“I thought I was going to lose you already,” I murmured as I held him in my lap on the floor. I covered his wound with one hand and ran my other through his hair.

“Nah. I’m resilient and shit.” Drew winked up at me and my heart fluttered.

“And shit?” I asked as I pressed my lips to his forehead.

“Makes me sound tough.” He laughed, then added, “A forehead kiss?” He made a face. “Even my mother gave me cheek kisses.”

“Listen, tough guy…”

Drew interrupted me before I had a chance to finish. “Is that my new pet name? I like it.” He grinned.

“No, dammit. And never scare me like this again,” I warned and this time pressed my lips to his nose.

“First, you’ve officially sucked the joy out of Halloween.” Drew pretended to glare at me.

I laughed. “Is there a second?”

“Yes. There is. Your aim is getting worse. You totally missed my lips that time.” He huffed.

There was some chuckling behind me. I glanced back in time to see Ty and Harry waiting nearby. “Hey, Ty,” I began. “How lucky was it that the bad guy fell into the security guard’s arms? What are the chances they’d actually be around when we need them?”

“Pretty good.” Ty sighed. “I called them on the way to meet you.”

“Oh.” I stared at him for a moment, my lips still forming a perfect ‘O’ when Drew’s hand wrapped around my neck and he pulled me in for a kiss. I giggled as I pulled away.

“See? My aim is perfect.” Drew snickered.

“Yes, you’re quite talented,” I remarked. Then I stared at his friends. “Is he always like this?”

Harry and Ty exchanged a look. Harry spoke first. “I’ve never seen him behave this way. I’m thinking it’s you.” He shrugged.

Ty nodded. “Oh, it’s definitely her.” Then he grinned at Drew. “You’ve never been better, Drew. I’m happy for you.”

“Still, I did manage to find a way to ruin the event and soil a woman’s dress. The blood will be a bitch to get out, so I guess I’m not completely reformed,” he teased.

Two EMTs rushed into the bathroom and I was moved out of the way, but Drew never took his eyes off of me. I wrapped my arms around my body, truly feeling at a loss since we weren’t touching. I tried to stand quietly behind them, but instead, I paced.

“Do you think he’s going to need stitches?” I asked as they pulled away the wad of tissues I’d used to pack his neck.

“I think with a few butterfly sutures, he’ll be fine, miss. He won’t even have to go to the hospital,” one of the EMTs noted.

“Thank God,” Drew mumbled.

Behind me, Ty and Harry laughed. “I’m sure the doctors and nurses there feel the same way, Drew,” Harry announced.

Minutes later, the EMTs were done. “He’s all yours.” They sat him up, patted him on the back, then exited the bathroom. Ty and Harry followed them out.

Slowly, Drew stood. “Alone at last.” He smirked at me.

“Well, you heard them, you’re all mine.” At first, I thought I meant it as a joke, but as I stared up into his eyes, I realized suddenly how serious I was, how much I meant it.

“I am. I’d love it if you were all mine too.” He pulled me against him.

My lids fluttered shut and I pressed my head to his chest. “Mm, your heart,” I murmured.

“You can absolutely have that too.” He squeezed me a little more tightly. “I should warn you, there’s a no return policy.”

“Really? Already?” I frowned playfully. “Is there at least a thirty-day money back guarantee?”

“For me or you?” He teased.

“Good point.” I tapped my lips with my forefinger. “I’ll settle for satisfaction guaranteed.”

“That I can do. It begins whenever you’re ready to be satisfied.” Drew winked. “How can I serve you, pussy cat?”

“Let’s go dance and eat cake. I hear there’s food too.” I twitched with excitement.

His eyes widened. “I can see this means a lot to you. Let’s go.” He offered me his arm, I looped mine through his, and we wandered out of the bathroom toward the private dining room.

“Oh, wait. We still need to buy a card and stuff,” Drew grumbled.

“No, I took care of it.” Then I turned away and bit my lower lip.

“How’s that? Are you sitting on some nest egg I’m otherwise unaware of, Talia?” He gave me the side-eye.

“Not exactly,” I began slowly. “Apparently, they have this policy where purchases can be charged to the room so when I couldn’t find you, I had them add it to the card on file.” Then I studied the floor because I truly had no idea how he would react.

“Actually, I did know that.” Drew chuckled. “Smart lady.” He pressed his lips to my temple and hugged me close.

“Whew.” I whistled. “I was afraid you’d think I was taking advantage.”

“You know, with some women, I’d think that, but not with you. You’ll never have to take advantage, Talia. I’d give you everything I have and more.”

* * *

We walked into the reception and barely noticed the room grew silent. Harry clapped me on the back as he wandered over to greet his wife. Ty grabbed my shoulder before striding over to Kate’s side. I already had my girl with me. I smiled down at the beautiful woman by my side. “What would you like to do?”

