You're Mine (The Winters Family Series Book 3)

by Terra Kelly

  As they pulled up outside of her boutique, Kenzie clapped her hands. “This boutique was the best decision I’ve ever made.” Then she opened the door, and they all piled out. Once she had the door open, and the alarm disarmed, everyone walked inside. “Okay, Izzy’s treat tonight, since she didn’t have to pay for her wedding dress.”

  “Oh hell no, you didn’t? Fine, fine, have fun ladies.”

  Alyssa walked up with a short dress that would sit just above the knees. It was form fitting, low cut, all lace, with silk under the lace. It was a vibrant red color, which went perfect with her blonde hair. “I have to try this on.”

  Kenzie sighed. “We just got that in, I’m in love, too. Come on, let’s see how it fits.”

  They spent the next half hour trying on items and getting all tied into the corsets. Jax found nothing, she was happy with her black slacks and white button down blouse. Her blouse was unbuttoned enough that she was able to show off a lot of cleavage. She had a red tie hanging around her neck untied and looked sexy as hell. Georgie walked up front, and Jax whistled. “Wow, you’re looking fucking hot, sis.”

  Georgie sashayed around. “Oh, this old thing?” She moved her hands down the front of the corset. “I feel sexy, that’s for sure.”

  Izzy came up beside her and put her arm around Georgie. “You all need to move here, we could do stuff like this all the time.”

  Jax and Georgie smiled, almost like they were sending messages telepathically. Georgie shrugged her shoulders. “We’ll see, who knows, right?”

  Kenzie was logging the last of the items for her records. “Okay, now can we get the bachelorette party started?”

  They all screamed “Yes” at the same time.

  As they walked into the club, all eyes were on them. They grabbed a high-top table not far from the stage. Shawna flagged one of the waitresses down, and asked, “Hi love, Frank said we could get discounts tonight for the bachelorette party?”

  The twenty-something cutie leaned against the back of Shawna’s chair. “Yup, 50% off and that includes food, too. Give me a sec, and I’ll get your order.”

  They all looked at the drink menu and the tapas offered. Izzy moaned. “If I wasn’t all dolled up, I would rub my belly like Lexie right now. Everything on the menu sounds delicious.”

  Shawna laughed. “Oh it is… Almost too good.”

  The waitress walked back to their table. “Okay ladies, what can I get for you? And by the way, wow, you all look stunning. Is this your doing, Shawna?”

  Shawna shrugged. “I may have helped a little.” She giggled, “Can I have a Stoli Doli, sweetie.”

  Georgie moaned. “That sounds interesting, what is it?”

  “Pineapple infused vodka. Simple, yet amazing.”

  Georgie raised her hand. “I’ll take one.”

  Alyssa and Jax just got a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon wine to share. Alyssa looked at Jax. “That’s enough for you tonight? I thought you liked bourbon drinks?”

  Jax shook her head. “Nah, wine will be more than enough tonight. Plus, I want to be in my right mind so I can watch and remember all the crazy things they do.”

  Kenzie laughed. “And record, you forgot that.” She looked at Izzy. “You want an old fashioned, right?” Izzy shook her head yes, so Kenzie ordered two old fashioneds.

  Just then the lights dimmed and two women walked on the stage. They had little skimpy corsets, fishnet stockings, and feathers decorating the back of the outfits. They had big smiles on their faces when they walked up to the microphone. “So, we heard from a little birdie that there is a bachelorette party going on tonight? Where are you all at?” Shawna, Kenzie, and Georgie all screamed, hooped and hollered. The one woman laughed. “And who is the lucky lady that will get married?”

  Shawna pointed at Izzy, who was shaking her head and laughing. “Right here, sweet Izzy.”

  The second woman put her hand out. “Well, do you want to dance with us tonight? Shawna said she would sing, right?”

  Shawna stood up, grabbed Izzy’s hand. “Yup.” Then looking at Izzy, she said, “Come on beautiful, let’s make this your night.”

  Izzy shook her head. “Oh, the things you make me do.” Then she took her friend’s hand and headed up to the stage.

  Shawna ended up singing two numbers and Izzy danced with the ladies. On the second number, Georgie and Kenzie had joined them on stage to dance. By the end of the night they all drank about three drinks a piece. So they were feeling happy. Alyssa and Jax just kept it at one bottle of wine between the two of them. Even after the two numbers on the stage, they continued dancing during each performance.

