Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 82060 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82060 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
I sipped it.
My eyes rolled back into my head.
He’d shoved a mug into Toni’s hands too, and I knew she had her sip when she whispered a reverent, “Motherfucker.”
“I’ll take that as approval,” Tex declared then he clapped his hands, the sound so loud, I jumped, nearly sloshing coffee and foam over my hand. He then rubbed them together, saying, “Right. What we talkin’ here? I gotta dust off my grenades? Smoke bombs? Or dig out my brass knuckles?”
Slowly, my head turned to Toni to find she’d already turned to me, and I was pretty sure we wore identical surprised/confused/terrified expressions.
“We’ve never needed brass knuckles, Uncle Tex,” Roxie put in.
“Don’t mean you shouldn’t have them,” Daisy replied in her adorable country twang, studying lethally tipped nails embedded with so many rhinestones, you could barely see the pearly pink polish underneath. “I got me some years ago. Between Jules and Ava. Or was it Roxie and Jules? Don’t matter. Pink lacquer. They’re cute.”
Cute brass knuckles?
I was under the impression this was the chilled-out, hang-with-some-coffee-and-girlfriends-before-the-onslaught-of-a-big-party-in-order-to-get-to-know-each-other portion of shifting into the life that I hadn’t shared with Darius until then.
How were we talking about brass knuckles?
The bell over the door sounded and I looked that way to see a tall slender white man with a brown crew cut and a shorter, handsome Hispanic man walking in.
The taller man had what looked like a scrapbook in his arm tucked to his chest.
“I’m out,” Tex low-boomed, and immediately lumbered away.
Even as crazy as that man seemed, I should have taken this as the warning it was.
Alas, I did not.
The crewcut guy walked right into the seating area, dropped the scrapbook on the coffee table with a loud funf, then lifted his hands, forefingers and thumbs in L-shapes, tips of thumbs touching to create a frame through which he squinted.
At me.
“Ummm…” Toni mumbled.
My thought exactly.
He dropped his hands and announced to the store at large. “I can’t. I don’t know her, but this is impossible. Every color looks good against Black skin. I’ll never be able to pick.”
I wouldn’t quite agree. The color they named “flesh” didn’t quite work.
Toni and I exchanged another glance.
“This is Tod,” Jules shared. “And his partner Stevie. Tod’s the Rock Chicks’ officially unofficial wedding planner.”
I choked and I hadn’t even sipped my coffee.
Darius and I weren’t even living together officially.
We were on day three.
Yes, I loved him, and he loved me. Yes, we were doing this. Yes, we shared a son who we were both devoted to.
But with all that had gone on before, and it being so heavy, I’d never even thought about us getting married.
Never let myself dream that far ahead.
Something around the region of my heart shifted, and it didn’t feel bad.
No.
It felt very, very good.
“I’ve got it!” Tod shouted on a snap. “Amethyst!”
“My man,” Toni butted in. “My bridesmaids wore aubergine.”
“I approve,” Tod told her, then asked. “Who are you?”
Toni hiked a thumb at me. “Toni, her best bitch. And as such, she was my maid of honor.”
“I approve of that too, since it’s clear you have good taste,” Tod replied.
“Well, thanks,” Toni said. “But see, she’s got a framed picture of us at my wedding. She’s gonna obviously have framed pictures of her wedding. And aubergine and amethyst clash. She couldn’t put those pictures close together, and everyone knows, best bitches put their wedding pictures close together in their family rooms.”
Tod hooked a finger on his cheek and rested his chin on his fist, murmuring, “This is true.”
I turned my head and stared at Toni like she’d done what she’d obviously done.
Lost her damned mind.
“What did you wear?” Tod asked Toni.
“Ivory. Off the shoulder. Kickass ruching at the midriff,” she answered.
“Structured ruffle at the hip?” he pressed.
“You got it.”
“De la Renta?”
“You got that too.”
“Saks?”
“Yup.”
“Excellent choice.”
I’d lost Toni, so I turned to Jet. “What’s happening?”
She smiled her dazzling smile and urged, “Don’t fight it. Tod’s crazy, but he’s really good at it. He won’t do that first thing you don’t want. And swear to God, he works his ass off so all you have to do is show up, get your hair done, your face done, put your dress on, drink champagne, marry your guy and be happy. He’s a miracle worker.”
“But Darius and I aren’t engaged,” I pointed out.
“Excuse me,” Tod called me.
I looked to him.
“It’s been what? Three years? Not even that. Two and a half, at most,” he said then pointed at Indy. “Married and pregnant.” He pointed at Jules. “Married and has a kid.” His finger bopped between Roxie and Ava. “Married. Married.” Then to Sadie. “Engaged.” Then another bop between Stella and Ally. “Shacked up.” Then Jet. “Married, new baby.” He looked at me. “Any questions?”
“Holy crap,” I whispered.
“Yeah, strap in, sister. The Hot Bunch don’t fuck around. Comprende?” Daisy declared.
“The Hot Bunch?” I asked.