I did remember, although I’d never compared it to my feelings for Jericho. Maybe they were right, and I was overreacting.
“Yeah,” Dru agreed. “You’re not in danger of being like Mom, you’re just a woman in love.”
Jericho ~ Present
“OKAY, WHILE HE’S IN THE bathroom, we need to discuss the real bachelor party,” Rob whispered, leaning in close and urging the rest of us to do the same.
We were at O’Reilly’s and had just finished a round of beer and wings while discussing a weekend bachelor trip to Vegas. It seemed like an odd send off for Jackson, who seemingly had no interest in gambling, strippers, or the desert, but he was happily going along with everything Rob and Ty had thrown at him.
“What real bachelor party?” I asked.
“Well, it’s not just going to be us, it’s going to be a joint Bachelor and Bachelorette weekend, and we aren’t going to Vegas . . .”
“Where are we going?” I asked, looking to Mick, who shrugged, as out of the loop as I was.
“First, we are going to tour the Emily Dickinson Museum, then road tripping about seven hours to Boonsboro, Maryland, where we’ll stay in Nora Roberts’ hotel, the Inn Boonsboro.” Rob’s voice began to rise, the more excited he became.
“Yeah, and while there, Jackson and Millie can stay in the Elizabeth and Darcy room.” Ty looked at Rob, who nodded back at him and added, “He’ll be beside himself. We can either stay there in the themed rooms too, or go somewhere cheaper in town, depends on our budget . . . then, the next day there’s a book signing at Nora’s husband’s bookstore. After which, we’ll road trip back home.”
“I’m out,” Mick said, at the same time I asked, “Who’s Nora Roberts?”
“You’re out?” Rob asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. “It’s the same weekend we were doing the Vegas trip, and you just said you could make it.”
“I’m free for Vegas, but this book tour stuff . . . something just came up,” Mick stated.
“Not even for Jackson?” Ty asked.
“Not even for the Virgin Mary,” was Mick’s reply.
“Jan and Rebecca can’t go either,” Rob said, then looked at me, “What about you, Jericho?”
“I’m in,” I replied, thinking a road trip with friends, and Natasha, sounded fun. To Vegas or the moon, I didn’t care. “And, don’t worry about a budget, I’ll cover it. It’ll be my wedding present to the happy couple.”
“You’ll cover what?” Ty asked.
“The trip.”
“For Jackson and Millie?”
“For everyone.”
“Everyone?”
I chuckled and took a swig of my beer.
“Yeah, don’t sweat it, send me the details and I’ll handle it.”
Ty’s eyes swung to Mick.
“Still not in,” Mick said.
“Not in what?” Jackson asked as he came back to the table, a bucket of beers in his hands. “I stopped at the bar for another round. What are we talking about?”
“We were giving two to one odds that Ty would propose to Becca by April, but Mick said he’s not in . . .” Rob lied.
“What?” Ty screeched.
“Yeah, it’s a fool’s bet,” Mick added with a grin. “He’s definitely the type to propose at Christmas.”
“What?” Ty repeated.
“I’ll take that bet,” Jackson said with a grin.
“Jesus,” Ty muttered, shaking his head.
I grinned at my friends’ obvious panic at the thought of marriage, even as I thought that I’d have no problem proposing to Natasha right this minute.
“All right, enough bachelor party talk,” Jackson said, shooting me a grin. “Let’s get down to what we all really want to know . . . What’s up with Jericho and Natasha?”
I gave an exaggerated sigh and shook my head good-naturedly. Since Jackson’s text, I’d been waiting for the conversation to shift.
“What’s up with us, is that there is officially an us.”
“I knew it,” Jackson said.
“Good for you, man,” Rob put in.
Mick nodded and tipped his beer at me, while Ty said, “I’m happy for you guys.”
“Thanks,” I replied. “It’s been a long time coming, and I’m very happy and hopeful.”
