Total pages in book: 55
Estimated words: 51281 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 256(@200wpm)___ 205(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51281 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 256(@200wpm)___ 205(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)
I loved that my husband was so many things at once. He was complex and deep, like a fine brandy. Speaking of which . . .
“I need a drink,” Cass said, echoing all our thoughts.
“It’s only lunch,” Connor said, looking alarmed.
“Fuck it,” Cass said, sauntering up to the bar. All of us girls followed her. We all needed a drink.
I glanced over my shoulder and gave Shane a flirty wave.
“You guys brainstorm. As of right now, you are all driving us home.”
Cass poured us all drinks. Beer for her. A dry white wine for me. A fruity non-alcoholic drink for Michelle, who we knew still dreamed of having another kid. And Kelly had a margarita with lemon and lime, announcing that ‘one citrus fruit is simply not enough.’
The girl made no bones about being high-maintenance, and damn if we didn’t all love her more for it. Kelly was our princess, and she reigned over all of us when it came to makeovers and beauty tips. Nobody ever even tried to fight her when she got a bee in her bonnet.
Only Cassandra truly ever fought her on her decrees, like the time Kelly had tried to put false eyelashes on her before a New Year’s Eve Party.
Cass was movie star gorgeous, but she didn’t do high-maintenance. She wore leggings and long shirts half the time, though she did rock a pair of tight jeans when we went out. The woman could stop traffic in a pair of jeans. So could Michelle. So could Claire, actually.
Kelly and I were the super curvy girls. It still made everyone giggle that Shane had actually thought I was a boy. They teased him endlessly about it, which made him pretend to be mad, but he was so light and happy these days, he was barely recognizable.
The broken and dangerous man we’d all known before was gone. In his place was someone else. Not a pushover by any means, still tough and scary when he needed to be. But the rest of the time, he was pretty much a pussycat.
With me, anyway.
“What do you think they’re doing over there?” I asked, looking at the tight group of big men looking like they were trying to do brain surgery with a couple of forks. The intensity on their faces was hilarious.
Kelly cackled. “Spinning their wheels?”
“I bet they decide to do something with motorcycles. Riding in a parade or something,” Cass predicted with a smirk.
“What’s the better plan?”
“Candles, home-cooked meal, rose petals, declaration of love,” Kelly said with a shrug. “Keep it simple. Stick to the classics.”
“Yep,” Cass said, toasting Kelly. “How long should we let them torture themselves before we rescue their asses?”
“Let’s at least have another drink or two first,” I said with a laugh. The girls all nodded, lifting their drinks and toasting. It wasn’t going to be easy, but we would lead a horse to water. We’d help Hunter get his woman, come hell or high water.
Claire had no idea what was coming for her. The girl didn’t stand a chance.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Hunter
“Motherfucker!” I hissed, dropping the blazingly hot lighter in my hand. I glared around the room and then took a deep breath. It looked good. It looked ready. I’d already lit about a hundred candles, scattered rose petals, and had a bottle of champagne chilling on ice with a spare in the fridge for later.
I’d already prepped two steaks, baked a couple of potatoes, and made a big salad with lots of tomatoes, just the way she liked it, but I hadn’t turned the stove on yet. Unless this went according to plan, I might be eating alone. For the rest of my damned life if things really did not go well.
And if they did go well . . . we might not be in the mood to eat for a couple of hours.
I closed my eyes and said a quick but heartfelt prayer to Preacher’s version of God. The God who loved everyone, even guys like me who bent or broke the rules of polite society. I might bitch about the horny old fuck, but he was a spiritual sonofabitch too. Preacher had opened my eyes that there might be more to this world than what my bleary world-weary eyes could see.
If there really was a God, I asked him to let me have this one thing. To let me have Claire. To let me have a future full of love instead of a vast, empty wasteland of loneliness.
I heard a soft rap on the front door and froze, forcing myself to take a deep breath. It was time to claim my woman. I was more than ready for this. Ready to make a stand. It was now or never. I’d never been afraid of anything in my life. Not death. Not even life scared me. But I hadn’t had anything precious on the line before Claire. Now, I was terrified of losing her.