Page 35 of Cloud Nine Love

“Got it.” I gave him a thumbs up.

“It’s the unofficial rehearsal dinner for the wedding party, just to go over the logistics of the week and the big day,” Ruby explained. “We have fittings on Wednesday, the bachelor/bachelorette party on Friday, and then the wedding on Sunday. That’s it, really.”

“What should I bring?” I asked.

“Just yourself. We’ve got it covered,” Kane replied.

“Yeah, it’s small and intimate, just you and Remi.”

I immediately felt my cheeks warm at the mention of the word intimate and Remi in the same sentence. I had blushed more in the past eighteen hours than I had in my entire life.

As we all said our goodbyes, I was having a little bit of a mental crisis. My emotions were in direct opposition to each other. This situation was really bringing out my inner Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

I wanted to see him again so badly, and also never see him again.

Twenty-four hours seemed like so long to wait and also way too soon.

My entire body shivered with anticipation at the thought of him flirting with me without anyone seeing, the way he had today when he whispered in my ear in the parking garage and touched my neck in the truck. And part of me was praying he would ignore me completely.

I wanted him to talk more about the woman he’d met, who was apparently so perfect he thought he’d imagined her, and I equally wanted him to stop talking about her, er, me.

Harper and I were waving goodbye to Kane and Ruby when my phone buzzed. I pulled it out and held my breath, thinking it was Remi. Not that he had my phone number, but at this point, I assumed if he wanted it, he could get it. When I saw it was Kenna, my heart sank in disappointment, which I felt bad about since I had really missed her.

Kenna: Tonight, after my shift, me, you, wine, and I want to know all the Kyle details.

Kenna was a bartender at The Tipsy Cow, so her shift would be over well after Harper was in bed. As much as I’d love to see her and catch up, I’d totally forgotten Kenna knew about Kyle. How had I forgotten that?

Maybe because I hated surprises, Kyle turning out to be Remi was the biggest surprise of my life, and I had no idea how to feel about it.

15

REMI

“You can start a fire with ice.” ~ Tim Rhodes

The first thing I saw when I pulled up to Kane and Ruby’s house was Taylor through the large bay window. She was sitting next to Kane’s grandfather, Otto, on the couch in the front room. When I looked at her, it was still difficult for me not to think of her as Ana. Maybe if she’d been another person—a person I hadn’t already had preconceived ideas about—it might be easier. But she was Kane’s best friend. The mother of his child.

I’d been hearing about her since I was eighteen. Kane met her during basic training, and they instantly hit it off. It was crazy that in all that time, I’d never actually met her. But between us all being in the military, her going into medical school before going back into the Navy, and me living out in California, our paths had never crossed. Since Kane didn’t really have social media, I’d never even seen a picture of her.

As I stared at her now, I watched her head fall back with laughter at something Otto said. I closed my eyes and remembered the sweet sound. Her laugh sounded like summer. It sounded fresh, happy, and full of possibilities. It was the most charming, enchanting, captivating sound I’d ever heard. I would gladly spend the rest of my life dedicated to hearing it over and over again.

When I opened my eyes again, Otto and Taylor had stood up from the couch and were going around the corner where the kitchen was. I figured that was my cue to go inside. Just as I was reaching for the handle to get out of the truck my mom was letting me borrow while I was in town, my phone rang. I pulled it out of my pocket and saw it was Misty. I sent her to voicemail.

She’d called earlier today, and I’d done the same thing. It wasn’t because I was particularly angry at her; it was just that both times we’d talked, she started crying, and I didn’t want to be the one comforting her. I might not be mad, but I wasn’t quite at the comforting stage yet.

My heart was beating so fast, it felt like wild horses were galloping in my chest as I walked up the path to the house. Since I got the text from Ruby last night reminding me about the barbeque, I’d been counting not the hours, not the minutes, the fucking seconds. All I could think about was seeing Taylor again. I had no idea how she was planning on behaving toward me tonight, and that only added to my anticipation.

Last night, I’d tossed and turned in bed, wondering if she was thinking about me. And if she was, I wanted to know what her thoughts were. Even though it was clear she was not on board to broadcast the fact we’d met before, I had to believe that part of her was happy that our paths had led back to each other. She might not say that, but deep down, I knew she felt it.

I knocked on the door twice, and when it opened, my sister was standing there with a huge smile.

“Hey, Bubbas!” She threw her arms around me after I walked inside. “Where’s Mom?”

“She was tired after her shift and wanted to go to bed early.”

Ruby closed the door and lifted her blue eyes, which were identical to my mom’s, up to me. “What do you think’s going on with her?”

The only time I’d seen my mom like this was after my dad died. Except that time, she was worse. She basically stayed in bed for three months. She’d just gotten a little bit better, but then she immediately got pregnant by the asshole.

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