“I did. I called her right before I called you.”
“Why?” I rolled my eyes.
“Because I love you girls and wanted to see what was going on. Luckily I did, or I wouldn’t know your big news.”
“All right. You called, and I confirmed I’m getting married. Anything else?” I clipped.
“Well, when is it?”
“Why? You’re not invited.”
“Why?” she cried.
“Because you didn’t care about me when I was growing up, or since for that matter, and I know you’re only reaching out now because you want me to pop out kids for you so you can compete with your boyfriend.”
“Oh, this again?” She chuckled. “You need to let it go—”
“No, I will not. You don’t get to come back into my life when it’s convenient for you,” I spat. “It doesn’t work that way.”
“What do I need to do to show you I’ve changed?”
I stared at Nicole, trying to think of an answer. She raised her eyebrows in response.
“I don’t know, Mom. Jane has been a better mother than you in the few months I’ve known her—”
“Who’s Jane?”
“Easton’s mom.”
She was silent on the other end of the phone for long moments. As I was wondering if she’d hung up, she finally said, “Please, Brookie, I’m trying. Stanley has a good relationship with his children, and I want that with you and your sister.”
I took a deep breath. “Even though you’re once again showing you only want what Stanley has, I’ll give you a chance. If you don’t come to my wedding, we’re done—forever.”
“I’ll be there,” she said without even knowing the date.
“Okay, I have to go. Text me your address.” Did my mom know how to text? I’m sure one of Stanley’s children could show her.
“I love you.”
“I … love you, too. Bye.” I hung up before she responded.
“Well, that sounded interesting.” Nicole chuckled.
I rolled my eyes. “Interesting is right. I need to call Bailee.” I found her in my contacts and hit the call button.
Without a hello, Bailee said, “She called you?”
“Why did you tell her I was getting married?”
“It slipped. She started asking me when I was going to have kids and I panicked and said you were getting married and was going to be first.”
I looked to Nicole as I spoke. “She called to see when you were going to have kids?” Nicole’s eyes widened.
“Yep,” Bailee confirmed.
“You just got out of college. How does she expect you to be ready?”
“I don’t know. Probably because you haven’t yet, and you’re older.”
“Because we’re not like her and don’t go around sleeping with anyone willing to be our Sugar Daddy.”
“Just ignore her.”
“I would have if you never opened your big mouth,” I hissed. “Now she wants to come to the wedding.”
“You’ll be fine. We’ll make sure the wedding isn’t about her.”
“I haven’t seen her in over four years, and now she wants back into our lives?” I questioned out loud, but really it should have been more of a statement because I knew the answer.
“Everything will be fine. Hell, this Stanley guy might give you money.”
I chuckled and shook my head. “If he’s still around.”
“Everything will be fine and then you can pop out those kids like she wants. Wait, did you get your test results?”
I smiled. “I just got them before she called.”
“And?”
“And, I’m all clear.”
“I knew it!” Bailee exclaimed. “Go out and celebrate tonight, and don’t worry about mom. It will all work out. Hell, make a baby tonight. You’ll have it after the wedding.”
I laughed. “You’re silly. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Love you, sis.”
“Love you, too. Bye.”
“Bye,” she said, and the call ended.
“I don’t even know what to say,” Nicole stated, shaking her head slowly as though she was trying to search for what to say.
“Exactly. Let’s get out of here. I’ll tell Easton everything when I get home.”
I wanted to call Easton on the way home and tell him the good news—and the news about my mother. Since I wasn’t far from home, I decided to wait so I could see his face as I told him we could start trying for a baby—after we got married. Even though I’d just got the all clear, I didn’t want to be five or six months pregnant at my wedding. I didn’t want to be pregnant at all. I wanted to go on my honeymoon and have another vacation where I didn’t have to worry about anything or anyone except Easton and me. The cruise was my first and only vacation, and I wanted at least one more before I had a baby to care for.
When I pulled into the driveway and parked inside the garage, a smile was plastered across my face. I didn’t have the C word. I wanted to shout from the rooftops that I was rare and a fighter. I was thrown a curveball that had taken its toll on me physically, and I wasn’t going to let that be who I was anymore. For at least eight months, I’d let the tumor consume me. Before I knew what was causing my pain, it was all I could think about. Then, when we’d learned what it was, and after surgery, my body was fighting as the radiation tried to kill the tumor cells. I was fighting. Now I was smiling and the happiest I’d been since the night Easton proposed.
Easton eyed me from the couch as I walked in. He raised an eyebrow and smiled back. “Good time with Nic?”
“You have no idea.” I sat next to him.
“Do I want to know?” He smirked.
“What?” I questioned. “You think we were up to no good?”
He laughed. “Knowing you two, yeah.”
I turned to face him, bending my leg as I turned. “We went to coffee, not to rob a bank.”
“Then the caffeine is working,” he joked.
“I guess, but it wouldn’t make me this happy.”
“Then why are you so happy?”
“Megan called me.” I smiled again.
Easton’s eyes became huge. “And?”
