by Rhian Cahill
West cursed a blue streak as he caught yet another red light. Story of his life. If he wasn’t getting them on the road, he was getting them from Kelsey. She hadn’t called him. Hadn’t come into work and hadn’t turned up on his doorstep in the middle of the night. He sighed. He had to stop obsessing over her. She’d need time to process what he’d said and then she’d need time to work up the courage to come to him.
If that’s what she decided to do.
Determined to put Kelsey out of his mind, West concentrated on getting to Zac and Coop’s parents’ place without crashing. The Moreland driveway and the street surrounding it were packed with cars. He had to drive six houses down before he could park. Switching of the engine, he reached over for the two presents on the passenger seat. He’d bought them both the same thing. It was a tradition that had started back in primary school. The guys were so determined to be treated as two individuals that they’d refused all gifts that were identical.
He grinned. Last year he’d bought them matching T-shirts. This year he’d gone with hats. It was stupid, and their real presents—yearly subscriptions to magazines, different of course—would be turning up in the mail soon enough, but it was something he did every year. West stepped out of the car and pocketed his keys. The walk to the Moreland’s gave him a chance to look for Kelsey’s car. His heart squeezed when he didn’t see it. Maybe, like him, she was late.
Or she’s not coming.
West didn’t want to contemplate that thought. Bypassing the front door, he walked to the open side gate. The hum of voices echoed between the fence and the house, telling him the party was well underway. Zac spotted him first. As usual, his best friend was manning the barbeque. Coop, on the other hand, was involved in a lively conversation with Shaye and Nikki. West worked his way over to Zac and handed over one of the gifts.
“Do I even bother opening this?” Zac asked with a grin. “Or do I just wait until Coop opens his to see what you got us?”
West extended his hand to Zac. “Happy birthday for tomorrow.”
“Thanks.” Zac leaned over and put the present on the table behind him. “You get that kitchen sorted yet?”
“Yeah, Coop ran up an estimate for me yesterday. It’s not as bad as we first thought. Should be up and running in weeks not months, which is a relief.”
“Speaking of my brother, he’s heading this way with some liquid refreshments.” Zac tipped his head, indicating over West’s shoulder. “About time too.”
“I heard that.” Coop handed West and Zac a bottle each. “All you had to do was give me a shout little brother.”
Zac shrugged and continued to turn the sausages sizzling on the hotplate.
“Are we still in a snit?” Coop asked.
“Fuck off.”
“Ooo, definitely still snitty.” Coop grinned.
West had had enough of Zac’s attitude. It was time to find out what the hell was going on with him. “What gives man? You’ve been a prick for months.”
“Nothing,” Zac grumbled without making eye contact with either of them.
West sighed. He’d tried to get Zac to talk to him the other week with no luck. Today didn’t appear to be any different.
“Let’s leave pussy boy to sulk. C’mon, Cassie has something she’s keeping secret, but I figure you should know.”
“What? Cassie has a secret?”
“Shh,” Zac hissed. “No one knows but us, and you if you can keep your trap shut.”
What the fuck? West raised one eyebrow.
“I’m serious, man. She’s not telling Mum and Dad until after the party because she doesn’t want to take away from our day,” Zac said with a roll of his eyes.
“Not that either of us give a shit about that, but it’s what little sister wants, and you know if someone doesn’t give her what she wants all hell will break loose. Besides, she’s got that Neanderthal of hers who could crack heads just by looking at them.” Coop faked a scared look but only managed to look like an idiot.
Before they could go find Cassie, she and Luc walked over. West didn’t need to hear a word to know that whatever had put that glow on Cassie’s face and the sparkle in her eyes was the best thing to happen to her since she took Are You Game? from a fledgling business to the successful company it was today.
“They told you, didn’t they?” Cassie eyed her brothers.
“No. I know nothing.” West grinned.
“As if,” she scoffed.
“No, seriously. All they said was you had news.”
Cassie crooked her index finger and urged him to lean over. West kept an eye on Luc. Last time he’d gotten too close to Cassie, the man had almost ripped his head off. Except the man was grinning like the damn Cheshire Cat.
With West bent forward, Cassie was able to whisper right in his ear. “I’m pregnant.”
“What?” He bolted upright.
“Shh. Jeez, West, shut the fuck up, man,” Zac growled.
He looked from Cassie to Luc to Coop to Zac and back to Cassie. “For real?”
“Yep.” She nodded, her lips stretched from ear to ear in a smile.
“Oh Lord.” West turned to Luc. Keeping his voice low so only their small group would hear, he said, “You better be ready to put a ring on her finger.”
Luc reached over and tugged a gold chain out from under Cassie’s top. “She’s had the ring for months. Refuses to wear it.”
“Oh.” West looked at Cassie. “Why?”
She shrugged. “Wanted to be sure he was going to stick.”
There was stunned silence and then all four men burst out laughing.
“Hey, what’s so funny?” Cassie asked, her gaze bouncing between the four of them as she dropped the chain holding her engagement ring beneath her shirt once more. It was Luc she elbowed though.
