Beautifully Done

by Riley Mackenzie

  formatted by E.M. Tippetts Book Designs

  Books by Riley Mackenzie

  Beautifully Awake Series

  Beautifully Awake

  Beautifully Done

  To our two husbands and five children, our every-day bucket fillers.

  Thank you for teaching us the meaning of loyalty … truth and trust.

  Why the fuck am I barefoot? The sand was cold, colder than you would expect in October, and the salt water spray only added to the chill in the air. At least I was in this monkey suit, could’ve been worse. Half the women lining the beach, waiting to get this show on the road, were freezing their asses off in glorified lingerie. Not that I minded the view.

  “Why the fuck are we barefoot again?” I clipped Chase’s arm to get his attention and snap him out of whatever pussy whipped La-La Land he disappeared to.

  “How old are you, man? Can’t you stand still for five minutes?”

  If I didn’t know any better, the bastard sounded nervous.

  “Ash, I’m with you,” Sierra chimed in from across the aisle. “This wind sucks. Don’t be surprised if my nipples cut straight through this dress.” Sierra was Lili’s best friend, maid of honor and probably the funniest chick we knew. I laughed and Chase’s face hardened, definitely not feeling our humor.

  “Dude, you look like you’re gonna shit yourself. Sure you want to do this? There’s still time to back out.” Cue the look of death. That was more like it. I grinned and threw my hands up in surrender. “Just sayin’.”

  Finally his brow relaxed. He was my best friend, but damn, was he one intense motherfucker.

  “What the hell is taking her so long? I’m going back up to the house to make sure everything’s okay.”

  There was the real truth. He couldn’t stand being more than two feet away from her for any given amount of time. Overprotective was an understatement; especially after everything they went through last year.

  I clutched his shoulder. “No, you’re not.”

  I lifted my chin toward the staircase slicing through the sand dunes and tall beach grass just as the music started to play. And not the traditional harp or cello, but acoustic guitar. Nice. Chase’s shoulders relaxed and I slapped him on the back. Lucky bastard.

  Lili Porter was take-your-breath-away, instant hard-on beautiful. She was wearing one of those stark white strapless Greek goddess-looking dresses that hugged all the right places. Her long brown hair cascaded down her back, covered by a simple white veil. Her long bangs blew in the wind; the ones she cut last year to help cover one of her scars. This was why I called her gorgeous.

  Everyone stood from their white folding chairs and focused on the bride. Cameras clicked and the oohs and aahs briefly muffled the music. Chase struggled to control his breathing. As head over heels as he was for this woman, he would be pissed at himself if he lost his shit in front of all these people. Half the crowd worked for him.

  “Really?” I leaned in, trying to sound nonchalant, pointing to the sparkly pumps dangling underneath her bouquet of blue roses. “What’d you pay for those fucking shoes? And she’s not even wearing them.”

  He turned and elbowed me in the ribs. “You’re an ass.” Then he shook his head and chuckled. At least he made it five minutes without crying like a pansy. Best man duty fulfilled.

  The ceremony went off without a hitch. The women all cried, because women cry. Hell, I even got a little choked up. Marriage wasn’t in the cards for me, but if two people were meant for each other it was these two. All the main points were hit: rings, vows, I do’s and a kiss, if you could call it that. More like a teaser clip of the honeymoon. If it was anyone other than the guy who slept over every time he lost a tooth in the second grade because the Park Avenue tooth fairy sucked ass, and the girl who earned honorary sister status, it would have been hot. Screw it, it was still pretty hot. Too bad I didn’t bring a date to share in the love.

  Wedding dates were a huge no, bigger than Saturday night dates. It never just meant and guest, at least not to your plus one. So I didn’t do either. It was that simple. I was a player, but I wasn’t a heartless dick. If I stumbled across a beautiful lady who was already there, well, that was a completely different story. And luckily, this reception had no shortage.

  “Forget about it.” Sierra sucked down half of her margarita.

  “What? What did I do?”

