Ronin hiked up his shirt, and Cece stared at Celine Dion’s signature nestled between the tattoo of an old school skull and dagger and a portrait of an older woman.
“Oh my God,” Cece said.
“I know, right?” Ronin stared at her with undisguised delight. “Isn’t it awesome? I got her to sign right next to Grandma’s tattoo. She’d be so happy if she were still alive.”
“Your grandmother was a Celine Dion fan as well?” Emerson asked.
“Big time,” Ronin said. “Anyway, we decided since we were in Vegas, why not get married in Vegas, so my parents and Kat’s parents, along with her brother, her sister and Clay, and Bria and Jace, came to Vegas a few hours later, and next thing you know, we’re getting married by -”
“Let me guess, an Elvis Presley impersonator,” Briggs said.
“Dolly Parton impersonator,” Ronin said. “She even threw in an impromptu performance of I Will Always Love You at the end of the ceremony.”
“My ears are still bleeding because of it,” Jace said, making Bria, Emerson, and Kat laugh.
“It was so bad,” Emerson said.
“I’ll admit, singing might not have been her forte, but she had the wig to perfection,” Ronin said.
“It sounds really nice,” Cece said politely.
Kat laughed. “It was… something. We’ll have another ceremony here in Ashdale for friends and extended family in a few months, but we wanted to share the news and have a celebration dinner with a few people from the office.”
“Well, congratulations,” Cece said. “I’m so happy for you both.”
“Thank you, Cece,” Kat said with a warm smile. She turned to her sister when Emerson nudged her. “What’s up?”
Emerson showed Kat her phone screen, and the two sisters broke out into laughter before Kat said, “Oh God, Ronin. Your mom took my mom to the Chippendales show.”
“Sweet,” Ronin said. “Where’d they stash our dads?”
“Apparently, they’re at a Cirque Du Soleil show with our brother,” Emerson said. Her phone dinged, and she read the message before making a face. “Oh no. I think Mom’s drunk. She just sent me a text that said the half-naked boys have her so worked up, she’s gonna ride Dad like she’s in heat when she gets back to the hotel.”
“Ew,” Kat said. “Someone needs to remind Mom that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.”
“I knew letting my parents stay in Vegas without us was a mistake,” Emerson said to Clay.
He grinned at her and slipped an arm around her waist. “We can always go back tonight if you need to check in on them.”
Cece didn’t see how that was possible - there was no way they’d get a flight to Vegas before the night ended, but Emerson seemed to consider it before shaking her head. “I don’t want to be anywhere near Vegas when Mom finds Dad after the Chippendales show.”
“Smart,” Kat said before taking Ronin’s hand. “C’mon, let’s get everyone to the table so we can order. I’m starving.”
“Whatever you want, Kitten.” Ronin kissed Kat’s knuckles before leading her toward the table.
A faint wave of jealousy washed over Cece, and she couldn’t help but glance at Briggs. She wanted to touch him, wanted to enjoy the casual intimacy that the others had with their mates, but she couldn’t, and it made her sad.
Briggs returned her look, and as if he could read her mind, he growled softly to her before saying in a quiet voice, “It’s all right, my mate.”
Despite knowing it was his polar bear making him call her his mate, Cece was still comforted by his reassurance. She ignored the slight trepidation that it brought on. So what if she liked it when Briggs called her his mate? Someone was trying to kill her, she’d lost her job, and she’d probably be homeless soon. Why shouldn’t she take a little comfort in Briggs’s possessiveness? Even if it wasn’t real.
“Cece?” Briggs said.
She smiled at him. “Sorry, I was up in my head for a minute.”
As they joined the others at the table, Cece pushed away her anxiety and her worries about her future. There would be plenty of time to worry about it later.
CHAPTER 30
