"Now you have," I say before bending down to kiss the top of her head.
She smiles happily while clutching the roses to her, and I hold back a small bit of laughter when she tries to leave while still holding them.
"You're supposed to put them in water. You don't take them," I call out, prompting her to turn around.
She frowns as she looks down, and then back up. "But how will everyone know I got roses if I leave them behind?"
Maverick looks at me and shrugs, and Corbin snickers under his breath. If Britt wants to carry around her roses, I won't stop her.
"Let's go," Maverick chirps, proffering his arm to Britt.
She takes it, and they lead the way to the limo. As I sit down, my eyes go to Dale and Kode who are already waiting inside. Kode won't even look at me. Considering he hasn't answered my calls since the night of the tequila shot party, I'm assuming he's pissed at me for getting the girl. Not sure why. She was mine long before he ever thought about her in that way, and he's the only one I confided in. He knew how I felt about her, but he went after her anyhow. If anyone has the right to be pissed, it's me.
"I've never seen so many guys in tuxes," Britt says idly, glancing around the limo as she crosses her legs.
She's completely unaware of the silent standoff between Kode and me, so she continues chatting, using words I'll need to find a dictionary for later. But no one is really paying that much attention to anything but the elephant in the room.
The tension gathers, and everyone keeps looking from Kode to me, though my brother and I refuse to make eye contact. Maverick clears his throat, possibly trying to prompt someone to break the tension as we drive toward Rain's house.
"Is this an awkward silence or a comfortable one?" Britt asks earnestly, lifting her eyes to meet mine.
She honestly has no clue about social interaction.
But she manages to make everyone in the car snicker quietly, including Kode, because she's so real. She smiles tightly, only because she doesn't know why we're laughing.
The car pulls up to Rain's house, and the light atmosphere in the car becomes heavy and exhausting once more. I'm starting to wonder if Kode and I will ever be okay again.
"I'll go get them," I murmur quickly, climbing out of the limo.
This night isn't what I wanted to do for our first date, but I completely forgot about the charity event at my country club. At least I have an excuse to see Rain. I had no idea how long I should wait to call her, and I sure as hell didn't want to rush her, but I also didn't want to wait too long. Christ, this shit is complicated.
I knock on her door, and Tria swings it open almost immediately.
"She's in the bedroom. I'll wait on you guys here."
I point toward the limo while saying, "We've got champagne in the car if you want to wait there."
She risks a nervous glance toward the car before she shakes her head. "I'm not brave enough to deal with four Sterlings on my own."
I really need to talk to the guys. If Tria and Rain are trying to mend their relationship, the guys have to be onboard.
I nod in acceptance before heading back to Rain's room. If I've ever been more nervous, I don't remember it. We're about to have the conversation I've wanted to have since we were thirteen—the conversation I planned on having two days ago. Damn Edward Noles stole that moment from me.
I've spent the last six years feeling miserable because of this girl, and now I plan to spend much longer feeling nothing less than ecstasy.
"Rain," I call, looking around at her empty room.
"Coming out," she says from her closet, and I swear my knees try to buckle and drop my ass to the ground when she steps into view.
A long, icy blue dress that rivals the color of her eyes clings to her body in a way that will distract me all night long. I swallow hard as I slowly rake my eyes over her from the ground up.
The dress has a small train that pools behind her, and the fabric is loose until it reaches her thighs. That's where things get interesting. I can see every curve, every line, and I can tell her underwear has to be nearly nonexistent. Motherfucker.
The sides of the dress are missing, and the mirror behind her lets me see the back is completely bare, coming to a point above her tightly covered ass. The top is strapless, and her cleavage is definitely accentuated.
As my eyes rake over her bare, tan, glistening shoulders, I notice her blonde locks curled and hanging loosely to one side, while the other side is pinned up. Her lips are curled into a smile that could stop the hearts of a thousand men, and she's staring at me. So this is heaven.
"Wow," I murmur, sucking in a breath that's not deep enough, before cleari