“HE WHAT?”
Now Nevada did look shocked.
“Not hard. He was mad that I had put myself in danger. I drove my car when he told me it wasn’t safe to. And I…”
She was laughing, her whole body shaking with it.
“What did you do, Frannie?”
“I was ignoring his texts. He didn’t like it.”
“Yeah. I can see how he wouldn’t! He’s absolutely in love with you, Frannie!”
“Do you think so?”
“I know so!”
“Well, he did ask me to marry him.”
“SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!”
Poor Nevada looked a little woozy. She started coughing and I slapped her back. I handed her a glass of fruit punch.
“Drink.”
She did, her eyes glaring at me.
“He proposed and you didn’t say anything!”
“Well, it wasn’t like he got down on one knee! He sort of just… told me.”
She was laughing again.
“What did he say exactly?”
“He said, I’m going to marry you, Frannie,” I said, imitating his deep voice. “He’s said it a few times actually. Never a question.”
Nevada starting laughing again. This time she actually fell back onto the couch. I hit her with a pillow and she rolled onto the floor.
Thankfully it was carpeted.
“We really picked em, didn’t we Frantastic?”
I smiled at her, pelting her with another pillow.
“Yes, we certainly did.”
“I wonder what they are up to right now.”
I rolled my eyes.
“No good, I would almost guarantee it.”
Chapter Eighty-Eight
Jace
“You hold it like this. Then you press this button–”
I frowned at Clay.
“You sure this is a good idea?”
“Yeah dude, I’ve done it a dozen times. Besides, they sent it over fully packaged.”
“You don’t care if I do this at your wedding?”
“No man, it’s perfect. Just wait until after it’s dark.”
“Nevada won’t mind?”
“She’ll love it.”
I nodded.
“Okay. I want to surprise Frannie with something nice. Things have been hard for her lately.”
Clay handed me a beer and we walked back towards the pool from the garage.
“She’s a sweet kid. She never had an easy time.”
“What do you mean?”
Clay shrugged.
“Just that she’s tougher than she looks.”
“Yeah. Well, she doesn’t have to be now.”
“Why’s that?”
“She’s got me.”
He laughed and slapped my back.
“Want to bowl? We can spill beer on our shirts later so they think we went out partying.”
“Yeah, okay.”
“I bet they think we are out with strippers or something. She has no idea my friends took out for lunch last week, and that was the extent of it.”
I looked at Clay with alarm. The thought of Frannie on stage with half naked men gyrating on her was unacceptable. Hell, I didn’t even want her looking at other men, naked or not.
And I sure as shit didn’t want them looking at her.
“Why? Are they at a strip club?”
He laughed.
“No, they are watching a movie in the entertainment room.”
“Nev told you that?”
He laughed, holding the door open for me.
“No, she told me she was going to go out and get wild. Condom straws and champagne. But I had the butler spy on them.” He held up his phone so I could see. “He’s been texting me all night with updates.”
I grinned at him.
“I like the way your mind works.”
“You too, my friend.”
Chapter Eighty-Nine
Frannie
I rolled over in Nev’s bed. We’d stayed up way too late laughing and talking. Around midnight we’d snuck to the kitchen to make ice cream sundaes.
That’s when we heard the rumbling from below.
We’d snuck down to the basement and caught Clay and Jace bowling.
Without a word we’d snuck right back out again.
They were very bad boys, indeed.
We’d had a good laugh at how tame we all were. Nevada had truly expected them to be a strip club or something, though she admitted she knew Clay wouldn’t enjoy it. But his friends would have insisted.
I sighed and prodded Nevada.
“Wake up, wifey. It’s your wedding day.”
She opened her eyes. She looked utterly panicked.
“Oh my God, what have I gotten myself into???”
I laughed.
“It’s going to be okay, Nev. You love him. He loves you. It’s a well established fact. Remember?”
“Right,” she muttered to herself, then looked at me hopefully. “Right?”
“Yes! Get up!”
She laughed and ran into the bathroom to shower. I left her alone long enough to clean up myself. Jace was in bed, wrapped around my pillow. I almost woke him up he looked so cute. His face looked so sweet and handsome and innocent. But the rest of him was built for sin.
Instead I tiptoed around the room getting dressed and ran back to Nev’s room.
I knew if I woke him up, I’d never get out of there without him pouncing on me.
We ate a light breakfast as a team of stylists descended on us.
Nevada’s hair was twisted up into an ornate chignon that framed her gorgeous face. I watched in awe as the stylist twisted pearls through it.
I was next. While makeup was applied to the bride, my hair was held back at the crown with a wide blue ribbon, then pinned back into a fishtail braid of sorts. I blinked at my reflection in the mirror. Even without makeup, I’d never looked better.