by Piper Rayne
They disappear into the hall by the bathrooms. Maybe it’s because I’m the youngest in my family, but I love how Calista’s always with her cousins and paying attention to them even though they’re younger.
I step away from the bar and glance out into the hall. She’s hugging her cousin while Palmer cries, Calista’s hands running up and down the length of her back.
“Shit, is that Rylan Greene? Tell me my sister hasn’t seen you yet.”
I turn to find Dion behind me.
“She’s seen me and tried to spill my beer all over me.” I put out my hand, and he shakes it.
Dion’s never treated me badly, despite the fact that his older sister and I have been at odds for more than a decade. In fact, I think he likes the animosity between us.
“Let’s switch shirts.” He moves to shrug out of his jacket. “I’ll take one for the team and let my shirt get ruined.”
I laugh, looking at his gold button-down shirt and black tie. “I’ll take my chances.”
“Damn it. Can you believe this shit show?”
We look around at all the lookalikes. I lift my wrist to check the time and see how long until Dori’s supposed to make her “surprise” entrance.
“My grandma is her best friend. I can believe it.” I rock back on my heels. “Plus, I had to slip the DJ the music she wants played when she arrives.”
He runs his hand down his face. “Do I even want to ask?”
“‘Raise your Glass’ by Pink.” I choke on my beer from the laugh sputtering up my throat. “I thought for sure it was going to be Dean Martin or something.”
“Did you really?” Dion asks with no surprise on his face.
“Nah. I half expected ‘Gin & Juice’ by Snoop Dogg.”
Dion spits his drink all over the floor, laughing. “I can actually imagine her doing that.” He imitates Snoop Dogg with the hand in the air, moving his body to the beat of the music.
“What’s so funny?” Calista joins us and crosses her arms, apparently unimpressed.
“Rylan is. Who knew he was so funny!” Dion smacks me on the back and grabs a waitress, telling her about the spill on the carpet. Not that I imagine they’ll do a lot since it’s barely visible.
“Dion!” Callum runs up. “Did you play Maverick’s game yet?”
“Catch you guys later.” Dion waves and walks farther back into the room to talk video games with Callum, Jamison’s oldest son. Courtesy of the Lake Starlight Buzz Wheel, I heard their cousin Maverick was developing some video game.
I turn to Calista. “I guess that leaves us.”
“I need a drink.”
As she turns, a squeal erupts through the speaker and I look to the front of the room, where my grandma has the microphone. She taps it as if she’s a comedian or some pop star everyone’s been waiting to hear from. “She’s pulling in now. Everyone hide!”
The lights go out before I can find a place to go, and the only source of light is the candles floating in the bowls on each table.
“Is this really necessary?” Calista says in a low voice.
My body buzzes at having her so near in the dark. I step closer to her when I know I shouldn’t. And not because I have a girlfriend. I lied in the van from the airport. My ex and I broke up weeks ago. I just wanted to see how Calista would act if she thought there was someone in my life. Because I know how I’d feel if the roles were reversed.
My hand falls to her hip as though I have no control of my appendages. She stiffens for a moment, and I hold my breath until she sinks into my hold. Her back falls to my chest, her head on my shoulder. One thing I’ve always liked about Calista is her height—I won’t have to bend down to kiss her.
“What are you doing?” she whispers. Her minty breath fans across my cheek. She must have turned her head to look back at me.
“I have no idea.”
I break the distance and allow my lips to fall on hers, knowing the consequences. She hates me, but she can’t deny me. Which will probably only make her hate me more.
I slide my tongue along the seam of her lips, and she opens, her tongue sliding into my mouth, meeting my tongue. She swivels in my hold, her arms moving around my neck, and my hands slide down her back. The kiss isn’t nearly as powerful as that first one years ago—it’s more like a homecoming—but the longer it lasts, the more I want to push her under the table so when the lights pop on, we’re still in this bubble where no one knows anything. We’re still a secret.
But sadly, we’re warned before the lights pop back on.
My grandma’s whispers into the microphone are an ice bucket over my piqued arousal. “She’s here! Shhh. One. Two.”
At three, I end the kiss and step back right when the lights turn on.
I blink and take a slug from my beer as if nothing is new.
Everyone screams surprise, and Pink’s voice sounds from the speakers. Dori acts surprised, and her small great-grandchildren rush to her as if she had the entire thing choreographed. I side-eye Calista. Her hands are over the back of a chair, gripping it so hard her knuckles are white. Her back rises and falls with deep breaths. Our eyes catch for a moment and I know she’s feeling what I am. She wants to leave this party and be alone with me.
“I should go say happy birthday.” She walks away before I can protest.
I head to the bar to get a water because I still have to drive tonight. Beer isn’t good for my training anyway. Calista’s dad, Rome, sidles up next to me, ordering two drinks.
“Hey, Rylan,” he says.
Anxiety ratchets up my spine over the fact that two minutes after I made out with his daughter in the dark, he’s approaching me as though he can sniff out my desire for his eldest daughter. “Hi, Mr. Bailey.”
He waves me off. “Rome is fine.”