  At around 11:30 p.m., Izzy wanted to see her handsome man. “We should go see what the guys are doing at The Clam Bake.”

  Kenzie sounded excited. “I would love to see my man. Let’s go. Who’s in?” They all agreed. Once they paid for all the drinks and thanked everyone at the club, they headed out to the limo. Kenzie let the driver know where they wanted to go, then stumbled into the backseat. She let out deep sigh and leaned her head back. “Whoa, too much bourbon, maybe?”

  Izzy laughed. “Never.”

  Jax teased, “You can tell me tomorrow with all the pictures I took.” They all laughed, Jax shook her head. “You laugh.”

  They all looked pooped, but still damn gorgeous. Once they arrived at The Clam Bake, Izzy looked a little too excited. She glanced at everyone. “Thanks ladies for the amazing night. I feel lucky to have you all in my life.” They all leaned in for a group hug. There was a knock on the window which startled them. Izzy rolled down the window. “Well hey there handsome, how’s it hangin’?”

  Everyone in the limo burst out laughing. Drew just shook his head. “My sweet, sweet Izzy.” Then he opened the door. “So, we’re just heading out, but now I think we are heading back in?”

  Izzy hopped out, and flung herself into his waiting arms, and said, “Yes.”

  The guys had a low-key evening for their bachelor party. They knocked down a few beers, played darts, and talked. So when Joshua saw the girls pull up in the limo, he knew it would be a long night. Kenzie stumbled his way, slurring her words, “Hey, baby.”

  He laughed and grabbed her around her waist. “Hey, sexy stalker.” Then he looked down at her outfit and sighed. “And this outfit, yeah, you need to wear it again.”

  Giggling into his chest. “Yeah?” Then she reached back and squeezed his ass.

  The limo driver was talking to Grant. Joshua yelled, “Hey Grant, I think it’s all paid for? So let’s take everyone home from here.”

  Grant nodded and thanked the driver. They shook hands, and he started toward Joshua. “He said, they all were great.” Then shrugged. “So, let’s go enjoy all the happy women inside.”

  Kenzie reached over and patted his shoulder. “What he said.”

  As they headed inside, Danny was walking behind Shawna. Damn, she didn’t realize how amazing she was. As they walked up to the table, Izzy sat on Drew’s lap. Kenzie sat beside Joshua and snuggled up against him. Alex and Alyssa were sitting so close to each other and holding hands. At one point, Alex pulled her hand up to kiss it tenderly. Danny noticed two chairs unoccupied. “Shawna, would you like to sit?”

  She was standing by Izzy. “Um, sure.” When she sat down, she felt those earthquake tremors, again. Danny was just mere inches from her and you could feel his body heat radiating off him. She looked at everyone at the table and shook her head.

  Danny glanced over, and asked, “Want something to eat or drink?”

  She didn’t know what to say, but she heard his kindness, yet she still felt scared. She nodded. “Sure, I’ll take water and those fries slathered in happiness.”

  “You got it,” Danny said, then looked at everyone else at the table. “Does anyone else plan to eat? I’m putting in a food order.” Everyone at that moment raised their hands. “Okay, let me grab a note pad from Stacy. You all need to soak up booze, eh?”

  Kenzie raised her hand. “Yes to
that. I may not enjoy bourbon for a few days.”

  Joshua laughed. “Only a few days?”

  Shaking her head. “Well yeah, because I need some at Izzy’s wedding.”

  Jax and Georgie were heading back to the table from the restroom when Stacy walked over. Stacy smiled. “Hey Jax.”

  Jax about stumbled on her own feet. She hadn’t heard that voice in months. She turned toward Stacy. “Hey, it’s good to see you.”

  Stacy walked toward everyone else. “It’s good to see you, too. Let me get their orders, I have a feeling it will be a long one.” Jax waited, then followed her back to the bar.

  Georgie left them alone and headed over to the table. The one seat left was next to Grant. She smiled as she sat down next to him. He looked over and let his eyes roam her body. “You look amazing.”

  She flushed at his words. “It was an impulse decision. I saw Kenzie and Shawna and decided why not?”

  Grant laughed. “Yeah? Let them influence you anytime.”

