PLAY WITH ME.
The With Me In Seattle Series.
By Kristen Proby.
Dedication:.
This book is dedicated to my brother, Mike Holien. There has never been a prouder big sister! You make me laugh, and you"re totally okay with me being the favorite. I love you, baby brudder.
Prologue.
Ms. McBride, Thank you for your inquiry regarding Will Montgomery and the rest of the team appearing at your hospital. Our organization receives thousands of similar requests each year, and unfortunately, Mr. Montgomery is unable to fulfill every request. He is not available at this time.
Regards, Susan Jones.
Public Relations, Seattle Football Organization.
Nice.
This makes the fifth rejection from the elusive Will Montgomery in the past two years. My kids will be disappointed again.
I clear the email from my phone screen and throw it in my handbag, climb out of my car and head into Red Mill Burgers, my favorite place to indulge in a big, juicy burger and fries.
I stand in the back of the line and contemplate the latest in a long line of rejection letters from the professional football team. I am a nurse at Seattle Children"s Hospital, and my teenagers would love nothing more than to meet their sports heroes. I thought celebrities got off on photo ops like this. All I"m asking for is a couple of hours; they don"t have to spend the night for Pete"s sake.
I glance to my right, and sitting right in the middle of the tiny restaurant is none other than my college buddy, Jules, and her brother, Will Motherf.u.c.king Montgomery.
Sonofab.i.t.c.h!
I love Jules. She and Natalie and I were good friends in college, so I will absolutely go say hi. I just wish I didn"t have to speak to her arrogant a.s.s of a brother in the process.
I place my order and saunter over to my friend.
"Jules?" I ask, my hand on her shoulder.
"Meg!" She immediately jumps up and pulls me into a warm hug. "Oh my gosh, I haven"t seen you in years! How are you?"
I glance nervously at Will. "I"m doing very well, thanks. It"s great to see you." She looks great, as always, but her eyes look a little sad. I wonder what"s going on...
"Will, this is Megan McBride, a friend of mine from college. Meg, this is my brother, Will."
Will stands, his tall frame towering over me, and offers me his hand. c.r.a.p, I have to touch him? Digging deep, I find the manners instilled in me and shake his hand politely. "I know who you are."
He just nods and takes his seat again.
"What have you been up to?" she asks me.
"I"m a charge nurse at Seattle Children"s Hospital in the cancer unit." I grin at her, keenly aware of Will"s eyes on me, running up and down my body, over my loose-fitting white blouse, belted over black leggings and my red cowboy boots. He makes me nervous.
"That"s awesome! Good for you, girl. Are you still singing?" she asks with a smile.
"Uh, no." I shake my head and gaze down at the table. "Not since college."
"You sing?" Will asks, his eyebrows raised.
"She has a fantastic voice," Jules replies proudly. She always was so sweet and supportive.
"Thanks, but you know how it is," I respond with a shrug. "Life takes over and things get busy." And best friends leave you behind to start a band of their own.
Will and Jules exchange a look, and suddenly she hits me with, "Are you married?"
I let out a loud laugh. Not hardly. "h.e.l.l, no."
"Can I get your number?" Will asks bluntly. Arrogant a.s.s. I"ll bet women fall all over him everywhere he goes.
I narrow my eyes, unable to hide my contempt for this man. "h.e.l.l, no."
Will"s jaw drops and he smirks, then shakes his head. "Excuse me?"
"I don"t think I stuttered," I respond, then lay my hand on Jules" shoulder and force a smile for my friend. "It was great to see you. Take care, girl."
"You too, Meg."
As I turn and walk away I hear Will murmur, "What the h.e.l.l was that all about?"
Jerk.
I collect my brown-bagged burger and fries and head back out of the restaurant to go home and enjoy my only night off this week. I pray I don"t get called into work.
Chapter One.
"To Nate and Jules," Luke Williams raises his champagne flute in the air and keeps one arm around his beautiful wife, Natalie. Everyone follows suit, toasting the happy couple. "May your love continue to grow. We wish you nothing but all the happiness in the world."
"To Nate and Jules!" The guests echo and sip their drinks in celebration. Nate McKenna, tall and dark and not just a little intense, folds his stunning blonde fiance into his arms and kisses her senseless in front of all of us, amid whistles and applause and Will Montgomery, Jules" brother, yelling out, "Get a room!"
I sip my sweet pink champagne and glance around the extravagant Olympic room of the Edgewater Hotel. For the hundredth time, I ask myself what I"m doing here. I was shocked to receive the invitation to Jules Montgomery"s engagement party. Jules and Natalie and I all hung out quite a bit in college, and it was great to reconnect with them a few months ago, but I certainly wasn"t expecting an invitation to come mingle with their family and close friends.
I"m in a room with Luke Williams for f.u.c.k sake. The movie star.
