Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
C helsey didn’t want to leave Parker’s side. In her mind, she knew he was fine, but her heart hurt for him. Her brother had been way out of line. First, throwing a punch, but when the jerk told Parker he wasn’t good enough for her, she wanted to knock him the hell out. But what really pissed her off was when Parker agreed.
God, Chelsey hoped he didn’t really think that and if he did, she was going to have to make sure he knew differently. She didn’t know what that would take, but she planned to spend the rest of their lives together showing him that he was worthy of love. That he was worthy of her.
As for her brother, she wasn’t sure when or if she’d ever talk to him again. At least that’s what she was thinking as she and Egypt strolled out of the main house and headed toward the guest house behind it.
Chelsey had eaten with Parker, but then her sister-in-law dragged her away from him, saying it was time to join the wives. There were drinks and dessert already at the guest house and apparently a sound system. Considering how loud the music was bumping, it was safe to say wives’ night was in full effect.
“Sis, I don’t know about this. I’m not one of you,” Chelsey said as they walked along the cobblestone path, the building several feet away. It might’ve been a two-bedroom, two-bathroom guest house, but it was bigger than some people’s main dwelling.
Egypt glanced over and smiled, and Chelsey couldn’t help but return her smile. Her sister-in-law’s quiet, calm spirit and kind eyes had the ability to provide immediate comfort in any situation. She was beautiful, both inside and out.
Her brother had really lucked out in the wife department. Egypt had so much going for her, and Chelsey also loved her style. Her micro braids were in an intricate knot on top of her head, and though the sun was starting to set, her smooth dark skin gleamed under the sunlight. The red, gray, and blue African print sundress, with matching red sandals that she was wearing, showcased her sexy-chic style.
Now, if anyone was too good for someone, it was Egypt who was too good for Kenton. But Chelsey would never tell him that.
“You’re one of us, even if you don’t have the wife title yet,” Egypt said as they neared the house. “The way Parker was looking at you earlier, and the way he’s been acting lately, it’s probably only a matter of time.”
“ Heyyyy , that’s my song,” Chelsey heard someone say as Egypt pushed open the door. They both stopped in the doorway, and Chelsey started laughing.
Geneva Carrington was dancing on the coffee table and singing off-key to Beyoncé’s song, “Cuff It.” Her dance moves might’ve been on point, but the only person in the room who should be singing was Zenobia. Married to one of Atlanta’s Finest—Angelo Gonzalez—Zen was a famous award-winning singer who sang like an angel, and she currently had her fingers in her ears. Every few seconds, she visibly cringed when Geneva hit certain notes.
“Have you lost your mind? Get your ass off my table!” London yelled from the opening of the kitchen, trying to sound authoritative, but the last word cracked on a laugh.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Journey roared, stopping next to London to look at her sister as if Geneva had two noses. “You’re worse than the kids. Get down from there. I can’t take you nowhere.”
They all burst out laughing, and Chelsey and Egypt closed the door and moved further into the house.
London carried a large tray of petite desserts and set it on a wood sideboard buffet cabinet. There were wine glasses lined up on the cabinet as well, and Journey set two bottles of wine next to them. Then she turned down the music.
“Chelsey, I wish I could say that my sister is usually on her best behavior during our gatherings, but I’d be lying.”
“Whatever,” Geneva said, rolling her eyes as she stepped off the table and sat on the sectional sofa. “We can’t all be straitlaced and in control like my lawyerly sister. Just once I wished she’d let me have some fun without chastising me.”
“Seriously?” Journey swatted Geneva’s shoulder, then sat next to her. “You were dancing on a table, and it’s not even your table! You would think after having a baby you’d grow the hell up.”
As they fussed back and forth good-naturedly, Chelsey sat in one of the recliners. Geneva, a beauty salon owner, was married to Myles Carrington, a former CIA agent and one of the quietest of the Atlanta’s Finest team. He and Geneva were opposites in almost every way possible, but they seemed to balance each other.
Chelsey could understand why Myles was drawn to Geneva. She was fun, vibrant, and had a wicked sense of humor; definitely the life-of-the-party type. The red bodycon sundress fit her spirited personality. She also didn’t look like a woman who had just birthed an infant—a baby girl—a few months ago.
“Grab some snacks and something to drink,” London announced after returning from the kitchen with a charcuterie board of meat, cheese, and fruit. “If you don’t want wine, there’s non-alcoholic beverages in the cooler.” She pointed to the blue and white chest on the floor next to the cabinet.
There were only six of them in the house. The kids were at the main house either with their fathers or the nannies. Chelsey was still full from dinner, but she placed a lemon bar and some type of chocolate treat on a small plate and poured a glass of wine. On the way back to her seat, she glanced around the cozy space.
She had attended several cookouts and parties hosted by some in the group, but she’d only been to London’s home once, and this was her first time in the guest house. The living room was tastefully decorated in bright colors with a tan sectional sofa in front of large windows. A coffee table, two end tables, and two leather recliners rounded out the furniture. The natural stone fireplace in the center of the main wall added to the room’s welcoming feel.
Once they were all seated again, Geneva said. “Since Chelsey is new to the group, let’s pick on her. Especially since she had grown men fighting like idiots.”
Chelsey groaned. Okay, here we go.
Egypt chuckled. “Welcome to the Wives’ Club, sis. Brace yourself. They’re about to be all up in your business.”
“Don’t be scurred ,” Geneva said and laughed.
“Gen, leave her alone. You’re going to scare her away before we get any answers, and I have plenty of questions,” Journey said, reminding Chelsey that the woman had once been a state prosecutor.
