Read My Mind

by Natasha Preston

  Laughing, she lets go of the pink monstrosity on the hanger and moves on, leaving us while she flicks through the options.

  Wren shakes her head. “I’m so glad I was too pissed to care what anyone wore at my wedding.”

  “You didn’t have anyone at your wedding,” I remind her.

  She rolls her eyes. “Let’s not start this again, Mila.”

  “You should renew your vows.”

  “Hell no. All this planning is such a pain in the arse.”

  I nod in agreement. It does seem like a lot of effort. “Indie has been flat out working and planning, and Spence just tells her to get whatever she wants.”

  “She hates that.”

  “Who hates their man wanting to give them whatever they want? That chick is weird.”

  “We all know you’d love that. How was your weekend with your non-boyfriend Reid?”

  “No need for that, though, is there? The weekend was great. His family are awesome, and if you don’t stop smirking, Wren, I’m going to suffocate you with that puffy dress.”

  She laughs and wraps her arm around my neck. “Oh, Mila. Tell me all about it. How is Reid?”

  “He’s good.”

  “I’m going to need more than that.”

  “I love you, Wren, but you’re proper annoying.”

  “Aw, now you know how you were when I was going through the Brody stuff.”

  “I was calm, respectful, and helpful.”

  “You told me to have sex with him.”

  “You’d already had hot, drunken sex with him! Who can blame me for telling you to drop your pants and ride that donkey again?”

  “Can I help you?” the middle-aged owner asks.

  Wren presses her lips together and ducks her head.

  I know it will be a fatal error if I make eye contact with her now.

  Hold it together.

  “We’re with our friend. Indie Croft? You just met her,” I say, curling my hands into fists.

  She blinks twice. Her name tag reads Janet, and she looks like she wants to throw us out onto the street. “Wonderful. Shall we join Indie?”

  Clenching my jaw, I nod. She’s judging us. I feel like I’m back in school when the teachers would tell me off for talking all the damn time. They’d move me over to someone else and I’d just talk to that person, too.

  We giggle like schoolgirls while we follow Janet.

  Wren nudges my arm. “How was your donkey’s performance this weekend?”

  My cheeks heat at the memory of how many times I’ve had him inside me, and the look in his eyes when he loses control. He’s insatiable, and I’m loving every second of being adored by his body.

  “The donkey is outstanding.”

  She laughs. “I really like him, Mila. He’s good for you. Anyone who can make you smile this much is great with me.”

  “Back off, you’re married.”

  She rolls her sparkly blue eyes.

  “Indie, how are you getting on?” Janet asks her.

  “I love these ones,” she says, holding up two pale sage dresses that would show off a bit of cleavage and sit around knee-length.

  “It’s gorgeous,” Wren says, taking it from Indie.

  “No hideous, football-shaped sleeves. Nice call.”

  “Those are coming back in,” Janet informs me with a rather snippy tone.

  I scoff. “Well, they should have died in the eighties.”

  Indie gives me the look she’s perfected over the years. I’m to stop talking now. But it’s okay for Janet to keep dishing out the attitude.

  “Do you want us to try them on?” I ask.

  “Yes, but you two look gorgeous in everything.”

  Wren and I take a dress each and head behind the curtain.

  I strip. “I can’t believe our little Indie is getting married.”

  “You’re the only one left now, spinster.”

  “Are you going for dick of the year or something?”

  She laughs and shimmies out of her jeans. “Marry Reid.”

  “He does practically live in a library.”

  “And he has a big cock,” she adds. “Right?”

  She damn well better not have ever seen his cock. I nod. “Absolutely no complaints here at all. He doesn’t talk much about his family.”

  “Where did that come from? And weren’t you just with his family?”

  “It’s been on my mind a bit. I’m not talking about his parents and sister. There were no grandparents there to celebrate. I know he has an uncle because he was the one who got him into books. He didn’t tell me much, though. He’s a bit shady when it comes to details. I don’t know; maybe I’m overthinking.”

