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“Hey, that’s the style. It’s called slim fit.” He raised a brow and grabbed his phone from my hand. “Grammie said the women wear white and the men just need to be in suits. And that suit spoke to me.”
Yes. He was calling Demi’s grandparentsGrammieandGramps. Because this was King that we were talking about.
“It spoke to you, huh? Did it also tell you to turn around and trade it in for a black fucking suit that isn’t sized for a toddler?” River asked, and more laughter erupted around the table.
“Trust me. The ladies like my style. You boring fuckers can wear your penguin suits, and I’ll be the standout.”
“Yeah, you and Beefcake.” River smirked.
“I’m happy you’re all coming,” Demi said.
“We were kind of bullied into it by your grandmother, Beans.” Hayes raised a brow at her.
“She’s very persuasive,” Demi said.
“She’s not the only one.” I nipped at her ear.
“Oh, for God’s sake, wife this girl up already. You two are making me sick.” River feigned irritation, but I saw the way the corners of his lips turned up when he watched us.
“Agreed. They’re moving in together and renovating a house. Put a ring on it already, am I right, Demi?” Kingston broke out into his best Beyonce imitation and sounded absolutely fucking ridiculous.
I threw my napkin at him and shook my head.
And then I sat back and took it all in.
My brothers.
My girl.
The way life had taken an unexpected turn for the better.
My hand found hers beneath the table, and our fingers intertwined. I leaned close to her ear. “You know I do plan to put a ring on it someday, right?”
“What did it for you?” She leaned closer and whispered into my ear. “Was it the fact that I jumped into a fight for you in the back of the alley, or was it the pumpkin chai?”
I grazed my lips over her ear, watching the way goose bumps spread down her arm.
“I think it’s the way you look when you’re sleeping,” I spoke against her ear.
She pulled back to look at me. Those gorgeous green eyes that always found mine. “What do I look like when I’m sleeping?”
“You look like forever.”
Ain’t that the fucking truth.
epilogue
. . .
Demi
The last fewweeks had been a whirlwind. Romeo and I had bought a home. Well, he’d bought a home with the money he’d earned from his fight, and for whatever reason, he’d insisted that both of our names be on the title.
So, whether he liked it or not, I was insisting on pitching in for the renovations. And we were practically gutting the place now. We were going to make it our own, and I loved everything about it.
Romeo had flown with me to Boston and listened when my brother had opened up about being miserable living there with no family and no friends. It was a tough way to deal with sobriety.
So, Romeo and my grandfather had come up with a plan. Slade would stay in Boston for three months and continue to attend meetings at the rehab there. If he stayed clean, he’d come back to Magnolia Falls. Romeo had agreed to let him rent out his little apartment behind the gym and work at the gym, as well. I didn’t know where that generosity came from. Especially after what Slade had done to Romeo and River all those years ago. Butsomehow, he’d been willing to help Slade under the agreement that he’d take a drug test twice a week.
