by Robin Leaf
“What? How?”
He pulled away, his answer cut off by Riley.
“Okay, everyone. Gather ‘round the tree. We’re going to start the gift exchange.”
I turned back to Tater, but he was gone.
***
“Are ya sure one of ya lasses wouldn’t like to trade with me?” Fionn, one of the bodyguards who worked at the Reed Agency, asked the crowd.
“I would,” I offered, feeling sorry for the guy, “but I’m not sure what you would do with a Victoria’s Secret gift card, either.”
He looked in the bag again and shuddered. “Great.”
Apparently, someone thought a dildo would make a funny addition to our party. It wasn’t a joke dildo, either. It was a top of line, pretty expensive model, and it looked like it did… tricks, pretty impressive tricks, too. It was kind of intimidating.
I had to wonder who brought the thing. I suspected my mother, possibly a re-gifting of something one of her fans sent her. They sent her some rather… well, let’s just call them “interesting” things. Writing erotica apparently had its perks.
“I’m worried about what kind of music Tater is going to buy with his iTunes gift card,” Emily said.
“Hey,” Keaton elbowed her in the side.
“Sorry, Tater Tot, but your taste in music sucks.”
“What?” he said, blushing. “I can’t help it that you don’t like the Backstreet Boys.”
“Sorry,” Nate interjected, “but the Backstreet Boys got nothing on N*SYNC. Those boys were perfection.”
“No way,” Riley argued, “the Boys are still together and going strong. One guy can’t make a band. And JT carried N*SYNC.”
Etta rolled her eyes. “Oh, shit, here we go.” She threw her head back against the couch, covering her eyes with her forearm. “Please, don’t get him started.”
Nate ignored her and stood. “JT is a god, it’s true. But there was other talent in the group. JC? Joey Fatone? Lance? Chris?” He crossed his feet over each other and spun around slowly. “Not to mention the dancing.”
“Oh, blessed be,” Darby groaned, “this is like my nightmare of a high-school slumber party all over again.”
“C’mon. The Backstreet Boys could dance,” Noah defended.
“Not like N*SYNC,” one of the bodyguards I hadn’t met responded.
I didn’t even know who was saying what after that, but all the men seemed to be in on the argument, standing and polarizing themselves into two groups, interjecting comments and posturing, like some ultra-hot man version of a twisted West-Side-Story-style show down.
“We’ll go at it and let the girls decide which is better. Let’s do this,” Riley said, clicking a remote into the air.
“Everybody” by the Backstreet Boys began playing throughout the room, and the side backing the Boys started moving into formation.
“Uh…What is happening right now?” I asked the room, but the girls all seemed as befuddled as I was. They just joined me on the floor, watching the show unfold.
Noah took the lead, moving surprisingly well for someone so… big. The group’s moves were simple but too choreographed to be unrehearsed. They lip synched as they danced, making it through one verse before the song changed.
N*SYNC’s “I’ll Never Stop” was next. The other group of boys danced the Backstreet lovers out of the way, lip synching as well, except for Nate who had a surprisingly good voice. I knew that from his wildly popular viral video that circulated last year.
I noticed three phones up in our group of girls. Gah. I didn’t even think to record it. One of them would have to send me this.
Again, one verse played before it changed to another song. Backstreet’s “I Want it That Way.” More dancing. I was so glad I was witnessing this display. I couldn’t stop smiling.
“Vanessa, did you help them with this?” I asked her.
She admitted to me that she used to dance, so she was the obvious choice to ask.
“Nope, it wasn’t me. I’m just as surprised as you are.”
It morphed into “I Want You Back,” and Dugger doing the running man was the funniest thing I’ve seen in a long time.
Each time the song changed, another man would step up to the lead position. Fionn could shake his ass, but sadly, Riley could not. Yikes.
“I obviously didn’t marry him for dance moves, ladies,” Vanessa joked, to which Riley shot her a warning glare, which was more like a sexy, wait-until-I-get-you-alone look.
This went back and forth for four more songs, and all the ladies were cheering for our favorites.
I had to say the N*SYNC group was kicking ass.
