Ronnie, on the other hand, decided on something a little more dramatic that will definitely shine a spotlight on her. It’s a one-shoulder, long-sleeved, champagne-colored, A-line, sequined dress. Her slit is wide open compared to all of ours, showcasing her legs beautifully before falling back down to the floor in the back. It also has a deep V-neckline held together by a mesh fabric.
Then there’s Aubrey, the angel of our group. She got the simplest dress the store had, and yet on her it’s absolutely stunning and shows off her figure perfectly. A beautifuleucalyptus-green, A-line, floor-length dress with a scooped neckline, spaghetti straps, and a leg slit. Effortlessly beautiful, just like her.
In my case, I went with a black off-the-shoulder, sleeveless, form-fitted dress. A split starts on my right thigh, then goes down in a diagonal opening to reveal the bottom of my left leg as well, with a brush train.
I wasn’t 100% sold on the dress, but the girls assured me Greyson would die seeing me in it. They also claimed it would make my hair stand out even more, which I’m not opposed to at all. The amount of money I put into my hair products to keep it shiny and vibrant is ridiculous, but I love it, so might as well show it off.
Our chauffeur pulls up in front of Morgan’s house, and we all exit once he’s opened the door. We’re all waiting by the end of the van as he removes our purchases from the trunk when several cars pulling into the driveway across the street catch our attention. First a shiny red sports car containing the owner of the home, next a big black Jeep with a massive rogue-looking man covered in tattoos.
There’s an SUV that pulls up along the sidewalk at that moment, where the driver climbs out of his seat, walks around the car, and opens the back passenger door. A man equally as tall as the first two stands straight, adjusting the cufflink to his suit. He seems like the type to always wear a scowl on his face with how serious he looks. And finally, a man we all recognize steps out of a black Audi.
“Shane?” Aubrey gasps suddenly, slapping a hand to her mouth as she blushes. “Oh God, I said that out loud, didn’t I?”
The men across the street suddenly all turn their eyes on us. Two with questions, one looking like a deer caught in headlights, and the other looking a bit too happy to see a group of women standing nearby.You can guess who is who.
“And from the looks of it, loud enough for them to hear,” I giggle.
The happy neighbor strolls down his driveway toward Shane and places his arm over his shoulder, whispering something to him, to which Shane shakes his head and looks reluctant. But the man at his side doesn’t seem to care and drags Shane across the street while the other two men follow behind.
“Good afternoon, ladies. I thought it was about time we did some proper introductions, don’t you think?” The neighbor flashes us his devilish, flirty smile.
“Well, given that most of us have seen you naked, or partially naked, I think that would be appropriate.” I wink with a smirk and a hand propped on my hip.
“What can I say? When there are beautiful women around, my clothes just seem to disappear… poof.” He makes a show of hands as he says the word, like he’s making it magically disappear.
The three men to his side all groan or shake their heads with an eye roll, while we ladies can’t help but giggle. Except for Aubrey, who’s getting rosier by the second.This guy knows how to charm the ladies.
The flirty neighbor stretches his hand out to me first. “Jessie Storm. The better-looking brother. Pleasure to meet you.”
I take his hand with a laugh and shake it. “Likewise. Emma Mackenzie.”
He goes on to do the same with the rest as the tatted man steps up. “Jason Storm,” he says with a gruff, serious voice, but then a small smirk appears with a little twinkle in his eyes. “The stronger brother.”
Next the suited man comes to stand before me with a sigh as he puts his cellphone away in the inner pocket of his suit jacket. “Julian Storm.” He looks at Jessie and Jason, who both wait to see what he says next. Julian breathes heavily through his noselike he’s annoyed but used to this. “The smarter brother,” he says with a tight smile.
“Not so smart if you play into their antics,” I giggle.
His smile turns amused for a split second. “That I must agree to.”
He proceeds to shake the other girls’ hands but stops in front of Aubrey. He glances at Shane who gives him wide eyes, a private message clearly being passed, but all it does is make Julian chuckle.
Finally, he picks up Aubrey’s hand, and instead of shaking it, he brings it to his lips, delicately kissing the top. “And you must be the beautiful Aubrey.” She instantly turns a concerning shade of red as she watches him with huge round eyes.
Shane squeezes his eyes shut and groans.Well, well. Someone has been talking about our lovely baby Brey.
“It is an honor to finally have the chance to meet you. I have a feeling we will be seeing more of each other in the near future.” Julian kisses her hand once more, then takes a step back while Shane glares at him and Aubrey looks entirely confused.
Once they’re all done with their introductions and stand one beside the other, it’s abundantly clear that they’re brothers, with maybe a year or two at most between each. All very tall, between six foot three and six foot five. Jessie being the shortest and Jason the tallest. They all have black hair and identical piercing green eyes.
Julian wears a light scruff on his jaw, whereas Jessie is clean-shaven, and Jason has a thick beard of around two inches long. Jason is also the most built out of the three, making him look like a dangerous tank with all his tattoos.
“So Shane, how do you all know each other?” Cecilia asks him.
Shane peers behind us at the house where our driver is bringing up our gowns. I’m surprised the boys haven’t noticed us outside yet, but it won’t take long. “Julian and I have beenfriends for a long time, and well, Jason and Jessie came along with the deal.”
“Wait. Storm. Why do I recognize that?” Morgan furrows her brow as she racks her brain. “Oh! Storm Security! You’re the Storm brothers. We just changed the security system in our home for yours. It’s amazing.”
“Well, thank you. I created our latest system. I could show you some hidden features later on if you’d like,” Jessie says with a wink.
