Page 5 of Always Ever After (Always 2.50)

2: Kylie

I touch up my makeup and fix my hair, although my cheeks are still flushed. I’ve never actually had phone sex before, but damn, that was hot. I didn’t call Braxton with that in mind, but my panties were drenched as soon as I heard his voice.

God, that man. He can melt me with nothing but a word. It’s really quite the talent.

We’ve been married for more than a year—a year!—and he still takes my breath away. I think he always will. We’re just as crazy in love as we were the first night we were together. He was already my best friend—one of my two favorite people in the world—so being married to him is like all the best parts of our friendship, plus the best sex I’ve ever had.

Seriously, who gets that lucky? I have no idea what I did to deserve him, but I’m grateful beyond words.

I send Selene a quick text, telling her I’m ready. So far, our girl’s weekend has been a blast. We have a couple of rooms at a beautiful resort in the mountains, and I planned us a weekend of pampering. Today we had facials, plus a delicious dinner in the restaurant downstairs. Tomorrow we have brunch, followed by mani-pedis, and massages in the afternoon.

I figure tonight Selene probably wants to hang out in the bar and have a few drinks. It’s mellow for a bachelorette party, but it’s what she wanted. I’m happy I get to spend so much time with her, just the two of us. With her wedding coming up, things have been pretty crazy. I think we both needed to unwind.

There’s a knock on my door, and I answer it to find Selene. She’s dressed in a mint green top and jeans.

“Ready?” she asks.

“Yeah, let me grab my purse.” I make sure I have my wallet and room key, and follow her out into the hallway. We get to the elevator, and I notice she keeps messing with her hair. “You okay?” I ask.

“Yeah.” She smooths her hair down again. “Is it warm up here? I’m a little warm.”

“I guess. Maybe it’s all the phone sex you were having with Ronan.”

She gasps.

I glance at her. “Did you really?”

She touches her fingers to her lips and smiles. “Maybe.”

The elevator opens and we both get in. Thankfully, there’s no one else inside. “You little minx.”

“Hey, don’t judge,” she says. “That man can do it for me from three hundred miles away. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“I’m not judging,” I say. “I may have been on the phone with Braxton when you texted, and…”

“Kinky,” she says. “And, ew.”

I laugh. “I won’t give you details. Fuck, I miss him. Don’t get me wrong, this weekend is wonderful. But he and I haven’t really spent any time apart since we got married. Is that weird?”

“I don’t think so,” she says. “And it’s sweet that you miss him. I miss Ronan too. I always do when he’s gone.”

Selene and Ronan are not only getting married, they work together. He has to spend some of his time in San Francisco, so they have weeks when they’re apart. But they seem to have adjusted to their new life really well.

I could not be more excited for her to get married. I’ve wanted this for her for so long, and Ronan is amazing. He’s kind of insane, what with his penchant for jumping out of perfectly good airplanes, and climbing sheer rock faces. But he’s crazy about Selene, and I think she’s just what he needs to keep him on his toes.

We get down to the hotel bar and find a small table. The bartender comes to take our order, and Selene asks for more time. He brings us a couple ice waters.

Selene fiddles with her necklace and keeps glancing away.

“What’s going on with you tonight?” I ask. “Is it that hard to pick a drink? Just order a martini.”

“I’m not sure if I want to drink tonight,” she says.

“Okay,” I say. “I guess there’s no rule that says we have to get wasted this weekend. Although it would be fun. Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she says. “Maybe I’ll see if they serve dessert in here instead.”

It’s not that Selene and I are raging drunks, but we usually enjoy a cocktail or three together. And this is her bachelorette weekend. I assumed getting tipsy was on the agenda.

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