Finally, my favorite of the songs began, and I couldn’t help but scream a little. “It’s Gonna Be Me” by N’SYNC. Nate took the lead again, and this dance was perfectly precise. I was impressed.
Nate played to the females, and when the chorus started, he made his way to me, grabbing my hand to help me stand. I felt myself blush like some sort of groupie. He let go of my hand, and his backup dancers parted.
Holy shit.
Brody slid in on his knees, perfectly timed to the “It’s gonna be me” line, with an outstretched palm holding an opened ring box.
All the girls screamed, but I was too stunned to respond at first.
“Okay, what the fuck just happened?” I asked.
“Honey,” Darby announced, “I think he just proposed in epically spectacular fashion.”
Brody smiled and stood. “Someone once told me that every girl loves a flash mob.” He shrugged. “So I made one happen.”
I looked down at the box and furrowed my brow. It was absolutely beautiful, but I really didn’t want a different ring, especially one he bought.
“Why not your grandmother’s ring?” I asked, looking down at my right hand.
“That one is special, it’s true.” Taking the ring out of the box, he smiled. “But I thought you deserved my mother’s ring.”
My eyes filled with tears at the beauty of the moment. He wrapped his hands around my waist and pulled me close. Looking up at him, I stared into his eyes like some moony-eyed freak, but he gazed at me with the same wonder, getting a bit misty himself.
He smiled and leaned down to whisper so that only I could hear. “I’m a little hurt that you’re not shoving your tongue down my throat and dry humping me right now.”
I let out a snicker, kind of embarrassed that I almost snotted on him, so I wiped my nose on the sleeve of my sweater. “I’m waiting until we’re alone,” lowering my voice to the husky whisper that drives him nuts, “because right now, it wouldn’t be dry humping.”
“Good, because when we’re alone, I have a private performance planned… to ‘Gett Off’ by Prince.”
I smiled. “You won’t need Prince to get my clothes off, Orgasman.”
“God, don’t leave us in suspense,” one of the men called. “What’s your answer, KaeKae?”
I nodded. “Yes,” I whispered for him. “Yes,” I said for everyone to hear.
Cheers and chaos erupted around us, but I only saw the love of my life slide his mother’s ring on the correct finger this time.
I heard the popping of corks in the background.
“You did all of this for me?” I asked.
“Yes.” I swear he blushed. “Some of those meetings in November weren’t meetings… they were rehearsals.” He smiled. “I had a little help.”
“I can’t believe you got all these guys to do this. It was so fucking excellent.”
“Well, you know when I wake up in the morning, I piss excellence.” His smile faded, and a look of pure adoration remained. “I love you,” he said for only me to hear.
“I love you, too.”
And he kissed me like no one was watching.
Acknowledgements
Thank you so much for reading Kaelyn and Brody’s story. I needed a character to satisfy my inner nerd, and Brody fit the bill nicely. My recent trip to New Orleans inspired his background
. Damn, I love that city… the atmosphere, the funky vibe, the history, and the food (oh my Chuck, the food) but I could never live there. I’d gain so much weight.
I must again thank my alpha readers and my beta readers. There is a special place for you in my heart.
My husband and kids love me and give me the space I need to write, at least most of the time they do. Luckily they have become pretty self-sufficient, which is pretty awesome. Thank you, family. You rock.
To the Magnificent Seven: thank you for your loyalty. You are friends first… fans second. Thanks for all your help, love, and encouragement throughout my journey as a writer. Some days, you’re the only reason I proceed, and I appreciate it.
About the Author
Robin Leaf is an author from Texas where she lives with her husband and three kids. When she’s not binge watching Supernatural on Netflix, she can be found reading a novel a day or watching her dog chase those nasty little demons, the squirrels, out of the yard.
Author’s Other Works
Riled Up
Batter Up
Loosen Up
“Run Over by a Fionndeer”
A Christmas Short
Part of Good Tidings: A Christmas Anthology
Coming November 2018
All are currently available through Amazon and are free in KU
Table of Contents
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty One
Twenty Two
Twenty Three
Twenty Four
Twenty Five
Twenty Six
Twenty Seven
Twenty Eight
Twenty Nine
Thirty
Thirty One
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Author’s Other Works
