“I’m glad because they’re permanent, so if they’re a deal breaker, you should have said something weeks ago.”
He smirks and kisses the rose on my forearm. “They’re beautiful.”
“Thanks.”
“What are your deal breakers?” he asks, surprising me.
“Well, that’s putting me on the spot.”
“I don’t think we’ve had this conversation. Everyone has them. What are a couple of yours?”
“I think I’m pretty normal. Drugs, infidelity, being an asshole are all deal breakers.”
“I should hope so,” he replies with a nod. “And I agree.”
“What are some of yours?”
“Snakes.”
“Snakes?”
“Yes, I can’t date anyone who has a snake as a pet.”
“Well, darn, foiled again.”
He laughs and pinches my earlobe. “You wanted a snake?”
“No, I hate them too.”
“Y’all are so cute,” Flo says with a smile as she delivers my food. “How long have you been married?”
“Oh, we’re not—” I begin, but Mac interrupts.
“We’re not there yet,” he says with a smile.
“A new love,” Flo says with a happy sigh. “I do enjoy a love story. Good for you two. Let me know if I can get you anything else.” She winks and walks away, and I’m stuck on one word.
Yet.
I should be terrified. I should need a couple of hours to myself so I can do my self-therapy session thing, but to my surprise, I don’t need it.
I just kiss his shoulder, then dig into my pancakes.
“Want a bite?” I ask, holding some up for him, which he takes, and kisses me with sticky, syrup-covered lips.
“Good.”
“Mm, very good.”
I should tell him now that I love him, but I don’t. I’m not ready.
Not yet.
Chapter Sixteen
~Mac~
“I’m so glad I wore my dancing shoes,” Riley announces, looking down at her feet with a smile.
“Those shoes are a mile high,” Landon replies with a frown. “How can you dance in them?”
“They’re pretty,” she says, as if he’s just being difficult. “And my legs look fantastic in them.”
“They really do,” Kat says with a nod. We’re all out on a Saturday night to celebrate Kat’s birthday, minus Jake and Addie, who decided to sit this one out because Addie is ready to pop at any moment.
It’s probably not appropriate for a pregnant woman to be living it up at the club.
“Addie looked great today,” Kat says, as if she’s reading my mind. “It was nice of them to have us all over for cupcakes.”
“Any excuse for cupcakes is great,” Cami says with a smile. “And I think Addie will throw any kind of party for the excuse of eating sugar.”
“Plus, it’s your birthday,” Mia says with a smile. “Of course we had to have cake.”
“And drinks,” Riley adds. “But not for the pregnant girl.”
“So, you work with Mac, Chase?” Landon asks my brother, who I talked into coming along. With Mom living at his place, he’s turning into an old man. He needed to get out of the house for a while.
“That’s right,” Chase replies with a nod. “Mac and I have owned several businesses together.”
“It’s so great that you can work with your brother,” Cami says. “I don’t think I could work with my siblings. We’d kill each other.”
“Well, we have moments, but it’s pretty smooth for the most part.”
“How did you get us in the VIP section?” Kat asks me as she sips on her drink.
“I know the owner,” I reply with a smile.
“It’s a good spot,” Riley says, looking out at the dance floor. “We can see everything happening, but it’s not crazy loud.”
“And our waitress is very attentive,” Kat says. “No waiting forever for drinks in this section, which I was worried about. The bar is always understaffed here.”
“You think so?” Chase asks. We share a look. He and I have thought about buying this place. It’s popular, and from what we can see, it’s busy. The past three years have shown a profit.
“We used to come here often,” Mia says. “We stopped because it was sometimes a thirty-minute wait just for a drink. So being in this section with a private waitress is really nice.”
“I want to dance,” Riley suddenly announces. “Kat, come with me.”
“Gladly.” They finish their drinks in a few gulps, then hold hands as they walk down to the dance floor and begin to move with the music.
