“I look forward to it,” I whisper moments before his lips touch mine. The kiss is soft, sensual and our lips barely move. It’s more of a touch than a kiss.
“Put it in your pants, Stevens,” Maddox yells from behind Nate. “We’re supposed to be celebrating Jake’s last fling before he’s shackled to one woman for the rest of his life. No fraternizing with the enemy,” he adds, drawing the attention of everyone in the yard.
“The enemy better go inside before the natives get restless,” I tell him as I pull back from his lips. I miss his touch instantly.
“Go inside and I’ll text you later,” he adds with one long stroke with the outside of his pointer finger down the column of my throat. I shiver uncontrollably at the intimacy of his caress.
I can’t even get words past the lump in my throat. I find it hard to swallow so I just turn and walk towards the house. Quickly, walk quickly.
When I reach the front door, Avery throws the screen door open and pulls me inside. “Sheesh! I thought you’d never come inside. What were you doing out there, anyway? Fraternizing with the enemy?”
“What is with you people? Your husband said the same thing.”
Avery leads me into the living room bursting with laugher and smiling women. “It’s not every day you get an evening away from your children and your husband. Although, I’m definitely looking forward to after the bachelor and bachelorette parties, if you know what I mean,” she says while leaning in to make sure no one hears her. “I made a trip to the lingerie store just for tonight.”
I blush three shades of pink as I turn to survey the room. There are two portable pedicure stations set up on one side. Erin and another older woman that I’ve never met are sitting in the pedicure chairs and receiving full foot and lower leg treatments.
“My mother-in-law, Christine, is there in the chair next to Erin. She’s here for just another hour, and then she’s going to go pick up my kids from the sitter’s house. Mom is back in the guest room which is set up with a masseuse. Our friend, Holly, is the one getting the manicure. Sarah and Claire are over there at the wine bar with Josselyn,” she says as she points out everyone in the room. “Everyone, this is Lia,” Avery announces to the room.
I hear a mix of greetings from the room at large and follow Avery towards the bar. “How much can I contribute towards this evening?” I ask Avery as we approach the other ladies.
“Nothing. It’s all taken care of.”
“Are you sure? I’d be happy to pay for my share.”
“Nope. All covered. My mom brought in the manicurist and pedicurists from a salon in St. Charles. And believe it or not, it was Jake’s idea and he brought in the masseuse,” she says with a smile. “If you want to, you can tip at the end of the evening. You should have seen my brother before Erin. He bed hopped as bad as Maddox did. He ran into Erin again, after twenty years of her loathing him. She grabbed him by the balls and shook some sense into the boy. I’m so proud of her,” Avery says with a chuckle.
I dive into the delicious array of finger foods and help myself to a glass of sweet white wine. I’ve never been a big drinker. Alcohol leads to clouding of the mind. Clouding of the mind leads to not being able to think quickly on your feet and having slow reflexes. When I dated Garrett, having delayed reflexes could have meant the difference between spending the night in the hospital or not.
I shake off the vivid, unwelcomed images and go about enjoying my evening. Tonight, I’m going to have a few drinks and unwind with my new friends. Tonight, I’m going to have fun. And tonight, I’m doing it for me.
After my manicure, Mrs. Stevens comes out and announces her own form of entertainment for the evening. “I picked up a little surprise at the store this morning. We’re going to watch ‘Magic Mike’,” she exclaims with a little sparkle in her eyes.
“Mom,” Avery groans and shakes her head.
“Oh my gosh, this is hilarious,” Erin says as Mrs. Stevens puts the DVD into the player. “When we had Avery’s bachelorette party, Mrs. S dropped more money into the stripper’s g-string than anyone else!”
“Seriously?” I burst out laughing along with Josselyn.
“The story never gets old,” Josselyn says. “But you need to have Avery tell it so you can hear her true mortification when she relives it in colorful detail,” she adds laughing with Erin shaking her head next to her.
The next thing I know, all of the wine is gone, Mike has shown all of us ladies how magical he is, and the party is clearing out. I’ve had several glasses of wine tonight, which is just enough to know that I probably shouldn’t be driving.