They let Luc handle the explanation.
“I’m so stuck you’d need a surgeon to remove me. Even then I’d find a way to reattach myself.”
West watched tough-as-nails Cassandra Moreland melt into a puddle of goo.
“Luc,” she sniffled before launching herself at him.
His gut and chest ached with envy and he had to look away. He found Zac and Coop watching him, not their sister. “What?”
Zac tipped his head to the right. “She’s over there.”
West spun around to see Kels talking with Shaye, Mel and Nikki, but she was looking right at him.
“Her car wasn’t—”
“She came with Shaye,” Coop explained.
“If you’re going over there, do it for the right reasons,” Zac said behind him.
West turned his head, his eyes still glued to the woman across the yard. “Right reasons?”
“If you’re going to go after her, and let’s face it, you are. Make sure you mean it.”
“What?” West snapped his gaze to meet Zac’s.
“Don’t play around like last time.”
West stared at his best friend, his mouth hanging open. “You knew?”
“Of course I fucking knew. Half the time I know you better than I know him.” Zac waved the barbeque tongs in Coop’s direction.
“Why didn’t you ever say anything?”
“Because I stupidly waited for you to work it out.” Zac’s gaze went in Kelsey’s direction. “Then she hooked up with Bry and I wanted to kick your arse for letting her.”
“You should have,” West murmured.
“I will if you fuck it up this time.”
“I’ll help,” Coop added.
“It’s not me this time.” West turned back to look at Kelsey, only she wasn’t where she’d been. Scanning the yard, he spotted her walking his way. His gut cramped while every nerve came alive with the prospect of being close to her.
Nobody said a word as they watched her approach. West was
n’t sure if he could speak. She was wearing a pair of skin-tight black jeans that displayed her gorgeous legs and a white jumper that hugged every curve of her torso. The neckline rolled in such a way that it drew his eyes to her breasts, which were showcased to perfection. His mouth watered and his groin tightened—throbbed.
“Close your mouth, West. You’re drooling all over your chin,” Coop murmured.
Zac chuckled and West made a mental note to beat them both up later.
Kelsey made it to his side and he dragged in a deep breath, filling his lungs with the smell of her. She licked her lips and it was all West could do not to groan at the erotic slide of her tongue on her glossy mouth. She’d obviously slicked some sort of shiny stuff on the plump red curves because they’d looked wet and tempting before she’d nervously flicked her tongue across them. And she was nervous. He could see it in the way she twisted her fingers together in front of her, in the way her eyes kept darting away from him.
Wanting to put an end to the awkward silence, West cleared his throat before speaking. “Hey.”
“Hi. You were late.”
She’d noticed his arrival? He’d take that as a good sign. Although she could have been dreading him showing up as much as anticipating it. “Yeah, traffic sucked and I think I got every red light between here and home.”
“You’ve been getting a lot of those,” Kelsey murmured.
West leaned towards her. “What?”
“Red lights.”
“Red lights?”
“Yeah, you know. The opposite of green. You’ve had to stop a lot lately.”
Was she referring to them?
“It would be nice to be able to move forward without having to stop, don’t you think?” Kelsey’s gaze held his.
She had to be talking about them. Surely this slightly bizarre discussion wasn’t about traffic lights. “Um, yeah, it would.”
“Maybe you won’t get any more red lights.”
Either he was getting his wires completely crossed or she was trying to give him a green light. He was done with cryptic though. He wanted everything out in the open, no more confusion or second-guessing or assuming. “What are we talking about, Kels?”
Her gaze darted either side of him before meeting his once more. “We start now. No more stopping.”
West’s heart stopped. Then it kicked back in at double speed. “Are you sure?” He pointed to Cassie and Luc who were locked in an embrace. Their gazes were glued to each other and that told anyone who looked they were together and deeply in love. “I want that, Kels. I want it all.”
She kept her eyes on his. “I know.”
“I’m not pussyfooting around this time. I want forever.”
Kelsey licked her lips and swallowed. “I want that too. With you.”
Everything inside him stilled. “Tell me what you want.”
“I want to marry you. Make babies with you. Make a life with you. Grow old with you.”
“Shit. Did she just propose?” Coop asked.
West grinned. “Yeah, I think she did.” She’d surprised him and everyone else with her public declaration, but he wasn’t about to leave her dangling. He reached for her hands and wove their fingers together. Pulling her in close, he said, “I’ve waited a lifetime for you. I want to spend the rest of my lifetime—our lifetime—making up for every second that we’ve missed.”
Her eyes sparkled with moisture, but the smile stretching across her face told him they were happy tears. “You’ll marry me?” she asked.
He laughed. “I’ll marry you tomorrow if that’s what you want.”
“When doesn’t matter as long as it’s soon. I love you whether we’re married or not.”
It was all he needed to hear. He dipped his head and took her mouth with his.
West didn’t let her up for air until he’d had his fill. He’d missed this. Touching her. Tasting her. And he wanted to be sure he never did again. Pulling his mouth from hers, he stared into her eyes. “Move in with me. Today. I don’t want to wait another second to start. Not now you’ve given me the green light.” He grinned.