“They’ve always loved to dance,” Cami says with a grin. “Mia, do you remember that time in college when we went to that frat party and Kat and Riley ended up dancing on the table?”
“I think they each made fifty bucks that night,” Mia says with a laugh. “And they didn’t even have to take any of their clothes off.”
“It was hilarious.” Cami leans her forehead on Landon’s shoulder, laughing so hard she’s shaking. “Of course, Addie offered to strip, but she never was shy about taking her clothes off.”
“I wish we could all be that confident,” Mia replies.
“You should all be that confident,” Chase says. “Each of you is gorgeous.”
“I like him,” Mia says to me. “You can bring him around more often.”
Just then, a tall man in his early thirties approaches Mia and leans in to talk to her. She smiles and nods, and he leads her to the dance floor.
“Well, hello, hot guy for Mia,” Cami says happily. “He’s cute.”
“Yes, you mentioned that,” Landon says, rolling his eyes. “And he better watch where he puts his hands on my sister or I’ll kick his ass.”
“She’s almost thirty, babe,” Cami says, patting his shoulder. “She’s got this.”
“So what did you get Kat for her birthday?” Chase asks.
“I haven’t yet,” I admit with a cringe.
“Her birthday is tomorrow,” Cami reminds me.
“I know.” I sip my beer and watch my girl shaking her ass on the dance floor. “Don’t worry, I’ll get her something great.”
“He’s pretty good at giving gifts,” Chase says.
“It doesn’t have to be crazy; she’d be happy with just about anything because it came from you,” Cami replies. “She’s not high maintenance.”
“I’ll figure it out,” I reply with a nod, and order fresh drinks for Riley and Kat when the waitress approaches.
“Do you see that?” Cami asks, pointing toward the dance floor.
“What?” Landon asks.
“Those women,” she replies. “Standing off to the side, watching Mia and that guy dance.”
“I see them,” I say. “The ones who need to put more clothes on?”
Cami snorts. “I thought men liked it when women showed their goods.”
“There’s a line between being provocative and looking like a hooker,” Chase replies, shaking his head. “Those girls have crossed that line.”
“Well, they don’t look happy that Mia’s dancing with that guy,” Cami says.
“It’s not like she’s marrying him,” Landon replies, watching them closely. “But I’ll keep an eye on them.”
I glance down in time to see Riley and Kat hug, then make their way back to the table. They’re full of smiles and out of breath when they reach us.
“Oh yay, you got us more drinks. I’m thirsty,” Riley says.
“I should have got you some water too,” I reply. “It’ll help with the hangover tomorrow.”
“I don’t really get hungover,” Riley says with a shrug. “And I know it looks like I drink a lot, after my classy swig from the bottle at the baby shower last weekend, and now this, but I really don’t. It’s just been one hell of a week.”
“She drinks the least of all of us,” Cami says with a nod. “So you’re not turning into an alcoholic on us?”
“Nah, I’m just burning off some steam,” Riley says, and smiles as Chase retrieves her handbag, which fell to the floor, and hooks it back on her chair. “Thanks, handsome.”
“You’re welcome.”
They smile at each other, and the electricity shooting between them is visible, practically lighting up the whole table.
“I think your brother is going to hit on Riley,” Kat says, not nearly as quietly as she thinks. “Look at the googly eyes.”
“I don’t have googly eyes,” Chase says with a laugh. “But yes, I might hit on Riley.”
“I’m not someone you want to hit on,” Riley replies. “Really, I’m not having a lot of luck in the opposite-sex department lately.”
“Maybe your luck will change,” Chase says.
“Probably not.” Riley frowns and crumples a napkin in her fingers. “I would stay away if I were you.”
“You’re not me,” Chase says, and shrugs. “But we’ll see how the night goes.”
“I want to talk to you,” one of the scantily clad girls from the dance floor says to Mia. She’s flanked by two of her friends.
“Where did you come from?” Kat asks, but they’re not listening to her.
