like a fucker.”
“I remember.” I nod. “It’s okay.”
The buzz starts again, and I turn back to Millie. Yeah, it hurts like a fucker, but I don’t mind.
“Is it really bad?” she asks.
“I’ve had worse. Did yours hurt really bad? The inner wrist is tender. I figured you’d squirm more.”
“I mean, it wasn’t a walk in the park, but it wasn’t too bad. Next time, maybe I’ll do my shoulder.”
That has me raising my brows in surprise. “Next time?”
“I’ve heard they’re addicting. It seems that might be true.”
“I didn’t lose a client. I gained one.” Rich grins up at me. “Score.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
MILLIE
“We have barely seen you,” Polly says as she clings to me in a hug that not long ago would have made me incredibly uncomfortable, but now just makes me happy. “With all the shit going on in your life, how have we barely seen you?”
“And never all at the same time,” Abbi adds, smoothing her hand down my hair. I hold my hands out, and Erin and Summer take those, and now I’m in the middle of a big, weird group love fest.
“I know, I’m sorry,” I tell them. “But it feels like it’s been one thing after another every single day. Not to mention, Pound Town is a busy place to be a member of.”
I grin as they all still, and then they start to laugh. It feels so good to be with my girls.
“I’m so glad we came early,” Erin says as we untangle ourselves from each other. The IWC spring formal event is being held at Ryan and Polly’s ranch, and our guys are off somewhere, looking at something that I didn’t pay attention to.
I was too excited to see my girls.
“We needed some time together,” Summer agrees. “Also, how hot are we?”
“Super-hot, of course,” Abbi says with a laugh.
“One of the things you’re going to tell us now is about that gorgeous tattoo,” Polly says, gesturing to my wrist, and I grin.
“Happy to. Holden took me to his artist in Missoula, and we both had work done. He put my name on his ring finger.”
“No pressure or anything,” Summer says with a wink.
“That’s what I said, but he insisted.” I shrug and can’t help but grin an my friends. “It was kind of sexy.”
“It’s a lot sexy,” Erin says.
I love our seasonal events because we all get to dress up and bring dates. In the past, I never brought a date, but tonight I’ll be on Holden’s arm, and I can’t wait to show off my sexy-as-hell husband. He’s looking fine in his blue suit.
“This tent is great out here, Polly.” There’s even been a temporary floor brought in to lay under this massive tent, in the middle of their field.
The Wild River Ranch Event Center that my family runs was booked for a wedding this weekend, so Polly sweet-talked Ryan into hosting.
Not that he would ever tell her no to anything. My brother would burn down the whole world if she asked him to.
The grass is green, the wild flowers are in full bloom, and it’s seriously so beautiful out here.
“We were happy to host,” Polly replies with a grin. “And I didn’t do anything. Charlie Lexington took this whole event under her wing and made it beautiful.”
I grin as I take in the round tables covered with pretty flowers and linens, the party favors, the lights strung about that we’ll turn on when it starts to get darker.