“The fuck was …” Hawk starts.
Gabe’s hand shoots up in the air. “Not. A. Fucking. Word,” he demands. “I don’t know, and I don’t want to. Whatever the fuck it was, it’s gone now and I want it to stay that way. This shit right here stays in this cell and isneverto be spoken of again. Are we fucking clear?”
“Yes, sir!”
I’m with Gabe on this one. The less we know, the less likely we are to end up a hollow carcass on the ground.
“Mason, I want the prospects on watch at Everly’s tonight. We’ll catch this son of a bitch.”
“Thanks, Pres.”
11
EVERLY
I knew when the guys left the room that things would be awkward, but Liz and Linzie have been nice enough to talk to me at least.
“Okay, it’s too late to throw you two a party tonight, but we could put things together for the weekend. If you don’t mind waiting a few days,” Linzie offers. “It’ll give me more time to get the food menu together and maybe get some decorations together. Do you have a color in mind?”
“I, uh …”
“I know you didn’t have a traditional wedding, but if you were to have thrown your ideal ceremony, what would you have done?” she continues.
I shrug. “I never really thought about it. I never thought I would get married if I’m being honest.”
“What? Why? A beautiful girl like you? I was dreaming about my wedding day by the time I was six years old,” Linzie jokes. “Of course, my first wedding was nothing like I had originally planned, but you know stuffed animals were hard to come by at that point in life.” I laugh.
“You sound like you’ve been listening to Kaylie. She plans on having a big ceremony with all her stuffies and her Barbies as guests. Of course, Winston will be the best man whether the groom likes it or not.”
“Oh, I bet.” Liz laughs. “That girl is something else.”
“She is.” I smile. “I don’t know what my life would be like right now if it weren’t for her. I hate how we came to be together, but I honestly can’t remember what my days were like without her.”
“I bet you ate fewer Pop-Tarts,” Mason’s loud voice has me turning to find him headed in my direction. He comes to a stop once he’s pushed his body between my legs on the bar stool. “Hey baby.” He kisses my nose, and it’s like this is the way things have always been between us. It seems so natural.
“Hi.” My words come out on a breathy whisper.
“Did you ladies get anything worked out while I was gone?” he asks.
“We were just asking Ever if she could have had the wedding of her dreams instead of a courthouse quickie,” Liz glares at Mason. “What she would’ve liked to have instead.”
“She said she wasn’t sure. She never thought she would be married,” Linzie adds.
Mason’s brow furrows. His hands come up to cup my face. “We were always going to get married. You were just too stubborn to accept it. And to answer your question, ladies, Ever has always wanted a wedding out by the lake. We talked about it several times when we were kids.”
I blink in amazement. “You remember that?”
“Of course I do.” He kisses my nose, smiling when he pulls back. “You wanted a fancy archway covered in pink and red flowers. Picnic tables for the guests to sit at while they watched so we wouldn’t have to go to two different places for the ceremony and the reception. And you wanted chicken friedsteak and gravy from Magpie’s Diner for dinner because it was your favorite and you only got it for special occasions like your birthday every year.”
“Holy shit.” I breathe. “I had forgotten all of that. I guess I gave up on it when you told me you were leaving for boot camp. I tucked all my dreams away that day except the one where I would become an esthetician and own my own business.”
“Well, now you can have both. Whatever you want, baby. We can make it happen together.”
“I think I have a few ideas,” Linzie interrupts. “Liz, maybe you could help me with some of this?” Liz nods, smiling like she’s got a secret, and I’m not sure if I should be worried or not. “We told Ever we would prefer to wait until the weekend to throw you two a party. Give me some time to get a menu together and have some of the boys help me get things set up. That work for you too, Mason?”
“Sure. Whatever is best. We’re already hitched. The rest is just icing on the cake,” he says.
“Oh, that reminds me. I need to call Andi and get her recipe for red velvet cake. I don’t know what her secret is, but it’s better than store-bought. It all goes to my ass, but it’s worth every bite.”
