“Subtle,” Grant says looking at me with a worried half smile.
Drew shrugs and stands up from the couch stretching his arms out. “What can I say, subtle is my middle name.”
I stare, open mouthed but without speaking while the wheels in my brain turn.
“You bought the house? This house?” I ask Grant.
“It was a solid investment.”
Drew turns around and walks to the kitchen, but he is not getting out of this so easily. “Is that why you let him move in?”
Drew spins around. “Of course not. I didn’t know until later.”
“So when did you buy the house?” My head lobs back toward Grant.
Grant takes a visible swallow and looks to the ceiling like he’s doing invisible math. “What answer would be best for me? One where I don’t get in a lot of trouble AND we don’t have a fight over it.”
With my arms crossed and my face flat, I answer. “There isn’t one.”
Drew throws his hands up in the air. “See, this is why no one told you because we didn’t want you to get upset. Can you just be happy your best friend in the entire world no longer has to pay rent?”
My face scrunches and I stomp a foot on the floor in annoyance. “How long has this been happening? And how come I don’t get free rent?”
Grant is quick to jump in with an answer. “Because I knew you would see it as me trying to help you and you don’t like to accept help.”
“Oh.” I guess he does know me and he has a point. I do hate accepting help, especially something major like rent, but an extra thousand dollars a month would be awesome. I could finally start saving money. Something I’ve never been able to do.
“I sold the houseboat so I’m mortgage free. If you don’t want to pay rent you don’t have to,” he sounds flippant, but it’s a huge deal to me.
I can’t stop the smile from growing on my face and I sit back on the couch. “I’ll think about it.”
Drew walks toward the kitchen thinking he’s dodged a bullet, but I’ll get him back, eventually. When he’s left the room, I turn back to Grant. “I really don’t have to pay rent?”
Grant laughs. “I told you no, but you can pay me back in other ways. Fun ways.”
An exaggerated, “Ewww,” comes from the kitchen. “Make sure that shit happens behind closed doors,” Drew yells from the other side of the breakfast bar.
“You have to admit it’s a bit stalkerish –” What man in his right mind buys the house where his one-night stand lives?
“I told you I knew from the moment I saw you. I was hedging my bets.”
“And exactly when were you planning to tell me?”
Grant laughs but it comes off as nervous. “Absolutely never.”
I laugh throwing my head back until I hit the arm of the couch. So much has changed in the last few months. There were times it didn’t feel like I had any control over what was going on in my life, but like so many optimistic quotes promise, at the end of the day everything turned out okay.
Between the lively group of new friends and the boyfriend who doesn’t know when enough is enough, I’ve ended up exactly where I was meant to be.
EPILOGUE
*Grant*
Months ago, during a late-night gaming session Finn declared he’d be married to Aspen by the end of the summer, but in truth no one took him seriously. Everyone knows girls are crazy when it comes to weddings. They plan these things for months or even years, but somehow he did it. I think he felt the need to lock her down before Aspen figured out she’s starting a life with a man who literally plays video games all day long. What he doesn’t understand is from the way she looks at him, his woman does not care. Finn could come home and tell her he wants to start a career as a longshore fisherman and she’d help pick out a pair of waders.
I’m happy for the two of them. They make a great couple. Not as good as Clare and me, but nobody can reach our level of awesome. What other woman out there would let me play video games all evening long with her best friend and then let me fuck her before bed? My dream woman, that’s who.
Clare is a rather laid-back woman, but I doubt I’ll get away with an easy wedding like Finn. He popped the question in the middle of July and here we are the last week in August ready to send them off.
I take my eyes off the empty aisle and sneak a glance at my best friend. Finn stands nervously to my right waiting for the music to start and his bride to make an appearance. I’ve never been happier or more disappointed in him since we met in college.
Happy because the man couldn’t be more excited to start a new life with Aspen even though not much will change. But disappointed because the wedding is so… normal.
My best friend, Finnegan McRyan created Dragons Reborn. One of the best-selling video games of all time. It’s available on every video game platform out there and made him enough money his bank account is bigger than the gross national product of some small countries in Europe.
Aspen did not take any of that into consideration when she planned this wedding. There’s not a single person in costume. I guess she had to plan it quickly, and the girls put a lot of work into the small details. At least I hope so from the many nights Clare was gone helping do this or that to get ready for today, but at the least my girl could have worked in a few battle axes. Hang them from the ceiling like chandeliers.
Our tuxes are plain black and white. Aspen didn’t even give me a cool colorful bowtie. There is nothing in this wedding to showcase how badass my best friend is. Of course besides the ten or so chairs in the audience section, and the ten of us who will soon be standing on the stage, I guess everyone in the room knows who he is.
Clare stands on the other side of the small stage in her long black bridesmaid’s dress. I can’t help but envision how our own wedding will look. It’s going to be the bomb. Rather than flowers, the girls could walk down the aisle with swords. I’ll let the men wear suits, but only if we get to wear tennis shoes with them. Finn keeps talking about how we’re going out to dinner after the ceremony for the reception, a new place. But for Clare and my wedding we’re planning a party.
A big party with those little hot dogs wrapped in dough my grandfather is always trying to sneak into events. Definitely lasagna since I’m pretty sure the first meal I cooked for Clare turned our relationship around. My girl likes food. I told you she was perfect for me. We just need to work on her sharing.
