Page 57 of A New Era

“Me three,” I cry and then hiccup.

I don’t know who stumbles but we end up crashing to the floor and our tears are replaced with more laughter.

“Okay, let’s get you to bed, little miss I can’t hold my drink anymore.” It takes a minute to focus on JJ picking Harper up and throwing her over his shoulder. Nina is hauled up and thrown over Zach’s shoulder and then my man is hovering over me, shaking his head but grinning all the same.

“Is this what I missed out on during your ladies' night?”

“I don’t know.” Hiccup. “I can’t remember.” I burst out laughing then I’m flying through the air.

I focus on Leo’s ass, and I vaguely hear Harper laughing somewhere in the distance.

“Hoollllly! Can you hear me?” Harper yells.

“Yeah!”

“I’ll see you tomorrow!”

“Okay!”

The front steps come into view and then the threshold and our front hall. The world spins for a second and then I’m sat at the kitchen island.

“Don’t fall off!” Leo warns.

I watch him fill a glass with water. I blink and then he’s standing in front of me, thrusting the glass at me.

“Drink. Unless you wanna feel like shit again in the morning.”

“Nooooooo… I don’t wanna feel shit again.”

“And if you need to be sick, please make it to the bathroom.”

I drink the water and smirk. “I don’t feel sick. I feel… like… I need you.”

“Is that so?”

I nod slowly and in the drunken haze swimming through me, I hope I’m a cute drunk.

He takes the empty glass from me and leans around me to put it on the counter.

“I should take you up to bed, shouldn’t I?”

Grinning, I nod. “You totally should.”

Chapter Fifteen

Leo

“So if you pick the cake up on Friday morning, I’ll make sure the flowers are still on track to be delivered Saturday morning,” Mom says working through the so-called wedding list she and Holly have been living by for the last couple of months.

“I don’t see why I need to be here for this,” I argue.

They haven’t once asked for my input. Mom doesn’t even come to me for my credit card to pay for things, choosing to pay herself. I learned a while ago that all I need to do is show up on the day and stand at the altar.

“Because, son, you need to make sure Luca and Victoria are here for the day after you and he hatched your plan to get to Effie.”

It hadn’t crossed my mind he wouldn’t be here, but we’ll make it happen. I’m not going to not have my brother at my wedding.

“They’ll be here,” I promise.

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