42 Hours (Time for Love 3)

Shit … I was starting to sound like a lovesick fool.

“We’re here?” Gaby said, her voice still holding a trace of sleep, but when her eyes focused on the beautiful house in front of us, she let out a squeal. “Oh my God! That’s the lake house?”

She opened the door and bounded out to hug our friends. I chuckled as I watched, giving myself a moment to compose myself before opening the door and stepping outside.

TJ walked up to me, and when he leaned in to give me a half hug, he whispered in my ear, “I didn’t know if you were planning on getting out, or watching her sleep all day.”

I shot him a dirty look, then chuckled and punched him in the arm.

“Get used to it,” I warned with a grin. I gave everyone a hug, then told Gaby to go on and check out the place while I got the bags.

When I walked inside with our stuff, I smiled at the girls gushing over the house.

“This kitchen is amazing!” Gaby said, clapping her hands together like a little girl.

“Did you get a load of the exposed beams?” Sasha asked. “And the windows … Look at all of this natural light.”

“Well, my favorite part is the fire pit outside,” Shelly added. “You have to come see it, Gabs.”

The girls all headed for the back door and I headed upstairs. Cal was right behind me when I hit the landing and said, “Shelly and I are on the right, TJ and Sasha on the left. We left you the master, and figured the one next to it could be Gaby’s.”

I looked over my shoulder and smiled at him. He gave me a wink and said, “Just trying to help a brother out.”

“I appreciate it,” I responded.

I quickly unloaded the bags, then made my way downstairs to join my friends. I’d been at the lake house a couple times for work parties, and a retreat. It was a pretty impressive place, and I wouldn’t mind owning a vacation home similar to it one day.

I grabbed three beers out of the stocked fridge, passed two of them to TJ and Cal, then opened the third for myself. I followed them outside to find the women all sitting in the lawn furniture that circled the unlit fire pit. The lake was only a few feet away and was shimmering with the falling sunlight.

“I could definitely live in a place like this,” Gaby was saying with a smile as she looked out over the water.

I sat on the armrest of her chair, and asked, “So, you like it?”

If she thought it was weird that I was sitting so close to her, rather than in one of the empty chairs, she didn’t show it.

“I love it,” she gushed happily. “Thank you so much for making this happen!”

“My pleasure,” I replied honestly. “What do you say we relax for a bit, then get ready to head to the bar for dinner and dancing?”

Everyone agreed, so we spent the next hour lazing around outside, unpacking, and exploring the house and the property.

While we waited for the girls to get ready, the guys and I lounged in the living room, watching baseball and drinking a beer. I was excited about tonight. I knew that Gaby loved to dance, although she usually danced with the girls, not with guys. At least not that I’d seen. I was hoping I could convince her to make an exception tonight. I was eager to have her in my arms.

Shelly came down first, her hair blown out and curly, with a sweet summer dress that showed off her proud new baby bump.

Cal let out a low whistle, jumped up from the couch, and walked over to meet his wife. “You look gorgeous,” he said when he got to her, and I averted my eyes when they looked at each other lovingly and he bent down to give her a kiss.

I was so happy that they’d been able to work through their issues, and their marriage was stronger than ever. I’d known that they were meant for each other in high school, and I would have bet my life savings that nothing could ever tear them apart. But when Cal woke up after my bachelor party, with no recollection of what happened and a naked woman in his room, their marriage had faced the ultimate test. Cal being Cal, he put his heart and soul into proving his love for Shelly, and after eight weeks, and eight carefully planned-out dates, he’d convinced her that his devotion for her was true. Now they were expecting their first child, and happier than ever.

When TJ started cat-calling, I looked over to see Sasha descending the stairs. She was tricked out in a tight black dress and cowboy boots. Her hair wild and free, her face done up in a dark and sexy way.

“There’s my girl,” TJ said with a growl, causing Sasha to laug

h throatily as he spun her into his arms.

I chuckled at their antics, but the laugh died in my throat when Gaby came up behind Sasha. In a simple long skirt and tank top, she took my breath away. The bracelets on her arms jangled as she walked, and her hair hung loose and straight around her shoulders. She must have done something to make it look that flat, since her hair was normally wavy, but it looked great. Her makeup was light, but the thing that made her stand out was the mega-watt smile on her face.

I walked over to her, my arm out, and asked cheekily, “Would you do me the honor of being my date this evening?”