“Oh, my God. Conrad!” Marcia, the bartender, stood a few feet away from the table, staring wide-eyed at Harrison. She dashed up to him, planted a kiss on his cheek. “Whatever you want to drink—it’s on me. I’m so glad you’re back.”
Harrison’s gaze met Kenzie’s. “So am I.”
* * *
Conrad finishedthe best Philly cheesesteak sandwich he’d ever eaten while Rain, who sat beside him, logged into a website on her smartphone to show him photos of her and Joe’s wedding. It wasn’t really Conrad’s thing, but he wasn’t about to say that.
He’d told Kenzie that stepping into Knockers was like stepping back in time, but really it was like taking a jump forward. This place was the same, but his friends’ lives had moved on. Who said nothing ever changed in Scarlet?
Rain held out her phone. “This is Knockers all decorated.”
Conrad was impressed. “Wow.”
That seemed to be his go-to word these days, but what else could he say? Pine garlands. Red roses. A zillion white lights. In these photos, Knockers had been transformed from brewpub to Christmas romance fairyland.
“This is Joe in his tux.”
“He cleans up well.”
Joe had always been a loner, an eccentric millionaire who didn’t share details about his life with anyone. Getting together with Rain had changed something in him, and it was there on his face.
What was it like to a love a woman so much that just being with her transformed everything?
Conrad would probably never know.
He glanced over at Kenzie, got a hitch in his chest. She sat on his other side, holding little Angel, a look of adoration on her face, the baby’s tiny fist wrapped tightly around her pinky finger.
Rain scrolled to the next photo. “Here I am with Lark.”
Conrad turned his attention back to Rain. Although she looked stunning in her silvery white wedding gown, it was the image of Kenzie that knocked him flat. She stood off to one side in a beaded dress in bright, screaming red, the cloth clinging to her body like a shimmering second skin.
His mouth watered. “Holy shit.”
Kenzie apparently thought he was reacting to the image of Rain in her gown. “She was the most beautiful bride, wasn’t she?”
All Conrad could see was Kenzie. “Beautiful.”
“Hey, Conrad! Get over here!” Herrera stood beside the climbing wall, where Sasha was on belay for Nicole, who was crushing the crux move on a 5.11 route.
Conrad shook his head. “Not tonight.”
Rain scrolled to the next photo. “This is the ceremony. Chaska’s grandfather officiated. He got stuck in Scarlet, thanks to the snow. He was wonderful.”
Conrad leaned in, saw an image of Joe and Rain standing together in front of Old Man Belcourt. Kenzie was there, too, this time from behind, the back of her dress dipping down toward the luscious curves of her ass. “It looks like a happy day.”
Rain smiled, her gaze on the photo. “It was the happiest day of my life.”
“Conrad, come on, man!” Herrera called. “Rope up. I’ll be your belay slave.”
Herrera was a damned good climber and utterly fearless, but sometimes he could be a pain in the ass.
“I’m trying to have a conversation here!” Conrad called back, then apologized to Rain. “Sorry for the interruption.”
“That’s it, really. I won’t bore you with the rest of the photos.”
“A wedding and a baby. When Megs told me in Nepal, I thought, ‘It’s about damned time.’ I’m really happy for the two of you.”
“You done talking yet?” Creed walked up beside him.
