“Vivian!” I bellow like a wounded animal.
She comes running from a back room, her face pale, but her eyes light up when she sees me. “Griff!” I catch her in my arms and hold her tight.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” I run my hands down her, searching for anything amiss.
“No, I’m okay.” She pulls back and puts a hand to my face. “But you’re bloody! Oh God, Griff. You’re bleeding!”
I shake my head. “Not mine.” That’s all I can get out before I claim her mouth, kissing her hard and leaving my mark. She’s mine. No one will ever fucking take her from me.
I’m making her my wife tonight. And after that, we’ll live our forever together. Always.
EPILOGUE
VIVIAN
Many years later
“Can we blame this on the alcohol?” Mariana whispers from beside me as she takes another sip of her wine.
“Oh yes. Let's do that.” Amelia nods like this is the best idea we’ve ever come up with. I fight a laugh but lose out. All the other women turn to glare back at us. The instructor even stops speaking and shoots a glare at the three of us too.
These people are really taking this wine and paint party thing super seriously. This is supposed to be fun. An easy night out to have some girl time together. I had a feeling it wasn’t going to be the second we’d stepped into the art studio. It was as if I was being jerked right back to boarding school, but instead of judgy teenage girls, the place is filled with judgy grown women. They’ve been turning their noses up at us from the second we got here.
Sure, we might be a bit loud. That part we can definitely blame on the alcohol. We started with a few glasses of champagne at the spa before we arrived here. But honestly, I don’t think that’s why they turned their noses up at us. Every one of them has been throwing back wine at the same pace as we have. I’m guessing their reaction to us is because the three of us often don’t look like we belong.
While they’re all dolled up in Chanel and Balenciaga sweaters, we’re rocking tops with kittens on them. I’m sure they’re all wondering how we can even afford to be here. This isn’t some typical painting party. It’s supposed to be all fancy or something. With overpriced wine and finger foods covered in caviar. I’d prefer it if they had chicken fingers or mozzarella sticks instead. Food that people actually want to eat.
This is what happens when the husbands say they want to treat us to a girls' day out. I mean, the spa was awesome, but then again, there it was only the three of us. I think they booked out the whole facility or something. They also made sure there were only females on staff.
I’d be willing to bet that the three of them were all googling ideas for a girls’ day out and a paint party was at the top of the searches. Of course they chose the most expensive one, and I know without a doubt that they'd made sure the class was female only as well.
To be honest, I don’t really care what any of these women think of me. This is the first time in a long time that one of us isn’t pregnant. We came out to have a good time. That’s not going to be happening here. Not only because of the judgy women, but we suck at this whole painting thing.
While everyone else has been painting the sunset and following after the instructor, we’d gotten the bright idea to paint our cats. I did not do Mama any justice in my picture.
“So….” I trail off, glancing back and forth at the two of them.
“Yes.” They both speak at the same time.
When I first met Amelia and Mariana, I was sure they’d been lifelong friends. I loved them both, but I didn’t think I’d ever fully fit in with them. I thought I’d always be the third wheel to their little duet. They could have whole conversations without even talking. But I’d been so wrong.
Their friendship was fairly new back then. They’d met each other when they’d met their husbands. That was a whole crazy sweet story within itself.
Amelia and Mariana just clicked, making it seem like they’ve been friends their whole lives. That too sounded as crazy to me as their love stories with their men until I hung out with them more. Before I knew it, I was clicking with them too. Within weeks, it was like we’d all known each other our entire lives. I fit in perfectly with them. Now all of us can have unspoken conversations together.
I know their yes response to me saying the word so means we’re about to make a break for it. Out the back door, of course. We have to get a head start on those husbands of ours. It won’t be long until they figure out that we decided to ditch this place and go somewhere a little more fun.
I mean, this is fun but not exactly what we were looking for. We want to cut loose a bit. Even more than that, though, we love to give our hubbies a run for their money. We’re going to be in so much trouble, and we’ll enjoy every yummy second of it.
We all grab our wines, throwing them back before we start to think of an exit strategy.
What can we say that will send everyone into a panic so we can slip out? It suddenly hits me. I know what would send me into freakout mode.
“Spider!” I shout and almost burst into laughter when Amelia and Mariana scream it at the same time.
All the other girls let out screams, jumping up from their chairs. We do the same. Amelia grabs my arm, and I latch on to Mariana’s as we make a break for the door in the back of the classroom, slipping out unnoticed by the other girls.
“Did we all say spider at the same time?” Mariana asks through her laughter as we search for an exit that will take us outside that’s not in the front of the building. I’m sure our men are sitting out there even now.