"There will always be groupies. He will always get recognized, especially around this town. Will"s never really cared about all that bulls.h.i.t." She shrugs. "It just goes with the job. But Meg, if every time a woman tries to get his attention it makes you start to question his feelings for you, or whether you deserve him, you will never be able to make this relationship work."
"What are you saying?" I ask her.
"If you aren"t in it for the long haul, willing to pull your big-girl panties up and deal with the bulls.h.i.t that comes along with being famous, then cut your losses now rather than later."
I don"t have any words. I just sit and stare at her, then look over at the dress, and back to her.
"The thought of being without him kills me," I whisper.
"Then trust him when he says he loves you. He means it. Enjoy him. Love him back."
She looks so d.a.m.n proud of herself.
And she"s right. He"s never given me a reason not to trust him.
"Okay. Thank you. For everything."
"You"re welcome." She pulls me into a tight hug and then walks me to her door. "I"ll see you Sat.u.r.day."
Just when I walk through my front door, my phone rings. Football Star reads on the display.
"Hey there," I answer.
"Where are you?" G.o.d, he"s so grouchy.
"I"m at home. Just got here."
"Why?"
"Because I just left your sister"s office and I needed to come home for a while. I see you"re still as charming as you were this morning."
He sighs. "Sorry. I slept too long."
"Jules told me about the dress, Will."
He swears under his breath. "Great, so now I guess you"ll b.i.t.c.h at me about spending too much money on that too?"
"Actually, I was going..."
"Because I"m sick of trying to give you nice things and you keep telling me I shouldn"t," he interrupts. "Do you have any idea how much money I make?"
"No, I don"t care..."
"I just signed a one hundred million dollar contract, Megan."
Holy f.u.c.k.
"I can afford to buy you dresses and earrings and take you on trips."
"Okay."
"Okay?"
"Yes. I was going to thank you for the dress because I really love it and I love that you picked it out. But clearly you"re still in jack-a.s.s mode, so I"m going to let you go get over this f.u.c.king hangover that has you growling at me like a wounded bear and get some things done around my own house. I"ll see you later."
I hang up before he can respond and toss my phone on the counter top in the kitchen.
I throw in a load of laundry, tidy my bathroom and clean out the fridge, swearing at grumpy football players who don"t know how to hold their liquor.
Jacka.s.s.
And then it occurs to me: I don"t think he"s eaten today. Unless he ate while I was out, but Will requires a h.e.l.l of a lot of food, and with that hangover, which he"s not used to, I"m quite sure he hasn"t eaten.
So I take a quick stock of my freezer and pantry and send him a text.
Be at my place in an hour.
The lasagna is resting on the tabletop and I"m just pulling the garlic bread out of the oven when Will rings the doorbell.
I open the door to find him standing there, freshly showered, with a dozen pink roses, and I melt just a little.
"I"m sorry I"m a jacka.s.s."
"Come inside, jacka.s.s." I let him in and push the b.u.t.tons on the alarm like I"m supposed to when I open the door, earning a wide smile from Mr. Overprotective.
"You set the alarm."
"I did." I shrug like it"s no big deal. "You seem to like it when I do that."
"I do." He holds the flowers out to me. "These are for you."
"Thank you." I bury my nose in them and take a deep breath. "They smell wonderful."
"Like you," he whispers.
"Don"t think being cheeky will redeem you from your jacka.s.sery."
"Jacka.s.sery?" He asks with a laugh. "Where do you come up with these words?" He follows me into the kitchen where I put the flowers in the water.
"Where did you get that lasagna?" he asks, his eyes wide and pinned to the pan of bubbly goodness on the table.
"I made it."
"What?" His eyes dart to mine and he pins me with a glare. "You made that?"
"Yeah." I toss the bread in a basket and set it on the table, along with plates and silverware.
"You can cook?"
"Of course."
"You"ve been holding out on me?" He crosses his arms over his chest and looks down-right p.i.s.sed off, which makes me laugh.
"Will, you never asked me if I could cook. You just a.s.sumed I couldn"t." I smile softly at him. "Are you hungry, babe?"
"G.o.d, I"m f.u.c.king starving." He sits at the table, but instead of letting me sit in my chair, he pulls me into his lap and kisses me hard. "I"m so d.a.m.n sorry for today and for last night. Did I really flirt with another woman with you standing right there, or was that a nightmare?"
"You did." I cup his cheek in my hand. "I"m okay."
"I"m never drinking again. I swear."
