Chapter 24
KIMBERLY
I started planning Gran's wedding right away. Between that, my usual tasks, and overseeing our project in Aspen, I had my hands full. But I liked keeping busy.
"Oh, come on. There has to be an evening where we can all go," I murmured to myself.
I'd sent all the women in my family an invite for a girls' night.
Avery and Bonnie definitely needed some spoiling.
In fact, all my girls did, and I knew how to do that.
But I needed them all in one place. I'd invited Suze as well.
I kept my fingers crossed as I checked their replies.
"Yes!" I jumped up from my seat.
I hurried out of my office and into Drake’s. He was on the phone, so I stepped inside and waited by the door. He pinned me with his gaze and motioned me in and to close the door. Oh yeah, I loved when he sent me alpha waves and didn't even have to say anything.
I couldn't believe that only a few weeks ago, I was so stressed someone would find out about us. Now I realized it wasn't a big deal. No one seemed to care much. Which made me wonder what would happen if we broke up.
Stop that.
"I’ll call you back," Drake said quickly, ending the call and setting the phone down.
"You didn't have to do that."
"Fuck yes, I did," he said, strolling toward me.
"Drake, you can't kiss the pants off me every time I step into your office."
He put his hands on either side of my head, trapping me against the door. "Why not?"
"Um… right now, I can't exactly come up with a reason. You have that effect on me. Anyway, I wanted to tell you that I managed to organize a girls' evening out on Friday, including Suze."
He straightened up, letting his hands drop. "Really?"
"Yeah, and if she doesn't tell you what's going on by then, maybe I can try to convince her to talk to you."
He frowned. "You’d do that?"
I nodded.
He put a hand at the base of my neck. "And you tell me not to kiss you, huh? I've got another proposition." He tilted closer. "What if instead of kissing the pants off you, I just rip them off?"
I swallowed hard, trying not to let him see how much my lady parts liked his words. "You're shameless, talking dirty to me at the office like this."
"I want to do so much more."
I had no doubt. "I should go before anyone knocks at the door. Oh, now I remember the reason why you can't kiss me like that. Because then everyone will see my lips."
He shook his head, then rested his forehead in the crook of my neck, putting one hand on my waist. "I just want to stay like this with you," he said.
"I think I can accommodate that."
“Fuck, this feels good. Are you sure you need to go back to your office?”
I pushed him gently, winking. “People might notice if I’m missing. Might.”
He pressed his forehead to mine, swallowing hard. “Thanks for inviting Suze with you.”
“Of course.”
On Friday, I picked up Suze from her house. She’d found a sitter for Michael, and our girls' night was starting in one hour. I thought I'd ease Suze into everything by having her ride with me.
She was already waiting in front of the house when I arrived and hopped into the car as soon as I stopped. "Go, go, go, before I change my mind."
I didn't need to be told twice. I pushed the gas pedal.
"Okay. How are you doing?" I asked her.
"First of all, thanks so much for doing this. I know I need to get out of the house—for more than work, that is—but I also feel super guilty when I do, so I usually just stay home. And then I end up driving myself crazy indoors. Drake has been so good to me, helping me out."
I briefly covered her hand with mine. "You're doing fine. Don't be so hard on yourself."
"I'm so happy you and my brother got over your initial dislike of each other."
"Oh, he blabbed about how much he disliked me, huh? Tell me more."
Suze blushed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause friction between the two of you."
I chuckled. "Don't worry. You aren't. I was well aware of his opinion of me. It's not like mine was much better. I thought he was an ass, but a gorgeous one.”
“He liked meeting your family.”
“They’re amazing. But we can be a bit much. I wish Mom could have met him.”
“She’s abroad too? I think Drake mentioned your dad’s living in London.”
“No, she passed away a long time ago.”
Suze frowned. “I’m sorry.”
“I miss her a lot, but the family rallied around us when we were growing up. Still, it was tough. But I know she’d like Drake.”
"Aww, I’m glad to hear that." She paused for a second. "Are you sure the girls won't mind that I'm crashing your evening?"
"No, you're not crashing it. I'm the one throwing it.