  Sierra’s eyes followed my line of sight. Standing alone at the bar, a petite brunette played with the straw in her pink drink. I wasn’t a boob man, but even at this distance, I couldn’t miss her rack bopping to the beat of the music. I was blessed with 20/20.

  “Pick someone else. You’re the last thing she needs.” Lili’s pint-sized sidekick excelled at blunt. “No offense.”

  None taken. I knew exactly what she meant.

  But before I got the chance to defend my honor, Dodd snaked her waist and clinked his beer bottle against mine. “What’s up, Ash? My wife giving you a hard time?”

  “How’d you guess?”

  “Psst, I live with her, remember?”

  Sierra was a handful and a half, but hey, that’s what he signed on for when he said I do. I laughed and we both drank.

  “Hey, I’m standing right here.” Her hand shot to her hip, assuming the classic pissed off female stance.

  I wondered if she realized that it didn’t have quite the same effect at a good foot shorter than everyone else. Pint-sized and feisty. It was fun having her around more since Chase and Lili moved up from Philadelphia six months ago. Those women were connected at the hip. No doubt, she would have Dodd’s ass destined for Boston in no time.

  “You-” her finger jabbed my chest, “need to keep it in your pants. Kate’s off limits. Got me? And you…” Now it was Dodd’s turn. “If you want me to ever take it back out of your pants, you’ll back me up on this one.”

  Come again? “That’s Kate?”

  “Yes, so point your sexy green eyes in another direction. Like, ummm, there. How about her? I’m sure you’ll have no problem sweet talking her way-too-tight, wannabe couture dress right off of her.”

  Dodd laughed at his wife. “Babe, I love you to pieces, but you can be a serious bitch sometimes.”

  Her hand found its way back to her little hip. “Come on, if you want to wear size four Lycra, you don’t get double D implants. You know I’m right.”

  “Wait, back up. That’s Kate? Kate, Kate?” Shit. I didn’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t a hottie. Her ex was about eight months in on a three-year sentence for assault and drug theft. Got off easy, not nearly long enough for the damage he caused. Supposedly he was more distraught over losing his license to practice medicine than the fact he almost killed Lili. The bastard bashed her skull against a wall and tossed her down a flight of cement stairs for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I sat vigil with Chase in that claustrophobic hospital cube for the longest forty-eight hours, waiting to see if she’d wake up. It was pure torture. I couldn’t tell you which was worse, watching him circle a scary abyss again or staring at her unrecognizable face. It was a miracle she healed as well as she did, at least on the outside.

  Sierra snapped out of whatever tangent she was on. “I forgot you never met her before. Probably because it took her weeks to face Lili—the poor thing was a hot mess after the accident. We all knew Lil would never blame her.”

  Of course she wouldn’t.

  “Anyway, my point is that Kate’s finally got herself together, even started dating again. Thus, you and your giant hot self stay far, far away.”

  “You don’t have to tell me twice.” I backed away with a raised hand. Kate was definitely attractive, but she screamed emotional disaster. I had no intentions of touching her with a ten foot
pole. That woman needed way more than I could ever give her. Just because I had a dick didn’t mean I had to be a dick.

  Scanning the massive beach tent, I eyed a second bar, then a third, and then a fourth. Another beer was calling my name, so I made my way across the dance floor, enjoying the occasional bump and grind along the way. Hey, you only lived once and I was never too shy to get my groove on. And leave it to my boy to do it right, sparing no expense for his bride. Who strung crystal chandeliers up in an outdoor tent? Chase would piss money away if he could; his disdain for the almighty dollar was bewildering. Good thing the loser had me watching his back. I made us both more money than he could spend in a lifetime.

  I switched out my empty for a full one; meanwhile, smooth arms tackled my sides in a tight bear hug. The blinding blue rock on her finger gave her away.

  “Your best man toast was perfect. We loved it. We love you.” Lili had a tendency to get affectionate when she drank, and it didn’t take much.

  I spun and hugged her back. Chase was all of two inches behind with his typical me-Tarzan-her-Jane expression. I squeezed her a little tighter just to be a dick and mouthed aw, she loves me. Only I could get away with that shit.