"I"m okay, Will. I trust you." I smile up at him as I pull my fingers down his s.e.xy face. "I thought you were hungry."
"G.o.d, yes." He pushes me out of his lap and digs into the lasagna. "And after I eat this, I"m hungry for you." His blue eyes follow me as I sit in my chair and take a bite of garlic bread.
"Sounds like a plan."
Chapter Twenty-Four.
It was, perhaps, the most beautiful wedding I"d ever been to in my life. We"ve just left Jules and Nate"s wedding and are riding in limos to the reception site, a beautiful country club in Bellevue. Jules chose to play it safe, with it being fall, and is keeping the whole event indoors.
I lean on Will"s arm, link our fingers, and sigh happily.
"That was beautiful."
"Jules looked really happy," Stacy agrees. We are riding with Stacy and Isaac and their kids and Caleb and Matt.
"The twins were adorable flower girls," I remark. Josie and Maddie had fluffy, soft pink dresses on and their hair twisted up in sweet little up-do"s.
"I think it was sweet of Jules to have Livie and Soph wear similar dresses too," Stacy says with a soft smile.
"Are we going to talk about dresses all day?" Caleb asks with a frown.
"Uh, Caleb, it"s a wedding," I reply dryly. "We"re going to talk dresses and shoes and flowers all day."
"s.h.i.t," he mutters and pulls on the collar of his white suit shirt.
"You look very nice," I tell him with a sweet smile. And it"s true. He looks d.a.m.n hot in a suit, all broad shoulders and tan skin. He grimaces.
"Thanks."
"Are you flirting with my brothers again?" Will asks me with a grin.
"Yep. Get used to it." I kiss his cheek. "But you"re my favorite."
"Gee, glad to hear it, babe."
"Here we are." Isaac props little Liam on his shoulder and we all follow him out of the limo. The other cars have pulled up around us, so all the family is arriving at the same time. The rest of the guests should already be inside.
I can hear the band playing inside. They sound good. I wonder who Luke got to play?
"Ready?" Will asks and holds his arm out for me.
"Yes, let"s party!" I take his arm and he escorts me inside along with everyone else, Jules and Nate bringing up the rear.
Once we"re all in, Jules" dad takes a mic and announces the newly married couple.
"It is my great honor to introduce you all to Mr. and Mrs. McKenna!"
Applause erupts and the happy couple enters the hall, smiling broadly, absolutely glowing.
If it wasn"t so fantastic, it would be disgusting.
Jules" dress is just flat-out amazing, which doesn"t surprise me. It"s white, and almost Grecian in style, flowing up one shoulder and gathered with rhinestones. Rhinestones cascade down the mostly-open back, holding the dress together. It"s floor-length, and as she walks, Tiffany-blue shoes peek out. Her something blue.
I scan the elegant room, taking it all in. The guests are beautifully dressed, wandering around, chatting or finding their a.s.signed seats at one of the many round tables, set with soft pink linens and large pink bouquets of flowers and tea-light candles.
The whole room glows. The band is playing out of my sight, in an adjoining room, where I"m a.s.suming the stage and dance floor are. I can see French doors that open between the two rooms, so those seated at the tables can watch the band and the dancers. People are already wandering in to listen, and they seem to recognize the band.
"Come on, let"s mingle," Will smiles down at me. "I want to show you off."
"Right," I smirk.
"You are gorgeous today. Well, every day, but I love this dress." He brushes his hand down my naked back and settles it right above my a.s.s. "I can see your dimples."
I grin up at him, enjoying that l.u.s.tful look in his eyes. "I did that on purpose." My dress is simple, but pretty. Its eggplant, and floor-length. The bodice is v-shaped, ending right between my b.r.e.a.s.t.s with a tiny rhinestone broach. It"s sleeveless, the straps only about an inch wide, and there is no back to speak of.
"Yeah, I thought so," he laughs. He looks amazing in his dark suit. Like his brothers, he"s broad-shouldered and tall and just delicious.
I want to eat him up.
He grabs us each a gla.s.s of champagne and we start to wander about the room, chatting and laughing with the other guests. I"m introduced to friends of Nate"s from his fighting days, all of whom are funny and nice, and clearly uncomfortable in their suits. Finally, we make our way back to Nat and Luke.
"Who"s the guy with Luke?" I ask Will.
"Oh, you haven"t met Mark yet. That"s his brother. He"s usually in Alaska working." He leads me to the threesome and introduces me to Luke"s handsome brother.
Holy s.h.i.t, I didn"t think it was possible to be hotter than Luke Williams.