“This, the Ally Nightingale Life Philosophy,” he muttered on a low boom.
I grinned. “You bet your bippy.”
He stared at me, and it was then I noticed he still looked weird.
So I asked, “You okay?”
“Need to talk to you,” he told me.
Uh-oh.
This could mean anything.
“About what?” I asked cautiously.
“What’re you doin’ on Wednesday?” he asked back.
I was likely taking pole dancing classes from Daisy.
I didn’t tell him this.
“Nothing… yet,” I answered.
He lifted his hand to his throat, where the tie that was there earlier was now gone and likely in some trash receptacle. His fingers encountered no tie so he lifted his hand to wrap it around the back of his neck and he rubbed.
Oh man.
This was not a good sign.
“Tex—”
“Indy’s standing up with me,” he cut me off to say bizarrely. “Trixie’s doin’ it for Nancy. We only need two witnesses, but I still want you and Duke standin’ beside me. Indy and Duke already agreed. I need you at the Justice of the Peace on Wednesday when I marry Nancy.”
Ho.
Lee.
Crap!
“What?” I whispered.
“On Wednesday, me and Nancy’re gettin’ hitched,” he stated, and I felt my body lock and my eyes get hot in that way that this was the kind of stuff I knew would take a miracle to hold back the tears.
Nancy was Jet’s mother. Nancy was the bomb. Nancy had also been Tex’s girlfriend for a good long while.
But Tex and a Justice of the Peace?
I started teetering and Tex started talking.
Fast.
“It’s no big deal. We just do our thing, get the f**k outta there, and Blanca’s givin’ us a little shindig in her backyard. Just family. You don’t even have to wear a dress. You can wear jeans.”
“I… you… Nancy…” I stammered, stopped and felt the wet hit my eyes. “Tex,” I whispered.
He stared at me, looking agitated, then more agitated then finally he declared, “The cats like her.”
I burst out laughing.
Still doing it, I threw myself at him and wrapped his massive bulk in my arms (as best I could, my arms didn’t go around).
His arms closed around me and they did this tight.
Tex and I had also never hugged it out.
Now that we were doing that, it felt amazing.
My body bucked as the emotion shoved itself up my throat and I barely managed to force it back down.
I felt his bulk bow as he put his lips to my ear and that was when Tex—yes, Tex—whispered, “I take it you’ll be there.”
I turned my head to get to his ear and my voice was croaky when I whispered back, “With bells on.”
“Thank you, darlin’.” He kept whispering.
My body bucked again and the swallow was audible, and loud, when I beat back the sob.
“What’s goin’ on?”
That was Ren.
I twisted my neck to look at Ren as Tex’s hold loosened and one of his massive mitts hit the small of my back in order to direct me into Ren’s arms.
When Ren had me, Tex answered, “Nuthin’. Gotta go.”
But he didn’t go.
He caught my eyes and held them before he lifted a beefy hand and rested it on the top of my head.
Warmth flowed through me.
Only then did he take off.
Quickly.
“Baby?” Ren called, his hand coming to my jaw and tilting it up.
“We have plans Wednesday,” I declared. “I’m standing up with Tex while he marries Nancy, and then we’re going to Blanca’s for an after party.”
Ren did a slow blink at me before his head turned and he looked in the direction where Tex took off. Then he looked back at me.
“I’m gettin’ a feeling that, you in my life and not just my bed, my social calendar is gonna be busy,” he noted.
“You might want to buy a whole new calendar with lots of blank space,” I suggested and got a lip quirk and arm squeeze. Then I shared a colossal understatement. “The Rock Chicks like to party.”
“Right,” he mumbled, lips still quirking.
“So,” I started, “Would you like me to quit avoiding them and take you to my parents to introduce you?”
His brows shot up and he asked disbelievingly, “You doin’ that shit with sex hair?”
He had a point.
“Uh…” I mumbled, but did it beginning to laugh.
“No,” he answered and dipped his face to me. “Tame that mane, honey, and the answer changes to yes.”
Time for another trip to the bathroom.
I was about to tell Ren where I was going when Roxie, in a dress like mine but in teal, rushed up and stopped on a wobble.
“Did Uncle Tex ask you?” she queried excitedly.
“Yep,” I answered as Ren let me go, but tucked me into his side with his arm around me.
“Did you say yes?” she asked.
“Yep,” I answered.
“Did you have sex in the cloakroom?” she went on.
“Yep,” I answered, that word shaking with humor, and my body shook with it when I heard and felt Ren sigh.
She looked over her shoulder in the direction of where Hank was standing and talking to Tod and Stevie.
And she did this muttering, “That’s out.”
“Please, do not tell me where you and Hank have sex during this reception,” I begged.
She looked back at me. “You’re one of my closest friends. Friends talk sex. Everyone knows that.”
“And he’s my brother,” I reminded her.
“It’s not like you don’t know we do the deed,” Roxie returned.
“I do know that,” I retorted. “I just don’t want details. I’ve already had so many details, it’s a wonder I’m not in therapy.”
“Location isn’t a detail,” she shot back.
God!
“La, la, la, I’m not listening, la, la, la,” I chanted.
“Oh God, Roxie’s talking about Hank and her doing the business.”
This was said by Indy (in aqua, like me) who, when I turned my head, I saw was approaching with Lee.
“Then we’re leaving,” Lee muttered.
Indy giggled and pulled him to us, sharing, “Well, don’t use the handicapped bathroom upstairs.”
“Fuck.” Lee kept muttering.
I bit back laughter.
Roxie didn’t.
“Or the cloakroom.” Stella’s kickass husky voice came at us from the side, and I turned to see her (in teal) and Mace (like Lee and Hank, in a tux), joining us.