Liquid Redemption (Liquid Regret Book 4)

by MJ Carnal

The plane gets quiet and everyone looks at Harley. He shrugs his shoulders as if he hasn’t said anything and opens a book.

  “You want to repeat that, brother?” I know I heard him, I just want to hear it again.

  He doesn’t even look up from what he’s reading. “No big deal. Lane and I are just getting married next Saturday and I thought you might want to be my best man.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Yes,” he looks up at me. “You saved my life that day in the cemetery. I wouldn’t have this day if it weren’t for you. I can’t think of a better person to stand up there with me. What do you say?”

  “Fuck, yes.” I fist bump him since our seatbelts are preventing us from getting up and moving around.

  “No bachelor party. Our life is a bachelor party.” Harley laughs but his eyes give me a warning. “We want something small, on the beach at Max’s house, just you guys and a couple other friends. No press, unless you want another exclusive, Katrina.”

  Her jaw drops. “Hell yes I want the exclusive. More than that, though, I’d like to be there as your friend. I don’t need to take pictures or write anything. This is your day.”

  “Don’t go soft on us now,” Harley laughs. “The pictures are going to show up in the tabloids. We’d rather have them come from someone who cares for us.”

  Congratulations and cheering ring out around us. Harley deserves this so much more than anyone I know. His wedding to Laney will be a media circus if this gets out. After all the heartbreak of Della’s death, the press would sell their soul to get a glimpse of this wedding. I’m proud of Kat for wanting to be there as a friend instead. Harley’s right, though, this will get into the press. It would be nice to control how that happens.

  “Congratulations,” Joshua shakes his hand. “You’re a lucky man. She’s incredible.”

  “You sweet on my woman, Seymour?”

  “No,” Joshua replies. “She just reminds me of someone I used to know.”

  Chapter 24

  “You’re home!” Lorenzo and Ray rush me at the front door. I laugh seeing how happy they are. I’ve been gone over a month and everything feels different walking back in the apartment.

  “Tell us everything.” Ray grabs my hand and leads me to the couch. “Where did you go, what did you see, did you see Joshua naked, are you in love with Chance?”

  “That was subtle.” Lorenzo hugs me. “Ciao, Bella.”

  “What are you doing here? I thought you’d be in Europe by now.” It’s so nice to see him.

  “I postponed my return. I leave in two weeks. I had some loose ends to wrap up. I’ve been practicing here in the states. I’ve got a good crew here. No reason to hurry back.”

  “Back to my questions.” Ray bounces up and down on the couch with excitement.

  “You’re a pain in the ass, Yunk,” I giggle. “It was crazy. Lots of hours on the bus and about as many in hotel rooms. I sat front row at the concerts and it was crazy to see the way people responded to these guys. I got to go up in the space needle and Max and I ran the Golden Gate Bridge. I almost died. I’m so out of shape now. I played the slots in Vegas with this dork and got a surf lesson in Hawaii. I also spent a lot of time by myself writing and trying to figure out what I wanted to do next. I can’t go back to working for that awful paper.”

  ‘Good for you. You deserve better.” Lorenzo takes my hand. For a moment, I feel guilty. I remind myself that it’s just Lorenzo. He’s my best friend.

  “And the Joshua and Chance questions?”

  I sigh. “I didn’t see Joshua naked. In fact, he didn’t even take his shirt off at the beach. He’s pretty reserved. You’d scare the hell out of him. And Chance, that’s complicated.”

  “Why? He’s hot and rich, you’re single and gorgeous. Sounds easy to me.” Ray isn’t going to drop this. I can tell by the look on her face.

  “Turns out, he’s a kid I knew from foster care. We share a past and I didn’t want to scare him off when he realized who I was. The funny thing is, he wanted to face it head on and I was the one who wanted to act like nothing was happening. He’s great. Not at all what I thought he was when I left here. He’s really affectionate and sweet.”

  “You slept with him,” she yells.

  Lorenzo’s grip on my hand tightens. I look at him but he seems unfazed. “I did. A lot. But it was so much more than that. I really like this guy.”

  “Does he feel the same?” Lorenzo’s voice is quiet.