“What can I do for you?” Mia asks.
“You can keep your fat ass away from Carter.”
“What did you just say?” Kat demands, and immediately stands, confronting slut number one.
“I told her to keep her fat ass away from Carter,” she repeats, her hands on her hips, looking down at Kat, who’s much shorter than her.
“You cannot be serious. Who in the hell says something like that?” Kat asks, as if she just can’t believe what she’s hearing.
“Are you learning impaired?” the bitch sputters. “I’m not repeating myself again. Tell your fat friend to stay away from him. He’s not interested in her anyway.”
“I’m going to recommend that you shut your ugly mouth and get the fuck away from here,” Kat replies calmly, her arms folded over her chest.
“Or what?” slut number two asks. “You’ll kick us in the shins?”
The other women outweigh Kat by at least thirty pounds each, mostly because of their height, but Kat doesn’t back up. She simply smirks and leans in, as if she’s going to tell them a secret.
“You’re a piece of shit, and an ugly one at that. My guess is Carter is sick of being stalked by you. Now you get lost.”
Slut number one slaps Kat, right across the face, and just as Chase, Landon, and I spring from our seats, Kat rears back and punches the other woman, square in the nose, knocking her back into her startled friends.
“I warned you,” Kat says as the other woman tries to right herself, blood flowing down her face and onto her way-too-short dress. “I will kick all of your asses if you don’t walk the fuck away. Right now.”
“Come on,” slut number three says, leading the others away. “He’s not worth this, Lydia.”
“I love him!” she screams as her friends lead her away.
Kat turns back toward me, headed to her seat, and shakes her hand. “That bitch had a hard nose.”
“You were ready to take on all three of them,” Chase says in surprise. “That would have started quite the shit storm.”
“Let me be clear,” Kat says, mostly sober again from the adrenaline. “I’m not some damsel that needs to be rescued from the storm. I am the goddamn storm.”
“Yeah, she’s not lying,” Cami says. “Kat is the last person you want to piss off.”
“I believe you,” Chase replies, his hands up in surrender.
I rub my now unsteady hand up and down Kat’s back. I don’t know if I’m reassuring her or me, but I do know that I was about to kick a woman’s ass in her defense, and I’ve never hit a woman in my life.
“Are you okay?” I ask Kat.
“I’m great.” She glances up at Mia, who’s tugging on her shirt and keeping her head down. My gut twists in utter rage.
“Are you okay?” Kat asks Mia, who just nods, then shrugs.
“She’s right, he’s not interested in me anyway. She can have him.”
“I don’t get it,” Landon says. “Why do you believe bullshit like that? You’ve done that your whole life.”
“Because I’ve been this size my whole life.”
“So?” Chase says, joining in. “I’m not your brother, so I can say this to you without it sounding wrong. I see a beautiful, intelligent, successful woman. You have crazy amazing hair. Your eyes are stunning, and frankly, your curves are too. We’re men, sweetheart. All women are beautiful. Sure, most people in general have a type, but I find that to be bullshit too. That guy asked you to dance because he thought you were hot and he wanted to watch you move.”
Mia’s jaw has dropped and she’s staring at Chase like he’s grown a second head.
“I mean it,” Chase adds.
“I really like him,” Mia says finally. “If Riley turns you down, you can hit on me.”
Chase winks at her, and Kat flags down the waitress. “Let’s do some shots!”
She’s slept for about ten hours. I’ve checked her twice this morning to make sure she was still breathing.
She never sleeps this long.
I’m sitting at the edge of the bed, holding her hand, watching her. Willing her to wake up so I can talk to her and kiss her.
I’m in trouble with this woman. She’s amazing.
“I need coffee,” she says without opening her eyes.
“I can do that.”
“Stop yelling,” she replies. “And close the shades. It’s too bright.”
