Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 121887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
“Javi,” I snapped. “Javi!” I yelled as he jogged up the rest of the stairs, taking them two at a time. “I’m buying the nutribullet!” I shouted at the ceiling.
Javi didn’t reply.
Two hours later, I gave up arguing at the checkout counter and let Javi buy the nutribullet.
We got the top-of-the-line one that did both personal smoothies and acted as a blender, because of course we did.
And it was black.
TWENTY-FOUR
“BECAUSE YOU LOVED ME”
(CÉLINE DION)
“Why am I having déjà vu?” Roxie whispered.
“Because eleven women are huddling around a couple cars in a ritzy neighborhood, and probably five people have already called 911 on us. So the cops are gonna be here in approximately four minutes. All because a woman in love is doing something her man expressly asked her not to do,” Ally answered.
All true.
Eek!
Ally kept going.
“We’re gonna get arrested for trespassing, at worst, or escorted out of this development, we can hope. Somehow, because it always does, this is going to get back to her man. He’s gonna lose his mind. Drama is going to ensue. There’ll be a kidnapping and perhaps a car bomb thrown in here and there for shits and grins. And then someone is gonna get married or pregnant and they’re all gonna think it’s over, but it won’t be. And I know this because a version of it has happened about ten times in Denver. To us. Including me. And you.”
“Oh yeah, that’s why I’m having déjà vu,” Roxie replied through a smile.
You guessed it.
The Rock Chicks horned in on our action.
There we were, sitting in Mace and Stella’s fantastic casita, where Tex and his wife Nancy were staying, innocently scrolling through mid-century modern home renovations and décor ideas. We were sipping cocktails Jessie made. We were eating cashews (I’d noted the Rock Chicks had a thing about cashews). All of this while alternately stroking or playing with a bevy of cats.
And then, after I’d given Nancy plenty of time to get a good number of ideas in her head about her new house, I ranted about Javi’s dad. Jessie threw a fit. The Angels threw down with me. The Rock Chicks joined in camaraderie.
And now we were all here. In a ritzy development. Standing in a huddle on the street outside Austin Atherton’s sprawling house.
I had a feeling Indy, Roxie, Stella and Annette were there for kicks.
And Ally was there to make sure we didn’t get arrested.
But I was stuck on Ally saying, “Woman in love.”
Was I in love with Javi?
Oh em gee!
I was!
Or, at least, I was falling. And fast.
Okay, so did this freak me out considering it was so soon?
Hmm.
No.
No, I was not in the slightest freaking out. Even if Javi strong-armed his way to buying the nutribullet, I knew down deep in my soul he was the guy for me.
Hark back to the groom carrying the bride thing.
Do you feel me?
“Lolo,” Raye called.
I stopped smiling moonily at no one and focused on my friend.
“This is your rodeo. You gonna get in the saddle?” she asked.
Oh.
Right.
Time to mount up.
I straightened my shoulders. “Let’s go.”
I’d practiced in my head on the way there what I intended to say, so I was ready.
We’d just made it to Javi’s dad’s impressive front door, the girls fanning out behind me, when my plan went awry.
This was because, materializing from the shadows, were Cap, Roam, Knox, Brady, Liam, Gabe, Jacob, Jeff, Cody and Eric.
They fanned out behind the Angels and Rock Chicks.
I looked to Jessie.
Accusingly.
She shrugged. “Okay, I got pissed on Javi’s behalf and rant-texted my man, and during that, I might have shared what we were up to.”
I kept looking at Jessie.
“And maybe I did the same with my brother,” she finished.
Jeff being that brother, who was also Javi’s closest friend, so naturally he’d rally Javi’s crew to get his dad to back off once and for all.
“Did you also rant-text the Terminator?” I inquired.
Another shadow formed, it pushed through the men to stand slightly in front of them, and we had Mace.
So now we had the Terminator.
“I didn’t rant-text him,” Stella shared. “I ranted face-to-face.”
I didn’t know what to make of this in my current situation.
What I did know was that I wished Javi was here to see it.
Speaking of my guy.
“Where’s Javi?” I asked, seeing as we left him, Cap and Eric having beers with Mace at Stella’s and Mace’s place, and now Cap, Eric and Mace were here.
“Left” was a nice way to say it.
“Snuck away hoping they wouldn’t notice we were gone” was more apt.
“He’s looking after the kids,” Mace said.
Javi was…
Babysitting?
“How’d you pull that off?” I asked.
“Wasn’t hard. Javi loves kids,’ Mace answered.
Oh my.
Now I felt super melty.
“Told him we had a callout, minor case, Cap and Eric and I could take care of it,” Mace explained further. “He thinks you and the women are still in the casita with Nancy, and I asked if he could look after the kids so my woman could have some time with her friends from out of town.”