Chapter Twenty-Four
Magnus
I’m quite comfortable leaning back in my chair while I nurse a fine glass of scotch and watch the chaos all around me unfold. Piper and I both insisted we didn’t want bachelor, bachelorette parties, but we’ve been overruled again. At least we’re getting to do one together. If it wasn’t together I would’ve refused. I have no desire to mourn my single days. I’m jumping into marriage with my eyes wide open and a smile on my lips.
Judging by the good moods of our friends and family, I think this is far more a celebration than a goodbye to singlehood. Most of the people we love in our lives have a partner at their side. It clearly shows how much having the right partner can make a person go from ordinary to glowing.
This is a perfect place that allows Livie to be here with her baby which she isn’t even close to leaving with someone yet. And a party wouldn’t be the same without her. For as big of an event as this is, it’s quite impressive for us to pull it off in only four short months. It’s amazing to me that baby Julie is already three months old, and damn is she adorable as she grins at everyone. She sure loves her aunt Piper who holds her nearly as much as her parents do.
Piper is absolutely stunning tonight, her eyes sparkling with excitement and an ever-present happiness that’s what made me fall in love with her in the first place. She’s the center of my world, just as she’s the center of this group. In only one more week, she’ll officially be my wife. It can’t come soon enough. Just the thought of calling her my wife sends a thrill of joy and anticipation through me.
There’s a shift in the music, and I see Livie nudge Piper, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. Piper laughs as she nods. Livie then shocks me when she stands and hands Julie to me who looks up with a toothless smile, her bright blue eyes sparkling at me.
“I don’t mind baby duty one little bit,” I coo at the baby who’s the happiest little one I’ve ever seen. There’s usually a war of people wanting to hold her, but she has her favorites. I believe I’m one of them. That might just be because she’s either at my house or Piper and I are at hers on nearly a daily basis. I hope Piper and I start right away on our own family so the kids can grow up together and be besties just like their mothers are.
I’m curious as the two women walk away. I grin when I see them step up onto the karaoke stage. What are they up to now?
Livie steps up to the mic. “For those of you here for our combined bachelor/bachelorette party for the beautiful Piper and handsome Magnus, you’re in for a real treat. For those of you who happened to stumble in here unaware, we apologize,” she says, making both cheers and laughter erupt in the place. With this being in our small town, I’d say they’re all here for Piper at least. She’s very well loved in this town.
“Sing for us,” someone calls out.
“Oh, we’re going to sing alright. It’s a one time performance only,” Livie says as she wiggles her hips. She just had a baby three months earlier, and she looks stunning. Both of these women are too beautiful for words.
“We’re very lucky men,” Tyler says as he leans over and tickles his daughter’s chin. She smiles at her dad, but she’s quite happy to be with her uncle Magnus. It’s so odd to me how pleased I am to win the love of the tiny human. Man, have I changed a lot since the day I met Piper. It’s all been for the better.
I look over to see Bianca surrounded by six men all vying for her attention. The poor guys don’t realize what they’re in for. My sister is a spitfire and chews men up and spits them out before they ever realize what’s happening. I’ve never had to be the protective big brother because she’s a tornado that leaves a path of destruction in her wake.
Livie hands Piper a second mic and she stands on stage with her cheeks flushed, and her lips turned up in a nervous smile. She never does like to be the center of attention, not realizing she always is. Her very presence draws every single person toward her. I’ll keep that to myself because I want her to always shine and never be self-conscious.
“This one’s for you, Magnus,” she says with a big grin and a wink my way.
The opening notes for Single Ladies begin and I instantly laugh as the crowd erupts into cheers and laughter. It’s more than clear that Piper and Livie have performed this song before, most likely in all their years as roommates, as they begin to dance, their moves synchronized and full of energy. Piper’s confidence grows with every single beat, and I can’t help but bounce Julie as we move along to the music with her. I stand, too happy to sit any longer. I want to pull that woman into my arms and tell her I’ll put a dozen rings on her fingers because she’s mine, and only mine.
She’s absolutely incredible, and seeing her shining before this rowdy crowd makes my heart soar. Julie agrees as she smiles in my arms as I carefully cradle her while dancing. This is one more perfect night in a world of perfect days and nights.
Blake moves up next to me with a smile on his own lips. “You’re a very lucky man to not let her get away,” he tells me.
“I know it,” I say. “I never thought I’d want to marry which broke my mother’s heart, but from the moment I met Piper I couldn’t get her off my mind. It took me a year after our first meeting, but when I found her again, there was no going back.”