“They are closed,” I whisper, and kiss her cheek, then pad out to the kitchen and press the button on her Keurig. When I return with her coffee, she’s buried her face back into the pillows. Her hair is a riot of knots and hairpins that she never took out the night before because she was so drunk she passed out as soon as we got home.
Her makeup is smeared, her mascara caked under her eyes, and her red lipstick smeared on the right side of her mouth.
She’s a hot mess.
“Stop hovering,” she groans.
“How do you know I’m hovering? Your eyes are closed.” I set the coffee on the nightstand and sit back down.
“Why are you yelling?” She opens one eye, glaring at me. “It’s not nice, and there’s no need for it.”
“I’m not,” I reply with a smile, and lean in to kiss her head.
“Oh God, don’t touch me.” She rolls onto her back, smacking her lips and tongue.
“Mouth dry?”
“Did you feed me cotton balls?”
“Yes, I thought you’d enjoy them.” My voice is full of sarcasm as I offer her the coffee. “You have to sit up to have this.”
“Why are you so mean?” She sticks out her lower lip in a pout, but manages to sit up and scoot back against the pillows. “Better?”
“Better.” I pass her the coffee and pull her foot out of the covers so I can rub it.
“Oh God, you’re good at that.”
“So you’ve said.” I smile and watch her sip her coffee, enjoy the foot rub, and slowly wake up. She opens and closes her right hand, scowling.
“Holy shit, did I punch a girl last night?”
“Yes, Rocky, you did.” I pull the other foot out and give it the same attention.
“She deserved it,” she mutters. “But fucking hell, she had a hard nose.”
“You surprised me with your right hook.”
“I haven’t had to use it for a while,” she admits, and narrows her eyes, staring across the room. “That chick pissed me off.”
“I hope so. I’d hate to think that that’s how you greet someone you like.”
“I don’t understand women,” she replies. “And I know you’re on a smartass kick right now, but let me finish.”
My lips twitch, but I keep them closed and wait for her to continue.
“Mia may look like a badass, and I know that she gives th
e impression that she’s hard and driven, but she really has the sweetest heart of anyone I know. And she’s been bullied all of her life because of her weight.”
She looks up at me with tear-filled eyes. “Women are horrible to each other, and it starts when we’re young. I know that boys scuffle and they’re competitive, but girls are flat-out horrible. Critical, mean, judgmental, disgusting people.
“It’s so weird because when you go into the bathroom of a bar or club, girls are as supportive as can be. ‘Here, your tag is showing. Your lipstick is smudged on one side.’ We console each other, say ‘He isn’t worth it anyway.’ Compliment each others shoes, hold a stranger’s hair back when she pukes her tequila back up, share gum and makeup pointers. You’d think that every woman in there is your BFF.”
She takes a sip of the cooling coffee and shakes her head.
“But the second you leave that bathroom, it’s like a battlefield. All Mia did was dance with a nice man when he asked. That’s it. She didn’t make out with him on that dance floor, she didn’t flaunt herself or act stupid. She was having fun, and that woman thought it was appropriate to come to our table and insult her in front of all of her friends because she has a crush on that guy and was jealous of Mia.”
She wipes a tear off her cheek and shakes her head. “I don’t get it. It was cruel and intentional, and she deserved the shot I gave her to the nose. She deserved more than that, to be honest.”
“I don’t understand either,” I reply, and fold her into my arms, tucking her under my chin. “But I was so proud of you for standing up to her and defending Mia.”
“I like to think that I would have defended any woman being treated like that. But it was Mia, and I love her.”
“I know.”
“And I didn’t want Landon to have to punch a girl, so I did it instead.”
“You don’t have to justify it to me. Those women were horrible. It’s no wonder that Carter guy wants nothing to do with her.”
“Poor Carter,” she says with a laugh. “I wonder how long she’s had her sights set on him?”
“Too long would be my guess,” I reply, and kiss her head. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t feel great,” she replies, sliding out of my arms and back down into the bed. “It used to be that I could party all night and not be hungover the next day.”