“I’m pretty certain Zander is going to drive you all crazy with his hovering,” I whisper, though it’s definitely no secret. He has been visiting the hospital every single day, often taking Jensen and Kiera to visit their baby cousin. Every time, he bought with him a small gift for baby Z.J.
I think Ava basically melted into a puddle of mush when she first saw Zander holding him. If she wasn’t already pregnant, I wouldn’t have been surprised to find out she was knocked up after seeing him then.
Z.J. definitely has some fiercely protective and loyal uncles to contend with.
Sasha smiles at me before shifting her eyes over to Zander, who has his arms wrapped around Ava as he whispers something in her ear that makes her laugh.
“I’m so glad Z.J. has Zander. I never gave him enough credit, or any at all actually. But when he kept charging his way into my life when we were kids, when he kept inviting me to everything and making sure he was always around, he stopped me from being truly lonely. He gave me the family I was craving, and now I have all of you because of him. He’s my hero,” she admits, her head falling to my shoulder.
“You’re my hero, Sasha,” I tell her, feeling her head shoot back up so she can gaze at me in surprise.
“I am?”
“Of course you are. I know I owe it to you and Ava for getting me the job at J.P.I., but it was you who made me feel so welcome there. You were the same force for me that you just told me Zander was for you. You invited me into your lives and made me part of this family. I wouldn’t have any of this without you. And not only that, but I think you’re amazing, Sasha. Brave, strong, smart, and so freaking scary sometimes. You’re inspiring.”
“Stop it,” she says without fire behind it. “I’m certain it’s the birthday girl who is supposed to cry at these things, not the guests.” She wipes away a few tears then wraps me back up in another hug.
“Thank you for saying that. I think you’re pretty damn incredible yourself. I wasn’t sure what to think when you told us you wanted to become a P.I., but I’m so proud of all that you have accomplished.”
I squeeze her hard, and then she leans back, her arms still touching mine, not quite disengaging just yet.
“Two things quickly. Scarlett is on her way over,” Sasha quietly mutters, staring sternly into my eyes. “I want you to know that I’m so happy you guys were able to figure things out. She makes you happy, and that makes me ecstatic.”
“Thanks,” I whisper.
“Second thing, if you ever tell Zander that I think he is my hero, I will not only deny it because that man’s head is big enough, but I will tell everyone about the time you couldn’t make it to the bathroom in time when we went to the movies with Ava and Teagan and you wet yourself.”
My mouth drops open in surprise.
“Don’t look at me like that. I might be your hero, but I am also your best friend, and I hold the key to the vault with all your secrets inside. I’m not afraid to whip a couple out if needs be.” She laughs then, and I can’t even bring myself to be annoyed at her blackmail since it’s so damn good to hear and to see her smiling again.
“It’s a good thing I love you.”
“And I love you.” She leans in, gives me a quick kiss on the cheek, and then turns around to greet Scarlett before she is wrapped up in Declan’s arms and being offered a soda as he whisks her away.
“You having fun?” Scarlett asks, replacing Sasha’s arm with her own as she wraps me up in a hug, this one much more sensual and hopefully less threatening.
“Yes. I can’t believe you did all this.”
“This is nothing. It was the least I could do.”
I lightly shake my head. “It wasn’t necessary, but I appreciate it all the same. I don’t think anyone has ever thrown me a surprise party before.”
“I’m glad it was a surprise. I wasn’t sure if Gemma would play along. Hell, I half-expected her to not even bring you.”
I laugh, thinking that could very well have been a real possibility.
“Well, I’m glad she took pity and delivered me,” I say, noticing my parents are in the corner talking to Scarlett’s parents. They only met a couple times previously, but from what I see, things seem to be going well.
The Booths haven’t opened up to me much, but I saw some cracks when they found out what was going on and how I had helped Scarlett. It’s weird, but while I’m still a little on the outs, they freaking love Gemma.
