Handing the beer to him, I replied, “Great to see you, too.”
Dodge turned and looked at Sierra who was staring at him. “Why are you staring at me?”
Reaching over I closed poor Sierra’s gaped open mouth. She shook her head and said, “Your hair. You look so good . . . I mean . . . it looks so good . . . better. It looks better b-brown.”
I attempted not to laugh as Sierra fumbled around her words. Dodge smiled, “Thanks, Sierra. It’s naturally brown.”
Not being able to take her eyes from him she said, “Huh.”
Finally she looked away and to the front door when Azurdee and Lark walked in.
Azurdee screamed, Ryn screamed, Lark rolled his eyes and made a beeline straight to the kitchen. Passing Dodge, he gave him a head pop and a quick hello.
We all sat around the island bar and talked, ate, drank, and then ate some more. Azurdee, Ryn, and Sierra were going on and on about some new fashion show. We eventually moved into the living room. I couldn’t help but notice how Dodge kept sneaking a peek at Sierra. She of course wanted to look, but refused to. I knew this because I knew Sierra. It was killing her not to look at Dodge.
The doorbell rang and I quickly stood up. Shit. Oh motherfucker. I had forgotten about Chris. Pushing my hand through my hair, I looked at Sierra and then Dodge.
“Who’s that?” Ryn asked.
Giving her a wink, I didn’t answer as I turned and headed to the door. I had originally asked Chris, thinking Sierra would be here, thinking they might hook up for the weekend. I knew Chris would be attracted to Sierra instantly. Sierra on the other hand was up in the air. She could either be in the mood for a hook up or not want anything to do with Chris. Then when Sierra couldn’t make it, I invited Dodge, thinking Chris and Dodge would get along okay. They both ate, slept, and breathed the Dallas Cowboys and the Texas Rangers.
Opening the door, I smiled. This ought to be interesting. “Hey, Tristan, sorry I’m late. I got a late start.”
Behind me I heard Ryn. “Chris! Oh my gosh this so great!” Taking Chris’s bag, I motioned for him to head in. He was familiar with the house since he had come with us to the coast every summer since sixth grade.
Walking in, Dodge stood and introduced himself. Okay, so far so good. Lark jumped up and gave Chris a hug as he said, “Jesus H. Christ. It’s been awhile.”
Azurdee gave Chris a hug. When Chris turned to Sierra, he paused for a brief second. I was pretty sure no one saw it. Sierra’s eyes lit up, even though she tried to play it cool. One peek at Dodge and it didn’t appear he noticed anything.
Slapping Chris on the back, I asked, “You hungry?”
“Yes, man I’m starved.”
Chris and I headed into the kitchen to grab him some pizza. Standing in the kitchen talking to him, I couldn’t help but notice Sierra kept looking in here.
Everyone started getting tired around one in the morning. After saying good night to everyone, Ryn and I headed to our room.
As we laid in bed, Ryn started chuckling. Looking over at her I asked, “What’s so funny?”
Turning on her side, she rested her head in her hand. “Sierra, Dodge, and Chris. This should be an interesting few days.”
Letting out a laugh, I nodded my head. “Interesting is one word you could use.”
Pulling her onto me, I rolled onto my back. “You tired?”
Giving me that sexy smile of hers, she nodded and pouted. “I am. As much as I’d love to make love, my body is longing for sleep.”
Rolling over and placing her back onto the bed, I kissed her softly. “Sleep good, baby.”
Pulling her into my side, we both quickly fell asleep.
The last two days had been a blast as we all just hung out and relaxed. Ryn seemed to really be enjoying herself. I decided we were going to have to do this more often. Sierra and Chris hit it off, just like I thought they would. They were currently sitting next to each other talking about the damn dog boarding business. What is it with girls and dogs?
Walking out onto the deck where everyone was, I carried a bottle of champagne and five glasses. Setting the champagne down onto the table, I looked around at everyone. Ryn was smiling and laughing as Lark told a story about a time he was in the Marines. This was the perfect time.
Walking up to Ryn, she looked up at me. She was breathtaking. The most beautiful woman I had every laid my eyes on.
Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the ring box as I got down on one knee. Ryn’s eyes instantly began watering. Azurdee and Sierra both let out gasps and placed their hands over their mouths.