“Our house now,” Jagger throws back, nudging Matt's shoulder with his.
“Maybe I’ll keep both.”
“Ohhhhh.” Paisley joins in, cackling as Jagger and Indie stare at each other, neither wanting to back down.
“Fine,” Indie concedes after a moment, clearly not caring enough to continue the stare off. “Have it. But you better treat it real nice.”
“Or what?” Jagger teases, grinning from ear to ear as he lifts his beer to his lips.
“Children,” I scold, squeezing Indie as she squirms around on my lap. “Settle down. There are plenty of houses for everyone.”
“Josh and I are engaged,” Paisley announces suddenly, before bouncing up and down in her chair excitedly.
Jesus. Tonight's conversation is all over the joint. I can’t keep up.
Within a second, Indie is off my lap and throwing herself into Paisley's already open arms, both of them squealing and carrying on as Paisley proudly holds out her ring finger.
I'm surprised none of us noticed when she walked into the house, considering the size of the diamond she’s rocking.
Josh has a proud smile plastered on his face as he watches Paisley jump up and down on the spot with Indie, and shoots me a wink as he raises his beer again.
I tip my chin at him, mouth “congratulations,” and something inside of me settles as I look around the circle we’ve formed out here.
I may not be a social man, but this little group? I think I can live with this.
Jagger grabs Paisley and pulls her away from Indie, wrapping his arms around her.
Matt sits back, finishes his drink and then asks, “You know, married people normally live together, right?”
Jagger laughs as Paisley turns her head from his chest and glares at Matt, but then her expression changes. “Oh my god, imagine if Josh and I bought Pax’s place! We’d be neighbours.” She looks from Jagger to Josh quickly. “Can we?” she asks, pushing Jagger off and launching herself at her fiance.
I’m selling my house?
Well, shit. I guess it’s only logical, if I’m moving in with Indie, and Jagger doesn’t want it.
Josh’s eyes widen as he looks at me, and I look at Indie. She smiles at me and I can feel her fucking happiness from here. That, and the little shrug she gives me, as if to say, ‘why not?’ has me nodding at Josh, letting him know that if Paisley’s serious about it tomorrow, when she’s sober, we can talk.
“How about we talk about it in the morning, huh?” Josh says, looking back at a very tipsy Paisley as she sways in front of him, bent at the waist, using his thighs as leverage to keep her from falling over by the looks of it.
“Fine,” she huffs, but her smile doesn’t falter as she climbs into his lap and closes her eyes.
Indie returns to me moments later, and snuggles against me as Matt and Jagger huddle closer together, and once we’ve all quietened down, we sit and enjoy the fire.
Tonight was certainly eventful, and even though it feels like a big change is coming, I’m so fucking happy to be facing it with the woman curled up against my chest, half asleep as I stroke her hair.
So. Fucking. Happy.
-35-
INDIGO
“BLUE. COME ON, WOMAN, we’ve got a reservation,” Pax calls from the bedroom of our hotel room as I bend over the vanity and blot at the red lipstick I’ve spent five minutes trying to perfect with a tissue.
The room he got for us for the night is beyond extravagant, and completely over the top, seeing as we’re only celebrating my birthday. The view from our gigantic balcony is breathtaking, overlooking the city, and the damn towels were even twisted into swans and placed on the deep red comforter of our king bed when we walked in.
I would have been happy with a donut on the jetty, and he knows it, but try telling Paxton Shepard ‘no’ when he’s made up his mind.
He may be infuriating, but he’s mine, so I let him be.