  “You can take your hands off my wife’s ass at any time.”

  Who was I kidding? I never got away with it.

  “Man, she married your needy ass. Think you can drop the whole caveman thing. Gorgeous as always, Lili.” I kissed her cheek and folded her back into her husband’s arms.

  I loved her. She was all around awesome: sweet, fun, loyal to a fault, and not to mention ridiculously easy on the eyes. But it was her effect on Chase that solidified her spot in the family. She woke his sorry ass from years of misplaced guilt and gave me my best friend back.

  “Not in this lifetime.” Chase was dead serious.

  Lili looked up at him with her killer baby blues as if he parted the Red Sea. I couldn’t promise anyone until death do us part, but hell, I wouldn’t have minded someone looking at me like that.

  “You guys psyched for your trip? Sucks every romantic destination in a twelve-hour radius was booked.” Who honeymooned in Japan? Lili laughed at my joke. Chase rubbed his face and cracked a smile. He did that a lot more since Lil.

  “Just try not to get yourself into trouble the next three weeks. All right, asshole?”

  “C, you trying to say you’re gonna miss me? Cause if so, that’s pretty lame.” The new Mrs. Colton laughed her sweet ass off. Her boobs jiggled too. Yup, I was an asshole.

  We briefly shot the shit about work while Lili pointed out every single female at the wedding she deemed worthy of my attention. The woman was relentless, always spewing about me deserving a hay or HEA. I decided to feed into her good mood and indulge her a little.

  “Hey, if you really think I deserve a happy ending tonight, who am I to question the bride?”

  Chase buried his face in her hair but not before he half choked on his beer. He was too easy to rile, how could I not? Lili, on the other hand, fake rolled her eyes and winked right back at me. She was the bomb.

  I tried to keep the joke going to circumvent the conversation returning to the why Asher should settle down topic, but Lil cut me off when she saw a bunch of people making their way off the dance floor. The band had just slowed things down a notch.

  “There’s my baby girl,” she sweetly said, reaching for the doll-sized princess her stepmom was holding. Her little dress was a mini version of the bride’s with a big pink bow matching the obnoxious sparkly clip dangling from her still half-bald head. Rubbing her tired eyes, Lili showered her porcelain face with kisses and cushioned her snug against her chest. “Aww, Chase, look, she’s exhausted. Poor baby. I’m going to take Layla back to the house so she can get tucked in. Be right back.” She handed him her empty glass and gave him a peck on the lips before she carried the now sleeping child away.

  Chase’s eyes were crazy glued to her every step until she disappeared through sliding glass doors. Then he ripped at his tie, unbuttoned his top three buttons, and took a deep breath. Shit.

  “I’ll go find Sierra and let her know where they went, okay, sweetie?” Lil’s stepmother Sharon sympathetically patted Chase’s cheek.

  “Thanks, Shar.”

  I let the silence stew long enough to order us two fresh cold ones. “Sorry, C—sucks, man.” There was nothing else to say.

  Chase stared at his beer with the intensity he stared at his patients’ brain scans. “Yes. It. Does.” Then he drained half the bottle.

  Lili’s face lit up the room every time she was around that baby. It sucked for Chase, seeing how natural she was with Sierra’s daughter, and knowing it was all his woman wanted for herself. They had been trying to have one of their own since Lil miscarried a few weeks after getting out of the hospital. No luck so far. Life was fucking unfair.

  The poor guy deserved to enjoy his wedding, not beat himself up over what couldn’t be changed, so I switched topic. “Could be worse, we could still be barefoot.” I followed suit, draining my bottle.

  His steel armor cracked and he shook his head. “That was a fucking stupid idea, wasn’t it?”

  Five hours later, my jacket and tie were nowhere to be found. Hell with it, I hated the damn tux anyway. It didn’t matter who designed it or how much you paid, those straight jackets never fit a guy my size. The party was winding down, and somehow I was left with the whole thanks for coming, hope you had a great time best man bullshit. Kissing every aunt, cousin and grandma on both cheeks, I needed a tetanus shot. People stuffed envelopes in my hand and I was tempted to ask, “Just out of curiosity, what part of the five thousand square foot oceanfront cottage with the Cirque du Soleil tent pitched in front made you think an envelope was an appropriate gift?” But I held back. No need to piss off the bride, and besides, it was all going to a great cause. As their wedding present, I set up a foundation for abused women and children in their name and I promised to match every donation they made. What else did you get for the couple that needed squat?

