Page 71 of My Ex-Best Friends

I heard West squeal and glanced back at where Daisy and Karlene were sitting. Daisy had our new son in her arms but Karlene was pestering her and trying to take him. It was par for the course for the two women. They bickered over West nonstop. At least it’d distracted them from torturing the rest of Beaumont for a while. As I watched West threw his arms out, smacking Daisy in the chin. Karlene threw her head back and cackled. It was almost comforting that the two of them would never be less crazy.

Colt fidgeted beside me and Logan elbowed him. “Stop wiggling around like you need to take a piss.”

Colt growled and elbowed him back. “I don’t know how people wear these things. I’m itchy.”

Karlene overheard and I watched in horror as a smile stretched across her face. She met my gaze and raised her brows. That look. I knew what that look meant. Before I could put the warning signs together, the music changed and I heard Colt gasp from beside me.

Then everyone in attendance gasped as Brooke came running up the aisle. She had her dress hiked up to her thighs and Lucy at her side in his own suit and tie. The dog only left her side if it was to be with West. It wasn’t the dog drawing everyone’s surprise, though, it was the way Brooke was sprinting.

She slid to a stop in front of us and let out a carefree laugh. Her dress hugged her body so perfectly that I almost lost focus. She was stunning. “I rantoyou. Just like I will for the rest of my life. Get it?”

Colt, a newer, lighter version of him, threw his head back and laughed before grabbing her and pulling her into a heated kiss. The wedding went off the rails from there. The officiant couldn’tget us to stop touching and kissing our wife. Karlene and Daisy whisper-argued the entire time about whose tits Brooke had inherited. Lucy spotted a fly and snapped at it over and over again until he finally flopped over and farted, exhausted and gassy. Then, there was the itching. Colt’s fidgeting grew worse and then it passed to Logan and finally me. We kept our shit together until we were announced as men and wife. Then I turned on Karlene, as susceptible to their crazy as Brooke was, apparently.

“What did you do?!”

Karlene just kept smiling. “I warned you. I told you boys to lose that game. I had big money on it.”

Colt spun around. “I don’t coach!”

“We couldn’t throw a game for you!” Logan scratched his neck hard. “I’m going to make Brooke put you in a nursing home. A bad one.”

“I’m going to make her send you far, far away!” I clawed at my stomach. “Make it stop!”

Brooke sighed from beside us, her bouquet clutched in her hand. “She can’t just make it stop. She’s not a real witch or anything, guys. She probably used itching powder and sprinkled it on your clothes earlier today.”

Logan slowly turned to face our loving new wife. “Brooke.”

She giggled. “I had money on that game, too! Blame Aunt Karlene! She’s a bad influence on me.”

I grabbed Brooke and threw her over my shoulder. “We’re going to take a quick swim in the ocean and then we’ll be back for the reception.”

“Hey! I only let her do it! I didn’t do the crime myself. That means I get less time!” Brooke struggled uselessly. “Throw Aunt Karlene in the ocean!”

“You’re in so much trouble.” Colt slapped her ass in front of everyone and I had to laugh at the squeal she let out.

“If you keep me out of the ocean, I’ll do that thing you like. Right now.” She seemed to remember where we were. “Well, not right now. After we get somewhere private.”

We were simple men. And we really liked the thing she did with her tongue. That was how the four of us ended up at our wedding reception, scratching like dogs with fleas. It hadn’t occurred to Brooke that the powder could transfer. It was a testament to how happy we were that we were all still in good spirits.

It also helped that I knew Karlene had a healthy dose of karma coming her way. The local cops were banding together to overcome her threats. She was about to be hit with a giant parking ticket. Served her right.

It was on the dance floor, Brooke in my arms, that I looked up at the life we’d created and had to blink away a surge of emotion. Life was better than I ever thought it could be. Brooke was home with us and she wasn’t going anywhere.

Sinclair spun past us, her curls flying everywhere. “Daddy! When I get married I want to dance all night long, just like this!”

Brooke laughed at the expression of horror on my face. “Daddy isn’t ready to talk about your wedding yet, sweetie. I bet your momma would love to talk about it, though.”

We watched Kelly’s face blanch from across the room and Brooke laughed happily as she locked her hands behind my neck. I leaned down and kissed her. “Our kids are never allowed to grow up.”

Her eyes flashed and I knew that she still got excited about having West, like she was still pinching herself to make sure it was all real. “I don’t know how I got so lucky.”

Logan pressed into her from behind. “I was just asking myself the same thing.”

Colt joined us with West in his arms. “This little boy was missing his mom.”

Sinclair ran back and clung to Brooke’s legs. “I want to dance with you and West, Brooke!”

An expert at juggling three men and two kids, Brooke scooped Sinclair into her arms and grinned. “How about we all dance together?”

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