“I think all of this good news and shit calls for a round of shots,” Mick said, standing up and looking around the table. “What say you, whiskey or tequila?”
There were a couple moans and some no thanks, but Mick just nodded and said, “Whiskey it is,” and walked away.
“So, tomorrow’s the big day, huh? You ready for Millie to move in?” Rob asked as Jackson passed out the beer.
“Very,” Jackson replied. “Kayla made her a welcome home card and we’ve been cleaning and making room for Millie’s things. We’re having a big joint garage sale next weekend to get rid of any duplicate items, or things we don’t need.”
“Couldn’t wait a few more weeks until after the wedding?” Ty joked.
“Heck no. At this point, the wedding is a formality to me. I mean, yeah, I’m looking forward to seeing Millie come down the aisle and for us to recite our vows, but in my heart, we’ve already made the commitment. You know what I mean, right, Jericho?” he asked me.
And, when I looked him in the eyes and nodded, I knew he read my intentions perfectly.
Natasha ~ Present
THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, Jericho and I had been working on finding our normal. We saw each other most nights, and fit in lunches, movie dates, or just met for a cup of coffee, whenever we could.
Prime Beef was still going strong and business at Three Sisters was booming. Since we were going to have a weekend off for Millie’s bachelorette trip, we’d scheduled only a light load for our staff while we were away.
To make up for it, we had multiple events planned leading up to our mini-vacation.
After tons of applications and interviews, we’d decided to hire a well-qualified prior hotel catering manager to fill the new management position at Three Sisters. Tanisha Adams would be moving here from the city to take the position and was going to rent Millie’s old apartment.
In fact, she was due to arrive at any moment, and we were busy trying to get her area finalized before her arrival. We’d rearranged our offices and brought in another desk to give Tanisha her own space in our growing world.
It was exciting how much we’d grown in so little time, but at the same time, I found it a bit overwhelming.
What had started as just my sisters and me had grown with a kitchen manager, and now an events and catering manager. Yes, it would be nice to free up a little time for us and to share some of the responsibility, but, at the same time, it was hard to hand over control to someone who wasn’t us.
I was still going to do the accounting, but Tanisha would be taking over most of my other duties. As one of the owners, I’d still be involved and help with the planning and execution of events, but not as often as I had up until now.
It was strange, and my type A personality was already struggling with the transition.
“Tanisha is great. You saw her resume, spoke to her references, and said yourself upon meeting her that she’d fit in perfectly,” Dru said when she caught me worrying my bottom lip.
“I know,” I replied, then looked my sister in the eyes. “It’s just that . . . everything’s changing. And, yes, I know change is good, especially when it’s because of how well Three Sisters is doing, it’s just . . . hard for me to let go. Even a little bit.”
“I know,” Dru said, coming over to wrap her arms around my waist.
“But just think. This means we can take on more business, maybe work on that expansion we’ve been talking about . . . or, we can keep things as they are and have more free time for ourselves. You know Millie and Jackson are already talking babies, and when she gets pregnant, things will change even more. We’ll be grateful for the ability to have that time for our personal lives.”
&nb
sp; I nodded, knowing she was right, but still, change had always been hard for me. I liked things to stay the same, to be in my control, and it seemed like in the last few months, everything had been constantly changing.
“It makes things like this bachelor/bachelorette trip possible,” Dru added. “And, I have to say, I cannot wait to see the look on Jackson’s face when he realizes that not only are we crashing their party, but the freaking luxury travel van Jericho rented is heading toward a literary adventure, rather than Vegas. He’s going to shit a brick!”
I laughed at that.
“Nice image,” I said wryly, wrinkling up my nose. “But yeah, you’re right, he’s going to be like a kid who just found out he’s going to Disney World for the first time. I can’t wait.”
“And, although I hate to say anything nice about him, it’s pretty freaking cool of Jericho to be funding this trip for all of us.”
I sighed and shook my head with a small smile.
