delicious things we want to do to you. Got it? No Vicky.”
Vicky grabbed her hand and stared at the rocks on her hand. “Holy shit. One diamond not enough, Kane?”
Kane grinned. “Nope, guess not.”
“You didn’t pick this out,” she said without second guessing any of them. “Braden did. No expense was spared.”
She hugged Peyton tightly and then let her go. “So help me, I should hate you. Congratulations, Peyton. I swear I don’t know why in the hell you’d want to marry all of them.” She looked from one belt to another.
“Oh yes you do!” Peyton giggled, looped her arm with her friends and they took off through the crowd.
“Damn. She knows?” Evan asked.
“She’s always known,” Braden said. “And let’s get one thing straight. Regardless of how we handle this with Peyton, Vicky is always going to be treated like family for as long as Peyton wants her. We’re going to act like we always have and just accept that Peyton wanted her to know about it because girls need a friend to lean on for things. We can’t be her everything, even with three of us to try.”
“I don’t know why the hell not,” Kane said as he rubbed his chin and stared into the night.
“We just can’t, Kane. She still needs her own independence and her own friends. She may even still have the occasional girls’ night out when she wants to have a little girl talk.”
“And wouldn’t you love to know what they’ll talk about once they all realize she belongs to all of us.” Evan slapped his brothers on their backs, and they started walking toward the house.
In passing, Kane overheard Freda telling her daily dose of good gossip. “That’s the scoop girls. Evan, the one there in the middle was supposedly grinding into her so hard at Clink that she gripped the table and brought it out of the stand. Then, Kane and Braden joined them. Some say Kane was getting a hand job right after the fact and…”
They were almost on the terrace when Evan decided to have a little fun. He walked up to Freda and scooped her up in his arms.
“What are you doing! Evan! Put me down! Peyton! Peyton! Make your man over here put me down!”
“In case you didn’t hear, Peyton’s marrying my brother, Freda.”
Her eyes locked his in a challenge. “Word is you did her dirty at Clink.”
“Word is, huh?”
“That’s the word.”
“Wonder who spreads the word around these parts?” Kane asked as he studied his brother and Freda.
She shrugged. “One can never tell. Besides, it travels fast. Arden is a small town.”
“Clink is on the other side of Asheville, Freda.”
“Well, some say…”
“Freda,” Evan dropped his voice and then kissed her lightly on the lips. Oh yeah, Peyton would have his head for that one. “Tell me something, Freda. When you’re all dolled up at Clink wearing your long black wig and pump high heels, do you really think I don’t notice legs like these in a short black skirt?”
Freda held her breath and closed her eyes. Her friends began to snicker.
“I even spotted you while I was fucking Peyton. I saw you there in the corner watching us, trying to hide behind that Domme you hang out with some. Now tell me something, angel. Do you think that daddy judge of yours would like to know how his daughter spends her time?”
She swallowed stiffly and beads of sweat poured from her brow. “You’d have to prove it.”
Kane sneered. “We own part interest in a few properties with the owner of Clink. Don’t think we’d have a bit of trouble finding proof, darlin’.”
“What do you want, Kane?” She blinked back tears.
“I want you to be friends with Peyton for as long as she enjoys your company but I want you to shut your mouth about my future bride. Otherwise, one of these cold lonely nights, I’m going to send Evan out after you with my riding crop. Then you’ll see why little girls shouldn’t play in a big boy’s world.”
“Peyton does,” she squeaked.
“Honey, Peyton is far from a little girl. She’s a full grown woman in every way that counts. You should know. You watched her with Evan.” Kane gave her a pat on the head, deliberately trying his best to make her feel as young as her gossiping with school girls made her look. “Let’s go, Evan. Freda needs to get back to socializing. I imagine her friends can’t wait to hear details about what she does when she goes to Clink.”
Braden, forever the one with a conscience, offered Freda a warm smile. “Freda, don’t worry. These two here have their hands full with this ranch. We like your father and don’t want any trouble. Your secret is safe with us.”
Evan found a chair underneath one of the large umbrellas where party favors were scattered around the table. He licked his lower lip, plucked a cherry from one of the drinks and let it swing in front of her face.
“Freda, I like breaking in new subs. I think you’d be an awful lot of fun to train. Come snooping around here with gossip about Peyton, and so help me, what I did with Peyton at Clink will look like child’s play compared to what I’ll do with you behind closed doors.”
“Shit, Evan. Come on.” Braden pulled his brother away from the table and the three disappeared behind closed doors, making sure they shared a good, hearty chuckle.
“What was that all about?” Peyton asked as she approached Freda.
“You’re a crazy idiot for putting up with those three,” Freda said as she dabbed her forehead.
“It’s safe to guess. She’s jealous.” Annabelle, another one of their close gal pals must have witnessed the whole thing. “Evan gave her such a heated stare along with a somewhat seductive warning. I’d say it’s safe to say Freda here is sitting in damp panties about right now.”
Vicky looked at Peyton, and Peyton rolled her eyes.
“You might have some competition with Freda,” Annabelle said.
“I’m marrying Kane, in case you haven’t heard.” But her heart was beating so fast it felt like it was coming out of her chest. Evan openly flirted with Freda? Freda, of all people?
Freda stood up and set her jaw. The girl always had the ability to shoot someone down with a simple glare. She often stared down her nose at others like they weren’t worthy of standing in front of her. It pissed Peyton off but she tolerated her because Vicky grew up with her and liked her, for some reason.
“When are you going to knock off the act, Peyton? Everyone here knows the whole Kane engagement thing was for show.” She picked up her hand, stared at the ring and let her arm drop immediately. “Look at this ring. It’s almost gaudy. Three stones for three cowboys? Huh! I guess you just don’t care who knows, do you? In your own words, ‘trouble travels in threes’ and three stones sort of indicates you kind of like the trouble you’ve found here, huh?”
Peyton didn’t have confrontations. She didn’t like them, and she avoided them because she liked to laugh and play. She lived for the good times and since she worked hard, sometimes she felt like she deserved it. What she didn’t deserve was the arrogance of a judge’s daughter belittling her for loving three men.
Feeling their eyes on her, Peyton glanced up to the upper balcony. Sure as the world, there they were. All three handsome men standing in their cowboy boots, tight fitting jeans and button down shirts looked good enough to eat. And she was starving.
No, she didn’t think she’d justify her decisions or explain why she loved three men, but looking up at them then, she came to an understanding, a peace from within. She refused to deny what she felt for any of the Cartwells. She didn’t give a shit if it was right or if society condemned her because of it.
Freda pointed. “Oh! Well speak of the handsome devils. I guess you’re being summonsed to the bedroom now, Peyton.”
Before she thought better of it, she drew back and slapped Freda. Vicky flinched beside of her, and Freda whimpered as she held her face.
“That’s for being a bitch, for being so fucking proud that you can’t be yourself. For walking into Clink in a disguise and thinking you’re so much smarter than everyone else that you can fool people who’ve grown up with you and protected you. That’s for trying to make something beautiful into something ugly. I pity you, Freda, and half the