Well, me and Reese, my sister. She's already at her place, making cocktails. Liz arrived earlier too. She wanted to make a cake and insisted that it would be better if she just made it at Reese’s place rather than bring it over from her bakery.
" I smiled at her before looking back at the road.
"It's so good to have a group of girls to hang out with. You can join us anytime. I mean it."
We chatted a bit more about Drake on the way to Reese’s apartment. By the time we arrived, all the girls were already there. Kendra opened the door with Megan right behind her.
"Helloooooooo, and let this evening start," Megan exclaimed. "I should probably introduce myself. I'm Megan."
"She's Luke's fiancée," I explained.
Suze looked at me. "I'm really sorry, but I'm going to have a hard time remembering who's who."
"Don't worry. Sometimes I forget who's who," Megan said, "especially after a few drinks."
I was immensely grateful that she was putting Suze at ease.
I loved my sister's apartment. It had a very cozy feeling.
I especially liked the egg-shaped swing that hung from the ceiling in one corner of the room.
The pink carpet she had between the couches was so fluffy that I loved going barefoot on it.
Her home looked lived in, whereas mine was still sparsely furnished.
I honestly hadn't had the energy since moving back to truly throw myself into decorating it.
"Oh, the party's in full swing," I added once we'd joined everyone.
I looked at the kitchen counter in awe. Liz didn't just bake a cake. She'd also brought cupcakes from her bakery.
"I'm trying some new recipes," she told us after I introduced Suze to the group. "Please give me your honest opinions."
"We're not good at that," Reese replied. "I can stuff my face with everything."
"So can I," Kendra agreed.
"I'm making drinks," I declared. "Who isn't drinking any alcohol?"
Lexi, Bonnie, and Suze all informed me they were not.
Suze looked at the two of them. "Either of you have a small baby?"
"Yes," Lexi and Bonnie said at the same time.
I smiled as I started prepping margaritas for Reese, Megan, Liz, Kendra, and myself. It was good for Suze to meet other people who were going through similar experiences. Not when it came to having a shitty husband, thank God, but they all had small kids.
Reese cleared her throat. "Okay, Suze. Just so you know, and you're not overwhelmed by the crazy, we sometimes share personal stuff when we get together."
"It's fun," Megan said.
"But you don't have to," Kendra added. "Only if you feel like it and if you have something to say."
"Yeah, lately, I'm the only one with stories," Reese said. "But that's just because I’m dating, and it's not going well." My sister took a sip of the margarita I'd just handed her.
"I thought you looked a bit under the weather back at Tate's," Kendra said. "What happened on the date?"
"The guy was a jerk. The kind that makes you run for the hills."
"So why didn't you?" I asked.
"You know me. I always like to be polite."
"Yeah, I don't know why you do that." Although, perhaps I shouldn't speak. I still remembered that fateful evening I met Drake, when I'd made up silly excuses, hoping my date would catch the drift, and he never did.
"Besides," Reese continued, "I was trying to prove a point to my ex."
That got my attention. I stilled, my margarita halfway to my lips.
I chose my words carefully. "I didn't know he was still in touch.
" The last time we'd heard from him, he'd tried to blackmail Reese by saying he'd contact the press and give a tell-all interview about the canceled wedding.
After that, my cousins put the fear of God into him, and he moved away from Chicago.
"We're not in contact, but sometimes he likes to remind me that I won't find anyone."
"What the hell? How does he even do that? Why didn't you delete his number?"
Reese gave a humorless laugh. "Like that would stop him. It doesn't matter. The point is, I stayed on that date far longer than I should have, trying to prove the point. But I think he might be right."
"No, he's not," I instinctively said.
"He's not," Liz agreed. The girls were up-to-date with all the drama, or at least I thought they were.
"Anyway, really nothing to report other than another one biting the dust. So, who else has stories?"
To my surprise, Suze held up her alcohol-free margarita, clinking it to Reese's. "I do. To shitty exes."
"Yours does take the cake," I said. “But I haven't filled everyone in about what happened.”
"Well, he said he felt shackled when I was pregnant."
Lexi and Bonnie gasped.
