Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 132951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 665(@200wpm)___ 532(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 665(@200wpm)___ 532(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
My phone pings. “Lexi’s here.” Looks like any questions will have to wait. I adjust my bracelets, then grab my bag, a cardigan in case I get cold, and my shoes. “Walk me out?”
“Of course.” He puts Dewey back in his luxury hedgehog condo.
Connor is silent as we walk down the hall, though he glances at me every few seconds, like he wants to say something, ask something, admit something. But he doesn’t.
The elevator ride to the first-floor foyer is electric with tension, but I don’t break, and neither does he. After we step out, I pause to put my heels on, using Connor’s shoulder for balance. And an excuse to touch him.
Connor opens the front door. A stretch limo has pulled up in front of the stairs.
Flip’s head pops out of the sunroof. “It’s bestie party time, bride-to-be!”
“I didn’t know Flip was coming.” Connor looks both relieved and apprehensive.
“Bestie privileges mean he gets to partake in the estrogen fest.” I wave and note that much like Connor, Flip looks a little rough.
The door opens, and Callie comes bouncing toward us. The rest of my friends’ smiling faces appear at the windows as Connor holds his arms open and catches her. Lifting her off the ground, he gives her a big squeeze. “How’s my favorite goalie?”
“I get to go for dinner!”
“That’s great! Are we still meeting at the rink after to shoot the puck?” Connor asks as he sets her down.
“Yup! Roman bought me a new stick!”
“I can’t wait to see it.”
Callie takes my hand, pulling me toward the limo. She clambers back inside and pats the spot beside her.
“Please don’t feed Dred too many shots,” Connor says, leaning down to look inside.
I pat his chest. “I know my limit.”
“Doesn’t mean everyone else will.” His eyes fall to my lips.
I curve my hand around the side of his neck and feel his pulse hammering there. “Don’t worry, Connor. I’ll be a good little menace.”
“That’s what I’m worried about.”
“I won’t do anything to make your life more difficult than it already is,” I assure him.
“I appreciate that, but it’s not what I’m worried about.”
My heart stutters. I push up on my toes, kiss the corner of his mouth, and climb inside the limo. The entire Babe Brigade greets me with shrieks and hugs and laughter.
We leave Connor standing at the bottom of the steps. One hand is tucked in his pocket, the fingers of the other rubbing the place my lips were.
Lexi gives me a knowing look.
“How are you feeling?” I ask Flip.
“Probably just as bad as Tristan,” Rix pipes up.
“Dallas was in rough shape when he got home,” Hemi agrees.
“Ash wasn’t too bad,” Shilpa says.
“What happened last night?” Callie asks.
“The team took Connor out after the game,” I explain.
“Oh.” She nods knowingly. “He stayed up too late.”
“Exactly,” Lexi says.
“I get grumpy when I do that.”
“Me, too.”
The rest of the girls and Flip chime in with their hearty agreement.
Fee and Tally are already at the restaurant when we arrive, as are Connor’s sisters. My friends greet them with enthusiastic hugs.
“We invited a couple extra guests to join us for dinner,” Lexi says. “They should be here soon.”
“Who else is coming?” I can’t see Lexi having extended the invitation to my work colleagues, especially not Dorothea.
I find out a second after I ask the question when a pair of arms wrap around me from behind. “Dred!”
“Everly?”
I spin around, my smile widening as I take her in. She’s wearing a slightly too big dress, and Cordelia, the woman who runs the group home, is standing behind her. “Cordelia!”
“I’m just dropping Everly off for dinner.”
“What? No! You have to join us!” I turn to Lexi. “There’s room, isn’t there?”
“Of course.”
“It’s settled, you’ll stay for dinner, unless you’re needed elsewhere,” I amend.
“We have to pick Victor up from his piano lesson in two hours. He says hi, by the way,” Everly explains.
“Excellent. You can bring him takeout.” I introduce Everly and Cordelia to everyone and we get settled at the table, with Everly ending up beside Fee and Tally, since they’re the closest in age. She fits right in, and it makes my heart so happy that Lexi managed to invite her.
Isabelle is quick to warm up and Portia eventually relaxes, too, laughing and smiling as we talk about the wedding preparations and my first experience with steak tartare.
“Why would someone want to eat raw steak?” Everly asks.
“That is a great question,” Flip commiserates.
“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at it the same way again,” Portia says.
“I used to feed it to Duchess, our family dog,” Isabelle admits. “But we had to get rid of her because Dad said he was allergic.”
“That’s sad. I’ve always wanted a dog. Once Victor and I went to a foster home with a dog. He was always chewing through his leashes,” Everly says. “What did you do with the raw steak after you gave your dog away?”