Light music provided by a string quartet filters through the room — another thing you will definitely not see at our wedding — and everyone in the line straightens to their full height. Aspen enters through the back door, her arm wrapped through her brother’s as he leads her down the aisle. Even from my vantage point with Trey in between us, I notice when Finn sucks in a breath of air.
That man is so far gone. He’s been wrapped around Aspen’s little finger for the last year, but after this he’s a lost cause. Not that I have much room to talk. I meet a girl at a party, have a one-night stand, and then decide she’s the girl I’m bound to marry all in the course of twenty-four hours.
At one point in mine and Clare’s dysfunctionality I went to Finn and Trey for advice. Neither of them were overly helpful, but Trey went on and on about how I had to tell Clare how it worked. He even used the words “lay down the law.” But I’m attached to my balls and wanted to keep them in place. Besides Clare can spend a lifetime telling me what to do. I have no plans to stop her.
Aspen reaches the end of the aisle and the music ends. Her brother gives her a kiss on the cheek and passes her off to Finn’s waiting hands. The minister starts babbling on but I stare at Clare as she watches the ceremony attentively.
Her black dress brushes the floor even with the heels she has on underneath. A little extra fabric never stopped me before and I don’t plan to let it tonight. Before the day is over I plan to have her bent over my bed, her fair skin and beautiful ass on display as I roll her dress up around her hips. I start to get hard as I imagine watchin
g my dick slip into her from behind. Before I give everyone a show, I start reciting baseball statistics in my head. I must ask Finn if he’ll let us use his box sometime this year before the season ends.
There’s no way I could take her up against the big picture window as the game goes on, but the door locks. The couches would be a wonderful place for Clare to sit on my lap, the game as the perfect backdrop. Maybe while Finn’s on his honeymoon, I’ll sneak in a game.
A quick cheer goes up from our small crowd and Finn wraps his arms around Aspen giving her a kiss my grandmother would not find appropriate for this church setting. Who knew the old man had it in him? They turn and walk down the aisle, the opening music from Dragons Reborn their exit music.
I meet Clare at the end of the platform and she wraps her arm in mine as we walk out behind the newly married couple. Bending down I give her a quick kiss on the lips holding up the rest of the line with our display. She doesn’t seem to mind but stops me when I try and slip in some tongue.
She laughs pulling away from our embrace. “What am I going to do with you?”
“Love me?”
We pass under the doorway and Clare smiles. “Sounds like a plan.”
It sounds like a perfect plan to me.
* Grant and Clare’s story is over, but keep reading for more goodies from the author *
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A note from the author:
Thank you for reading Quest! I hope you enjoyed Clare and Grant’s story. Find out about my other releases in the RDA series and different series I’m currently writing by visiting my website www.authormeganmatthews.com
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————
Megan Matthews writes smutty romance by day and hides behind her secret identity as a responsible Pinterest mom when other parents are around. She believes morning shouldn’t start until noon and chocolate should be calorie free. Living in Michigan she prefers sun over snow, hot chocolate over coffee, and wine over beer.
Preferring books over nature, Megan once displayed the entire Goosebumps series on her bookshelf. Her taste in reading has matured. She now prefers her heroes with rippling muscles naked in bed over brace-faced nerds running from murderous dummies.
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Find reads from other great authors.
The Flip
by K.L. Montgomery
Genre: Romantic Comedy/Contemporary Romance
Andrew and Sonnet hated each other in high school. Always rivals for the best grades and top academic honors, there was no love lost between these two nerds after graduation.
Ten years later, they've both been named heirs to property in Bethany Beach, Delaware, after the passing of its owner, Penelope Vaughn. Ms. Vaughn was Andrew's Great Aunt and Sonnet's beloved next door neighbor growing up.
The quaint beach cottage needs serious work before going on the market. Andrew and Sonnet are both willing to bury the hatchet in exchange for drills and saws, especially since they stand to make a pretty penny with the beachfront property, which will finance Drew's dream of opening a business and Sonnet's plan to earn her doctorate in astrophysics.
But when they face a multitude of home improvement obstacles, will these two former adversaries be able to pull off a successful flip? Or did Great Aunt Penny have something else in mind with her bequest?
- AVAILABLE ON AMAZON AND KU -
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Acknowledgments
When I sat down to write the acknowledgments for Quest, I realized I could basically copy and paste the same names I’ve used in each of my earlier books.
And that’s a good thing!
I consider myself lucky because for the most part I have the same crew of people today that I started this journey with over a year ago. It shows how awesome they are because it’s certainly not me. Trish, Jamie, Sandy, and Shambles (I did names in reading order not preference : )) Thank you for reading a copy of Quest. It’s your comments and thoughts on the story that help me make sure I stay on task.
Special thanks to the members of my Inner Circle group. Your excitement and help with my publishing journey means the world to me. Maria Whitehead, Susan DeMacedo, Jennifer Dietz, Lauren Ryan, Kaylee Eyth, Catheryn Plum, Pat Tatum, TJ Branham, Sandy Thrower, Jamie Franks, Alex Corvin, Shanna Lubold, and Lenora Wilson.
They say it takes a village to raise a child, and it’s true for publishing books too. Thanks to the lovely Divas and chat members who have helped guide me every step of the way. You people rock.
And then there is my husband, Matt. He not only keeps me in leggings, but cooks for us every night. Thanks for believing in me, babe.
Quest (The Boys of RDA Book 4) Page 20