"Oh no, I'm so sorry," Bonnie said. She looked particularly stricken.
"That's why my brother moved home, because I was a mess."
"That's very understandable," Megan said with a soft voice.
Suze continued, "Anyway, I thought at least he’d be out of our lives soon, but now he doesn't want to sign the divorce papers."
I nearly dropped my glass. Suze noticed and said directly to me, “And no, my brother doesn't know yet. I only recently found out, and I'm still trying to deal with it."
I shook my head. "I don't understand. Does he want to get back together?"
"No, I don't think so," Suze replied slowly. I realized she was holding back tears. "I think he was hoping I'd just let him go without asking for any alimony or any part of his assets that I'm entitled to. But he's got another think coming because I'm not going down without a fight."
"Hell no, you shouldn't," Kendra said.
Liz glanced at me, and I saw the question in her eyes. When I nodded, she turned her attention to Suze. "Declan is a lawyer. A super good lawyer. If you need one, I'm sure he'd be happy to help."
Suze shook her head. "I couldn't. I'm sure he's got enough on his hands."
"He's actually a divorce lawyer," I added. "I never offered before because I figured you might have one."
"I do, but now I'm thinking maybe I should ask for a second opinion."
"I would, too, if it were me," Liz said. "Declan is really good, and I'm sure he'd help.”
"Thank you. I’ll think about it."
“Suze, I think Drake would like to know," I said. "He's been worried about you lately. He thinks you're not telling him something."
She shook her head. "I should have known my brother would pick up on that.
You're right." She bit her lip before adding, "You know what?
I'll call him right away. I don't want to postpone this, or I’ll lose my proverbial balls.
Well, I have more balls than my ex, anyway.
" She took out her phone, walking with quick steps as she put it to her ear.
"Girls, what should we do to relax?" I asked the group. “Especially you, Bonnie and Avery.”
"Yeah, tell us and we'll make it happen," Reese added. “You've got a lot going on."
"So do you," Bonnie said. "You have a lot going on with Aspen."
I shrugged. "That’s just part of the job. It’s not stressful, just another thing to do.”
"And not much has changed for me,” Reese replied. “I'm taking care of the numbers. That's second nature to me.”
“I, for one, think we should hold these types of gatherings more often," Avery chimed in. “It’s nice to catch up without the guys.”
Bonnie nodded. "I agree. Thanks for organizing this."
"Anytime," I said.
“Do you need any advice with the business side of things, Avery?" Reese asked. "I can always look at your numbers."
Avery smiled sheepishly. "I'd love that. But only if you promise it's not too much on top of your workload."
"It really isn't," Reese said. "I like keeping busy.”
"And speaking of that, should we have another round of drinks?" I asked.
There was a chorus of "Yes," and I went to work.
"One for me too," Suze said, walking toward me.
I eyed her carefully. "How did it go?"
"Okay. He's even grumpier than usual. He's at the office."
I jerked my head back, stunned. "At this time on a Friday?"
"Yes."
That couldn't be right. He didn't belong in the office on Friday evening; he should have been at home, relaxing. I was going to rectify that later. But now I was going to focus on the girls.
We ended up having only two more rounds of drinks, since Lexi, Bonnie, and Suze were anxious to return to their kids. They were adorable. The rest of the girls took off too. Once they left, Reese and I sat on her couch.
"This evening was so great," Reese said, cuddling up and putting her head on my shoulder.
"I know, right?”
“I love all the girls. I'm happy for our cousins."
"Yeah, they chose great women," I said, kissing the top of her head.
"What's your plan now?" she asked.
"I was thinking I could spoil you some more."
"Don't be silly. You've got a hot man. I know you. You want to jump his bones."
I cleared my throat. "Yes, well… that was the plan after I spoiled you."
"You did that enough with all the margaritas. You’re a pro at it. You think he’s still at the office?"
"Let me check." Taking out my phone, I texted Drake.
Kimberly: Rumor has it you’re still at the office. That still hold true?
Drake: Yes.
This man, honestly. I was going to lure him out.
No, wait. I had a better idea.
I was going to surprise him there.