It might’ve been as simple as Brad noticing Nine staring at Dee and he was just curious why. But there was more to it. Nine had been stared down enough times in his life to know when he was being called out. That blinding white smile Nine had seen from across the backyard earlier had gone completely flat now as Brad continued to almost glare at him. It was only when Chelsea said something to him that their stare ended as Brad glanced away to address her.
As taut as every muscle in Nine’s body suddenly felt, he was glad for the interruption because he sure as fuck hadn’t planned on looking away. If the guy had something to say to him, all Nine could think was bring it. There was no way Brad could know some of the scandalous things going on in Nine’s head about the things he’d love to do to Brad’s fiancée. But on the surface, he hadn’t done a fucking thing wrong, except maybe keep Brad’s girl busy while the guy was too busy with work to be there.
Of course, even this had Nine curious as shit and anxious to speak with Dee again. Had she told Brad about spending the entire evening last night, talking and venting with Nine? Did he know about them getting stuck in the wine cellar or him hanging out with her and Chelsea at the barbeque? Had the mature adult Brad-for-president been an insecure prick about it?
Thankfully, the wedding-planner chick started gathering everyone in the wedding party. The ceremony would be starting and not a moment too soon. Nine could hardly wait to get Dee alone. Only he wasn’t sure if he should mention the stare. Nine was certain he hadn’t imagined the confrontational semblance in the unspoken exchange. But he wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to let her in on it just yet.
Already, Nine was taking this as a challenge. This fucker was out of his mind if he thought he could intimidate Nine with a hard look into acting any different around Dee than he had since day one. He hadn’t done a damn thing wrong. But if he mentioned the exchange to Dee, it might take away from the fun he was now anticipating having today.
Maybe he would keep it to himself for now. But he still wanted to know what she’d told Brad that would have him acting like an idiot.
“Not cool, Nine.” Nine turned at the sound of Becca’s voice. “Here I was certain you and your partner were totally into each other last night and she’s married with a kid?”
Becca motioned in the direction where Dee stood now talking with Brad, Chelsea, and Phoenix. “You made the assumption,” Nine said, wondering now if anyone else had come to the same conclusion or if Becca had been the only one watching them that close. “But you got a ride, right? So it worked out.”
“I was bluffing until you so rudely dismissed me.”
Shrugging in complete disinterest, Nine glanced in Dee’s direction and saw she was walking in their direction. “I don’t play games, Becca.”
Becca giggled. “Can’t blame a girl for getting a little jealous when her date completely ignores her all night. So will I get a little more attention today, now that her husband is—”
“Not her husband.”
He turned back to Becca, who was peering at him in question. “But they’re together, right? I saw them arrive together, and they were holding hands.”
Fortunately, wedding-planner chick was at it again, trying to get everyone lined up. “Better go grab a seat,” he said, holding out his hand for Dee, who seemed to be struggling to walk on the grass in her heels.
Dee’s eyes widened, but she took his hand as one of the girls assisting the planner handed her a bouquet. This time he didn’t even bother saying bye to Becca. He just walked away when he and Dee were directed to where they should stand.
Dee glanced at Becca as she walked away, then back at Nine. “I take it she’s not angry with you anymore?”
“Didn’t ask.” Nine turned to take Dee in completely and squeezed her hand just a tad. “You look beautiful.”
When she glanced up at him, Nine could see the compliment surprised her. But as usual, the slight unease in her eyes was fleeting and she smiled big. “Thank you.” She took him in, still smiling with a nod. “You look very handsome.”
Resisting the urge to glance over and see if Brad was watching them as they stood there holding hands and practically gazing into each other’s eyes, Nine breathed in deeply. As if maybe she just had the same thought, she slipped her soft hand out of his and linked her arm with his instead. All the other couples waiting to start walking into the giant tent in the backyard were doing the same, lined up and ready.
A few minutes later, they were walking down the aisle, and Nine had to resist grinning as they passed Brad. But he did make it a point to look him straight in the eyes, and once again, there was no doubt Nine might be misinterpreting the ill will in Brad’s eyes.
