“This is amazing,” I say as I reach Adam.
“Right? I can’t remember the last time it snowed like this in December.”
“It won’t last,” I say sadly. Even by morning, it’ll probably be gone.
“But it’s here now.” Rhett smiles and takes a seat on the ground.
One by one, we all drop to the cold grass in the middle of campus. Maverick goes into his coat pocket and brings out a bottle of Mad Dogg. “I came prepared.”
It hits me, sitting here with my friends—people I can no longer imagine not being in my life—I found this amazing group of people in the hardest five months of my entire life when I needed them the most. And amidst my brother’s friends. Who would have thought?
But, if I’ve learned anything since coming to Valley, it’s that we can only really prepare for the small things. What to wear, what to bring on a trip, which direction to go. The rest is fate and luck. And I feel like the luckiest girl of all.
42
Ginny
June
“Do I look okay?” I smooth a hand down my dress and turn in the mirror. Heath’s sitting on the bed waiting for me as patiently as one can while his girlfriend changes clothes five times.
“You look gorgeous.” He stands and wraps his arms around me, meeting my eyes in our reflection. “You don’t need to be nervous. You’ve already met my family.”
“I know, but it’s not just your family—there are a bunch of people here this weekend and I don’t know any of them.”
“You know me. Besides, I only know half of them myself.” He brings his lips to mine in a quick kiss. “Come on, I promise I won’t leave your side.”
The hotel is huge and right on the beach in California where Nathan’s fiancée Chloe is from. Later tonight, we have the rehearsal dinner and tomorrow they’ll say I do.
Down in the lobby, Heath guides me to a long table where his brother Nathan sits with a group of guys. Nathan and Heath look a lot alike, same nose and same eyes. Heath’s hair is darker, and his build is bigger, although Nathan is a little taller. Nathan stands when he sees us, and he and Heath hug.
“You guys made it,” Nathan says and smiles at me over Heath’s shoulder.
When they separate, Heath comes back to my side. “We got in about an hour ago.”
“This is gonna be fun.” Nathan looks around at all the people and grins.
“Are weddings allowed to be fun?” Heath asks, earning a playful glare from his brother. “We’re going to grab a drink.”
“Baby Payne!” one of the guys calls as we start to walk off. “Grab me one too.” He holds up his empty glass. He has deliciously dark hair and a cocky smirk. He turns that smirk on me and I go stupid.
“Who is that?” I whisper as we get to the bar.
“Hey now, no creeping on my brother’s friends.”
“I wasn’t creeping, but damn. Is he a model?”
“He is happily married, young lady.”
“I wonder if his wife gives him hall passes.”
Heath chuckles. “Well, your boyfriend does not.”
I bite back a laugh as he pulls me into his side possessively. Heath and I grab a drink and head back to the table where I meet Nathan’s friends, Joel, Wes, and Zeke.
Watching Nathan with his friends reminds me a lot of Heath and his. They have the same easy way about them with all the teasing and competitiveness I’ve come to love. When their wives and girlfriends join us, I sit next to Heath, his hand around the back of my chair, missing our friends and wondering what we’ll look like in five or ten years when the whole group of us gets together. I hope it looks even half as happy as this.
Nathan and Chloe are the picture of excitement and love as she sits on the edge of his lap and absently plays with the hair at the nape of his neck. I don’t think she’s stopped smiling since she sat down.
Joel, the one I’m pretty sure could have a second career in modeling, looks at his wife Katrina like she’s the center of his world. And she looks at him the same way. Every time he looks at me I blush, I can’t help it, he’s stupid hot.
Zeke and his oh so very pregnant wife Gabby are possibly the cutest couple I’ve ever seen. She’s all big, blonde hair and tiny body except for her bump. Zeke’s at least twice her size and keeps reaching over and touching her stomach. I don’t even think he realizes he’s doing it.
Wes, who I’ve met before, and his girlfriend Blair are currently in the hot seat. They’re the only couple of the group that isn’t married and their friends are poking at Wes to get on the ball. Blair doesn’t seem to mind. She leans over and kisses Wes, and they share some sort of private exchange.
I’m fighting a yawn and Heath notices. He sits forward. “I think we’re going to take a nap before the rehearsal. We were up at dark-thirty this morning to get here.”
Heath takes my hand and we start toward our room.
“Don’t be late,” Nathan calls after him.
Heath rolls his eyes and yells back, “I know how to tell time and work an alarm.”
I pull him to the elevator and up to our floor.
“How long do we have?” I ask, climbing into bed and grabbing my phone to set an alarm.
Heath takes the device out of my hands and places it on the bedside table. He pulls his dress shirt out of his pants with a wicked glint in his eye.
“I thought we were napping,” I say as I unbuckle his pants.
“We will, but first…” He shrugs out of his shirt and my hands slide up his abs, enjoying the way the muscle cords and dips. Yeah, I’m suddenly not tired either.
His body covers mine and he kisses me hard. He rolls us