  “You two aren’t together so maybe he’s just not opened up completely.”

  “What you’re saying is he doesn’t owe me anything…”

  “Well, no. But I mean that maybe it’s not something he would open up to with a friend, anyway.”

  “Yeah, maybe. It’s none of my business.”

  She steps into the dress. “How much did it hurt you to say that?”

  “Ugh, so much. I just want to know everything. Is that so much to ask?”

  “You’re the type of person to read all of the comments in someone’s Facebook rant.”

  Doesn’t everyone do that?

  “Are you two dressed?” Indie asks from beyond the curtain.

  “Almost,” I say, grabbing my phone. Wren and I pose in front of the mirror, and I take our selfie. “Such a shame we couldn’t do this for your wedding—”

  “Because I got married without you,” she finishes, rolling her eyes again.

  We walk out of the changing room and twirl together.

  “Oh my God!” Indie claps her hands. “You are both so beautiful.”

  “We rock these. Get them!” I say, linking arms with Wren.

  “I agree, and I can’t wait to cry through your entire ceremony.”

  I bet she does, too.

  Indie buys the dresses, and we head to a restaurant for dinner.

  “This was the last thing on your list, right?” I ask her.

  We’ve been involved in a few things, but planning a wedding happens a lot quicker when you drop your movie star fiancé’s name every now and again. Whatever Indie wants, she gets. I’ve not even had to shout at anyone on her behalf yet. That disappoints me a little bit.

  “I’m so happy, guys,” she says as we order a round of cosmopolitans.

  “You deserve all that happiness in the world.”

  She smiles over at me. “So do you, Mila.”

  Happiness is something I thought would be a way off. There was a lot of growing I needed to do, and I didn’t think I could be at peace until the other parts of my life were in place. Shouldn’t I have waited to get close to Reid once I’d moved out or finished uni?

  The universe can spring someone on you at any moment and it throws you way off. There is no perfect time to find your person. There is no perfect time for love. You just have to leap.

  Forty-Six

  Mila

  I close the door of Reid’s car, and my teeth instantly chatter.

  The weather is winter through and through. Frost sits on every surface, but the sun is shining bright and making the hotel grounds glisten. It’s rather beautiful. Reid walks around the car and grabs our bags.

  “I like you in a suit. It’s very hot. You should wear one in the office. Wait, don’t do that. No one would ever get anything done.”

  He shakes his head. “You’re ridiculous.”

  I check him out for the millionth time this morning. Every time I look at him, I get this flip in my stomach that won’t go away. I want to glue myself to him so that we’re never apart. That would get kind of messy when we’re old and one of us dies first, but that’s the level of insanity I have reached.

  I walk into the beautiful hotel beside Reid. It’s even prettier than the pictures Indie showed me. It’s the perfect mix of casual and formal.

&
nbsp; Reid checks us in because he insisted on changing and paying for the room. My original booking was a double but whatever.

  “Tell me you got the best suite,” I ask of him as we make our way up the rustic oak staircase, towards our room.

  “Yeah, I booked the honeymoon suite before Spencer and Indie could. You snooze, you lose, right?”

  I roll my eyes and try not to smile. “You’re the only one who finds you funny, Reid. All right, let’s get to our budget, hostel-style room.”

  He chuckles and stops by a door. He’s holding my bridesmaid dress in his hand. I have all the other things we need in my small suitcase.

  Our clothes are touching. It’s feels intimate to me, which is ridiculous considering I spend a large portion of our time together wrapped around him.

  “This is us,” he says and opens the door.

  I walk in first, and my eyes zoom from corner to corner of the room. It’s beautiful, with a massive, rustic oak bed. There’s a theme with this hotel. It has a seating area with a huge TV and coffee machine. The bathroom also has a jacuzzi bath and double shower.

  “I take it back,” I say.

  “I’m having you in that shower later,” he says. The door clicks shut behind us.

