“You know Addie. She’s about drama.”
His son sounded like he liked that.
Then again, he married it, so he did.
“That isn’t the issue,” Mike said. “The issue is, I read about it on a goddamned tablet.”
“It was a spur-of-the-moment thing,” Jonas muttered.
“I figured that part out,” Mike told him.
“We’re gonna have another ceremony when we get back,” No assured him. “One we’ll have with our families.”
“I can do without going to another wedding, No. What I’m not a big fan of is reading something like this rather than hearing it direct from my son. You’re famous. I hear a lot about you that’s truth and a lot that’s lies. But when it’s important, when it means you’re happy, I wanna hear it from you.”
“I’m happy, Dad,” No said quietly.
Mike drew in breath.
“I’m glad, son,” Mike replied quietly.
Dusty pushed closer.
“She’s happy too,” Jonas told him.
“I’m glad about that too,” Mike replied.
“We’ve been dodging calls because we’ve been busy and because I wanted you to know first. You know now, so I gotta call Rees.”
“Yeah, your sister can bust your ass for depriving her of a celebrity wedding.”
“Last five books on the New York Times list. I’m not the only celebrity in the family.”
“Lucky for me, she’s got someone in her life who keeps her grounded, not someone who busts up hotel rooms.”
“Addie broke a vase. It was blown out of proportion by the media.”
“She broke it throwing it at you.”
“She’s excitable.”
Mike did not want to go there.
“Call your sister,” he ordered.
“I will,” No said, a smile in his voice. “And Dad?”
“Yeah, Jonas?”
“Love you.”
Mike sighed.
Then he said, “Same. Give our love to Addie. And hope to see you both soon.”
“Love back to Dusty, Mandy, and Austin.”
“Right. Later, son.”
“Later, Dad.”
They disconnected.
Mike threw his phone on the counter.
Dusty snuggled closer.
“All good?” she asked.
“He sounds happy.”
His woman smiled.
“Really happy,” he whispered.
“Then it’s all good,” she whispered back.
He looked into her eyes.
She was happy too. Happy because she was happy, and happy because his son was.
“Love you, Angel,” he murmured.
“Yeah, gorgeous, it’s all good,” she replied and rolled up to her toes.
Mike took her mouth.
Their daughter Amanda at a friend’s house, their son Austin at basketball practice, the house was empty.
So after Mike took his wife’s mouth, he took her hand and led her to the bedroom.
Then he took something else.
* * * * *
Benny
December, Two Years Later
Benny turned to his wife, who was sitting on the edge of the hotel bed, strapping on a high-heeled sandal.
“Come again?” he asked.
She tipped her head, her thick, dark hair sliding down her back, and gave him her eyes.
“That’s what Vi told me over coffee this morning.”
“Angie is dating Jack Colton,” Benny stated.
Frankie bent down to finish with her shoe, confirming, “Yeah. They live across the street from each other. They grew up together. They wrestled in the grass at barbeques when they were kids and they’ve been dancing around each other at parties with the grown-ups now for years. Vi didn’t miss it. I didn’t. No one did but Colt and Cal. It’s like Colt and Feb, part two. Except hopefully without the heartbreak.”
“She’s not old enough to date,” he told his wife’s bent head.
When she straightened and looked at him, she was grinning.
“She’s seventeen,” she reminded him.
“That’s not old enough,” Ben declared.
Francesca burst out laughing.
Then she pushed up from the bed and walked on her high-heeled shoes, in her skintight dress, his way.
Ben watched. Fuck, they’d been together seventeen years, she’d given him three kids, and still, watching his wife strut his way, he wanted to bag this wedding, put the do not disturb sign on the door, and spend the afternoon fucking his wife.
She fitted herself to his front.
And he wanted that even more.
He wrapped his arms around her and stopped thinking about his cousin’s daughter.
“How bad you wanna go to this wedding?” he asked.
Her eyes got hot, her face got soft, but her mouth said, “You miss your nephew’s wedding, Carm is gonna lose her mind.”
She would.
His sister would do that.