The room is decorated in Tiffany blue and white with simple white flower bouquets on the tables, white table linens and Tiffany blue napkins and touches here and there. It"s incredibly cla.s.sy.
It"s completely Jules.
It"s a late summer evening, and not quite dark out yet, so we have an amazing view of the Puget Sound, the sky just beginning to change to pink and orange, reflecting on the water. The gla.s.s doors are open so guests can come in and out at their leisure, enjoy the veranda and the late summer view, or come inside and dance.
"Meg, I"m so happy you could come." Natalie taps my shoulder and pulls me into a big hug. "I"ve missed you, girl."
"Me too," I respond, holding her close and then pulling back to admire the lovely woman before me. "You look fantastic. Marriage and motherhood agree with you, my friend."
And it"s true. Natalie"s green eyes shine with happiness and contentment, her dark chestnut hair is pulled back away from her face in waves, and she is wearing a fantastic black sleeveless gown.
"Thank you. I love that dress. Your style hasn"t changed a bit," she responds with a grin. I look down at my pale silver strapless dress with handkerchief hemline and strappy silver sandals.
"Not much of anything has changed," I respond with a shrug.
"Except your hair, as usual," Natalie laughs, pointing at my auburn hair streaked with chunky blonde highlights, and I chuckle with her.
"My hair always changes, and this is pretty tame for me. The kids enjoy it, and well, you know... once a rocker chick, always a rocker chick."
"You know," Natalie grins smugly. "I still have those photos we did of you with your guitar, and nothing else."
"Oh G.o.d," I giggle at the memory of playing around in Natalie"s small college studio all those years ago. "You might want to burn those."
"No, I"m just thinking we should shoot them over again. You didn"t have that back then," she points to my inner arm and I follow her gaze to the tattoo on my inner upper arm.
"Maybe someday."
"So..." she begins but is interrupted by her husband. "Oh, Meg, this is my husband, Luke. Luke, I"d like you to meet an old friend of mine and Jules, Megan McBride."
"h.e.l.lo, Megan, nice to meet you." He offers me his right hand and I feel my cheeks flush slightly before I respond, placing my hand in his to shake. But instead, he raises it to his lips and kisses my knuckles.
"Um, it"s nice to meet you too, Luke."
He flashes me his movie-star grin, the one that used to grace every magazine cover in the country, and then excuses himself when Caleb, another of Jules" brothers, calls to him.
"Um, Nat?"
"Yeah," she replies with a satisfied sigh.
"You"re married to Luke Williams."
She chuckles and nods her head. "I am."
"How the f.u.c.k did that happen?"
"Long story. I"ll fill you in over wine one night."
"It"s a date."
"There you are!" Jules exclaims and wraps one of each of her arms around us into a group hug. "Meg, I"m so glad you made it!"
"I wouldn"t miss it. Although, I was surprised to get the invite."
"You"re my friend. I wanted you here." Jules grins and searches the room until her eyes find her man"s.
"He"s very handsome, Jules. And completely gone over you." I murmur and follow her gaze.
"Yeah, he is. It"s mutual."
"I"m happy for you." I sip more sweet champagne.
"Thanks." Her smile is wide and happy, and it"s true, I am so happy that she found her guy. They are great together.
"When do we eat?" Will asks from a table not far from us. I"ve been doing my best to ignore Will Montgomery, aka Football Quarterback, aka arrogant a.s.s all night. I"ve managed to stay out of his way and avoid another introduction, but I"ve felt his eyes on me all night, which I don"t get. I"m surely not his type, and it"s no secret that I"m not interested.
"The buffet is ready to go, Miss Montgomery." A pretty, curvy blonde walks up to Jules with a wide smile. "Dinner is ready when you are."
"Perfect, thank you, Alecia. Be sure you and your a.s.sistant eat too."
"Oh, we will." Alecia laughs and walks away, consulting her iPad.
"G.o.d, I love that woman." Jules exhales and smoothes her hands down her floaty red chiffon strapless dress.
"She"s amazing," Nat agrees.
"Who is she?" I ask.
"Party planner," Jules replies. "I found her when I hosted Nat"s baby shower a few months ago. She"s also doing the wedding. She"s a genius."
"She"s my f.u.c.king hero," Will grumbles and follows after Alecia. "I"m starving."
"You"re always starving!" Jules yells after him and laughs.
How I ended up at Will"s table is a mystery to me. In fact, I"m sitting with all of Jules" impossibly handsome brothers, a sweet woman named Brynna, and Jules" sister-in-law, Stacy, who is lovely and very pregnant. Like, pop any day pregnant.
Everyone is laughing, joking with each other, and they all look incredible.
Why the h.e.l.l didn"t I bring a date? Most likely because the last time I went out on a date a tsunami hit j.a.pan.
Pathetic.
"So, Megan, what do you do?" Jules" brother Matt asks me.