“I made some serious mistakes with Jewell, but luckily, I didn’t lose her. It’s been years now and I grow happier each and every day. I see that in you and Piper.”
“I appreciate it, Blake. I know I’ll be feeling the same way in ten years. The only thing that could bring me pain at this point is to lose her. I’ll do all I can to be worthy of her love for the rest of our lives.”
“What idiots we were for a lot of years of our lives,” Byron, Tyler’s other brother, says. “I’m sure as hell glad all of us have pulled our heads out of our asses.”
This makes me laugh which startles Julie. She frowns at me, and I panic as she starts to cry. I don’t know what to do with her when she cries. I’d rather hold a bomb than a crying baby. Tyler laughs as he steps up and takes her from me. My face must be filled with panic.
“It’s okay, Pumpkin. Uncle Magnus’s voice can be annoying,” he coos at his daughter who instantly smiles at her dad.
“She loves me,” I say.
He laughs again. “Yes, she does. This is a lot of noise though. She won’t be able to last a whole lot longer,” Tyler says, not at all upset to have to leave a party early. I totally understand. Priorities certainly change when you’re a family man.
When the song ends, the applause is deafening, and Piper and Livie give a bow before hugging each other. Livie then rushes from the stage straight to her husband. The three of them take Julie outside for a quiet moment. Piper’s eyes find mine and she blows me a kiss which I can feel even with space separating us. I can feel her in my very soul.
“Those were some sexy moves, Piper,” a man calls out, earning him a playful look from Piper and a glare from me. There’s no doubt that everyone in this room knows she’s mine, but another man liking her moves makes me want to mark my claim again.
Piper rushes forward and then she’s in my arms, making me forget all about the idiot looking at her. “Did you like my song?”
“It was sexy as hell,” I tell her, claiming her lips in a bit too long of a kiss for public. This gets a lot of cat calls from the crowd. She pulls back blushing. But she doesn’t go far. We spend a bit visiting before we’re torn apart again.
It doesn’t take long before Tyler comes back and smiles at me. I’m learning this means he’s up to something. “What’s going on?”
“We can’t let the ladies rule the night. We need to do our own song,” he says.
I throw my head back and laugh. “I might have to agree. The few cups of scotch I’ve had might be weighing into this decision.”
Blake, Byron, and Tyler put their heads in, and we whisper for a few minutes, then laugh as we come up with our own act. “Let’s do this,” Tyler says.
The four of us walk up to the stage, and Piper is bouncing in place as she looks up at me. Livie is beside her and my mother is in the backroom in absolute heaven rocking a sleeping Julie right now. It’s clear Livie won’t last much longer, but knowing her daughter’s being held by a loving grandma gives her peace to enjoy her husband and besties fiancé make fools of themselves.
I step up to the mic and give a big grin. “Alright, my beautiful soon-to-be-wife knocked it out of the ballpark, but this is a combined bachelor/bachelorette party so I gotta do a little number of my own with the help of some friends.”
The crowd cheers, more than happy to see us make fools of ourselves. I step back in line with the guys and then the song starts, and the crowd goes even more crazy as we begin singing Pour Some Sugar on Me.
We get into our performance, shaking our hips and enjoying every second of the song as the crowd sings along with us, the song a classic everyone knows well. I can’t remember the last time I’ve had so much fun making a fool of myself. Piper is doubled over as she laughs and sends me lustful looks. I think I’m going to get very lucky tonight. She’s pretty impressed.
“Move those sexy hips,” Livie calls out to her husband.
He breaks from the song as he calls back down to her. “Keep on taunting me, woman, and I’ll pull you up here for an encore,” he warns.
“Bring in on,” she yells back. Tyler abandons us and leaps from the stage, making everyone laugh more as he chases his wife, quickly catching her, and pulling her into his arms. He kisses her long and hot in front of everyone.
Our song ends and I immediately rush back to Piper who wraps her arms around my neck. “How did I do?”
“You’re my rockstar,” she whispers, her eyes shining, her lips turned up so bright it’s blinding.
“I’ll do things for you I’ve never even thought of doing before,” I tell her, still in shock at how I act with this woman.
“I feel the exact same,” she says before she stops further talking with another kiss. She leans back. “I can’t believe in only one more week we’ll be married. I’m glad our friends made us do this party. It’s wonderful.”
“I wish our wedding was tomorrow. It can’t come soon enough until you’re my wife.”
She rewards me with another kiss and then we dance together as someone else steps up on stage and sings a love ballad. We spend another hour with our friends before we slip away. We love being with others, but we cherish our alone time just as we always will. One more week until eternity.