“And I don’t have—”
I couldn’t get the sentence out before he tackled me against the couch, making me squeal with laughter.
“I fucking knew it!” he admitted.
“You did no—”
“Shut up and kiss me.” His mouth found mine in an eager kiss, his hips against mine, while his hand pulled my shirt up and slid inside, touching my hot skin.
“We aren’t going to start now,” I mumbled against his mouth, referring to making a baby.
“No, but we can practice.”
I laughed, and we heard the front door close.
“Fuck,” Easton whispered as he stood. “Always a cock blocker.”
I looked over to see Cheyenne walk in with Courtney. “Were you two kissing again?” she asked, obviously disgusted.
“We kiss, Peanut. That’s what adults do.”
I stifled my laugh, thinking about what he really wanted to do, and then it faded as I thought about what she could have walked in on.
“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes. “What time are we leaving for grandma and grandpa’s?”
“In about thirty minutes,” Easton confirmed.
“Why so early?” Cheyenne whined.
Easton stood and started to walk down the hall toward our bedroom. “Because they want to spend time with you.”
“Fine,” she huffed, turning to me. “Can’t I stay here with you?”
I frowned. “Sorry, Chey. I’m going out tonight.”
Getting ready to go to Halo felt as if I was going to stalk the hot bartender at my favorite bar. That was true in a sense because he was the hot bartender at my favorite bar. I was no longer jealous of the women trying to get his attention, but it still felt good to rub it in their face when he gave me his undivided attention.
With a little
pep in my step, I sang at the top of my lungs as I showered and got ready. I styled my hair in loose curls, did my makeup perfectly, and dressed in a sequined blue tank top that I paired with a black skirt. I usually didn’t wear skirts, but tonight I wanted to make Easton crave me more. I felt like flirting. I wasn’t going to bet the customers, but I was certain I could think of something else to do.
Maybe I wouldn’t bet for money.
When I arrived at Halo, Gary was manning the door to check IDs, and I didn’t know for sure, but I was certain he worked only the busy nights. Tonight was no different.
“Hey, G.” I smiled.
“Brooke.” His eyes lit up when he saw me. “How are you feeling?”
Fucking question! “Better, thank you.”
“Good. Well, let me know if I need to throw any broads out tonight.” He smirked.
I chuckled and walked into the packed bar, shaking my head. My eyes instantly scanned the bar area until they landed on my man. He was laughing at something a customer said, and as I walked closer, Easton’s gaze landed on me, and we both smiled.
The chick at the bar turned to see what or who he was smiling at, and when her eyes landed on me, I smiled back. I weaved in and out of people, and when I finally made it to the bar and nudged my way in, Easton came over to me.
“What will it be, beautiful?”
“Vodka cranberry,” I responded over the loud music.
Easton turned to grab the bottle of vodka and the chick next to me asked, “Do you know him?”
What fun is telling the truth? I smiled as I looked at Easton and replied, “Nope.”
Easton’s eyes met mine, and my grin widened. He shook his head, but I wasn’t going to bet them money. I was only going to mess with them. My drink was placed in front of me, and before he could walk away, I reached my hand out with my credit card.
“Keep it open,” I yelled over the music.
He looked at the card and then back up to me.
“I’d like to start a tab,” I clarified.
Easton reached out and took my card as he tilted his head a little to the side. Then he turned and placed it in the cup by the register where they kept all the cards of people running tabs.
I turned around, watching the people dance, and a thought struck me. I needed a job. My disability insurance was ending soon, and since I wasn’t going back to the law firm, I needed to find something. It was almost as if I was on a really long vacation except I wasn’t on a beach sipping mai tais with Easton. Fuck, I really needed to start working now that I’d gotten the all clear. I was still tired, but I didn’t need a nap every day. I was starting to feel like myself again.
The bitter-sweet cranberry and vodka started to warm my belly, and before I knew it, my glass was empty. Turning around, I caught Easton’s eye and held up my glass. He poured me another and then slid it in front of me.
“Are you hiring?” I asked.
He scrunched his eyebrows. “We can always use more waitresses,” he answered. “Why?”
“Can I have an application?”
“Ba—”
“I need a job,” I cut him off before he could object.
He stared at me for a beat, and I grinned. “All right. Remind me before you leave, and I’ll give you one.”
“Thank you.”
As I stood and daydreamed about working at Halo, a deep voice sprang me from my thoughts. “Can I buy you another drink?”
I looked up at the tall man and said with a smile, “That’s okay. I’m still nursing this one.” I nudged my head toward the red drink on the bar.
“When you’re finished. I’m Logan by the way.” He stuck his hand out for me to shake.
I eyed it for a moment and then looked at Easton. We locked eyes before I turned back to Logan and stuck my right hand out. “Brooke.”
“Brooke, it’s nice to meet you. I’d really like to buy you that drink.”
Before I could flash my ring on my left hand, Easton leaned across the bar and said, “She said no.”
“It’s all good, man. We’re just making conversation.”
“She said she wasn’t interested,” Easton said. “Go hit on someone else.”
