“Bending me over in the shower, teasing me until I would admit my feelings?...Yeah, that was pretty forceful. Pretty sneaky.”
She instantly felt his erection against her thigh. “I am sneaky. Can I ask you something?”
It made her nervous when he got serious. “Sure. You can ask me anything.”
“Good,” he let out a deep breath. “Will you marry me?”
She was getting ready to laugh his comment off but then something inside her clicked and she realized he was dead serious.
“Like, right now? Today?”
“How about tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow?” she squeaked out.
“Okay, soon. Very, very soon. I want you to be mine, in every single way possible. Will you marry me, Gabriella Crawford? Will you become Gabriella Reeves?”
He was her knight. He was her best friend and he was all hers. “Yes!” she threw her head back onto his arm. “Yes, I will marry you! And yes, soon! This week.”
“Really?” he smiled. “You don’t want a big fancy wedding like Blake and Marilyn had?”
“Oh God, no. It’s not like I would invite my parents anyway.” She rolled her eyes. “I just want you. I want us to be there. It’s not the wedding part that matters most to me anyway, it’s after that. It’s you and me, being together, being us against the world.”
He kissed her hard, his erection pressing into her thigh. “You know, Gabriella, I couldn’t agree more.” He reached for his phone then.
“Who are you calling?”
“Everyone. Gage, Blake, Donna, my dad—I have to tell them all because this is too great of news not to share.”
The next day Logan helped her install security cameras at the front and back entrance of Lolita’s, although he fiercely instructed her that she never, under any circumstances, go there at night by herself again.
She opened up, doing her morning routine as usual when she was bombarded by the most amazing girls she knew. Marilyn, Amber and Brandi took over Lolita’s like having them all together was another normal day. She loved these girls. She could go a few days or a few weeks without talking but the minute they saw each other, they could pick up right where they left off as if there were no time lost.
“Where’s Logan? Let me see the ring,” Brandi demanded. “I would just like to reaffirm that I knew, I knew, this was bound to happen all along.”
Amber rolled her eyes. “No, you didn’t. She doesn’t have a ring. Why don’t you have a ring? Where is it?”
Gabbie started to speak but Marilyn cut her off. “Oh no, something didn’t happen with the two of you already did it? I swear to all that’s holy, I told Blake he better not hurt you or I would kill him.”
“Guys, chill!” Gabbie exclaimed. She looked pointedly at Marilyn. “At ease soldier, nothing has happened between us. We are happily in love,” she sung. Then she looked at Amber. “I don’t have a ring. Logan went out today to do a few things and I’m assuming that means he’s going to find a ring. I can’t wait! And you, Ginger,” she looked at her red-headed friend and held up her thumb and forefinger. “You might have been a little bit right about us hooking up or being meant for each other. Or whatever you said. Gosh, it was so quiet in here before you all showed up!”
“Ahh, but you still love us.”
“That is true, I still love you guys. And again, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the break-in sooner. It’s been a little hectic since Logan’s gotten back to town.”
Amber rolled her eyes, fingering a pair of lace stockings. “Oh, I bet. Has he seen Possessive yet?”
Gabbie blushed, bending her head down. “He got a peek this morning. It’s his favorite line so far.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“But in all seriousness, the break-in wasn’t too big of a deal. I got here just in time and I just hit him over the head with my gun. It was obviously in the right spot because it knocked him out cold. It was a scary moment but nothing terrible. Anyway, this morning Logan helped me install security cameras so I’m good there.”
“And you guys are getting married!” Marilyn exclaimed. She hugged Gabbie, her protruding belly bump in the way.
“And I can’t believe one of us is going to be a mom!”
“I know. Blake and I are so blessed. We really are.”
“Yeah well, he’s clearly not the fucked-up brother. Blaze is much moodier than Blake has ever been,” Brandi said.
“Yeah, I sense he has deeper issues. What’s his sign? I’ll look him up.” Amber pulled her phone out, ready to search Blaze’s horoscope.
Marilyn started to answer but Brandi hushed her up. “No. Don’t look it up. I don’t want to know. I don’t even care. He’s an egotistical….pompous…pretty fucking hot guy.”
They all laughed.
“Okay, back to Logan and Gabriella. When’s the wedding?”
“So, that’s actually something I wanted to talk to you guys about. Logan and I aren’t having a wedding.”
For once since they’d walked into Lolita’s, all three girls went silent.
Finally, Brandi spoke. “What do you mean you guys aren’t having a wedding?”
“We don’t want to wait you guys. We are getting married at the courthouse. Like in two days. And I need some kind of dress. But nothing fancy, just something Logan will like.”
“I can help with that,” Amber said. “I know a place for pretty dresses.”
“Not a full-blown wedding dress, Amber.”
“You have to have something white and pretty though.”
“Okay. And I need old, new, borrowed, blue. That is a tradition I cannot skip.”
“You can wear the blue sapphire necklace Amber got me for my wedding. That will be the blue.”
“Will that be the borrowed, too?”
“No,” the girls all said in unison. “Not worth taking any chances.”
“Okay. Now what else? I need new, old and borrowed.”
“Here is the new.” Brandi held up some lingerie from the Possessive line.
Gabbie laughed. “I like it.”
“Okay, old and borrowed.”
“You can borrow my hair piece. I wore it for this masquerade function Gage and I went to a