“Okay.” I crack open my bottle of water and gulp half of it as if maybe he could somehow smell his daughter’s minty breath from my mouth.
“I’m gonna get to the point. Are you the reason my daughter had tears in her eyes when she got off that van?”
My memory jogs back to days earlier when I was getting ready to get into an Uber and saw her red-rimmed eyes. “No.” I shake my head.
“You sure?”
God, I’m positive. I think. His laser-focused eyes make me question if I’m correct. I’ve barely interacted with Calista since high school, though she crosses my mind often.
I’m so zeroed in on him, I don’t see Calista approach behind her dad.
“It wasn’t him. I got kicked off the team,” she says.
Well, fuck. How does a skilled player like Calista get kicked off one of the best women’s teams in collegiate soccer?
I shouldn’t care about the answer. I shouldn’t have kissed her. Hell, I shouldn’t even be here. But regardless, none of it feels wrong. Maybe it’s time I confess my feelings and finally see where we land.
11
Grandma Dori
(Ninety years old)
Wife to Philip, Mother to one, Grandma to nine, Grandma-in law to nine, Great-grandma to twenty-six.
My great-granddaughter Mabel is straddled over my body, her arms limp around my neck. She’s fast asleep in my lap while I look at a room filled with family and friends, people I’ve been blessed to know. I love the smell of Mabel’s apple shampoo. It’s a scent that pulls me back to a time when I was the mother of a young one.
As I watch my family dance together, laugh together, and talk together, gratitude swells inside me. Through my ninety years, my life has taken so many twists and turns—I have no idea how I navigated myself to this moment when all my grandkids and their children are celebrating my life. All present and accounted for.
I wish Tim and Beth and of course my Philip were sitting next to me, cherishing this sight as I am. My grandchildren’s resilience after they lost their parents has always amazed me. The way they preserved, came together, and moved forward into their futures. And now they’re all raising amazing children of their own.
Austin ruff
les Easton’s hair as he leads Harper to the dance floor, where he teaches her to dance—which she surprisingly seems to enjoy. Those teen years are hard. Holly comes over and the three of them end up dancing together.
My eye catches Easton sipping his soda with Brinley next to him, the two of them staring at the dance floor. Brinley puts her arm around Easton’s shoulders and lays her head on his shoulder. I follow their vision to Lance dancing with Brinley’s friend, Kenzie. She laughs at something Lance says and her head falls back. Lance looks at her as though he can’t imagine ever looking at something so beautiful again.
Liam takes his wife’s hand away from clearing one of the tables and takes her out to the dance floor, where he spins her around like a pro. They talk with Wyatt and Brooklyn, who are enjoying the quiet of a party dwindling down.
In a corner of the room, Phoenix, Griffin, Maverick, and Raelynn are huddled together with plates of cake in their hands. They smile, and although there’s no laughter, all four are heavily in conversation. Phoenix goes to grab their plates, but Raelynn collects them. After she takes them to a table, Maverick puts his arm around Phoenix and whispers something in her ear. She wipes a tear from her eye.
Palmer and Linus play a board game with the younger siblings who aren’t already falling asleep. She grips his arm. His smile isn’t nearly as bright as it usually is. Young heartbreak can be hard, but he’ll survive.
The game is interrupted by Sedona tapping Palmer on her shoulder and signing, Can we talk?
They move to a table by themselves to give them the privacy they need to get it all out. Palmer will realize one day that us parents do have a life before they’re born. Our children may not always agree with the decisions made, but they were ours to make. Palmer will figure it out when she finds the love of her life.
Colton swoops up Mason and takes him over to Juno on the dance floor, and all three slow dance. Eventually Mason crouches under their arms and they laugh, letting him go. Then they dance together.
Jamison is in one corner with a soccer ball, teaching Rohan a trick. The rest of the boys are huddled together on their phones, playing Maverick’s game.
Kingston sits down next to me, running his hand down his daughter’s back. “Want me to take her?”
“Nah, I won’t be able to do this forever.” I press a soft kiss into Mabel’s dark hair.
“I wish you could.”
My dear Kingston. My ninetieth birthday has hit him the hardest. I’ve tried to ignore his longing stares and worry for the past few weeks, but this conversation feels inevitable now. I reach forward, careful not to drop Mabel, and pat his hand.
“I got a good twenty years left, don’t you worry.” I wink, but he gives me a sad smile. “Kingston, I’m going to go sometime. We all are. But know that when I do, I’ve had a good life. A magnificent life. And I’m so grateful for it. It wasn’t all roses, but it’s been the blessing of a lifetime and filled me with more joy than you can even comprehend, to watch you and your brothers and sisters make your way in the world and create families of your own. Don’t be sad for me, kiddo. I’m one of the privileged ones. I got to be here to see it all happen.”
He smiles.
Lucky for both of us, Stella comes over and looks at her husband with a smile. “Kids are all taken care of. Why don’t you spin your wife around the dance floor?”
He stands and I mouth a “thank you” to her. She nods. Both of us are on the same page.
“After you, Mrs. Bailey,” Kingston says, his eyes lighting up as he gazes at his wife.
They walk over to a corner of the dance floor that’s more secluded, and Kingston holds Stella close.