  “He told me he was falling in love with me.” Tears fill my eyes remembering his words. “I’m sure he’s never said those words before. I’ve certainly never heard them. He took my whole disbelief in love and blew it into a million pieces.”

  The doorbell rings and Ray gets up to answer it. I look at Lorenzo. He’s lost in thought but when our eyes meet, he smiles at me. He and Ray will always be my best friends. I would be nothing without the two of them by my side. I would never want to lose them.

  “Non voglio perderti.” Lorenzo sighs.

  “I don’t know that one.”

  “I don’t want to lose you.” He kisses my hand.

  “You’ll never lose me. You’re my family. You’ll have me forever.”

  Ray’s squeal draws me out of the serious mood with Lorenzo. “Lennon Chancellor is at our door.”

  He comes around the corner laughing and I run to hug him. It’s only been about an hour but I’ve missed him. “What are you doing here?”

  “You left something on the plane and I knew you’d need it.” He slides a pebble into my hand and kisses me passionately, right in the middle of my living room in front of Ray and Enzo.

  “This is so romantic.” Ray claps her hands and I giggle against Chance’s mouth.

  “Chance, this is my roommate Rachael Yunk. And you remember Enzo.”

  Chance walks over to Lorenzo and shakes his hand. “Nice to see you again, buddy. And Miss Yunk, I’m very happy to meet you.” He winks at her and kisses her on the cheek. Flirt. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  Lorenzo stares at Chance. He’s acting strangely and I need to find out why. I expected him to be in Rome by now. I need to find out what happened and help him deal with it. He’s not himself. I miss happy Enzo.

  “I’ll get out of your hair. I just knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I didn’t see you one last time.” Chance hugs me again and then starts to head to the door.

  “Don’t you dare leave.” Ray pulls him on to the couch next to her. “We’re going to order pizza and watch a movie. Join us. You can sleep here.”

  I smile at him. It’s exactly what I want. A night with pizza, in front of the TV with my best friends and the man I love. I can’t think of anything more perfect. And if he spent the night, even better.

  “You ok with this, Princess?”

  “I am if you’re ok with cheap pizza and staying the night in a tiny apartment with us common folk.”

  “Cheap pizza is my favorite,” he holds his hand out and pulls me onto his lap. “And I’d sleep on the street if it meant I got to wake up next to you.”

  “You’re amazing,” I sigh and snuggle into him.

  “Only when I’m with you, Kat.”

  Chapter 25

  I slip on my white, linen shirt and look out over the ocean. I’m so relieved that Harley wanted us casual on the beach. I got a glimpse of Laney and almost swallowed my tongue. That woman was made to wear a short dress. Her hair was pulled off her face and her neck looked so long with such a deep neckline. I picture Katrina in something like that and have to breathe deeply to get Lennon Jr to chill out.

  Max walks into the bedroom with his shirt open. “You have to button that thing up. Pretty sure Harley won’t want Lane watching you the whole ceremony.”

  “It pisses me off that you can pull off the white linen.” I laugh and button up my shirt. I leave it hanging out over the linen pants.

  “Are you trying to say I look sexy? Thanks, man.” Max joins me on the balcony. “Hard to believe the
last time so many people were in this house was right after we lost Dell. Now we’re here for Harley’s wedding. Life sure does come full circle.”

  “You met Rachel here.” I pat him on the shoulder. “It always felt a little like Della sent her to us.”

  “You met Katrina here, sort of.” Max laughs. “Her pain in the ass was sitting at my feet out in the front yard, refusing to leave until I gave her an exclusive. Now she’s a part of us.”

  “She’s still a pain in the ass,” I smile out at the ocean. “I hope she’ll stay a part of us. She’s had some pretty great job offers since we got back.”

  “Don’t let her go. It’s simple. You love her, tell her to stay. Hell, go with her. Love’s worth the sacrifice. You’re a part of Liquid Regret, regardless of where you live.” Max throws his arm around me. “You’ve changed the most out of all of us this year. Della would be really proud of you.”

  “She’d be proud of all of us.”

  “Are you assholes ready?” Damien yells from the door.

  “Most of us,” Max laughs.

