by Rayna Stone
“You know, we need to talk about the wedding. I was hoping to put something together before I start work with the PI firm. I heard you work wonders with planning these kinds of things. Think you could throw it together in the next two weeks?” Two weeks! Who the fuck was he talking to? No way. She whirled around.
“First off, who told you I can plan a wedding? I’m killing Kat. Second, I don’t want to plan my wedding. And I certainly am not planning anything in two fucking weeks. Do you have any idea how much work goes into something like that? Can’t we just go to Vegas? We can have a huge party at the club when we get back, but I kind of always wanted to get married at the Venetian. You know, just you and me, quiet, simple, maybe on a gondola?” Her voice had gone dreamy.
“I thought women liked big weddings with all their friends around?” Troy looked utterly confused.
“Well, I never thought I’d get married after Flynn. And then I didn’t want to. And then I thought if I ever did, I’d want it to be real small and private. I love my friends and want to celebrate with them, but I guess I just want us for the ceremony. I don’t want the kind of wedding I would have had with Flynn. Big, flamboyant, family, flowers. I have you now, I don’t need all the rest and I don’t want it.”
* * * *
Troy could understand. Kelly didn’t want a life like she would have had with Flynn and she didn’t want the same kind of wedding, either. That was fine with him. They made their own way from the beginning and they would continue as they’d begun. Besides, Vegas sounded much cooler than anything he could think up. “Vegas it is, baby. I’ll book it tomorrow. I have a friend or two in that area that might be able to pull some strings and get us that Venetian wedding. Now, let’s go check out that package from James. I’m freaking tired.” Jesus, he was. She took everything out of him.
Troy stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the ball of fluff Kelly grabbed out of a small crate. “What the hell is that?”
Kelly was cooing to the thing and completely ignoring him. Oh, Jesus, was that a puppy? Couldn’t be, it was too small. “Kelly, seriously, what is that?”
She finally looked up at him. “It’s a puppy for Carson. I thought he deserved a friend. Maybe if he had a partner in crime, he wouldn’t get hurt so much. Plus, he needs a playmate. I think he’s too lonely during the day. Isn’t she just the most adorable thing you’ve ever seen?” Kelly shoved the fluffy puppy in his arms and it immediately started licking him, wiggling so much he almost dropped it. Well damn. It was kind of cute. It licked too much, but it was definitely cute.
“What kind of dog is it? Is it always going to lick like this?” He was starting to feel itchy just imagining all the germs currently crawling on his skin.
“It’s a Pomeranian. She’ll always be small, but then Carson can feel like the big bad protector. She’s a puppy, Troy. She’s going to lick you. You’ll be just fine. She’s even almost completely worm-free already.”
Worms? Oh, hell, no. Just as he tried to hand the puppy over to Kelly, it peed on him. “Oh, fuck. It just pissed all over me! This is so gross. I’ve got to take a shower. What kind of worms does it have? Goddamnit, I hate worms.” He was muttering to himself all the way to the bathroom. He wasn’t touching that thing again till it was certified parasite-free. He was going to have a serious talk with James. Giving his Kelly a diseased animal was not the hallmark of a good friendship. Jesus. He smiled to himself while he heated up the water, listening to Kelly’s deep laughter. Life would maybe be a little messy, and he’d probably need some sort of vaccination, but it would never be dull. No, he and Kelly were going to be laughing quite a lot. He was thankful life was so good. As the water ran and Kelly continued to laugh, he started thinking about the wedding and the future. Yeah, life was definitely good.
THE END
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rayna Stone lives in Virginia with her husband and two tireless kids. She has studied and worked in many fields including environmental science, law, paleontology, and veterinary science. She loves to incorporate that knowledge with imagination to create stories of love and explore the complexities of human nature.
In her spare time, Rayna can be found holed up with her e-reader or spending time with friends and family. She’d love to hear from her readers at [email protected].
For all titles by Rayna Stone, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/rayna-stone
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