Kelsey smiled, but they were surrounded before she could answer him. Everyone spoke at once, and West couldn’t make head or tails of any of it, but he didn’t care. In his arms was the woman he’d dreamed about—wanted—for half his life. Now he’d get to spend the next seventy years holding her close. He’d probably still dream about her only now he’d wake and reach for her and his hand would touch warm feminine flesh instead of cold night air.
“Say yes,” he said over the noise of all their friends.
“Yes.”
The grin on his face got bigger. “Again.”
“Yes.”
He leaned over and brushed his lips over hers. “Again.”
“Yes. Yes. Yes.”
Kelsey sat in West’s lap, snuggled up close and watched the fire dance. Hours ago, Zac or Coop, she couldn’t remember which, had dragged out the old metal drum fire pit they used to take to the beach for bonfire nights and lit it. A lot of people had gone home when the sun went down. All that remained were Shaye, West, herself and the full contingent of Morelands, including Cassie’s fiancé Luc. It seemed she and West weren’t the only ones getting married.
She still couldn’t believe she’d asked him. Or that he wanted her to move in with him right away. Neither of those things frightened her the way they would have less than a week ago. Hell, two days ago, she would have been running for the hills. Now she was reaching for his hand. It was amazing how freeing it was to trust West—to trust what she felt for him.
“You okay? Not cold?” West murmured into her hair.
“No, I’m good.”
“We can go whenever you’re ready.”
“I’m happy to stay as long as you want,” she said, tilting her head back to look up at him.
“What I want is to take you home and toss you on our bed.” He grinned and waggled his eyebrows, making her laugh.
“Another one bites the dust,” someone sang from the other side of the fire.
“Yeah, they’re dropping like flies. First Cassie, then Dan, now West.” Zac scanned the people surrounding the fire until his gaze landed on Coop. “So who’s next?”
“Not me,” answered Toby, the next Moreland brother up from the twins.
The oldest Moreland, Damian, shook his head. “Don’t look at me.”
Adam, the brother between Damian and Toby, laughed. “I’d need to leave the office and actually lay eyes on a woman who, one, isn’t employed by me, and two, isn’t family.”
Zac grinned. “My money’s on Coop as the next to fall.”
“You’re going to bet on who finds love next?” Cassie asked, shaking her head at her brother.
“Yep. Who’s in? I’m putting twenty on Coop,” Zac said.
West chuckled. “I think that’s a sucker’s bet.”
Everyone turned to look at Coop where he was leaning close to Shaye, whispering in her ear. Kelsey had to agree with West. Coop and Shaye already seemed to be a done deal.
Coop turned towards them. “I’ll put fifty on Zac. He’ll be the next to fall.”
“What?” Zac laughed. “What a croc of shit. I’m not interested in hitching myself up with a ball and chain.”
“And you think I was?” Cassie asked. “Jeez, ask Luc what a challenge it was to get me to fall.”
“It was worth every torturous second of it,” Luc said.
“Brown nose,” Zac murmured.
“You just wait. Take my advice and never bet against a heart my friend,” Luc said.
“Yeah, everyone knows hearts are wild, big brother,” Cassie added.
“You’d need one to bet against,” Zac mumbled.
Kelsey was pretty sure no one but her and West had heard him, and she raised her eyebro
w in question. West leaned forward to whisper in her ear.
“I think he’s tangled with someone already. I get the impression she’s not falling at his feet the way women usually do.”
Kelsey looked back at Zac but the firelight proved too little for her to study him closely. Besides, it was getting late and she was starting to get cold. “As much as I’d like to dissect our friend’s love life, and really, I don’t, I think it’s time we headed home.”
“You’re right.” West got to his feet, Kelsey still held in his arms. “We’re going to love ya and leave ya, people.”
When West started to walk without putting her down, Kelsey wiggled and gave a token protest. “Put me down. I’m too heavy to carry.”
“Kels, you’re lighter than a pot of curry and I’m not stopping now. You gave me a green light and I’ll poke my eyes out if I have to to avoid seeing another red one.”
Epilogue
Two months later
Kelsey sucked in a breath as she smoothed her hands down the front of her white dress and grinned at her reflection. It wasn’t the satin and lace extravaganza she’d worn six years ago, but she’d known the simple sundress was perfect for the beachside wedding her and West had planned the second she’d laid eyes on it.
The bodice hugged her breasts, waist and hips, and the flowing skirt billowed around her ankles, a scalloped hem adding to the summery feel of their day. She turned around to look over her shoulder at the plunging back of the halter neck as the door opened and Shaye stuck her head in.
“You ready? Oh, Kelsey,” Shaye said as she came farther into the room. “You look gorgeous.”
Kelsey twirled around, the skirt swirling up. “You think so?”
“God, woman. West is going to swallow his tongue.” Shaye grinned.
“That’s the plan. Just because we’re not doing this the traditional way, doesn’t mean I can’t knock my groom’s socks off.” Kelsey laughed and spun around once more.
