“Like a spanking?” Myles looks oddly intrigued.
“How are you and I related?” Cash mutters.
“What kind of punishment?” Asher questions.
“I’m thinking shots. Specifically, tequila shots.”
My brows shoot up. “Pres said no tequila. I do stupid shit when I drink tequila.”
“Exactly.” He grins. “Time for a little brother bonding.”
I groan.Forgive me, Pres.
Chapter Thirty-Five
PRESLEY
I never thought I’d see my mom posing with a cartoon penis balloon, but here we are.
“A little to the left, Tilly!” Elena shouts over the top of her iPhone. I giggle into my wine. I might be a little tipsy.
“Are you okay with all this?” Zara asks, motioning to the chaos that has descended upon my living room. She’s sitting next to me on the sofa with a paper plate filled with cheese, fruit, and crackers nestled in her lap. Our tiny apartment feels positively cramped with Zara, her younger sister, Violet, Elena, Mercury, my mom, and me. But we’re making it work. We pulled in chairs from the breakfast nook for Elena and my mom. Merc is sprawled out on a pile of pillows on the floor.
When the guys whisked Hollis away for an evening at the bar, the girls barreled into our apartment, loaded with appetizers, booze, and a ton of party favors.
“Yeah.” I smile. “I didn’t want a bachelorette party, but this…this is great.”
“Good.” She pops a grape into her mouth. “We all wanted to do something for you, but didn’t think a traditional bridal shower was your scene. So we sort of threw this together. Kind ofa grown-up sleepover—without the sleepover.” She laughs when she sees the horror spread across my face. “Don’t worry, we’re not all crashing here.”
“Thank God,” I breathe out. “’Cause I have no idea how I’d fit all of you.”
She pops another grape. “Are you excited about the new house?”
I grin from ear to ear. “So excited. We’re fitting in a few days before the holidays for a honeymoon. We’re driving up the coast. Hollis has never been to Big Sur or even San Francisco. So I’m going to show him some of my favorite places. But when we get back, we’ll meet the designer and finally get started.”
“I’m really happy for you,” she says. “I realize we haven’t known each other that long, but Hendrix talks about you so much, I feel like I do. I know his reaction to your marriage wasn’t the greatest at first.”
“He was just being a big brother.”
She smiles. “He was, but he was maybe a tad overdramatic.”
“Hendrix? Never.”
We both laugh, and I take a sip of my wine. Elena and my mom have finished their photo shoot and are now settling back in the living room. My mom sits, but Elena remains standing, holding a small box. “Pres, I’d personally like to thank you for getting married?—”
“Twice!” Merc hollers, making everyone laugh.
“Twice,” Elena echoes. “It not only gave us all a reason to celebrate you, but it also means I get a whole night—kid-free—with my husband!”
Hoots and hollers ensue.
“But in the meantime, we have some serious girl time to make up for—’cause Zara and I have been out of town for way too long.”
“Me too,” Violet agrees, squeezing in next to her sister. “I feel like I’ve barely been home in months.” She’s a successful model. She does runway shows all over the world, but you can also see her face in perfume ads and high-end clothing lines. She’s widely popular and obviously gorgeous.
“Well, I’d say you haven’t missed much, but…” Merc gestures to the rings on my hand, making everyone laugh.
“What’s with the box, Elena?”