By the end of the ceremony, Nine could kiss the bride and groom for insisting it be short and sweet. He was dying to ask Dee about Brad, but he had to be careful he wasn’t too obvious. The photo shoot took place right after the ceremony and took much longer than Nine had anticipated.
It might’ve been exasperating to stand there as photo after photo was taken of the entire wedding party. The bridesmaids alone with Ali. Then the groomsmen with Beast. Then more of the bride and groom with other family members and friends.
Except, being there next to Dee the whole time, Nine was actually having a blast. He couldn’t get enough of hearing her giggle. “Pretty sure you’re supposed to look happy in at least one of these photos,” Nine said as they snapped another picture of a hard-ass-looking Beast and the bride with his mom and brother. “Smile, will ya?”
“I am smiling,” Beast said with the same hard expression.
Ali glanced up at him and touched his face sweetly, easing his expression, and he actually smiled then kissed her.
Turning to her sister, Ali giggled. “I told you he really does smile.”
“Swear to God,” Nine whispered against Dee’s ear. “Only time I’ve ever heard him laugh is when he’s busting my balls.”
Dee giggled and Nine smiled big even as the memory of the last time he’d seen the big guy laugh came to him: the day he’d warned Nine about not getting any ideas about Dee.
“Next family?” the photographer asked and Ali pointed at Dee.
“Your turn, Drew. Get Chelsea in here.”
With Phoenix busy filming the photo shoot, which made no sense to Nine, Brad was left supervising Chelsea. He walked her over when Ali waved him down from where he was standing with the little girl. “You get in here too,” Ali said as Brad began to walk away. Brad pointed at himself in question. “Yes, you.”
Brad took off his sunglasses, and they took a few photos of Dee’s family; then Ali wanted one with just the girls. Beast and Brad walked off to the side where Nine was standing. Unlike the first two times, Brad turned off the dick face and smiled in Nine’s presence though not at him. He and Beast were discussing something about the NFL draft, and Brad made a comment about how he’d be on the first flight out the next morning because a few of the up-and-coming players were clients of his.
And then it happened.
“You two meet yet?” Beast asked, glancing from Brad to Nine.
Brad responded before Nine could. “No, we haven’t.” With his sunglasses still off, he stared right at Nine once again, minus the glare. But he wasn’t smiling. “Drew’s mentioned you a few times.”
Nine eased up a little, even grinning a bit while Beast appeared to hold his breath. “Oh, because they’re partnered up for the wedding,” Beast said as if maybe he’d been worried she’d mentioned anything else about Nine. “Nine, this is Brad. Brad, this is my good friend, Nine.”
Brad held out his politician’s hand and Nine shook it. The grip was a little on the firm side but not overdone. “Nine, huh? What’s that about?”
Nine shrugged, glancing away. “Just a nickname I picked up over the years.”
“He’s a rebel without a clue.” Beast chuckled. “Everyone kept commenting about how fast he was blowing through his nine lives, and the name was born.”
&nb
sp; Beast was called back to the photo shoot, and he excused himself, leaving Brad and Nine alone together. “A rebel, huh?”
Nine smirked, staring right into Brad’s eyes. “Depends on who you’re asking about the nickname. Different people have different reasons. I played some ball back in the day. Pitched. Almost always lasted the whole game. Nine innings, nine lives.” He glanced in Drew’s direction, smiling even bigger. “Nine inches.” With his eyes back on Brad, he was once again treated to Brad’s death glare.
“I need to tinkle.” Both Nine and Brad looked down at Chelsea, who was standing between them, looking up at Brad.
“Hey, baby girl,” Nine said, pretty sure his knowing Chelsea would surprise Brad, but he didn’t care. “Don’t you look beautiful in your princess dress.”