  Looking around, Kenzie loved this family, the friends, how close everyone was. She watched Shawna and Danny, there was something there. She yelled out, “So, Shawna killed it tonight. She did two performances for Izzy, and Izzy got to dance with them.” Looking at Shawna. “Girl, you have mad talent and can dance like nobody’s business.”

  Shawna looked uncomfortable, which was not like her. “Thanks, Kenzie. I love performing, and even better, I get to do what I love.”

  Kenzie sounded confused. “So you have always been a dancer and singer?”

  Shawna nodded her head. “Since I was six years old.”

  Izzy turned and asked, “Where else have you performed, besides Burlesque Me Tonight?”

  Shawna paused, and said, “Um… A little dance studio in my hometown. I haven’t danced in few years though, well until the club hired me. I feel a little rusty on some moves. I was thinking about taking dance lessons to brush up my skills.”

  Kenzie noticed Danny perk up. “Do you have a dance partner yet? Don’t you have to have one at those places?”

  Shawna shrugged. “Yeah, which is why I haven’t signed up. Maybe soon.”

  Danny looked over at her. “I could be your partner.”

  Everyone at the table went silent. Shawna looked up at him. “What?”

  “If you need a partner, I could be that guy.”

  Kenzie squealed. “Oh my god, that would be perfect Shawna. He is your biggest supporter.”

  Danny seemed confused. “What do you mean by that?”

  Kenzie put her hand up in surrender. “I meant nothing bad. Just that you go to every one of her shows already. So, you would love to help because you support her.” She slumped back against Joshua, and whispered, “Shit.”

  Joshua rubbed her back. “Let’s stop while you’re ahead.”

  Shawna nodded her head. “Um…Y-yeah… I’ll have to figure out what I plan to do first.” She gave Kenzie a ‘What the fuck’ face and Kenzie shrugged her shoulders.

  Just then the food was delivered. Kenzie moaned. “Oh sweet Lord, give me food. I need to get out of this corset to eat tons, dammit.”

  They all ended up chatting till four in the morning. Stacy and Joshua closed the bar, but let the family members stay for as long as they wanted. Joshua loved having all his family home. It felt amazing having Kenzie in his life. Izzy and Drew were already lucky, but come Saturday, they would be walking on water. It’s funny, with Kenzie, he didn’t think about the wedding or rings. He thought about them. Together. Forever.

  By Friday morning Kenzie was dragging. The day after the Bachelorette party was not pretty. Joshua had gone over to the boutique and put a sign up that the store would not be open until noon. Kenzie struggled with even getting there by noon.

  Now it was Friday, the day before the wedding. Izzy was not nervous at all; she was that excited. All the bridesmaids’ dresses were ready for the girls. Izzy’s dress was at the boutique, too, where it wouldn’t get wrinkled or damaged. The girls planned to arrive before the wedding and get dressed. Kenzie wanted everything to be perfect. She spent the day working on the normal day-to-day, along with getting the shop cleaned up. The rehearsal was at 5:00 p.m. and then dinner at Izzy’s afterwards. She planned to have pizza, beer, and wine. Kenzie planned to just enjoy pizza and water.

  Her little bell on the store chimed. When she walked up front, she smiled. “Hey Mom and Dad, sorry the last few days have been so crazy.”

  Jean cupped her daughters face in her hands. “Sweetheart, you do what you need to do. We are so impressed. Izzy and Drew are very lucky to have you.”

  Chuck moved his wheelchair closer. “They sure are. Now, are you sure we should impose and come to the wedding tomorrow?”

  Kenzie sounded shocked. “The Winters are looking forward to having you there.”

  Jean nodded. “Okay, okay, we will be there then. We wanted to make sure.”

  “I need to close up, go grab Josh, and head to the rehearsal. Join us?” She asked. “There is pizza and beer calling your name.”

  “Nope, you enjoy,” Chuck said, squeezing her hand. “We were thinking of going to that little Mexican restaurant you were talking about. We want to see how it compares to the Mexican food in Arizona.”

  Kenzie laughed. “Well, good, but not what we know and love. Give it a go though.”