“I tried to tell him it was too much, that we could at least pay for our own lodging, but he wouldn’t hear it. He said this group is like family and since he’s never been able to have a family of his own to take care of, he was excited to be able to do something for all of us.”
“Stop it, or you’re going to make me start liking the guy,” Dru joked softly.
But I turned to her and said seriously, “I really hope you will, because I think you were right . . . I still love him. I never stopped.”
“Oh, baby girl, I know,” Dru said, then gave me a kiss on the cheek before pulling away. “Enough of this mushy stuff, let’s finish down here, then do one last check of the apartment to make sure everything is squared away.”
Thirty minutes later we were through and ready for our new hire, just as she walked in the door.
“Hi,” Dru greeted, stepping forward to shake Tanisha’s hand.
“Welcome,” I added. “Can we help you bring anything in?”
“Hi, and yes, that would be great. I only have a couple bags. My brother will be bringing up the rest of my things this weekend,” Tanisha replied, shaking both of our hands then laughing. “I’m so excited to be here.”
I smiled in return, her obvious pleasure at coming to Three Sisters easing some of my nerves.
We went out and helped her grab her bags from her car, then showed her up to Millie’s . . . er, her apartment. It was furnished, although just with the basics, but it would be enough to get her by comfortably until her own things arrived.
“Wow, this is great,” Tanisha said as she pushed her bag to the side and looked around. “It’ll be so convenient to live right upstairs from work. No commute!”
Dru chuckled.
“Yes, being able to essentially roll out of bed and go to work is one of the best parts of living and working in the same building. I love my sleep.”
Tanisha nodded, and asked, “So, Dru, you’re right next door, and Natasha, you’re at the end of the hall?”
“That’s right,” I replied. “We’ll get out of your hair so you can get settled. Just holler if you need anything.”
“Thanks so much.”
Once we were out in the hall, Dru turned to me and said, “See, Tash, everything’s going to work out just fine. Sometimes, change is a good thing.”
I thought about all of the changes that had happened thus far, and realized she was right. We were all growing and changing for the better.
Jericho ~ Present
“NO WAY! YOU CANNOT BE serious! This is the best day ever!”
Those were the phrases Jackson had been saying since we left town and found out that we weren’t doing the guy’s trip to Vegas, but the group literary trip.
The luxury van I’d booked was a smooth and comfortable ride. We’d taken turns driving, and Ty was now at the wheel. Jackson, Millie, Rob, and Dru were all sitting at the small table, playing cards as we cruised down the highway, while Natasha and I were laying on the bed in the back.
Fully clothed.
“Don’t do anything freaky while you’re five feet away from us,” was what Dru had said when I’d led Natasha to the back a few moments ago.
I was no exhibitionist, so they really needn’t worry, but Natasha had blushed just the same.
“Did I already mention how unbelievably sweet all of this was?” Natasha asked softly. We were both laying on our backs, staring out through the skylight, holding hands.
“Uh, yeah, about fifty times,” I replied with a chuckle.
I was pleased she thought it was sweet, but I really didn’t want anyone making a big deal out of it. Money was something I had plenty of, friends and family were not. I would have flown us all there in a private plane if necessary, but so far, I was really enjoying the road trip.
“Well, make it fifty-one,” she said, turning her head toward me.
I shifted so I was looking at her as well, and said, “Noted.”
“Are you excited about the trip?” Natasha asked.
“I’m excited to spend time with you.”
She flushed prettily. “What about the museum, the fancy inn, and the book signing?”
I shrugged. “I’ll get a kick out of watching Jackson, but I still don’t even know who Nora Roberts is.”
“She’s a writer,” Natasha began, a mocking smile on her lips. I didn’t care if she was mocking me, I just liked the way she was looking at me. “She’s written, like, a million books. Everything from contemporary romance, to fantasy, to romantic suspense, and she has a cool futuristic cop series under a pen name.”
“So, she writes books, and opened a hotel and a bookstore?”