The sweet sheepish smile made him smile even bigger. “Thank you,” she said, touching her dress, but then she seemed to remember and looked up at Brad again. “Mommy said to ask you to help me find Aunt Charlee so she can go with me. She still has picture time.” She turned to Nine next. “She said to tell you they need you over there again.”
“Well, then I better get going.” With an even bigger smile than earlier, he nodded in Brad’s direction. “Good to meet you finally.”
He walked off before giving Brad a chance to comment on anything he’d just said. By the time he reached Dee, he was chuckling under his breath. Dee eyed him suspiciously, glancing behind him in Brad’s direction. “What’s so funny?”
“I met your man.”
What he’d give to be able to kiss that sexy-ass brow she lifted. “And that’s what has you laughing?”
“No, but curious. Does he know about us getting stuck in the wine cellar or us hanging out at the barbeque?”
The brow dropped, and she looked alarmed suddenly, but in pure Dee fashion, the alarm was short-lived. She switched back to looking suspicious instead of worried. “No, why?”
Nine shrugged, trying to make less of it. “He didn’t say anything about it. I was just wondering because he said he’d heard about me when Beast introduced us.”
“Oh.”
This time she did the lifting and dropping her shoulder as they all started toward the tent where the reception was taking place.
“The night we got stuck on the freeway he knew I wasn’t alone because it’d happened when I was giving you a ride home. Last night I told him about the changes in the weddings formalities.” She shrugged again, glancing away, but then added, “Being partnered off and who with, etc.”
As usual, that sparked another question. “So why didn’t he show up last night?”
“He got done late. It’s why I told him to just meet me at my place when he texted to ask if I still wanted him to meet me at the dinner.”
The wedding planner had them line up again just outside the tent. “Jennifer and Orlando, you’ll walk in first, and you’ll be introduced by the host. Then Drew and Rudy, followed by the matron of honor, Lila and best man Byron, and finally the bride and groom will make their entrance.”
She reminded them that the bride and groom would be first to take seats at their table, and then the wedding party would follow as practiced the night before. Once done, she motioned at the host inside, and he began with the introductions of each couple as they walked in arm in arm.
It wasn’t until they were taking their seats at the wedding table that Nine spotted Brad in the crowd. He and Chelsea were at a table with some of the guys from 5th Street and their wives. While he appeared to be busy schmoozing it up and flashing his big white smile, Nine didn’t miss the way he’d glance over to them every few minutes.
The bride and groom were served first, followed by the wedding party. Nine’s eyes met briefly with Tay’s. She was sitting across the way at a table with Dulce and both Beast’s and O’s moms. She smiled sweetly as her eyes moved from him to Dee; then she turned to Dulce when she said something to her.
Dee tsked as they set their plates down in front of them. “That’s two days straight you’re eating steak.”
“Yeah, but after today, I won’t have any steak for a while.”
That was the moment it hit him. After today, he probably wouldn’t see Dee for a while either. Like months, maybe longer. Judging by the glares he got from Brad today, which he still didn’t know what to make of, he doubted he’d be hearing too much from her even via text.
“Ali mentioned you and Orlando live above the shop,” Dee said, meeting his eyes as she lifted her glass of water. “Do you guys have an outdoor living space? Where you can barbeque?”
Biting his tongue as he gazed into those mesmerizing eyes because he’d already slipped once and told her she looked beautiful, Nine took a sip of his own water before he could say it again. Instead, he just nodded. “We have a small patio off the side of the building that’s big enough for it, and we did once. But mostly, we just step out there if we need a smoke and don’t feel like walking all the way outside.”
Dee nodded, digging into her salad with her fork. “You seem the barbeque type. I was just gonna say you probably do steaks and carne asada most.” Nine nodded as she wiped her mouth with her napkin and turned to him. “You been smoking long?’
Nine had to stop and think about it. He probably had been smoking too long. “Since I was in high school. You ever smoke?”
“Oh, no way.” She lifted a very pretty French-manicured finger. “Not that I’m judging or anything. It just gave me a horrid headache the only two times I ever tried, so I was never even tempted to try again. But even if I ever had, I would’ve had to give it up after I had Chelsea.”