What is this world coming to when Gemma is anyone’s favorite? I mean, she saved their lives, but I don’t even know if she said more than a handful of words to them.
Wally basically fell head-over-heels for her.
As I think that, I find him on the other side of the room, no doubt searching for Gemma, who appears to be doing her best to avoid being seen by him. He either doesn’t remember her being with me when I blackmailed him last year or doesn’t care.
“So am I. You never know what Gemma is going to do. But like you said earlier, it is just your twenty-ninth birthday.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that tonight you probably won’t be getting lucky,” she says with a wince.
“No?” I reply with a smile, assuming she is joking, until I notice she looks dead serious.
“Nope. Next year? For sure,” she promises, causing my breath to catch at the easy way she says we are going to be together next year. There is no doubt in her voice. Just a fact. “Sasha and Declan aren’t staying for long, and once they’re gone, we’re closing up.”
“We are?”
“Yes. I’ve arranged two groups. Zander, Ava, Harvey, and Teagan are in group one, and they are going shopping.”
“Shopping?” I’m beginning to sound like a parrot.
“Yes. Since everything happened so fast with Z.J., Sasha and Declan aren’t ready. They painted the nursery, thank God, but other than a crib and a few unisex clothing, that is all they have prepared. We’re going to deck out that baby room with everything they could possibly need. The last thing they should be worrying about is shopping for baby stuff.”
I smile at her, my heart growing so large for the woman in front of me that I fear it might burst from how much I love her. “You’re incredible.”
“Don’t speak too soon. You, me, Joey, Nix, and Gemma are in the second group.”
“Gemma?”
“Yep, when she overheard me organizing with Zander, she jumped at the chance to offer her services.”
“And what services is that? What’s our job?”
“We’re going to give their house a cleaning worthy of a royal palace. They haven’t had a chance to do a thing for weeks so that means we have clothes to wash, dishes to scrub, and an entire house to tidy up and vacuum. There won’t be one speck of dust by the time we’re finished.
“Gemma said her specialty are bathrooms, and there is no way I’m turning that down. Me and Nix will make up some homecooked meals to put in their freezer, along with the others buying enough ice cream to keep Sasha happy for a while. So, that should be super handy. We’ll stock their fridge, and then we need to be out before they get home. If we’re still there, they’ll think they need to thank us, maybe even insist we stay for a while. But if we’re gone, then they can enjoy their clean home and find a routine with their boy.”
Okay, now my heart is definitely going to explode.
“Lettie, that is … I can’t even … Wow,” I mutter, leaning in and kissing her on the lips, sweetly at first, but quickly deepening it, unable to stop myself. This woman is just amazing.
Like Sasha has been drilling into us lately, we have to enjoy life. I need to appreciate my woman who is the most kind-hearted, sweetest, most compassionate woman I have ever met.
“Will you cool it down? My restaurant has a reputation to uphold, you know,” Nix sasses, knocking our shoulders while also saluting me with his beer. “Happy birthday, Cynthia.”
“Shut up, Nix. Like you and Harvey haven’t been fucking in the
storeroom every chance you get,” Scarlett argues, causing Nix to choke on his sip of beer.
“What …? How …?”
“Those walls aren’t soundproof, you know! If I have to hear one more time how much you love Harvey’s dick, I swear—”
“No!” Nix gasps, looking so aghast that I wonder if he might actually pass out.
“Fine, I’m lying. I have no idea what you shout mid-orgasm, but I know you both go in together, and when you come out, you aren’t as put together.”
“You bitch,” he gasps with no heat behind the slur. “I could kill you.”
“Then you wouldn’t have an awesome manager to take care of the restaurant, and you’d have less sexy time with Harvey. Somehow, I think my ass is safe.”
Nix purses his lips in annoyance. “I’ll still think of a way to get you back for that.”
“I’m not sure you’ll have time, what with listening to all this baby talk. You know, since babies are everywhere in this group,” she teases.
