Her and him. Or her, him, and his friends.
This was going to be one of the best nights of his life, he could already tell.
Holly laughed when Lorenzo shimmied in front of her, yet somehow managed to look confident and full of flair instead of cheesy as Trent would have if he’d attempted the same thing. Owen even cracked a smile, forgoing the intense mask he’d been wearing as he took in the sensual aura glowing around their little group.
They were such a good match. A perfect fit.
The three of them together, and now Holly too. It couldn’t be this easy, could it?
Trent could have danced with them forever. Except another song didn’t follow that one. When the final note died out, he glanced toward the DJ only to see Ford, Brady, and Josh making their way over to him, beaming at the crowd. It was easy to tell Ford was used to speaking publicly when he took the microphone and addressed everyone gathered around. “Thank you for coming tonight. We’re so glad to share this special time with you. But, of course, especially with our girlfriend Kari.”
Simon whistled while many other people cheered around the room. Cooper clapped and Andi clasped her hands in front of her.
Even Trent felt his throat tighten and his palms begin to sweat. The stakes were impossibly high for his new friends right then. What would it feel like to put all his chips on the line like this?
Especially so publicly.
Trent had been rejected by his own parents. What could make a woman decide to spend her entire life with him? He certainly didn’t have as much to offer as Ford, Brady, and Josh. Then again, few men did.
Brady took up where Ford had left off, seeming to need a moment to get his shit together. “We’re hoping that we never have to call her that again after tonight. Because she’s so much more than that to us.”
Kari was caught in a spotlight, everyone’s eyes on her, and her jaw was hanging slack.
Despite the crowd looking at her, she was only paying attention to her guys, and what they were about to say next. The reason they’d brought her to Vegas and assembled their friends to share the moment with them.
Josh stepped forward and took her hand in his, gently, as if she was the most precious thing in their world. And given everything they had, that was saying a lot. Then he knelt. “We love you, Kari. And this time we want to give you a hell of a lot more than a pen to prove it. We want to share everything we have, all of us, with you.”
“And this ring,” Brady added as he joined Josh.
Ford did too before asked, “Will you marry us, Kari? Let us be yours forever.”
Her free hand flew to her mouth and a single tear splashed down her cheek as if it was a scene from a classic movie with a very modern twist. Then she nodded and flung herself at the men.
They ended up in a not-so-sophisticated heap on the glossy dance floor, not giving a shit that they weren’t as poised or perfect as they at first seemed. None of that mattered when they had each other. And in that moment, Trent realizedthatwas what he wanted. More than money, his business, or even his parents’ approval.
That.
He looked over Holly’s head at Lorenzo and then Owen, who nodded before returning their hungry stares to the newly engaged foursome, who were picking themselves up and crushing Kari in a group embrace. Nothing and no one else could intrude on their circle of love, hope, friendship, and solidarity.
At least not until a giant bang startled everyone.
Shimmers of red and gold made the entire room sparkle.
Holly gasped and whipped her stare between her celebrating friends and the fireworks that began to streak through the night sky. There were so many of them it almost seemed to be raining fire onto the fountains below.
The people in the room lined up so they had front row seats to the most spectacular display he’d ever witnessed. Fireworks silhouetted Kari kissing each of her men before she stood, holding hands with them, as they looked out on the start of their brilliant future together.
Trent didn’t even realize he was hugging Holly until she sighed and leaned back against him, her head resting on his shoulder as if she’d been made just for him. Lorenzo and Owen stood on either side of him, cheering at the blasts of light and sound.
And yet, Trent couldn’t help himself. Instead of staring at the show, he glanced down at Holly’s profile, illuminated by the bursts of warm light. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, never mind touched, and he didn’t plan to let her leave tonight without telling her so.
Hopefully right before she accepted his invitation to make their party a little more—but nottoo—private, at the house he shared with Lorenzo and Owen.
5
Overwhelmed with emotion after witnessing Kari’s engagement and the celebratory fireworks, Holly tipped her head up toward Trent, who was cradling her against his hard, hot body.
The fact that she wasn’t alone as Kari and Andi celebrated with their guys went a long way toward helping her cheer on her best friends like she always wanted to do but sometimes had trouble managing without a hint of envy.