  I follow D’Rey and Max down the steps to the first floor. Harley is pacing but relaxes when he sees us. Personally, I think it’s Harley who has changed the most. He walked through hell and clawed his way back into the light. He gave up his vices and fell in love for the second time. He moved from the house where he lost Della and made a life with Laney. It’s a life that includes Della because that’s the kind of person Laney is.

  “Let’s get you married.” I give Harley a hug.

  We head down the steps that lead to the private beach. About twenty people wait for us at the bottom. I see Katrina right away. Her pink dress fits her body like a glove. I can’t wait to get her alone. I haven’t seen her for two days. I’ve spent almost every night at her place but I needed to come home to help Harley with everything for the wedding. I’ve contemplated asking her to move in with me. I have a huge house and I’m the only one there. Part of me thinks it’s too soon but the other part just wants to be with her all the time. I’m also afraid she’ll turn me down because of how much she loves living with Ray. Then there’s Enzo. The dude never leaves her apartment. At first I thought it was nice that she had someone so concerned about her wellbeing. Now, he’s just a pain in the ass.

  She smiles at me and I wink back. We’ve kept this wedding a secret so the exclusive is hers. I shouldn’t be happy about this since it will probably lead to another job offer. Max is right, though. I won’t let her leave without a fight. If she still insists on going somewhere, I’ll be right behind her.

  I need to tell her I love her. I’ve told her she’s wrecked me and I said I was falling for her. She’s repeated the same but hearing her say the words will probably bring me to my knees. I want to spend the rest of my life with this woman. The thought of that blows my mind. Two months ago, I was sleeping with everyone and the thought of loving someone was just ridiculous. Today, I’d propose if it meant not losing her.

  I turn to watch Laney walk down the stairs with Mia. They both look gorgeous. The old Chance tried to sleep with both of them. I laugh to myself. I was such an asshole. These women are now like sisters to me. That’s the way it was supposed to be.

  Harley’s face lights up when he sees Lane. Their love is so apparent when you look at them. I wonder if I look at Kat the same way.

  “She’s gorgeous,” Harley whispers next to me. I turn to answer but he isn’t talking to me. When the wind picks up, I wonder if he’s talking to Della. I smile knowing she’s ok with this, too.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen, we’re here on this beautiful evening to celebrate the love of Griffin Miles and Adelaine Jones. Harley has asked me to make this quick.” We laugh as the minister looks between Harley and Lane. “Harley, do you take Laney to be your wife, to honor and cherish her, to protect and be kind, to be a true and loyal friend and a faithful husband, through sorrow and success, to be her greatest fan and toughest adversary, and be a sanctuary of warmth and peace until you are parted by death?”

  I watch Harley fight back his tears. “I do.”

  “And Laney, do you take Harley to be your husband, to honor and cherish him, to protect and be kind, to be a true and loyal friend and a faithful wife, through sorrow and success, to be his greatest fan and toughest adversary, and be a sanctuary of warmth and peace until you are parted by death?”

  “I do,” Laney’s voice is strong and her smile is radiant.

  I look at Katrina and she’s staring at me. Tears flow freely down her cheeks and I get emotional. I have to blink back my tears. I’m so overcome by the emotions of the wedding and the love I see in Kat’s eyes. This is what I want someday, right here in this exact spot, with my brothers at my side, pledging my life to her.

  “By the power vested in me by the state of California, I now declare that you are husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

  The kiss is passionate and I cheer along with the rest of the guys. Max puts his hand on my shoulder and I look over at him and smile. He’s next. He may not realize it but the look on Rachel’s face says it all. I imagine I’ll be wearing a tux for that one. Callum Maxwell is cut from a different cloth than the rest of us. And Rachel has a huge family that lives out of town. There’s no way I’ll get away with wearing linen pants to that one. I wink at Rachel as she catches me staring at her. Their wedding will be the event of the year.

  Harley helps Laney back up the narrow stairway leading back to Max’s estate. Katrina follows with her camera to get a few photos to ‘leak’ to the press once her story goes live. I watch her ass as she walks away. That dress is fitted like it was painted on her by the most talented artist in the world. I can’t wait to peel it off her when this is over.