“Don’t make me talk about penises, Scarlett.”
“Honestly, with the way you talk about Harvey’s dick, it sounds sort of magical. Doesn’t bother me to hear about it or to drink to it. But you, you’re going to have to hear a lot more about babies,” she tells him, which also tells me Ava’s secret is no longer.
He narrows his eyes on her, and then his eyes actually land over mine and Scarlett’s waists.
I snort while Scarlett grins evilly. “Guess again.”
He anxiously scans the room before he finally does a double-take on Ava. She might not be showing, but Nix knows his drinks, and he knows her glass does not have a tinge of any of the wine he serves.
“Oh, my God!” he cries out, stomping over to Ava. “That isn’t wine; that’s water! Why aren’t you drinking wine? Please don’t tell me you’re having another baby!”
Before she can confirm or deny, Nix is groaning, moving his free hand to his forehead. “I am going to need to check into rehab soon.”
“I think a rule change is in order,” Ava suggests as I move closer, dragging Scarlett along with me.
“What rule change?” Nix asks hesitantly.
“I’m having my third baby,” she announces, nodding and smiling at the murmurs of congratulations echoing her words. “Most of my best friends are mothers now, and I think things might have shifted a little. Correct me if I’m wrong, but when I’m out with my girlfriends, the last thing I want to do is spend all night talking babies, even if it’s fun to torture Nix a little.” She smiles at him apologetically. “I think if the topic of babies comes up, then it should be us women who have to drink.”
We all take in her words, and I have to agree that she makes a good suggestion.
“And me? When do I have to drink?” he questions, still sounding unsure, likely wondering what the catch is.
“I don’t know. For now, our failures can be yours. We drink together, as a family.”
“I like that,” Teagan says, and Sasha nods her agreement.
“I think it’s a step up, so I’m game,” I agree.
Nix’s shoulders relax. “Fine, I’ll play ball for now. But,” he snaps, glaring at all of us slowly, “if I do need to check into rehab, I demand the finest one around, and we go sixths on it.”
“Sixths? I’m not even part of this!” Scarlett whines when he points at her.
“Sure you are. You’re part of this family now, whether you like it or not,” Sasha tells her.
While the conversation moves along easily after that, with many people personally congratulating Ava and Zander on their new addition, I feel Scarlett is still tense beside me.
“You okay?”
“She accepted me,” she says quietly.
“Who?”
“Sasha.”
“Of course she did. She accepted you before as well. She’s always liked you,” I assure her.
Scarlett shakes her head softly. “I just thought she put up with me because you liked me.”
“First of all, I don’t just like you. I love you. And secondly, Sasha would never have invited you to her wedding if she didn’t like you. She knew she liked you as soon as we started coming into Nix’s restaurant when he and Harvey were dancing around each other.”
She turns to look at me, her now shiny eyes focusing on me. She’s close to crying.
“You have to have known she cared about you. Why else were you willing to do all this for her?” I point out, referring to Scarlett’s plan for Sasha and Declan’s house.
“Because I’m a decent human being, and because I know she’s your best friend. She means a lot to you, so she means a lot to me.”
I smile at her again, wrapping my arms around her shoulders and leaning into her so we are close enough to kiss. “I’m not sure I could love you anymore than what I do right now. You’re so amazing, Scarlett Booth.”
She gives me a watery smile, and I’m tempted to kiss the sadness out of her eyes.
“I love you, too,” she tells me gently. “I wish we hadn’t lost so much time.”
“It doesn’t matter. What does matter is I have you now, and I’m never letting you go.”
“I’m not letting you go, either,” she promises.
“Well, someone has to let go, because I’m not holding your drink all night,” Joey tells me, waving my forgotten wine glass in front of my face.
I smile at him then lean in to give Scarlett another quick kiss before I take the offered glass.
“Happy birthday, kiddo,” he says, forcing me to duck when he actually moves to mess up my hair.
