Page 119 of Protecting Addison
“What if you two had a double ceremony?” Flash suggested to Blink and Kevlar. “Blink wants Remi to stand up with him…what if she was literally standing next to him while getting married to her man, at the same time he was marrying Josie?”
Kevlar looked at Blink. “It’s not a horrible idea.”
Blink smiled. “It’s not. But it means that you need to get off your ass and get a ring and ask her.”
“I have a ring,” Kevlar protested. “I was just waiting for the right time to ask.”
“No time is the right time,” MacGyver protested. “Just do it.”
“What is this, a Nike commercial?” Smiley muttered.
“We could make it a triple ceremony,” Kevlar suggested, looking at Safe.
“Nope. No way. I love you guys, but I want my wedding day to be just about me and Wren. Probably won’t be a huge shindig or anything, but even if it’s at the courthouse, I want it to be about us.”
“So…once you three make things official…it’ll just be Flash and Smiley we need to get married off,” Preacher said with a chuckle.
“What happened to us?” Smiley asked with a shake of his head. “We were all badass Navy SEALs. Now we’re sitting on our asses instead of working out, talking about fucking weddings. It’s a disgrace.”
“You’ll understand when you meet the woman you can’t imagine living one more day without,” Safe said.
“Whatever,” Smiley bitched.
“So…Addison is good, the kids are good; Maggie and Addison are knocked up; Kevlar, Safe, and Blink are getting married; Blink is going to spend all his free time trying to continue the family tradition of having twins. I’m going to fucking Jamaica to make sure my little sister’s fiancé keeps his dick in his pants during his bachelor party weekend. And Smiley is his usual asshole self, but we’re all going to help him anyway by being on the lookout for the mysterious Bree, so he can finally figure out what the hell is up with her andstopbeing such an asshole. Did I cover everything?” Flash asked.
“Pretty much.”
“I think so.”
“Sounds about right.”
“Good. So, since we chatted through the sunrise and covered all our bases, can we get the hell out of here? I need to pack, and I’m sure all of you want to go home and see your wives, girlfriends, and soon-to-be fiancées,” Flash said.
Everyone laughed but turned to head back down the beach.
Smiley held back when everyone began to jog toward the parking lot. He was blessed to have such good friends. He was happy for them, between all the babies and marriages. Deep down, he wanted that too. But the hard crust around his heart and his bad experiences growing up were both huge roadblocks to him ever enjoying what his friends had.
But if he could find Bree Haynes and make sure she was safe, it would go a long way toward making him feel as if he’d finally done something good in his personal life. That he hadn’t sat back and allowed another woman to suffer…the way his own mother had.
Shaking his head, not wanting bad memories to overwhelm him, he quickly jogged after his teammates. He would find Bree. One way or another. Then move on with his life with a clear conscience.
Even as he had the thought, the image of the dark bloodstain on the ground at the shipyard flashed in his brain. He hadn’t saved Bree from that beating…and it was possible he wouldn’t be able to save her from whoever was after her.
But he wasn’t going to give up.
He couldn’t stand back and do nothing. Not again. Not ever again.
* * *
Kelli Colbert didn’t want to go to Jamaica. She’d done her research. It wasn’t safe. Besides, the only reason she was going was because her cousin had been forced to invite her. She was an old, unwanted, weird, short and stumpy, unfashionable spinster.
At least according to Charlotte.
Kelli was well aware that she wasn’t what the media considered ideal when it came to her looks. She was only five foot two. Her shoulder-length dirty-blonde hair wasn’t trendily styled, and it boasted no highlights, no layers. She was twenty-eight to Charlotte’s twenty-two, and she’d never really had a steady boyfriend.
Charlotte was the complete opposite. Tall, slender, long blonde hair, beautiful big blue eyes. She’d been a cheerleader in high school and college, and had finally gotten her boyfriend, the quarterback on the college football team, to propose.
Of course, he was just the reserve quarterback, Kelli thought to herself with a small snort. From what she’d heard, he’d barely graduated. He was working for his father in his insurance business. Which was fine, but again, she’d heard through the family grapevine that he sucked at sales. That his daddy was financing the entire wedding.