The sound of a laugh pulls my attention away from my grandson and his wife. I spot Calista and Rylan at a table by themselves. She’s facing him, his leg sandwiched between hers, and her forehead falls to his shoulder as a fit of laughter comes over her. He smiles at me but concentrates back on her.
Rome and Harley come into the banquet room and stop, seeing the scene in front of them. Harley pulls Rome toward the dance floor, but he keeps looking back at his oldest daughter. I guess I’ll ignore the fact that they disappeared for a half hour and Harley’s hair is now matted. Some things never change.
Ethel sits down in the chair Kingston vacated. “Great party.”
“Yes. Thank you. For everything over the years.”
She waves me off. “We’re best friends. That’s how we roll.” She nods toward where I was just looking—Calista and Rylan. “What do you think? Gonna work?”
“All we can do is bring them together, right?”
“Do you think they’re our last?” Ethel’s voice is resigned.
I laugh. “I’m not ready to hang up my cape yet, are you, Louise?”
“Never, Thelma.” She squeezes my hand.
“WOO HOO!” Denver yells and raises his fist.
Everyone’s attention shifts to the dance floor. He’s right behind Abby as she takes her first steps. Cleo runs to the other side for Abby to walk to her, and after five steps, Abby falls into her mom’s arms. Cleo kisses both cheeks, holding her up in the air, laughing and smiling.
“Who’s watching my kids tonight?” Denver calls. “I won the bet and now my wife needs to pay up. Which means, I need a house without kids.”
The entire room fills with laughter and it’s the best sound in the world. There are sad moments in everyone’s life and oftentimes you find a moment of peace, but the laughter makes life worth living.
Ready to leave Alaska? Nope? Us either!
Hop over to Sunrise Bay with us because Ethel’s grandkids, The Greenes, need a little help finding the love of their lives now!
*Cue Grandma Dori and Grandma Ethel’s next mission*
My Beautiful Nemesis is a fish out of water, enemies-to-lovers steamy romance in our brand new small town family series, The Greenes.
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Cockamamie Unicorn Ramblings
When we plotted out the Bailey series, the three novellas weren’t part of the original plan. But since it’s hard to fit in all the happily ever afters in every book when it should center on the couple for that book, we decided to do three between each set of three. Get the whole three thing? LOL
Anyway, the wedding was easy, it would be Austin and Holly. The babies were more difficult but it was fun to make it a threesome baby shower. The Birthday was hard. It was always going to be Dori’s birthday but we were unsure how far in the future we wanted to go. At first it was going to be her hundredth birthday, but we didn’t want to make her too old and… let’s just say Grandma Dori lives forever!
And then we thought it would be fun to do all the kids until we realized some of the kids would be really young. But we’re glad we did it because it’s nice to see the parents through their children’s eyes. We hope you enjoyed it as well.
Now, time to be sappy as we wipe the tears from falling. Most of you know that a little over two years ago, we plotted this series in a hotel room during a conference. It was the first time writing a series that was more than three books long and we were terrified. What if no one liked them and readership dropped off after the first couple of books? But we never could have imagined how much this family has changed our lives. Most authors thrive when readers love of their characters and that couldn’t be more true of The Baileys. With every book, it made us push boundaries with twists or turns and real drama that families go through. You adopted this family as your own and championed them to other readers. The Baileys feel real to us and we think that’s true for a lot of you as well. What we’re trying to say is… THANK YOU! Those two words are way too simple a way to express how much gratitude we have for you loving this family like your own.
And without our team listed below, who have made this series what it is!
Danielle Sanchez and the entire Wildfire Marketing Solutions team!
Cassie from Joy Editing for line edits.
Ellie
from My Brother’s Editor for line edits.
Shawna from Behind the Writer for proofreading.
Sarah from Okay Creations for the cover and branding for the entire series.
Sara from Sara Eirew Photography for the awesome picture of Sedona and Jamison.
Bloggers who consistently carve out time to read, review and/or promote us.
Our Piper Rayne Unicorns who champion this series to others with their whole hearts.
You the reader who took a chance on our book with so many choices out there!
This is not goodbye to this family… just a see you later. Although we haven’t made any clear decisions yet on what the future holds for The Bailey family, we’re not ready to officially say goodbye either. They will have cameos in The Greene Family series though. That is one thing we can tell you for sure.
We hope to see you in Sunrise Bay!
XO,
Piper & Rayne
About the Author
Piper Rayne, or Piper and Rayne, whichever you prefer because we’re not one author, we’re two. Yep, you get two USA Today Bestselling authors for the price of one. Our goal is to bring you romance stories that have "Heartwarming Humor With a Side of Sizzle" (okay...you caught us, that's our tagline). A little about us... We both have kindle’s full of one-clickable books. We're both married to husbands who drive us to drink. We're both chauffeurs to our kids. Most of all, we love hot heroes and quirky heroines that make us laugh, and we hope you do, too.
www.piperrayne.com
Also by Piper Rayne
The Rooftop Crew
My Bestie’s Ex
A Royal Mistake
The Rival Roomies
Our Star-Crossed Kiss