“Yeah, it’s pretty cool. She even wrote it all into one of her series. The inn has different themed rooms based on the greatest literary couples. Jackson’s not the only one who’s going to be excited about that. Plus, I’ve always wanted to go to a real book signing.”
“Hmmm, I didn’t realize you’d enjoy this so much.”
“Well, you don’t know everything about me,” Natasha mused, and I realized she was right, and that I was looking forward to learning these new facets of her, and all of the ways she’d changed since college.
“Yeah? Well, you don’t know everything about me either,” I countered playfully.
“Oh, really?” she asked. “What surprises do you have in store for me?”
“For one,” I whispered, “there’s the way I can’t stop thinking about you.”
“What do you think about?”
“The things I want to do to you.”
Her breath hitched.
“What things?”
I lifted my hand from hers to trace the swell of her lips.
“There’s the way I want to taste you,” I began, my voice low so only she could hear me. “Not here, but all over your body.”
Her pupils dilated and she brushed her tongue across my thumb as she wet her lips.
“Where?” she asked, her tone rough with desire.
I kept my hands where they were, not wanting to make everyone else suspicious about our conversation, but raked my eyes down her body.
“First I’d kiss that spot where you neck meets your shoulder. Lick it. Suck it. Then, I’d move down to your breasts, where your nipples are puckered, waiting, eager for the heat of my mouth. I’d spend a great deal of time there, loving first one breast, then the other. Taking your nipples between my lips. Between my teeth.”
Natasha gasped and shifted on the bed.
“I’d lick a trail down your stomach, over your hips, until I reached the place where you’re aching for me right now. You are aching for me, aren’t you, Natasha?”
“Yes,” she practically moaned, the sound making me shift on the bed as well.
“Then, I’d place my mouth . . .”
“Oh my God, we’re here!” Jackson shouted, and I didn’t bother biting back my groan as he jumped up out of his seat. “The Emily Dickinson Museum!”
I shifted my gaze to Natasha, then grinned when I saw her glari
ng back at me.
“I’m going to kill you for this,” she whispered.
I chuckled and said, “I look forward to it,” then stood up and offered her my hand.
She reluctantly gave it to me. I helped her to her feet and we followed the rest of the group off of the van.
“Hey,” Dru said, coming up to us and throwing her arm around Natasha’s shoulder. “I said no freaky business on the bus.”
Dru looked pointedly at Natasha’s flushed cheeks, then back at me and gave me a glare identical to the one Natasha was still giving me.
“What?” I asked, holding up my hands in surrender. “I didn’t touch her . . . promise.”
With that said, I shot them a wink and a grin, tipped my imaginary hat, and sauntered off to watch Jackson geek out over the Emily Dickinson Museum.
Natasha ~ Present
THE EMILY DICKINSON MUSEUM HAD been great. Very informative and cool to see, and watching Jackson positively swoon as he meandered through was the icing on the cake.
We drove a little more after our tour was over, eager to be on our way to Boonsboro, Maryland, but ended up agreeing to stop for the night. We’d done a lot of traveling, and although the van was a luxury, we decided sitting down to a nice dinner and sleeping in a hotel would be best. That way we could wake up and be refreshed, ready to finish the drive and explore Nora’s town.
We’d found a hotel with a restaurant and bar inside on the map and made our way to it. Before we’d even arrived, Jericho had already called, secured four rooms, and paid for all of them.
“You know we could have paid for our own rooms tonight. You’ve already done so much,” I’d whispered to Jericho as we exited the van, grabbed our bags, and followed the others inside.
“It’s no big deal. I said I’d cover the trip, and this is still part of it. The money’s just sitting there, not being used,” Jericho said, his face sharing his exasperation.
I knew he was probably getting tired of me talking about it, but . . .”I don’t want you to feel like we’re using you for your money. That’s all.”
“Hey,” Jericho called softly, pulling me to him so I was facing him, his arm coming around me. “I know you guys wouldn’t do that, okay . . . and, this was all my idea, so quit worrying about it.”