“Wow. That’s unexpected.” Kalilah looked at him strangely.
Nick kissed her forehead.
“You don’t have to move in today. I’m just working on being transparent, and I want you to work on not bolting.”
Kalilah rolled her eyes then nodded.
Nick let her go long enough to grab an envelope out of his laptop case. He held it up.
“Dad said if we worked it out, I would need to leave. Before I put this on his desk, I have one question.”
Kalilah pursed her lips. “What?”
Nick smirked at her. “I gave you my virginity; can I have your heart?”
The gleam in her eyes told him his smart ass was back.
“Take it.”
Epilogue
D ex Sinclair sat in his office staring at the ceiling.
“All you had to do was invite them to the Grand Opening.”
He scolded himself out loud. He would kick his own ass if he could. Not only did he unintentionally hurt his parents’ feelings, but he got saddled with a pro bono catering gig. And, if he hadn’t been there for the saga, he would have sworn Nick had proposed to Kalilah just to fuck with him. Of course, their wedding would be the next event his mother planned.
When she gave him the tentative guest list, he felt momentarily capable of cursing at his mother. Like a good son, he reigned in his reaction, but he wasn’t happy. Three hundred and fifty fucking people! Who in the hell did she invite? Half of The Woodlands! He hardly liked te
n people.
Dex hated weddings. Not the love and marriage part, but all the other exhausting bullshit that goes with the ceremony. His bride is getting snatched up and carried off to Vegas or a remote beach. Fuck weddings.
He closed down the restaurant early so his staff could focus on making a sample menu for the wedding. Their families were expected to arrive within the hour. He braced himself for all the wedding talk and pushed to his feet. It was time to make himself presentable.
Thirty minutes later, he was freshly showered and in a slightly better mood. Adding a restroom with a shower to his office at the restaurant was one his best ideas. He loved food but didn’t particularly want to smell like it all day. He sighed at the thought of all the long days ahead playing caterer and best man. He shook his head to get rid of the negative thoughts; he truly was happy that they’d gotten their shit together. Now, he could post ‘my sister-in-law is cuter than yours’ pictures on Instagram to piss off Nick. He laughed to himself. Lately, he’d purposely taken several pictures of her to make her his Woman Crush Wednesday for the next few weeks. Why? Because it was his duty to annoy his brother.
Dex was still giggling to himself as he headed to the front to let in his guests. Kalilah’s parents were the first to arrive; he shook her dad’s hand. They were about the same height; six-two. He was medium built and about the same coloring as Cayla. His hazel eyes were friendly, but Dex innately knew that William Wright did not play when it came to his girls. Even still, he could not help but pull Kalilah’s mother into a hug like he’d known her forever.
He needed to show her he was grateful for the offspring she’d released into the world. Plus, he had checked her out, there was no point in denying it. If she were single and wanted to be a cougar, he’d let her pounce. However, a sideways glance from Will had Dex releasing Akila Kay Wright faster than her grabbed her. She smirked at him, and he instantly knew were Kalilah got her personality. Will, however, was the male version of Cayla. He knew all too well about how she interrogated Nick.
Everyone, including Nick, had arrived but there was still no sign of Kalilah. He looked at his brother; he didn’t look worried. He decided not to worry. In the meantime, he checked out Cayla. His skin tingled, and his body reacted to his awareness of her.
She wore dark, skin tight jean leggings that were tucked it into thigh high stiletto boots - he made a mental note to revisit those leather boots - and a thin, pink sweater that did wonderful things to her breasts.
What the fuck was up with this girl and pink? It didn’t matter; he was more interested in a different kind of pink. His eyes took one more trip up her body. Damn. She was in trouble and didn’t know it. She wasn’t in a Criminal Minds or SVU kind of trouble. No, she was in the I-can’t-find-my-panties, I’ll-never-be-able-to-wear-that-shirt-again, Get-my-bra-off-the-ceiling-fan kind of trouble.
She gave him the same bored look she’d crafted just for him, but he wasn’t stupid. He could see the intensity in those hazel eyes. He had the same effect on her as she did him, and he fully intended to make her admit it when it was time. Until then, he sent her a two-finger salute and killed the eye contact.
Finally, Kalilah strolled into the dining area. After greeting their families, she hooked her arm into his and sat between him and Nick.
“Sorry I’m late--I had to stop by the bank, and the line was kind of long.”
Dex shook his head. “Why didn’t you just go to the ATM?”
Kalilah rolled her eyes. “Because I needed a specific dollar amount. It appears, sir, I’ve lost a bet to you, and I needed to pay up.”
“What bet?” Dex asked simultaneously with his brother.