Nick leaned against the pool table as he took another swallow. “When the right woman comes along all that never getting married bull goes out the window.”
Picking up the little cube of chalk, Langston rubbed it over the end of the stick. Setting the cube back down he said, “I always knew I wanted to marry Ava. I fell in love with her the first day I met her.” A smile spread across his face as he remembered the meeting. “I waited for her until after she got out of her first class. I thought she was the sweetest thing.”
The other men looked at each other with raised eyebrows. Ava? Sweet?
Reading their minds, Langston laughed. “Just as snappy as my woman is, she can be just as sweet.”
Dom agreed. “Ava may have a smart mouth on her, but if she loves you, there’s nothing in the world she wouldn’t do for you.” Dom let out a long whistle. “But don’t get on her bad side.”
“Tell me about it!” both Langston and Nick exclaimed, laughing.
Pointing at Dom, Nick barked with laughter. “You’re sister is crazy as hell! When Summer and I were going through our thing she keyed my new Benz.”
Dom’s eyes got huge. He’d seen Nick’s rides and they were sweet. “No.”
Nick nodded his head. “From bumper to bumper…both sides. If she had been a dude, I would’ve smashed in her face.”
Langston let out a long whistle. “Damn. Not the ride.”
Kevin laughed. “But you deserved it. You were an ass back then.” Pointing to his best friend he reminded him, “You treated that girl wrong and you know it.”
Nick eyebrows furrowed together in a frown. Kevin was never going to let him live down that period of stupidity in his life. If they lived to be a hundred he was still going to throw it up in his face. “Man, she didn’t have to do that to my ride. And I wish you would stop reminding me of how big of an ass I was.”
Dom and Langston exchanged glances as they wondered what the two men were talking about. Langston knew bits and pieces from what Ava told him, but she really didn’t go into detail about her best friend’s business.
Nick picked up on the curious gazes. Langston and Dom were really cool; he liked them a lot. Though this was true, he hadn’t shared with them the tumultuous nature of the beginning of his and Summer’s relationship. If he could share with them the mistakes he’d made, hopefully it would keep them from going down the same path.
“Grab your drinks and let’s go sit down.”
Following Nick, the men stretched out on the large sectional with their drinks. They listened as Nick told his story.
Upstairs in Summer and Nick’s master bedroom suite, Summer lounged at the head of the large comfy chaise with Ava at the foot. On the oversized loveseat, Starr was curled up at one end and Karen at the other. Sipping on wine spritzers as they waited on the other women to arrive, Karen filled them in on the Johnstons visit. When she and Dom had called their family and friends to share the news of their engagement, they hadn’t wanted to sour it by rehashing the visit. The only ones who had been privy to the threats were Dom’s and Karen’s parents.
“Say what?” Ava questioned, sitting up and putting a hand on her hip. “I know my brother handled his business.” It wasn’t a question, but rather a statement. She knew her brother’s temper was off the chart when pushed. And from what Karen had just shared, he was definitely pushed.
“Ava, I thought Dom was going to kill the man.” Karen gripped the front of her own shirt to show them all the chokehold Dom had on him. Starr burst out laughing when her sister bugged her eyes out, imitating her former father-in-law.
“Humph, he should have shook the wife, too.” Ava mumbled, rolling her eyes.
Summer hit Ava’s foot, playfully chiding her. “You are so bad.”
“No, I’ve been where Karen’s at. I can’t believe those fools have a nerve to want to claim Ashley and Kyle after all these years.”
“I tell you one thing, ain’t nobody getting my niece and nephew. We’ll ship them off
to—”
“Italy!” Karen interrupted. She had met a number of Dom’s relatives at Ava’s wedding. Several of them had offered to put her and the kids up for a visit if she ever went overseas. She and Dom joked about sending the kids if the Johnstons followed through on their threats.
Summer sat up, laughing and clapping her hands. “Girl, yes! They’d never get their hands on your babies with them in another country.”