I gave the guy a tight smile, held up my hand with the princess cut diamond ring on it, and nodded my head, agreeing with Easton. “Sorry.”
“Whatever,” he groaned and turned and left.
“You’re my hero,” I gushed to Easton. “What can I do to repay you?”
He crossed his arms over his chest and smiled down at me. “I’m sure I can think of something.”
I grinned back. “Do that while you help other customers, and then let me know.”
He chuckled. “Okay.”
“That was sweet of him,” the chick standing next to me said as Easton moved on to the next customer.
“Yeah, it was.”
I stared at Easton, watching him reach the top shelf behind the bar for some bottle of liquor. His black Halo polo rose up, exposing his soft skin that I knew led to an eight pack and that V that drove me nuts.
Wanting to still play my game—or wanting to really kiss him, I drank the rest of my drink and turned to walk to the bar pass. I lifted it and went behind the bar, but neither Easton nor the other bartender looked my way.
I caught the eye of the girl who’d been talking to me and smiled as I walked over to Easton and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned, met my gaze, and a look of confusion crossed his face. I reached up on my tiptoes and whispered in his ear, “I’m not wearing any panties.”
He drew his head back to look me in the eyes again, and I bit my lip. Then without further hesitation, I grabbed his shirt and pulled him down until our lips locked. This kiss deepened, and I could faintly hear people chatting about what they were witnessing. After a few moments, I broke free, licked my lips and walked away.
I was totally going to love working at Halo.
CHAPTER TEN
Easton
Brooke ducked under the bar pass and walked back to where she had been standing on the other side with a smirk on her face. I looked at the clock near the register and groaned, realizing I had another hour before I could start kicking people out.
Having to work nights was really starting to get to me. Avery and I switched off, and we also worked the lunch crowd, but I wanted to be home with my girls all the time. We’d hired more bartenders for that reason except we both felt as if one of us needed to be here in case something were to happen.
Tonight that something was Brooke not wearing underwear.
I was going to kill her.
No, I was going to fuck her then kill her.
Okay, I was only going to fuck her.
I should have known she would be up to no good because it seemed that every time she walked through the doors of Halo, she had to make every woman jealous. It wasn’t as though I blamed her. When I saw the dude talking to her and wanting to buy her a drink, I had to restrain myself from physically throwing him out of my bar.
Then the little minx came around the bar and whispered in my ear causing my dick to strain against my jeans. It didn’t help that earlier Cheyenne had, once again, walked in at the wrong time. Granted, I wasn’t going to fuck Brooke on the couch—I’d at least have carried her to the bedroom first. But the mood was killed the moment Cheyenne walked in.
All evening I was thinking about fucking Brooke on the bar like I’d mentioned the night before. Now throw in the fact that she was going commando, and I had a half a mind to take her upstairs and make her come with me buried inside her while everyone partied downstairs oblivious. Except Brooke wasn’t that type of broad, the kind I’d used to mess around with in my office. Plus, we needed a new couch up there because of all those chicks I messed around with.
Brooke, though, was my fiancée—my person, and crazy as it sounded, she was the type to fuck on the bar. I knew she’d want me thinking about her every second of every day while working. I, of course, already did, but this would be
different. This would be our secret.
The minutes ticked as I poured drink after drink. Brooke took a seat at the end of the bar when it opened up, and I started to slowly only serve her cranberry juice by using more juice than vodka with each drink because I didn’t want her to get wasted. Anyone would get plastered if they spent four hours drinking vodka. I couldn’t let that happen.
“This tastes like juice,” Brooke complained.
“I’m not sure you can tell the difference in your state,” I teased.
“In my state? I’m not drunk.”
“Are you sure about that?”
She blinked and looked at the guy sitting next to her and scowled as if to ask him if he could believe what I was saying. She turned her head back to me and glared. “Yes, I’m sure. I came to a bar … to drink.”
I leaned forward and motioned for her to lean in as well. Once we were inches apart, I whispered in her ear, “No, you came here to get fucked on the bar.”
Her eyes widened, and I saw her swallow. “And who will that be with?”
I drew back and narrowed my eyes. “No one if you’re wasted.”
She laughed a huff. “Well, thank God my bartender has been skimping on the alcohol.”
The guy next to her nonchalantly tilted his glass, wondering if I was skimping on his too.
“Only when my fiancée needs to drive home.” I cut my eyes to look at the dude, silently asking him to understand the situation—well, not the entire situation because I was certain he didn’t know my plans.
“I’m sure I’d burn it off by the time I needed to drive home.”
I laughed and started to walk away. “Yeah, you sure will.”
An hour or so later, the bar was finally empty. Traver and our other staffers had gone home. I dimmed the lights and locked the door behind Gary after assuring him he didn’t need to walk Brooke to her car. I was always the last to leave, and normally on the rare occasion Brooke stayed until the end of the night, he would walk her to her car because I needed to lock up the money and various other things before I could go home.
Not tonight.
Brooke was still sitting on the backless barstool at the bar drinking her cranberry juice. I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her against me. “You know people can’t see through the windows, right?”
Never Stop (The Halo Series Book 3) Page 10
