“Ria, he’s gorgeous,” Mom gushes next to me.
“Mom, you shouldn’t be condoning this.”
“What? My daughter going to talk to a handsome man?”
“No. You making your daughter hook up with a stranger.”
“Everyone starts as a stranger, sweetie.” She grins over the rim of her glass.
“Indeed, they do.” Grace grabs my chin and turns my head in not a subtle way toward the man in question. “And he could be the perfect stranger for you.” He smiles as our eyes connect, and it pulls into a beaming grin as he lowers his gaze as he sees the hold Grace has on me. My cheeks heat and I pull her hands away.
“Grace, tonight isn’t about me.”
“Ria?” Lily comes up behind me. “What the hell are you doing still sitting here?”
“Huh?”
“That man over there? He hasn’t stopped looking at you and your ridiculously long perfect legs that I’m sure he’s imagining wrapped around a certain part of his body. I won’t say which one but I know you can guess.” She shimmies next to me, hercopper hair swaying with the movement, and my face flushes even redder than my red mini dress.
“Jesus, Lily.” I shake my head at her.
“What? You deserve to sit on a throne, babe.” Her grin is so wide I can’t help the laugh that bubbles up out of me.
“And we wouldn’t all be here together if our girl here hadn’t gone home with a random hot gladiator,” Trixie says.
“True, but this trip is to celebrate the fact that she did. But I don’t need to know everything about that night.”
Chapter 8
Leo
The room rattles with applause as I belt out the last note of my all-time favorite song. Placing the microphone back down, I take a bow and move through the crowd, slapping a few high fives on my way back to my boys.
“Baby Brent, ‘My Heart Will Go On’? You don’t change, do you?” Thomas snickers into his tumbler of whiskey.
“Celine is the queen of power ballads. She is majestic, commands a stage like no one else can, and is a total legend, Papa Stone. I’ll not hear a bad word said about her.”
“Surprised you didn’t book us to see her residency.” Noah smirks.
“If I’d had my way we would have.”
“Thank God I stepped in then.” Beck grins across the table at me. “But you did sing your little heart out there, fella.”
“My heart isn’t little, Becky Boy; it’s fucking huge.” I bounce my eyebrows. “It’s not the only thing that’s huge.”
“I’m out.” Deacon stands. “I’ve had too much of Leo’s crazy for one night.” The rest stand, following him, all shaking their heads, shoulders bouncing as they laugh at my antics.
“I’d argue you’ve not had enough of me, Mr. Lowe,” I shout and he gives me the finger over his shoulder, causing me to bark out a laugh.
“I love you, man.” Hunter grins like a lovestruck idiot as he leans against me.
“You could say it more often.”
“Hey!” He pushes my shoulder a little too roughly and falls into me. “I say it plenty,” he shouts as he straightens himself up. It’s odd seeing Hunter like this—drunk, I mean. He’s the dependable one of the two of us, but I think tonight we’ve swapped roles as I have tried to be responsible and let him loosen up, and boy has he. I love it. But he won’t in the morning.
“To Jade maybe,” I say playfully.
“I do.” His stupid grin is back. “I love her so much. And guess what?” he whispers, his face so close to mine I can smell the scotch on his breath. “I’m going to marry her.”
