Chapter 27
Twenty-Seven
Maggie, Brayden, Jill and Ashton walked the red carpet and posed for photographers, who recognized them as Kate’s sisters, probably due to the recent interview they’d done together.
“Who’s your date, Maggie?”
“Oh, um, this is Brayden.”
His hand on her back made her feel safe and loved and supported.
Being with him made everything better, more fun than it would’ve been without him, and tonight was no different.
Buddy’s gala was all about fun. After dinner and a performance by their famous hosts, the doors to a second ballroom opened to a carnival street fair, complete with every imaginable game, as well as cotton candy, peanuts, popcorn, funnel cakes and a massive chocolate fountain in the middle of the huge room.
“Holy crap,” Brayden said, his eyes lighting up. “This is awesome.”
“Buddy doesn’t screw around,” Ashton said. “Last year, the games brought in three hundred thousand dollars.”
“Shut up,” Brayden said. “That’s insane.”
“I know. Let’s go do our part.”
They played every game: Pick a Duck, Water Coin Drop, Balloon Pop, Gone Fishing, Beanbag Toss and Spin the Wheel. Maggie learned that Brayden excelled at the shooting games, hitting every target—even the moving ones—and winning her three huge stuffed animals.
“Froggie is going to be so jealous when I bring these guys home,” Maggie said, struggling under the weight of her prizes.
After a couple of hours of games and way too much cotton candy, Jill came up to them, carrying stuffed animals under each arm. “Are you guys about ready to head home?”
“One more game.” Brayden directed Maggie toward the ring toss. “I’m really good at this one.”
“You’re good at all of them!”
“You ain’t seen nothing yet, baby. Check me out here. My gramps taught me how to rope when I was six, and I never miss.”
Maggie watched as he deftly put eight rings around eight bottles, impressing even the weary-looking guy running the game.
“You can pick any prize from the top shelf,” he said to Brayden.
“I want the jewelry.”
The man took down a gaudy set of gold costume jewelry with huge pink stones and handed it over to him. “Nice job. No one ever gets them all.”
“Thanks.” Brayden ripped the various pieces off the cardboard one by one and put them on Maggie: crown, dangling earrings, necklace, bracelet and ring, which he slid onto the third finger of her left hand before kissing the back of her hand.
She was rendered breathless by the intensity he applied to his task.
Then he looked her dead in the eye and kissed her before whispering, “You are my queen.”
Maggie nearly swooned as she dropped the stuffed animals, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him square on the lips, right in the middle of the fairway full of people.
She couldn’t care less who saw them. Who had time for such concerns when the man she loved had adorned her in jewels and called her his queen?
“Um, guys,” Ashton said, clearing his throat. “Hello?”
“We may need to call the paramedics to bring the jaws of life to pry them apart,” Jill said.
Maggie heard them, but didn’t want to end the best kiss of her life. Not yet.
Brayden smiled against her lips and pulled back slowly, seeming as dazzled as Maggie felt.
“Nice bling,” Jill said.
“You want me to win you some, sweetie?” Ashton asked.
Brayden scoffed. “Um, no offense, lawyer boy, but you couldn’t win that prize.”
“Wanna make a bet?”
“Absolutely.”
Jill rolled her eyes at Maggie as they stepped back to let the guys have their testosterone-fueled moment.
Brayden went first and once again hooked all eight rings.
Maggie clapped for him. “Well done, babe!”
“The bar is set pretty high, love,” Jill said to Ashton. “Don’t let me down.”
“Give me a kiss for luck,” Ashton said.
Jill laid a long one on him. “Go get ’em, tiger.”
Ashton got the first seven while Jill acted like a varsity cheerleader at homecoming. He held the last ring and eyed the bottles shrewdly before releasing the ring and just missing.
Brayden let out a triumphant shout and fist-pumped the air. “We’ll take another set of the jewelry for my girlfriend’s sister, please.”
While Maggie processed Brayden referring to her as his “girlfriend,” Jill consoled Ashton.
“You were so close, baby.”
“I want a do-over,” Ashton said.
“Next year,” Brayden replied with a cocky smile. “Take the time you need to practice.”
Ashton flashed a good-natured grin. “Fuck you.”
Brayden laughed so hard, he had tears in his eyes, and Maggie soaked it all in—the fun, the teasing, the love, the friendship and the bone-deep happiness unlike anything she’d ever known.
He collected her discarded animals, tucked one under each of his arms and handed the other to her, winking at her as they followed Jill and Ashton to the exit where Buddy and Taylor were holding court.
