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“That he’s gonna get bored. Let’s face it. I’m forcing him to be more vanilla than he’s been… well, ever.”
“Maybe he’s ready for vanilla, Tiff.”
“Maybe.”
“And I think our fun on Friday night was pretty far from vanilla. I still can’t believe we did what we did in the limo,” Bri said.
The two friends blushed a deeper shade of pink as they remembered the incredible scene they’d shared Friday night.
They started eating in silence, each lost in thought until both of their phones beeped with the sound of an incoming text. They each peeked at their phones to check out the message and looked up to share a heated grin.
Brianna suggested, “I think we’d better erase that text before our men see it.”
“Good idea. I hope Kennedy isn’t planning on sending frequent naughty texts like that leading up to the bachelorette party on Friday. We’d better tell her to knock it off. I’m happy the men have agreed to let us go.”
“I know. I’m looking forward to it. We haven’t gone out with the girls in months.”
Tiffany looked concerned. “I’m not as worried about Lukus’s reaction to me going out with the girls. I’m way more freaked out about how he’s going to take it when I tell him I need to go to Michigan for a weekend alone next month. I’ve thought about it a lot, but I’ve decided I’m not ready to invite him to come with me to Liam’s wedding.”
“Wow, that surprises me, Tiff. The way your mom has been bugging you to settle down, I’d think you’d be happy to take a serious boyfriend home to meet the family,” Bri said.
“That’s just it. I never take anyone home, so they’ll treat him like we’re going to get married or something and, well, who the hell knows what’s going to happen with Lukus. I still pinch myself every day when I realize how lucky I am to have found him, but he’s not exactly the marrying kind, you know?”
“No Tiff, I don’t know. Look at Markus and me. Hell, look at Derek and Rachel. I can totally see Lukus settling down with you.” She didn’t miss the longing on her best friend’s face—the hope that Bri was right.
Tiffany sighed. “Even if he can be that person for me, it doesn’t stop how much my dad and brothers are going to hate him. They won’t like any guy who puts his hands on me, but worse, you know as well as I do that the second they find out about him, they’re going to run him through a criminal background check like they do for every guy I’ve ever dated. It will take them a matter of minutes to find out about his arrest and the lawsuit. That will lead them to The Punishment Pit, and what he does for a living, and… game over. As much as not taking him may hurt his feelings, taking him would be worse.”
Brianna would have loved to dispute Tiff’s logic, but she suspected her best friend was right.
Bri had spent more than a little time at the O’Sullivan family’s large bed and breakfast—the one they’d run for the last fifteen years, ever since Tiffany’s father retired from the Detroit police department. Over the years of visiting the intimate hotel, nestled into the dunes on the Michigan coast of Lake Michigan, Bri had gotten to know Tiffany’s conservative parents and brothers pretty well. They were all wonderful people, but Tiff had to move to Chicago, three hours away, to get a little breathing room from the extremely protective men in her immediate family.
Tiff must have been watching her reaction. “I see you agree with me.”
“Shit. Fine, you might want to wait a little longer until you know more about the future, but if things work out with Lukus, you’re going to have to face them. The wedding is still over a month away. Don’t worry about it yet.”
“You’re right. I have plenty of other things to worry about before then.”
“That’s my Tiff. You didn’t come by your nickname of Worrywart for nothing.”
Tiff snatched the check that Shirley had just brought to their table. “Keep it up and I’m not going to buy you breakfast, even though it’s my turn this week.”
“Worrywart.” The women shared a good-natured smile. “Come on. It’s past time for my mid-morning nap.”
* * *
Markus
“Ihave Mr. Mitchell on the phone holding for you, Mr. Lambert.”
Markus looked up to see his assistant poking her head in his office. He glanced down at the bottom of his computer screen to see the Instant Messenger flashing and looked up again apologetically. “Sorry, Laurie. I was so focused, I missed seeing your IM again.”
“That’s okay. I sit too much, anyway. I don’t mind getting up to come tell you. In fact, you should get up and get some exercise too. You’ve been here for hours and haven’t taken a break.”
“Yes, Mom.”
“You know, I do have your mother’s phone number. Don’t make me use it.” Laurie winked.
Markus was happy to see his assistant was finally starting to loosen up a bit, yet she still insisted on calling him Mr. Lambert. She turned and left as he picked up the phone.