  “Keep talking like that and we won’t make it to later. Is there a Do Not Disturb sign we can hang? Can I get one that says Go away, I’m doing Reid Walker?”

  His face is a picture of amusement, but I bet he’s considering making one. I wasn’t joking. “You need to meet Indie. The ceremony is in two hours.”

  “That’s ages away.”

  “She was very specific with her schedule on the phone last night.”

  I was cuddled up on Reid’s sofa while on the phone to Indie. She went over everything three times. “Fine. I’ll keep my hands to myself until after the ceremony.”

  “We have a couple of hours between the dinner and the evening. You can be as handsy as you need to be then.”

  “You like me handsy.”

  “Like is underplaying it, but sure.”

  He takes the next step like I knew he would. We meet in the middle. I watch with a racing heart as his hand rises. His fingertips brush gently along my breastbone and up around my neck. He cups the side of my face, his breathing ragged.

  “Damn, I love it when you do that,” I whisper, my skin prickling.

  “You should go,” he says. His lips part and his eyes drop to my mouth.

  “No one is leaving this room if you keep giving me those horny eyes, Reid.”

  “These are my eyes for you. Get used to it.”

  “I already have. Look away and step to the side.”

  With a chuckle, he bows his head and sidesteps me. “I’ll see you at the ceremony, Mila.”

  His hand falls away.

  “You’ll be okay on your own? You won’t get lost?”

  “I think I’ll manage.” He smirks.

  I grab my dress from the hanger by the door and walk past him, trying not to laugh at his refusal to look at me. It’s a good call, though. Any longer and we’d be in bed.

  Today, my focus needs to be on Indie and Spencer. Tonight is all about Reid and me.

  I take the stairs down to the first floor and look for Indie’s room. Spencer walks around the corner, followed by Jared.

  “Wow, movie star, you scrub up well.”

  Spencer smiles and rakes his hand through the waves of his hair. “Good of you to make it, Mila.”

  I hold my finger up. “I’m not late, not even by Indie’s standards. Besides, sex with Reid is way too good to be early.”

  He laughs. “Glad you’re finally getting laid properly.”

  “Thanks. Hey, just for the record, before you put a ring on it, if you hurt her, I will kill you. It won’t be quick and painless, either. I have a lot of ideas from the Saw movies. Got it?”

  With a little salute, he backs up. “Loud and clear. Tell my girl I’ll see her soon.”

  “Yeah… I’m telling her you shaved your eyebrows off last night.”

  “Mila Thomas, if you dare.”

  “Later, Spence.”

  He swears when I walk off, but it only makes me laugh.

  Indie and Wren are sitting down on a sofa when I walk through the door, each with a glass of prosecco. There are two open bottles on the table, but neither are empty.

  “You’re getting married!” I shout.

  They both startle, their heads whipping in my direction. They’re a blur of blonde and brown.

  “Jesus,” Wren mutters.

  “I just saw Spence. He looks so happy,” I tell them, flopping down on the sofa.

  “He’s not nervous?” Indie asks, sitting forwards.

  She looks stunning and she’s not even ready yet. She’s siting in her pyjamas with her hair in a bun on the top of her head, but her cheeks have colour. Her whole face is smiling.

  “Glad you could make it.” Wren wiggles her eyebrows like she knows why I’m late, even though I’m not bloody late.

  I ignore her and respond to Indie. “Nah, he knows you’re a total catch. He’s not scared of marrying you.”

  “I can’t wait to have his surname.”

  I throw my hands up. “Surname? That’s what you’re focusing on? Dude, you’re almost legally entitled to his millions!”

  They both laugh, and Wren pours me a drink. “Have this, you romantic.”

  “Are we starting to get ready or what?”

  “After a drink. Spencer might not be nervous but I sure am. It’s weird… having no family.”

  “What are we? Some stand ins you pulled from off the street?” I add under my breath, “Like Wren and Brody did.”

  They both ignore the second part. “You know what I mean, Mila.”

