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Tears welled in Andi’s eyes as she took a step toward Declan, reaching out to cup his cheek as she sucked in some air and then dropped her hand from her mouth, the most dazzling smile on her face. “Yes, Declan. Yes...a thousand times yes. I love you too.”
Declan surged from the floor and took Andi in his arms, but not before he placed the engagement ring on Andi’s finger. Rhys smiled, genuinely happy for his sister and his best friend, halting the recording and retreating from the building, and allowing the happy couple their privacy.
Rhys was halfway down the road on the way to his apartment when his phone pinged. He pulled up the picture Declan had sent him, of Andi holding up her ring with the caption, -You fancy being my best man?
Laughing into the night, Rhys smiled at how crazy it was that a mere couple of weeks ago, he would have been sickened at the thought of Andi and Declan getting married, and now, here he was replying that he would be honoured back to Declan and actually meaning it.
Life was funny sometimes, wasn’t it?
ChapterTwenty-Nine
Shay
“Areyou sure you wanna make us official here, tonight? I mean it is your sister’s engagement party.” Shay asked Rhys as they drove up towards the studio and Declan and Andi’s home, where the two were hosting a small family and close friends get-together.
Rhys glanced over at Shay, his amber eyes shining in the darkness. “Course it is. Plus it’s only the band and the Rebel Racers crew... and Sinéad will be there with Jameson...Cathal will be there with Luna. I want everyone to know that we’re a thing.”
When Rhys leaned over and kissed Shay on her cheek, she could have swooned. She loved this side of Rhys as much as the playful side of him. It wasn’t a side of him that the fans or the public saw very often, used to his bad boy image, and that made Shay feel special because she felt that this was the real Rhys.
Although, she loved his bad boy side too....especially when he was focused on her.
Getting out of the car, Shay fidgeted with her leather jacket, ignoring the amused look from Rhys as he waited for her to be ready. She was feeling a little intimidated, and Shay was not used to feeling intimidated. It was part of her job to be confident and organized but she was super nervous about meeting Rhys's sister Andi for the first time as Rhys’ girlfriend.
Girlfriend...even now it sounded strange and when Rhys had introduced her to his parents as his girlfriend last night when she went for dinner, it had given her that schoolgirl kinda feeling. Shay wasn’t used to being around parents who were supportive and loving but being around Rhys parents made Shay see exactly how she would want any of her kids raised.
“C’mon, it won’t be that bad,” Rhys told her as he pulled open the door and held it open for her.
“Such a gentleman.” Shay teased him, starting to head up the stairs.
“I just wanted the perfect view of your ass.”
Shay laughed, shaking her head as she grinned like an idiot, reaching the top of the stairs and inhaling a breath before she opened it and stepped into the loft apartment.
Heads turned in their direction, making Shay’s face heat, but then Rhys was beside her, a hand on the small of her back as he said. “Well, the party can start now I’ve arrived.”
A chortle of laughter rang out amongst the friends, Rhys nudging her into the room as they made the rounds and said hello to people, Rhys making sure that they ended up by Jameson and Sinéad. Her best friend grinned, handing her a drink and Shay took a big gulp.
“Does this ever get less strange?” Shay asked Sinéad quietly while Rhys chatted to Jameson.
“Rubbing shoulders with rockstars and race car drivers? Nope. Wait until you knock on a door wearing an Oli Scott t-shirt and he opens it. That’s when you know you’ve stepped into the twilight zone.”
Shay chuckled, shaking her head, realizing that her semi-normal life would never be the same again, however, if that meant she got to be with Rhys, she would just have to deal with it all. Cathal and Luna came over and the conversation drifted toward Shay and her apprenticeship, then to the new girl that Shay was training up to work in the shop.
Declan called Rhys over and Shay kept an eye on her boyfriend, saw him smile as he embraced Declan and congratulated him again. Shay was relieved that the two had managed to get through the bad times, and Rhys really was genuinely happy for his sister and his best friend.
“It’s nice to see someone look at my brother like that.”
Shay turned at the sound of the voice, coming face to face with Rhys’ sister, Andi. She had similar features to Rhys, in the shape of the eyes and the nose, but Andi’s features were less sharp than Rhys. But still there was no denying the family resemblance.
Andi’s warm smile deepened as she held out her hand. “I’m Andi. It’s nice to properly meet you.”
“Shay,” she replied stupidly and almost cursed herself. “But you knew that. Congrats by the way, I saw the video Rhys took of the proposal. It looked romantic.”
Andi glanced over to where Declan and Rhys were having an animated conversation with Luna, but everyone was smiling. Declan glanced up, winked at his fiancé, and Rhys mock punched him in the shoulder, telling Declan to stop making goo-goo eyes at his sister.
Then Rhys glanced at Shay, a slow, deliberate smile curving his lips, then he let loose a joyous sound of laughter as Declan mimicked his actions and told Rhys to stop making goo-goo eyes at his girlfriend.
When Shay glanced back at Andi, the other woman was smiling, causing Shay’s face to heat. “I feel like a teenager falling for a rockstar. It’s like some kinda romance channel movie or something.”