  Kenzie walked back to her office to grab boxes that had decorations for Izzy’s patio and other areas of her house. She had also rented a wooden archway for Drew and Izzy to stand under. The florist planned to fill it with all of Izzy’s favorite flowers. She knew the dresses were perfect, the guys all had their suits and ties. The decorations were gorgeous and would be put out tomorrow. The florist would come and set out arrangements and fill the archway. He also planned to make sure the bouquets were ready and waiting for the girls. Plus, he said he would leave corsages for all the guys. She took in a deep breath that had to be everything on her end. She was so glad she didn’t have to worry about the food, music, or booze. As she locked up, she left a little sign that said- closed Saturday for wedding function.

  Kenzie and Joshua were carrying boxes up Izzy’s steps to her back patio. Izzy was just stepping out onto the patio. “Hey cuties, what do we have here?” She walked over and peeked into the boxes. “Oh gorgeous, Kenzie. These decorations will look fabulous.”

  Joshua sat his box down on a little table and reached to grab for Kenzie’s. “Where should I sit the boxes for now? So they’re out of your way.”

  Izzy pointed to her dining room. “Just sit them on the table or the little table in there.” She rubbed Joshua’s arm. “Thanks, gorgeous.” She turned to Kenzie. “You will crash once this wedding is over. You are a lifesaver, you know that, right?”

  Kenzie leaned in for a hug. “Honey, I’m so glad I could help. This is too much to take on yourself. I’m tired, but it has been a lot of fun.”

  Izzy excused herself for a moment and Joshua walked back out on the patio. He walked up behind Kenzie and wrapped his arms around her waist. He whispered, “So, do ever think about getting married?”

  She leaped forward. “What? No. You’re not, are you?”

  He sounded confused. “Asking you to marry me? No.” He walked forward to reassure her, “Do you want me to?” Then he wrapped his arms around her waist. “Or does that freak you out? Which my guess is, yes.”

  She pushed his chest. “No, it doesn’t freak me out. It’s just, well, we haven’t even said, I love you.”

  He smiled. “Fair enough. Well, can I have you for a little while longer just like this, then we can discuss it again?” He made a circle in between them. “Because this... it works.”

  She leaned her head on his chest. “Yes it does.”

  The rehearsal ended up being more about eating and drinking. Which, for the Winters family, was not a surprise at all. Everyone stayed until about 8:00 p.m. and then got some much needed rest. Drew was going to crash with his parents since the bride and groom may not see
each other before the wedding. Izzy was at her house with her parents and Dane. It was better for Izzy to stay in town because she would take a few hours to get ready. Plus, her wedding dress was at the boutique.

  When it was time to get ready on Saturday, everyone seemed to be running around like a chicken with its head cut off. All the bridesmaids planned to pull their hair up into French twists, except Jax, she had short hair. So they had hair appointments, all at the same time. Then they had their makeup done professionally. They all decided it was like a spa day. Once the primping was complete, they headed to the boutique to get their dresses on. The girls had to help make sure Izzy was perfect, Jax took pictures of the whole process throughout the day.

  Everyone was ready and looked amazing. They piled into two different vehicles and made sure Izzy would not wrinkle her dress. Kenzie had Izzy wait for a moment in the car, just to see where Drew was located. Kenzie walked around the side of the house and stopped, the flowers, decorations, the guys, everything was perfect. There was a DJ and music already playing, the guys were in their places. She wanted to cry, laugh, cheer, but instead she stood there motionless. Her eyes found Joshua’s and they both stared at each other. He mouthed the words, “You look gorgeous.” She smiled, and mouthed, “You do, too.”

  She took in a deep breath and walked back to Izzy. “Okay ladies, the guys are positioned and set to go. Music playing. We just need you,” she said, pointing to Izzy.

  Izzy started to cry and then squealed with delight. “Oh my god, best day ever. I love you all so much.”

  When Izzy stepped onto the patio, the music changed, and everyone stood. She took in a deep breath, then walked down the couple of steps onto the sand. She was barefoot and grinning ear-to-ear. Izzy and Drew could not stop touching one another and were more than excited to share their special vows. The moment they were announced man and wife; the girls all threw their bouquets in the air in celebration.

  It really was the best day ever, Drew and Izzy had a love that couldn’t be denied. The wedding was perfect, and the weather cooperated for the special day. Kenzie met all of Joshua’s family members. Most of the Winters family lived in Wilmington or not far from there. Connie had two brothers and Jim had two brothers and a sister. Joshua had a serious number of cousins, some with kids already. Between Connie and Jim’s siblings, there were eight cousins, six of whom were single. Kenzie thought about her family, it was tiny compared to this family.