  Wren places her hand on Indie’s. “Family isn’t always blood. It’s who’s going to fight for you and have your back. Your tribe may be small, but there’s nothing in this world we wouldn’t do for you.”

  “That’s true. I’d totally bury a body and clean a crime scene for you, babe.”

  Indie side-eyes me. “Thanks. I love you guys, and I’m so grateful that you’ve always been there. Even when I was hiding so much, you stuck by me. You’re better than blood.”

  My eyes well with tears. “Fuck’s sake. You’ve not even put the dress on yet and I’m crying.”

  Indie and Wren laugh and wipe their tears away.

  “I can’t wait for you and Spence to have beautiful babies. I’m going to need a girls’ holiday before that happens. That goes for you, too, Wren. No mini Brodys until we’ve sat on a beach drinking cocktails for a week.”

  “Oh, children are a way off. I have a feeling your wedding will be abroad, and I want to be kid-free,” Indie replies.

  “Don’t wait for me.”

  “What actually is the deal with you and Reid?” Wren asks.

  “We’re friends.”

  She nods. “But what’s the deal?”

  Laughing quietly, I sip my prosecco. “We’re seeing how things go… and excluding anyone else.”

  “You want to be with him.”

  “More than anything,” I admit. “We pretty much already are, you know? In every way that matters, anyway. I really like him, guys.”

  Wren’s squeal makes Indie and me wince. “I’m so happy and excited for this.”

  “Great. Anyway, we need to get this bride ready for her husband.”

  “I can’t believe this is the day I’m marrying Spencer,” she whispers as if she literally cannot believe it.

  There is nothing surprising or strange about it. They belong together like gin and tonic. They’re beyond perfect, and anyone can see how in love they are.

  “I’m so happy for you, Indie,” I say. “Now, get up or you’re going to be late marrying him!”

  Her face beams, and she puts her empty glass on the table. “The hairdressers and make-up artists will be here any minute.”

  Wren pats her cheeks. “I’m glad you booked them so I d
idn’t have to worry about making my face—”

  “Do not finish that sentence, blonde beauty. You look like a fucking model,” I interrupt.

  Indie takes a deep breath when there’s a knock on the door.

  It’s time to get her ready.

  Forty-Seven

  Reid

  I’m sitting at the front of the room with Brody, as per our instructions, on the chairs that are reserved for the wedding party. The room is filled with roses and fairy lights. Spencer is standing at the front with Jared, rocking back and forth on his heels.

  He doesn’t look nervous. He looks impatient.

  Spencer can’t wait to marry his bride.

  There have probably been tens of thousands of weddings taken place here.

  “Do you know if their dresses are short?” Brody asks.

  “Would you let a long dress stop you?”

  He chuckles. “No. Wren and I have a thing about having sex at weddings. This one will be no exception.”

  I crane my neck to see over the top of the small crowd behind us. Mila’s nowhere to be seen yet. “You should probably wait until after the ceremony to add this wedding to your list.”

  “She’d kill me if I tried anything in here. Wren might look like an angel, but fuck me, she’s not.”

  “I’m trying to picture what Mila would do. Probably break one of my bones.”

  “That chick is wild. I almost slept with her before I got with Wren.”

  What the fuck?

  My heart stops. I snap my head in his direction and clench my jaw.

  He laughs. “That’s a lie, but Wren wanted to find out how you really feel about Mila. I guess now we know.”

  “Fuck’s sake,” I reply, slouching in the seat.

  He smirks. “Look, this is off the record or it’ll go to her head, but Mila is a good friend to Wren—to anyone she cares about, actually. She deserves better than that other dick whose name I can’t remember. If you’re not serious, walk away.”

  “I’m serious,” I say, looking him dead in the eye.

  “Good. The girl is like family. The weird one you can’t get rid of, but still family.”

  I love that she has people who care about her enough to have this talk with me.

  “She’s not someone you walk away from.”