“He’s great,” Sara says, blushing.
“I have a feeling it won’t be long and the two of you will be right behind me.”
“What do you mean?” Sara asks.
“Marriage.”
“No one is talking about marriage,” I tell her.
“Oh, come on. You’ve already married my brother twice.” She chuckles. “They say the third time is a charm.”
My heart rate kicks up. I’m still coming to terms with the fact that Rip is my boyfriend. The thought of being his wife? It sends a thrill through me. “Yeah, let’s not go getting ahead of ourselves.”
“Right? Corbin and I have been dating a hot minute,” Sara chimes in. “Too early for that kind of talk.”
“I’m telling you, ladies. I know these things.” Laramie taps her index finger against her temple. “Case in point,” she says, and I feel his hands on my shoulders.
“I’m going to grab a beer. Need anything?” he asks, kissing me just below my ear.
I tilt my head back, looking at him upside down. “I’m good.”
He surprises me when he leans over and kisses me on the lips. “Sara? Sis?” he asks.
“We’re good,” they say at the same time.
“I’m not a fan of girls’ night,” Rip grumbles, not bothering to lower his voice. He leans in and kisses me again, this time straight on, not with my head tilted back.
“She’s coming home with you,” Laramie reminds him.
“You’re damn right she is.” He gives my shoulders a squeeze, and then he’s gone.
“Girl, he’s smitten.” Sara laughs.
“He’s not the only one,” I tell her.
“I’m so freaking excited about this. I’ve always wanted the two of you together so that we could be family for real. It looks like I might be getting my wish.”
She’s not the only one, I think to myself. This is all happening so fast, and it’s surreal, but Rip is all in. I was worried about how tonight would go, but he doesn’t seem to mind one bit that people see him kissing me. Maybe Laramie’s right. Perhaps the third time is the charm?
A girl can dream.
Chapter 21
Rip
It’s just before midnight, and although I’ve enjoyed hanging with the guys, I’m ready to get McKenna home. I need to strip down out of these clothes and cuddle the shit out of her. Those were our original plans for the night, and I hope she’s not too tired for us to follow through.
“I’m out,” I say, finishing off my bottle of water and tossing it in a nearby trash can.
“Yeah, me too,” Corbin agrees. His eyes flash to where the girls are sitting, and I know my best friend—he and I have the same thing on our minds.
“Yep.” Colby tilts his water bottle back and drains in, tossing it in the trash.
We all stopped drinking after two beers. Tonight was girls’ night, so we let them indulge, and as the dutiful boyfriends that we are, we’ll see that they get home safe. And by home, I mean my home, at least for McKenna. Hell, I’ve been trying to think of ways all week to ask her to move in with me. Sure, this is new, but I’ve known her for years. It’s not like we’re strangers, and she’s it for me. Why not move forward with our life together?
I’m sold, but I know getting McKenna on board will be a little more difficult. Although, I have managed to get her to spend every night with me since we’ve been home from Vegas. Maybe I’m wrong, and it won’t be as difficult as I thought.
The three of us make our way to their table. I block everyone out but McKenna. “You about ready to head out?” I ask, leaning over her shoulder and pressing a kiss to her neck.
“Yes.” She turns to look at me over her shoulder. “You good to drive?”
“I am. I had two beers when we first got here and nothing but water since.”
She nods. “Take me home, cowboy.”
I can’t stop my chuckle at the nickname. We were making dinner earlier this week, and I called her lawyer girl as we were debating about the best way to slice vegetables for stir-fry. She countered with the name of cowboy. That’s the thing with McKenna. She’s fun. There’s never a moment of unease or awkwardness between us. I don’t know if it’s because we were friends before or if it’s the fact that my heart is already so invested.
“We’ll see you all later,” Corbin says as he tugs Sara’s chair back from the table to help her stand. He’s pulling out all the stops with this one. I’ve never seen him act this way with a woman.
“Drive safe,” McKenna tells him as she scoots back and stands to give Sara, then Corbin a hug. Laramie is next, then she and McKenna share a hug. “One more week, Lara.” McKenna smiles at her.
“Seven days too long,” Colby says, pulling my sister into his arms.