She and Geneva might’ve been sisters who favored each other, but personality-wise, they were very different. While Geneva was a good-time girl, Journey was more reserved. Even though this was a casual event, she still looked conservative. Her makeup was lightly applied, and she wore her shoulder-length hair in a bob. Everyone else looked as if they were attending a picnic. Not Journey, though. Her short-sleeve, pale pink button-up blouse, paired with tailored cream-colored pants, was cute but she looked as if she might be planning to attend a meeting with a client.
Though she and Geneva were different in some respects, they did have something in common. They were both badasses in their own right. That probably had something to do with their father; a retired cop. They looked like girlie girls, but there was a no-nonsense edge to them both.
“Yeah, welcome to the club,” Zenobia said from the recliner next to Chelsey and lifted her bottle of water.
She had that girl-next-door vibe and didn’t look like what most would expect of a multimillionaire superstar. The T-shirt and denim shorts, along with her hair pulled up in a long ponytail on top of her head, had her looking like a freshman in college.
The front door burst open, and Chelsey and the others startled.
“Wait!” Dakota yelled and was huffing as if she’d been running. “I hope you guys didn’t start without me. Let me get some wine before Journey starts interrogating Chelsey. That’s assuming she hasn’t already.”
Everyone laughed, and Chelsey smiled. They clearly knew each other well.
Dakota was Hamilton’s wife. The former stuntwoman was someone Chelsey had looked up to since meeting her years ago. The fearless mother of three was a force to be reckoned with. To look at her, with her short hair slicked back and her cinnamon-toned face free of makeup, she looked to be in her late twenties instead of in her forties. No one would ever guess she was a tae kwon do black belt master and owned a dojo. And thanks to her, everyone in the room knew some form of self-defense.
“Dang. I guess Dani isn’t here,” Dakota said from across the room as she inspected the bottles of wine. “Otherwise, she would’ve brought the hard liquor.”
Dani, who owned a bar that they all frequented, was Ashton Chambers’ wife and the only one not in attendance. She was another baddy and had married the former Atlanta PD detective-turned-security-specialist a couple of years ago.
Now that Chelsey thought about it, she was surrounded by badasses; badasses whose lives had been threatened at one time or another, and they survived. There was nothing like being among tough, amazing women.
Wine glass in hand, Dakota grabbed a large floor pillow from the corner of the room and dropped it near the sofa before sitting on it. “Okay, so what I miss?” she asked.
“Journey was getting ready to begin her interrogation,” London said, smiling.
Chelsey shook her head and took a swig of her wine.
“Okay, first question,” Journey said, and everyone laughed, including Chelsey. “Why did you and Parker keep your relationship a secret? Though Laz wasn’t forthcoming,” she said of her husband, “I assume you two have been together for a while.”
The night before, Chelsey and Parker had decided that she’d share whatever she wanted with the wives, especially since Parker would be talking to their husbands. He was even okay with her telling them a little about his relationship with Wolf as long as they understood the importance of keeping it quiet.
Chelsey wasn’t sure what all she’d share, but she did talk about her and Parker’s relationship. She explained that they’d dated for months before breaking up and then getting back together. She also told them about her horrible track record with men, which was why she’d wanted to keep the relationship quiet until she knew for sure they’d make it.
“I can’t believe Kenton didn’t know,” Zenobia said, then turned to Egypt. “Did you?”
Egypt smiled. “I had a feeling, but I didn’t know for sure until last week.”
That surprised Chelsey. Her sister-in-law never said anything.
“What happened last weekend?” Dakota asked, and they all looked at Egypt, including Chelsey. She had no idea what she’d say.
“I saw Parker on video Saturday night storming out of the kitchen at Supreme. That was after he disapproved of the dress Chelsey wore on their assignment and after he said it would kill him if anything ever happened to her.”
Those damn cameras.
Chelsey was going to have to remember they were practically everywhere in the building at Supreme.
“But what else is going on with Parker?” Egypt asked. “He’s been out of sorts, and I have a feeling it was more than just him having a broken heart.”
Without sharing every detail, Chelsey told them about Parker’s mother, as well as his attempt to make his father pay for her death. She also gave them an abbreviated version of the beating Parker had taken.
“Oh, my God. I had no idea,” London said, her expression horrified, and the others in the room held similar expressions. “Thank God Mason found him.”
“My heart goes out to him. I know what it’s like to walk through life constantly looking over your shoulder, unsure if your biggest secret might blow up in your face,” Egypt said, and Journey squeezed her hand.
That had been exactly how Egypt had to live after leaving the witness protection program. She was truly a survivor, and thanks to the Kenton and the Atlanta’s Finest team, she no longer had to live in fear.
“That’s an awful way to live,” Dakota agreed. “And I don’t blame Parker for wanting to end Wolf once and for all. Though Hamilton would have a fit if I inserted myself into Parker’s plans in any way, let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”
The others said the same thing, and Chelsey’s heart squeezed.
She had already known that these women were amazing. By them offering to help in any way they could only made her love and respect them that much more.
Parker would never involve the wives. He didn’t even want to involve their husbands, but he couldn’t go after Wolf alone.
The women talked a few minutes longer on the subject, and Chelsey wondered if Parker knew how loved he was by everyone. He wasn’t just their husbands’ coworker. He was like a brother to them. He was family .
A knock sounded at the door before it opened, and Aunt Carolyn strolled in with a birthday cake. “I heard someone is celebrating a birthday.” Considering it was decorated with salon equipment on it— scissors, a blow dryer, a comb and brush—there was no doubt who it was for.
“Oh, my goodness!” Geneva shrieked. “That is too cute to eat.”
London stood and started them all singing happy birthday to Geneva. Never one to shy away from attention, Gen climbed back on the table and started dancing.
As everyone laughed and the evening progressed, Chelsey marveled at how much fun she was having. She also felt like she was truly one of them.
Hopefully, Parker was experiencing the same love from the guys.