“Thank you for such a great night.” Jill hugged them both. “Best fundraiser ever.”
“Glad y’all enjoyed it,” Taylor said. “Your sister sponsors the carnival, but she does it behind the scenes. That part was her idea a couple of years ago, and it’s been a huge success.”
Maggie recalled the carnival that had come to Newport’s First Beach every spring and how much Kate had looked forward to it. She loved that Kate had brought that beloved childhood memory to Buddy and Taylor’s fundraiser, and that she’d done it anonymously.
“Thanks so much for having us.” Maggie hugged Buddy and Taylor. “We had a total blast.”
“So glad you could come,” Buddy said. “Kate is so, so happy to have her sisters with her. If she’s happy, we’re happy.”
Ashton shook hands with Buddy. “You need to take another look at the ring toss game. I think it’s rigged.”
Brayden let out a loud guffaw. “Rigged, my ass. Go get another manicure. It might help your aim.”
Buddy busted up laughing. “I love him. You want to join our monthly poker game?”
Brayden seemed flabbergasted by the offer. “Oh, um, sure. That’d be fun.”
“I’ll bet he cheats at that, too,” Ashton said.
Brayden gave him a shove that had them all heading for the door.
Maggie loved the way he and Ashton bickered all the way to the car, like two friends who’d known each other forever.
She’d always accepted that she could never have a serious relationship with a man her parents and sisters didn’t like, but she was also realizing how important it would be that Reid and Ashton liked her partner, too, since she spent so much time with them.
Ashton liked Brayden, or he wouldn’t be giving him shit, and vice versa.
They filled the back of Reid’s SUV with huge stuffed animals and headed out of town.
The minute they were in the car, Brayden had reached for Maggie and brought her close enough to kiss.
“Are they getting busy in my dad’s car?” Ashton asked Jill.
“Looks that way to me.”
“Keep it in your pants back there.”
“F off,” Brayden muttered. “And drive the car. I need to get home. Quickly.”
Maggie giggled and curled her hand around his neck to bring him back for more. Kissing him had become her favorite thing to do.
“Break it up, kids,” Jill said quite some time later. “We’re home.”
Maggie pulled away from Brayden, surprised to see they were back at Kate’s. “Thanks for driving, Ashton.”
“I’d say it was my pleasure, but I think it was probably more yours.”
“For sure. See you!”
Brayden got Maggie’s animals out of the back of the SUV and put them in the backseat of his truck. “We’ll get your car tomorrow.” With his hands on her hips, he lifted her into the passenger seat and stole another heated kiss before buckling her in and shutting the door.
Best night ever. She touched her fingers to the thick chain around her neck and was struck with a fun idea as she waited for him to get in the truck.
As he drove them home, he kept a tight grip on her hand. “Tonight was so awesome. I had the best time. Thanks for asking me to go.”
“It was a blast.”
“I can’t believe Buddy Longstreet asked me to join his poker game.”
“He likes you. They all do.”
“As long as you do, I’m good.”
“I like you, Brayden.” I love you, Brayden. I love you so much, I feel dizzy from trying to contain my overwhelming love for you.
At home, they went into the main house, and Maggie set the alarm before leading Brayden to her apartment, where they spent every night together.
Since everyone they worked with seemed thrilled to see them together, Maggie had decided to take one of her mother’s best pieces of advice—to build a bridge and get over the fact that she was dating a man who technically worked for her.
She had faith that he was every bit the professional she was, and had walked across the bridge into the land of “I don’t give a fuck what anyone else thinks.” The thought made her giggle.
“What’s so funny?”
“How far I’ve fallen from caring that the others might know we’re sleeping together. I’ve crossed the bridge into the land of ‘I don’t give a fuck.’”
Smiling, he put his hands on her hips and kissed her. “I love it there. It’s the best land ever. It’s like Oz.”
“Yes, only better because it’s real.”
His hands slid down to cup her ass and pull her in tight against his erection. “Mmm, so real and so good.”
“Hold that thought for just a second, will you?”
“As long as it’s only one second.”
“You gotta let me go.”
“Don’t wanna.” He kissed her neck and lips before letting her go. “Be very, very quick before I suffer a hard-on-induced stroke.”
Maggie laughed as she turned her back to him, pointing to the zipper. “That is not a thing.”
He unzipped her and kissed his way down her back, taking a gentle bite of the top of her left cheek. “It’s gonna be a thing if you don’t give me some relief soon. It’s not healthy to be this hard for this long.”
She flashed a grin over her shoulder as she walked away from him. “Hold on to your horses, cowboy.”
“I’m holding on by a thread.”