  “What a beautiful party, honey. Where’s Chasey and Lili Blue?” This particular beauty got two kisses and a hug.

  “Not sure, Ma.” But it was a good question. “Don’t worry, I’ll tell them you said goodnight. Where are Dad and the girls?” Saying the girls was easier than listing my three sisters, their husbands and my five nieces.

  “Oh, the babies were getting cranky.” My youngest niece was three but that was beside the point. “It was getting late, so your sisters left a while ago. And I told them to take your father. He was starting to get a little confused, and I didn’t want him to be embarrassed about it in the morning,” she ended on a whisper.

  We all lived in a bit of denial, especially my mom. Watching my grandfather and uncle suffer with Alzheimer’s for decades was devastating. I couldn’t blame her for wanting to believe he would remember in the morning.

  “Okay, Ma, but how are you getting back to the hotel? I’ve got to stick around for a while, but I’ll get you a car.” The resort was less than a half-mile down the road, but no way in hell was my mother walking. I fished my phone out of my pocket to call a service.

  “That won’t be necessary, darling. She can drive with me.”

  She might have been trying to make amends for her life of poor choices and shortcomings since her husband’s death, but Chase’s mother was still an ice queen that made my skin crawl. I knew for a fact that Chase didn’t invite her, so the only logical explanation was that Lili hit her head a little harder than we all thought. Unfortunately, that didn’t explain my parents’ thirty-year friendship with the Coltons. Talk about day and night. Principled and indecent.

  My mother’s soft wrinkled hand rubbed mine. “That would be perfect, Constance, thank you. Honey, don’t worry about me. Just make sure you give the newlyweds a kiss for me and tell them I expect a postcard from Asia. Now go enjoy yourself, there are some lovely young women chatting with Sierra by the band. Maybe you should introduce yourself.” />
  I kissed the meddler’s hand and said, “Goodnight, Ma.” Then, because I was my mother’s son, always a gentleman, I politely kissed the ice queen.

  “Asher, good seeing you. Please do apologize to my son for me. It must have slipped my mind, but I have an early charity event back in the city tomorrow or else I would have loved to have attended brunch and seen them off.”

  Right, because he wanted to spend any more time with your nasty ass. She half looked like she believed the bullshit oozing from her own mouth, as if she forgot Chase despised her. He would rot in hell before he ever forgave her for what she did. Maybe she needed to pay a visit to my dad’s neurologist or maybe the mortification of finding out your dearly deceased jerk-off husband had been far from faithful made her delusional. Either way, the woman never ceased to amaze me.

  “Sure, I’ll pass on the message.” Ahem, bullshit.

  After seeing them safely out, I inadvertently scoped out the crew my mother was talking about. She was correct about one thing—they were lovely. I recognized most of them as Lili and Chase’s hospital friends from Philadelphia, two of which gabbed about nothing but medical shit and were most definitely single. Completely irrelevant because they weren’t who caught my eye. The band behind them was busy packing up their equipment for the night. I smirked, remembering four teenage friends rocking out just for the sake of rocking out, back when life was fair. My temporary alcohol-induced nostalgia got interrupted when the lead singer, whose sultry voice grabbed my attention multiple times throughout the evening, leaned over to close a guitar case. Her tight black leather pants rode just low enough to see her inked stamp, while her long blonde hair kept slipping from its loose clip. Mmm. Now, she was someone who needed an introduction. After all, I was a son who followed his mother’s advice.

  “You should have told me you had a wedding last night, I would’ve gone with you.” Randi swiveled on her bar stool and looked me dead in the eyes. Oh shit, that was a sign of attachment. Guess I should enjoy her tonight because by tomorrow morning she was sayonara.