“Stop calling me that! I’m not a kid, and I’ve been kicking ass at my job lately.”
“True. Even the cases you’ve done on your own. I’m proud of you,” Joey says, his honesty clear. He truly means those words.
I grin up at him. “You are?”
“Yep, we all are. None of us were sure this was the right move for you, but you proved to us how capable you are.”
“Thanks, Joey. That means a lot.”
“It’s also nice knowing there will be a voice of reason when you guys go out and decide to do something stupid—Ouch!” he cries out, missing Teagan’s surprise attack as she slaps his arm.
“I’m a voice of reason. And let me remind you that we haven’t gotten in trouble for a long time.”
“That isn’t exactly a vote of confidence, you know,” he points out.
“You boys get in more trouble than we do. Need I remind you that you all are the ones who are working on these dangerous cases?”
“I promised you that I wouldn’t get involved in that anymore, and I won’t. Not for a client.”
“We were shot at just last year!” she shrieks.
“Actually, it was technically the year before. It’s the start of a new year, don’t forget. And that wasn’t for a client. That was for Harvey and Nix. Completely different,” he unhelpfully corrects her.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Sasha says, moving up beside me and cutting off whatever Teagan was about to say. “But, is there going to be cake? Because, no offense, Cynthia, but I came out for cake.” Sasha gives me a cheeky wink so I know she’s at the very least not being completely honest. It was totally for the cake and me.
“Yes! Cake and a toast!” Scarlett announces.
“A toast?” I squeal, and she thankfully takes pity on me.
“Fine, just cake.”
I smile at her retreating back and enjoy the warmth of laughter from being around my best friends. It’s been a while since we were able to have a night like this, and I’m not sure I have ever felt so happy. Everyone is here, except Jerry, which isn’t surprising. Then again, Nix has cameras in here, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s watching us right now. Everyone is safe, and no matter what happens in the future, we will always have each other.
“Happy Birthday” is embarrassingly sung in loud, off-key voices. I’m still laughing about it when I have to blow out the candles like I’m a child and told
to make a wish.
Glancing around at all my friends and family, my eyes landing on Scarlett last, I’m not sure I have anything to wish for. Everything I could want is in this room.
Cheers erupt when I cut the cake.
A silly thought enters my mind that our next office might last longer than the others, and that it will be permanent.
I cut all the way to the bottom before Sasha informs me that it’s bad luck to touch the base, and that whatever I wished for is doomed now.
I laugh, not sure our next office is ever likely not to be doomed.
Oh well, at least I tried.
I speak to my parents, who adore Scarlett, and then suffer through a mostly tension-free chat with Scarlett’s parents. Her dad even toasts a drink with me, which gives me some hope that they are accepting me back into their daughter’s life.
After a few more chats with friends, an impromptu dance with the girls, and moving off to the side to sneak in a second helping of the delicious cake, I only manage a couple bites before Scarlett busts me.
“Good cake?” she asks, smirking in a knowing way.
I glance at the dark mud torte, and with another small bite, I know I must be in heaven. Nothing could get better than this.
I nod enthusiastically and enjoy the happy grin Scarlett shares with me.
“Feel like heading into the storeroom for a bit? I hear it’s soundproof,” Scarlett cheekily says.
Okay, it can get better.
“Hell yes,” I whisper, not feeling an ounce of shame as we make our way around the small gathering and toward the back of the restaurant.
If anyone notices we are leaving, no one makes a big deal out of it. Instead, our family and friends laugh, smile, and amicably chat with one another, enjoying every second. Just like I plan to do with Scarlett for the rest of my life.
She pulls on my hand when I move too slowly, and once the door is shut behind us, she pushes me against it, pressing her body against me, her breath grazing my throat as she moves into me to suck along my exposed collarbone.
“Lettie …” I moan, leaning my head back against the door to give her better access.
“Before we get down to business, I want to give you your present.”
I Blackmailed Her Brother Page 27
