Breathe with Me
We reach the top of the escalator and Sam steps between Jules and Nat, loops her arms through theirs and says, “Perk up, girls, the shenanigans are just beginning!”
“These women are hilarious,” Jax murmurs to me and leads me into the club. “I haven’t been flirted with this much since we were at that club in New York after the New Year’s Eve show three years ago.”
“That was a gay club,” I remind him with a roll of the eyes. “Needless to say, I didn’t see any action that night.”
“Trust me, snickerdoodle, I saw enough action for both of us that night.” He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively as the girls around us burst out in laughter.
“You’re disgusting.”
“You’re hilarious,” Nic says as we commandeer two tables, pushing them together again. The same bartender from last night is behind the bar and rolls his eyes at us as we sit down.
“I haven’t recovered from you guys from last night yet!” he yells to us.
“You haven’t seen anything yet, sugar,” Stacy says with a wink. “We shook off our men and left our filters in Seattle.”
“Great.” He laughs and shakes his head as he walks down the bar to help a customer.
“I wonder if the guys are having fun?” Brynna asks and types away on her phone.
“You better not be texting the enemy,” Jules says with a glare. “This is Meg’s bitchelorette party.”
“I’m just texting my mom to see how the kids are.”
“Oh, good idea,” Nat says and begins typing on her phone too.
“Okay, all the moms get their check ins with the babysitters now, because you won’t be sober enough for it in a little while,” Jax says and flags down a waitress.
“What are the guys doing again?” I ask and raise a brow when Jax starts typing on his phone. “I didn’t realize you were a baby daddy.”
“I’m not, smart ass. Logan hasn’t been answering his phone today.”
“Trouble in paradise?” My grin fades when his worried, dark eyes meet mine. “I’m sure he’s fine. He’s probably making up time at work from the days he took off this week with you.”
He nods, but the frown on his face says he doesn’t buy it.
“Remember? Not all guys are cheating bastards.”
“I didn’t say I thought he was fucking cheating.” He scowls and slams back the shot of tequila the waitress just set before him. “But now I am.”
“Trust me,” Stacy says and leans across both Brynna and Meg to lay her hand over Jax’s arm. “No one is going to cheat on a hot piece of ass like you.”
“Oh God,” Nat says and begins giggling. “And so it begins.”
“You think I’m a hot piece of ass?” Jax asks with a delighted smile.
“Oh yeah,” Brynna says with a decisive nod as the others smile and agree.
“I don’t.” I curl my lip and eye Jax then dissolve into giggles and admit, “Okay, yeah, you’re a hot piece of ass. But stop feeding his ego! We’ll never get his head through the door on the way out.”
“That’s what he said,” Jax says, making us all laugh again.
“I’m so glad we have a gay friend now,” Jules announces and raises her drink in a toast. “To Jax, the missing link in our circle!”
“To Jax!” We all slam back another shot and clap, some of us dancing in our seats to the pulsing music around us.
“Okay, no more alcohol for me,” Nic announces and orders a diet soda.
“Why?” Meg pouts. “It’s my party. We have to get stupid drunk.”
“Liquor and diabetes don’t mix well,” Nic says with a grimace. “But don’t worry. I can be stupid without it.”
“Oh good,” Meg says and kisses Nic’s cheek. “I’m so glad you’re all here. I’m so glad I’m finally marrying that big, sweet football star.”
“We are too. You waited long enough,” Nat says.
“There’s always something that comes up. Football and family stuff and my promotion at the hospital.”
“We knew you’d get around to it,” Jules says. “God, these lemon drops are insanely delicious.”
“You know what’s insanely delicious?” Sam asks.
“What?” We all ask in unison then high five each other because, clearly, that was hilarious.
“When Leo slaps my ass.” She bites on the straw of her vodka and cranberry juice.
“I bet Leo is insane in bed,” Jules says with a sigh.
“Jules!” Nat cries as we all giggle.
“What? He’s one of the few around here that I’m not related to! Let me lust after him.”
“That’s fair,” Brynna says. “We get to lust after five hot Montgomerys, two hot Williams and a McKenna. Jules can have Leo.”
In our fuzzy alcohol minds, this sounds perfectly logical.
“I want to know more about these apagasms I’ve heard so much about,” Nic says, leaning forward in excitement. “Spill it, McKenna.”
“Wait, what’s an apagasm?” Jax asks.
“Nate has an apa,” Meg informs him, as if these things happen every day.
“A what-a?” I ask and Jules breaks out in laughter.
“That’s what I said the first time I saw it!”
“What is it?” I sip my sweet drink and lean in with Nic, ready to hear what this magical thing is.
“He has his dick pierced,” Nat says, but cups her hand around her mouth and says it like it’s a big secret, but the dude sitting at the table next to us whips his head around when he hears her and then laughs.
“Dude!” Jax exclaims and cups his hand protectively over his own junk.
“It’s just… fantastic,” Jules says with a dreamy sigh.
“I hate you,” Brynna says with a glare.
“Are you saying Caleb is slacking in the sex department?” I ask.
“Hell no. The man can make me come just by looking at me. And he does this sixty-nine thing that I swear to Jesus is illegal in all fifty states.” She covers her heart with her hand and bites her lip as the waitress magically reappears with more drinks.
God bless her.
“Did having babies change stuff?” I ask. “Like, how it feels?”
“For a little while, but it’s still good, and then your body figures it all out again and you get back to normal,” Natalie says.