Standing wedged in the doorway, Piper and Felicia stood beside each other with red-carpet-wide grins and the bouncy excitement that only came from seeing old friends.
We collapsed into a huddle of laughter and limbs, backstopped by Keyton keeping us from falling over onto the walkway bushes.
“What are you guys doing here?” I may have squealed. So sue me! This was Piper and Felicia.
“I flew in last night.” Piper bounced and squeezed me harder.
Felicia squeezed my hands. “I got in this morning.”
“But…what? How?”
They both looked past me to the man with his hand resting on the small of my back. “Keyton.”
I turned and stared up at him. “You invited them to see me.”
His gaze dipped, head tilted and caught my eye. “I thought you could use a ladies’ day.”
My eyes flooded with an emotional avalanche. Blinking and staring up at the sky in a technique I’d learned over the years to not ruin my makeup, I smiled and rested my hands against his chest. “You—” I cupped his cheek, trying to keep myself together. He was the reminder I needed. He was the past I’d lost. He was looking out for me in ways beyond what I could’ve imagined and in this moment, I knew I didn’t deserve him. “Thank you. How long do I have?”
The countdown clock was always ticking. There were always demands on my time I couldn’t get out of because missing one would cause a cascade.
“Like I said.” He ran his fingers under my chin and kissed my lips, his firm-yet-soft ones drawing the flutters in my stomach out in full force. “You have the whole day. I’ll come and get you tomorrow morning at 6 AM. There was an issue with some rigging for the stage, so you can’t go to the arena today. Holden said you’ve got a rehearsal and prep for a New Year’s pre-record tomorrow because the rental space was booked for today.” His fingers laced with mine. “Have fun.”
I nodded and looked over my shoulder at the two of them.
“You’re good with that? A whole day with the worst friend in the world?”
They both rolled their eyes.
Piper grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the front door. “Don’t worry, Dare.”
He jolted.
“Sorry, Keyton. We’ve got her. We’ll make sure she’s good.”
Our fingers left each other. Felicia pulled up the rear and closed the door.
“How’d he convince you guys to come?”
“Convince us?” Felicia frowned. “He didn’t have to convince us. He asked and we said of course. It’s been too long since we had a chance to hang out. I figured you were bored with hanging out with me since all I talk about is my kids and classes. It’s nowhere near as exciting as your life.”
Piper chimed in. “Yeah, potty training isn’t the most spectacularly exciting topic.”
“No, of course not. I love you both, and I’ve missed you so much. I thought me talking about traveling and what I had going on, plus never being around, meant you guys were most likely sick of me.”
Our group hug continued. “Looks like we were all totally off the mark assholes!”
Felicia brushed a tear from her eye. “We were. This house is gorgeous.”
“You both haven’t had the tour yet.” Piper couldn’t contain her giddy excitement. “I swear, I’ve covered every square inch of this place and it’s the gift that keeps on giving.”
There was a heated pool, hot tub, full bar—complete with taps, bar stools, and a glowing neon light overhead—a rock climbing wall, skee-ball and mini basketball arcade games. Dance Dance Revolution had even been thrown in for good measure.
“Keyton said we have the full run of the place. He’s also arranged for a chef to cook for us, a few masseuses to stop by, and a special surprise for later tonight.” Piper glanced over her shoulder. “Do you think it’s a stripper?”
Felicia shook her head. “You think Bay’s boyfriend would hire a stripper for her?”
Piper shrugged and then her face lit up, eyes dinner plate wide. “Do you think he’s the stripper?”
I burst into laughter and tackled her from behind once she reached the top of the basement game room stairs. “God, I’ve missed you.”
She leaned back and held onto my arms. “Me too, Bay.”
Damnit. Today wasn’t going to be about tears. “What do you guys want to do first?”
The smell of breakfast meats and cheese flooded the room.
“Food!” We took off toward the kitchen with Piper leading the way.
Inside, a man in chef’s whites with tattoos peeking out from under his collar and a whisk looked up as we walked into the kitchen. “Hello, ladies. I’m Wade.”
“He’s about to make me forget I’m happily married.” Felicia climbed onto her seat on the other side of the breakfast bar facing the stove. “Maybe Keyton is planning on sending a stripper.”
The tattooed chef with light brown eyes was definitely easy on the eyes. He flung the kitchen towel over his shoulder and set a mimosa in front of each of us. “Today, I’m at your service.”
Piper cleared her throat and dragged her drink closer.
“I can do plain, blueberry or chocolate chip pancakes. Coffee crunch brioche French toast is warming in the oven along with the sausages and bacon. Omelets can be made to order with whatever you’d like, or Eggs Benedict with thick honey-smoked bacon. There’s also fresh fruit and for lunch—”
Felicia’s hand shot up and she braced her other on the counter, shaking her head like she was about to pass out. “You’re going to have to slow down, Wade. We”— she pointed between her and Piper—“are two working moms with kids. This level of pampering might kill us, so why don’t we go slow? I’ll have the French toast and sausages. Then the Eggs Benedict with more hollandaise sauce than you feel is appropriate. Then I’ll need to jog around the backyard pool a few times before loading up on some more pancakes.”
He grinned, showing off sparkling pearly whites. He certainly had his appeal. Who was I kidding? He was fucking hot. But knowing he was here for me because of Keyton added another tally mark to all the reasons this tour would be the hardest I’d ever been on.
“More.” Piper waved her plate shaking the crispy bacon Wade had placed on it. “I see how much you’ve got over there. It’s only the three of us here. Load me up, Wade.”
Laughing, he added more strips to her plate.
She took her first bite and closed her eyes, lips still around the bacon. “Are these covered in maple?”
Wade nodded.
“Not just a pretty face.” She looked after him wistfully as he worked on plating Felicia’s French toast.
The morning ended with full stomachs and watching reality TV in the living room on oversized couches that threatened to swallow us whole.
Piper sipped her mimosa. “This is the first time I’ve been able to eat an entire meal uninterrupted in who knows how long.”
Felicia laughed. “I went to the bathroom and almost left the door open out of habit. Anytime I close it there are suddenly fingers under the crack of the door screaming for me like I’ve been sucked into another dimension.”