As usual, this piqued his interest further. Only in this case, he almost hated to ask. He’d hate to think that sweet little girl had any serious ailments, and he knew for a fact she’d already been in the ER at least once that year. Still, he had to ask. “Why? She have respiratory issues?”
Shaking her head as she finished chewing her food, Dee wiped her mouth again when she was done. “No, well, she has been diagnosed as being asthmatic. Not so bad she needs an inhaler regularly or anything. Thank God. But even if she wasn’t, it’s just not the example I’d like to set, and I wouldn’t want her around my second-hand smoke. Phoenix won’t allow his dad, who’s a chain smoker, anywhere near her when he’s smoking.”
She continued with her salad as Nine pondered that. He hadn’t even thought of that being yet another reason why he’d likely only ever make her for-fun-only list. But then why would he have even thought of that? She had Brad-for-president over there.
They continued to eat silently for a few moments. It almost felt as if things got a little awkward after her comment about not wanting second-hand smoke around her daughter. Fortunately, she was quick to end any awkwardness.
“Oh!” She slid her phone out of the small clutch on the table. “I forgot to tell you. We got a puppy.” Tapping away quickly, she turned the screen to him so he could see the picture of her daughter hugging the neck of a huge spotted puppy. “Meet Tank.”
“That’s a puppy?”
Dee laughed. “Yep, just four months old. He’s a Great Dane,” she said, sliding the pictures across the screen so he could see more. “Phoenix talked me into it. He had one as a kid and assured me they’re a very gentle breed. Believe it or not, we made sure we got the runt because I was afraid of how big he was going to get.”
“That’s the runt?”
Nine took her phone to look even closer, scrolling through more of the photos. Dee leaned in to look with him and continued to laugh at each silly picture of the big goofy brute. As always, Nine couldn’t get enough of her laughter. He made sure to lay on the smart-ass remarks so he could listen to her laugh even more.
Like the night before, they talked and laughed through the entire dinner as she told him more of the many adventures of Tank. Nine shared with her about the dogs he had growing up, stopping only when they had to smile for the camera as Phoenix walked by filming.
When the dinner was ov
er and after the matron of honor and best man made their speeches, it was time for the bride and groom’s first dance. It was only then that they were finally silenced as everyone watched his whipped-ass friend gaze into his bride’s eyes on the dance floor.
“Gads! They look so in love,” Dee whispered, taking a deep breath. “And that’s such a perfect song for them. Ali was so hard on herself around the time she met him because of her thick glasses and those extra pounds she was trying so hard to take off, and still, he was brought to his knees by her.”
Nine turned to her and took in the dreamy way she was gazing out at them. He’d heard the song so many times but never paid attention to the words, so he listened now as he too turned to watch Beast and Ali gazing at each other as if they were the only two people in the room.
’Cause all of me
Loves all of you
Love your curves and all your edges
All your perfect imperfections . . .
Dee sighed again. “I just . . . I can’t . . .”
Swallowing hard, Nine glanced at her as she shook her head but continued to gaze at the dancing couple. “You can’t what?”
She turned to him. That dreamy look on her face was a little wide-eyed now, but she shrugged quickly enough. “Just an expression. It’s too sweet. I can’t take it anymore.”
They went back to watching, but just like every fucking thing she said, this made him even more curious about something he’d already been wondering. Was she really in love with Brad? Even engaged to the guy, she still wasn’t sure enough to even move in with him. He thought of how off they looked together as they’d walked into the backyard today. Was it possible she wasn’t?
The wedding planner came by to remind them all that the wedding party would be joining the bride and groom on the dance floor after the first dance was over. They all got up and readied themselves to do so.
Nine thought this might be more fun earlier. Taking Dee in his arms while Brad-for-president watched, sounded like a satisfying kick in the nuts. Instead, his heart was racing with anticipation, and Brad had nothing to do with it.