Talia ran her hands down her curves. “What do you think I’d like to do? It takes a lot of calories to maintain a body like this. Feed me, handsome.” She grinned while she waited for me to take the lead.

“For the record, I don’t want you to lose an ounce of those gorgeous curves. All I can think about is finally having a chance to worship them.” I winked at her and gestured for her to select some hors d’oeuvres.

“You’re crazy.” Her cheeks turned crimson.

“Crazy for you, pussy cat.” I couldn’t stop smiling as I filled her plate.

Soon we found our places at a table near the wedding party. We sat and began to eat when I realized the man next to me was staring. I rolled my eyes at Talia. “Me or her?” I asked him.

“What?” The man’s brow furrowed. Then he seemed to understand my question. “Oh, you. I couldn’t help but notice…” He gestured to my bandaged neck. “The bandages and the blood.”

“Shaving accident,” I deadpanned. Talia clapped a hand over her mouth and glared at me. “Don’t choke. I’ll have to Heimlich you.”

She pounded on her own chest a few times and shook her head. “You kill me.” Then she took a quick drink from her water goblet while she struggled to recover. When she had, she leaned close and murmured in my ear, “But look around. So many people and you’re holding it together.”

I thought about what she said and I realized we were in a room full of people. Most were strangers. Few were friends. Then some were downright frenemies. “Thanks for pointing that out,” I frowned.

Yet, by the time dinner arrived, I’d forgotten all about it. Before the toast, Kate wandered over to me as they were passing out the champagne. “Here, have this one,” she offered.

“I really shouldn’t.” I held up my hands.

Smiling, Kate leaned close. “It’s ginger ale. I can’t drink. I’m passing these out to several guests. You aren’t the only one who needs to forgo alcohol, you know.” She patted my back as she handed the flute over.

I sighed with relief. “Thank you, Kate.”

With that handled, I truly relaxed. I’d feared the toast was going to be the biggest problem, and in an instant, the problem was solved. When the time came, I raised my glass to my friends. I sipped my ginger ale. And I kissed my girl. When I pulled back, I realized she was positively glowing, she seemed so full of energy. We’d already danced. We’d eaten cake.

“You ready to go?” she asked as she rubbed my back.

I nodded. “I really am. I don’t know why I’m so sleepy.”

Talia stood and nodded. “You’re mentally drained. It’s a lot of work being around all these people without your usual coping mechanisms.” She held out a hand to me. “Let’s go say our goodbyes to your friends, then we’ll go upstairs and talk.”

I stood and sighed. Talks, in my experience, were never good. Still, I pasted a smile on my face as we wandered over to the head table where my friends were still devouring more cake. “I’m sorry to be the party pooper, but I’m worn out,” I murmured to Harry and Laney.

Harry stood. “I’m so glad you came. I really enjoyed it.”

I thought about what he’d said when he came to visit me. “You mean it? This was fun for you?”

“Aside from the obvious, yes.” He laughed. “You were so witty and charming. I remembered all over again why I’d liked you so much growing up. Now, we have the rest of our lives to create some amazing memories.”

I gnawed on my cheek while I formulated my next question. “Are you planning on staying here, in Vegas?”

Laney reached over and grabbed Harry’s hand. Before he even answered, I knew they had settled down here. “Yes,” he admitted. “We have an original show we’ve written and produced. You should come see it.”

I reached out to shake his hand. “I will.” Then I glanced at Talia beside me. “We will.” She leaned against me and I felt all the tension in me melting away.

Then I turned to Ty and Kate, who’d already stood in anticipation of our departure. “Drew, I had a wonderful time with you tonight. Next time, we’ll keep the gathering smaller and more intimate.” He wrapped an arm around Kate. “And before you ask, we’re staying too. We have a home here. We own a hotel here.” He shrugged. “I’m even thinking of selling my L.A. home.”

“I told him he’s crazy. He should rent it out and let it pay for itself.” Kate sighed. “Real estate in L.A.? It’s a smart investment.”

“You’re so right,” Talia agreed excitedly. Her eyes lit up when she was talking real estate with Kate.

“Shall we?” I asked, half hating that I was interrupting the fun.

“Definitely.” Then she smiled at my friends, who were already her friends too. “We’ll see you tomorrow. Care to join us for brunch?”

“Eleven. I’ll reserve some tables for us.” Kate beamed.

Ty laughed. “She gets very excited about food lately.”

Kate laid a hand on Talia’s forearm. “Six weeks of morning sickness. I’m thrilled anything stays down.”

After a laugh and a series of hugs, we exited the reception. “Now what?” I asked as we stood waiting on the elevator.

“Now we talk,” she murmured.

Instantly, my spirits sank.