“That sounds like the best plan.”
“Except it didn’t work too well for you and Trixie.”
“We had a decade of friendship. You’ve only seen this woman once, right?”
“That’s right.”
“You’ve got this, Jax. Come on, I hear we’re supposed to mingle at these things.”
“Do you even know what that word means?”
Nick mumbled, “Jackass,” and Jax chuckled.
They joined Beau and the others, and Nick made his way to his beautiful girl as quickly as he could without being rude. As the night wore on, Tempest, Nash, and Flip left and Travis took April home, but Irene stayed to continue talking with Walt, who offered to drive her home.
A while later, Nick carried dishes into the kitchen, and when he came out, he spotted Trixie talking with Morgyn and the girls. Their eyes met, and his body burned to be with her. She met him on the grass, and he pulled her in close. “Are you having a good time?”
“Yes, aren’t you? I’m so glad I got to thank everyone and to see your family and meet Carly. Guess what? She and Zev invited us to Colorado over the winter. Carly wants to introduce us to the people who run Redemption Ranch. I had no idea her best friends were horse people. Did you?”
“I’d heard about them. Zev invited us to stay on his boat off Silver Island this fall, too.”
“Sounds like we’re going to be busy, and it looks like Walt might be, too.” She nodded to Walt and Irene heading their way and whispered, “They’re so cute together.”
They sure were.
“Nick, Trixie,” Walt said, with one hand on Irene’s back. “Thank you for an enjoyable evening. I think we’re going to head out.”
“Thank you both for coming,” Nick said.
“We hope you had a good time,” Trixie said.
We. Damn, he liked that, too. This couple stuff was pretty cool.
“I had a marvelous time. Thank you for inviting me.” Irene looked at Walt, and her cheeks pinked up. “It’s been wonderful catching up with my old friend and getting to know you, Trixie, and the rest of your family, Nick.”
“I’m glad to hear that. You be careful driving her home tonight, old man.”
“I’ve been driving since before you were born.” Walt looked at Trixie and said, “I’m going to miss you, darlin’. Don’t be a stranger.”
“I won’t. I promise.” She hugged him and then she hugged Irene. “Maybe we can all get together the next time I’m in town.”
Walt and Irene exchanged a glance, and Walt said, “We’d like that.”
After they left, Trixie smiled cheekily and said, “I told you so.”
He gathered her into his arms and kissed her. “Now can we kick everyone out and enjoy the rest of our night together?”
“No, you cannot kick everyone out. Your brothers flew in to see you. Go get your guitar; we’ll hang out around the firepit.”
“Fine. The things I do for you.”
“Are only half as good as the things I’ll do for you later.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
THEY SAT AROUND the bonfire telling funny stories and singing as Nick played the guitar.
Nick’s parents sat side by side, holding hands, and next to them, Charlotte sat on Beau’s lap. Zev was relaxing on a lounge chair with Carly nestled between his legs, and on the other side of the firepit, Graham and Morgyn were in the same position. Jax was giving Jillian grief as she checked her social media pages, and Trixie sat in a chair beside Nick as he strummed the guitar. She’d never seen him so relaxed.
“In all the excitement, I forgot to tell Nick and Trixie that LWW is going to start filming my movie in LA in October. Beau and I are flying out to watch, and Grace and Reed will be there, too,” Charlotte announced. She had published a book called Anything for Love, and it was being made into a movie by LWW Enterprises for their Me Time channel. Morgyn’s oldest sister, Grace, had written the screenplay. Grace had been an off-Broadway producer before moving back to Oak Falls, where she and her husband, Reed, now ran the Majestic Theater.
“That’s fantastic!” Trixie said. “Last I heard, they’d cast Duncan Raz for the male lead. He’s a great actor, so believable. But I don’t remember hearing who they cast for the female lead.”
Nick stopped strumming the guitar and said, “It’s still weird to hear people make a big deal over Duncan.”
“What do you mean?” Trixie asked.
“We grew up together,” Beau explained. “Duncan was Tory’s brother. His last name is Raznick, but his professional name is Duncan Raz. He’s perfect for the part.”
“We’re lucky he agreed to do it, since it’s not being made for theaters,” Charlotte added. “They just cast Harlow Bad for the female lead, and when I saw the video of them reading together, their chemistry was off the charts.” Harlow was an up-and-coming actress.
“I love her,” Trixie exclaimed.
“Good luck, Char. She’s Johnny Bad’s sister,” Jillian said. Johnny Bad was a famous musician with a reputation for being difficult. “I was so excited when I was hired to design his wardrobe for his next tour, and then the day I signed the contract, which meant putting off my next clothing line, he delayed the tour. I hope Harlow is not as much of a pain as he is.”
“I’m sure the LWW crew can keep her in line if she is,” Charlotte said.
“I can’t wait to see the movie, Char.” Trixie patted Nick’s leg and said, “We’ll have to watch it together.”
“Sure, darlin’.”
“Nick Braden watching a romance movie? This ought to be good,” Graham teased.
Zev coughed to mask saying, “Whipped.”
Nick glowered at him, and everyone laughed.
“Am I the only one feeling nostalgic?” Carly looked over her shoulder at Zev and said, “This reminds me of when we used to have bonfires in your backyard when we were younger.”
Zev kissed her. “Yeah, me too.”
“You kids had a lot of good years together.” Their father squeezed their mother’s hand and said, “And we’ve got many more ahead of us.”
“Hear, hear.” Beau lifted his beer.
Everyone toasted, and Trixie noticed the Bradens’ and Carly’s expressions dimming briefly. She couldn’t help but wonder if they were thinking about Tory. As if Charlotte had read Trixie’s mind, she said, “I think we should toast the friend who’s missing.”
“Thank you, babe.” Beau kissed her cheek. He held up his beer and said, “To Tory.”
Nick stopped playing to join them in the toast. “To Tory.”
When he began playing the guitar again, Trixie said, “I’ll give a dollar to anyone who can tell me why Nick won’t sing.”
They all looked at each other, shrugging.
“He never has,” his mother said. “Nick, why is that?”
He cocked a grin but didn’t answer.
“Guys are so weird,” Jillian said. “Speaking of guys, Trix, what kind of running shoes do you wear?”