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She shook her head. “Today has been the best day. I spent the morning with Saylor, you’re officially a free man again, and I’m going to take your ink virginity.”
“Hey, don’t forget about tattoo-chair sex.”
She laughed. “That, too. So what am I inking on you, anyway? Did you bring a picture of what you want?”
“I did better than that…” Walking over to Deek’s station, I pulled open his drawer and took out the stencil he’d made. Handing it to her, I pointed to the inside of my forearm. “I want this right here.”
I thought I’d need to explain, but when Billie covered her mouth and her eyes welled up with tears, I knew she understood. She turned her arm and showed me her tattoo. “It’s the lock that goes with my key.”
I nodded. “Deek drew it. He used a photo of your tattoo for reference to make them match. I may not have given you a key on our first date, like your grandfather gave your grandmother, but you’ve had my heart since the moment I met you. Now you’ll always have the key that goes to it.”
Tears streamed down Billie’s face. “Oh my God, Colby. You are the sweetest, most romantic man in the world. I love you so much.”
“I love you, too, babe. But I’m not sure I’m really that sweet. Because while you’re thinking how romantic I am, I’m still sitting here with a hard-on, wondering if I could get away with banging you on the chair before you start my tattoo.”
Billie laugh-cried as she opened her arms. “We definitely can do that. Come here and let me make that dream of yours finally come true.”
I cupped her cheeks. “Sweetheart, I can’t wait to get you naked, but you’ve already made all my dreams come true…”
EPILOGUE
Colby
One year later
Holden stood at the podium, readying to give his speech. The DJ held his hand up, prompting everyone to quiet down as Holden took the mic. I held my breath, unable to imagine my best man taking this seriously, and wondering whether I was about to get roasted.
Holden smirked at me, then began to speak. “Loyal…talented…stunningly handsome—the best friend anyone could ask for.” He paused. “But enough about me.”
Our guests roared with laughter.
“My name is Holden Catalano, and I’m here for the free food and booze.” He grinned as everyone laughed again. “Actually, much to his dismay, I’m Colby’s best man.” He looked over at me. “While I’d love to be able to say Colby chose me for this role, I’m standing here today because I drew from a hat a piece of paper with the words best man written on it. Our buddies Owen and Brayden, on the other hand, drew blanks and were relegated to mere ushers as a result.” He turned to me. “I want you to know, Colby, that I take this responsibility very seriously. I’ve even waited until after this speech to get shitfaced because I didn’t want to botch this up. Because let’s face it, I’m the worst man, not the best for this job. But alas, you’re stuck with me.” He sighed. “We all know that if Ryan were here, he would be the best man. Instead, he’s looking down on you right now, thinking… How the hell did you snag a woman as awesome as Billie?”
Laughter once again erupted throughout the ballroom. When it dissipated, he went on. “Colby and I, along with Owen, Brayden, and our late friend, Ryan, have been friends since childhood. Growing up, we called upon Colby as the oldest in our group to set an example for us.” Holden paused. “That explains why we’re all idiots.”
I clapped. Billie and I looked at each other as we cracked up.
“But honestly, I am the wrong man for this job, partly because Colby and I have always been like yin and yang. He went to the fancy schools and got the fancy jobs. Most of the jobs I manage to snag are of the blow variety.”
Billie placed her hands over Saylor’s ears. Thankfully, my daughter had no idea what that meant and seemed unfazed.
“And you certainly don’t need to go to a fancy school to be a drummer like me,” Holden continued. “That said, Colby doesn’t have a musical bone in his body. We used to take girls we were looking to let down easy to karaoke so they could hear Colby sing—they’d magically disappear.”
I rolled my eyes and shook my head.
“And don’t even get me started on our styles. Couldn’t be more different. Colby wears three-piece suits on the regular. The last time I wore a three-piece suit, I was sitting next to my defense attorney in court after a barroom brawl.”
My shoulders shook. “True,” I mouthed to him.
“So if we’re so non-compatible…why the hell did I agree to this important task? Well, the answer is simple.” He paused. “I’m here for Billie.”