  “You’re next,” I lean toward Max and whisper.

  “I think you’re next,” he laughs and points at Katrina. Her camera is aimed at me from the top of the stairs. I give her the patented smolder and she laughs. “I think you’ll be married long before I am, my friend.”

  Chapter 26

  Max’s yard is gorgeous. Flooring was laid and a DJ was set up in the corner. From the dance floor, you can see the ocean. White twinkle lights cover the sheer, white tent and are rivaled only by the stars that blanket the sky. A Sinatra song echoes through the yard and Lorenzo takes my hand.

  “Dance with me, Tesoro Mio.” He leads me to the dance floor and takes me in his arms. “Are you happy?”

  I smile and my heart swells. “I’m so happy. You don’t have to worry so much, Enzo. He’s good for me.”

  “So was I, Bella.” He stops dancing and looks into my eyes. “I know we are friends. But I love you and don’t want to see you hurt. I wouldn’t hurt you.”

  “He’s not going to hurt me. He loves me. He hasn’t said it yet but I feel it.” I pull him back to me and continue to dance. My mind races. Why is he acting like this?

  “I’m finding it hard to let you go.” Lorenzo pulls me closer.

  “Mind if I take over?” Chance waits for Lorenzo to look at him. For a moment, it’s awkward, then he pulls away and turns to leave.

  “I’ve missed you,” I kiss him lightly on the lips. “It’s strange waking up without you. I’ve gotten used to you.”

  “Move in with me.”

  I freeze. I couldn’t have heard him correctly. It’s way too soon. I look up at him and he raises an eyebrow. “It’s so soon.”

  “I want you with me. I spend almost every night at your apartment. Ray and Lorenzo have to be getting tired of me.” He dips me and I giggle. “Is there something going on with those two? Lorenzo seems to always be around.”

  “They’re definitely not dating. He’s got something going on but I don’t know what.”

  “He’s still in love with you.” My voice is a little firmer than I intended.

  “No, he’s not. He was never in love with me.” I stop dancing. “We weren’t like that. It was just a friends with benefits thing.”

  “Katrina, the man is in love
with you. Everyone can see it.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” I push him away. “He’s my family. It was just physical, nothing else. Don’t get possessive.”

  “Stop,” he reaches for me. “Kat, I don’t want to argue with you. I don’t know why you’re so upset.”

  I look at Lorenzo and he’s staring at me. Could Chance be right? He takes a sip of his champagne but his eyes never leave mine. When I turn around, I can feel his gaze burning a hole in my back. I need to handle this.

  “I’m going to go.” I hug Chance.

  “Kat,” he grabs my hand.

  “It’s fine. I just need to talk to Enzo. Call me when you leave and maybe we can meet up.” I pull away and he’s shocked.

  “Babe, I’ll go with you. Don’t leave mad.”

  “I’m not. I promise.” I kiss him on the cheek.

  I walk away, leaving him standing on the dance floor alone. I know I’m overreacting but I need to get to the bottom of things with Enzo. He’s acting strangely and Chance thinks he’s in love with me. I don’t believe it for a second but I need to make things right.

  And I need to think about moving in together.

  “Talk to me,” I shift into second gear and wait for Lorenzo to start talking. “I’m serious. I know something’s up.”

  “Katrina,” he sighs.

  “Katrina? You never call me that. Tell me what’s wrong.” I’m getting worried.

  “When I left Las Vegas, I missed you.” He looks out the passenger window.

  “I missed you, too.”

  “No, Bella, I missed you. I thought about you with Chance and I would get physically ill. I couldn’t go back to Rome to start the season until I saw you again. I needed to know what happened with Chance. I needed to ensure you were happy.” He lets out a long breath laced with sadness. “And if you weren’t, I was going to ask you to come with me.”

  “Enzo,” I don’t know what to say. “Where’s this coming from? You never said anything before.”

  “I wasn’t aware before.” He covers my hand on the gearshift. “I love you and I will do what you say. If Chance is the man for you, I will wish you luck and watch from the sidelines until there is a day you feel the same way I do. If there is a chance my feelings are reciprocated, I ask you to fly to Rome with me and be by my side as I start the new season.”