“Promise me, Saint. Promise that if Dr. Bennet asks you out, you’ll accept and stop doubting yourself. Please, as your friend, I need you to agree to do it.”

I didn’t have the heart or the correct words to try and explain to her that Nash was a far larger obstacle to me getting to a place of confidence and self-worth than any gorgeous and successful doctor could ever be. But because I admired her, wanted to keep her favor, I numbly nodded.

“Fine, Sunny, I promise.”

She squealed a little and gave me a one-armed hug.

“Great. The other guy looks like all kinds of trouble.”

I shook my head and shoved the card Nash had handed me in the front pocket of my jeans. Now I only had the weekend and the first part of next week to not talk myself out of going with him.

“You have no idea.”

He did look like trouble, but he also looked interesting and beautiful and I still wanted to know what the rest of that tattoo that covered so much of him looked like. I was telling her good-bye, wishing her luck with the rest of the shift because the roads were awful and cars were all over the place, when Dr. Bennet came around the corner. I saw Sunny’s eyes light up and I wanted to kick myself for not leaving five seconds earlier. He walked over to us, all handsome and confident, and I felt a rock of dread settle in my stomach. If he asked me out right in front of Sunny, there was no way I was going to wiggle my way out of it. I had promised.

He really was good-looking. He could easily play the role of handsome physician on any prime-time TV show. I think the thing that took away from his appeal was that he totally knew he was good-looking and acted like that entitled him to things, and to people.

“Well, hello, ladies. Sunny, I need you in room 313B. Saint, are you just leaving?”

I opened my mouth and then closed it. I just blinked at him like an owl for a full minute before Sunny interjected, “It’s her day off. I keep telling her that she needs a break from this place. Don’t you agree?”

He chuckled and it was deep and pleasing, but it made me wince. What was wrong with me? I cleared my throat.

“I had a few errands to run and this was my last stop. It’s nice to see you, Dr. Bennet.”

Awesome. That sounded pretty normal and socially acceptable. He laughed again and flashed superstraight, superwhite teeth at me. Everything about him was just blindingly perfect, so why wasn’t my heart tripping over itself the way it did when Nash’s odd-colored eyes landed on me?

“Andrew, call me Andrew. I would be happy to keep you occupied on your next day off, Saint. When might that be?”

I wanted to groan and go find a gurney or a counter to crawl under. Sunny didn’t let me waffle an excuse that I was always working, and it wasn’t fair that she was the one that did my schedule so she could tell him with confidence:

“She’s off on New Year’s Eve since she’s working Christmas Day. Right, Saint?”

I knew she was just trying to help, but I was going to strangle her.

“I am, but if you already have something planned, I’m sure we can work out something later on.”

I balked when he reached out and put a hand on my shoulder. I almost flinched but just barely contained the reaction. I really didn’t want this guy to put his hands on me. What was wrong with me?

“I would love to take you out on New Year’s Eve. Some friends of my friends are having a party, and I would love it if you would be my date.”

I was going to have an embolism. I barely had enough confidence that I was going to survive an evening with Nash and his friends, going to some swanky party on the arm of a doctor … I was going to have a nervous breakdown. I wanted to say no, wanted to tell him I wasn’t interested, but Sunny was watching me with undisguised glee. I shoved my fingers through my hair and reluctantly nodded.

“Sure, Doctor … I mean Andrew. That sounds lovely.” Only if lovely meant torturous and nightmarish.

His smile grew and he leaned over and gave me a buss on the cheek. This time I couldn’t help but cringe away. If he noticed, he didn’t say anything. He just handed me his card, much like Nash did, and told me to give him a call. When he walked away I had no desire to stare after him and there was an unpleasant taste in my mouth. I let out an oof when Sunny’s small frame slammed into mine as she gave me another one-armed hug.

“Sooooo happy for you. You’re going to have the best time with him. I just know it.”

I looked at the plain white card in my hand. It had the hospital logo on it, and Bennet’s name and contact information. It was boring. It was basic. It was exactly the opposite of the card Nash had handed me a few minutes earlier. One was tucked safely away in my pocket, I could feel it there almost like it was calling to me. The other I wanted to chuck in the trash. Too bad Sunny would never forgive me if I set the plain white one sailing.

“We’ll see.” I didn’t have high hopes for either venture, but I would force myself to go through with both of them. One out of fear of spending the holidays alone and something more I didn’t want to delve into, the other just to keep my boss happy. Neither was a great reason to go on a date, but considering it was me, it would just have to suffice.

CHAPTER 7

Nash

I think I was more nervous than Rule. Someone had brought a flask of Crown Royal to help him calm his nerves, but he kept waving it away and Rome wasn’t really drinking much anymore, so that left me, Asa, Rowdy, and Jet to do the damage. Rome and I were the best men. The big guy was taking Cora down the aisle, obviously, which left me with Ayden. I was teasing Jet mercilessly about it because I had seen her in one of the pretty, pale blue gowns Shaw had picked out and there was no question she looked beyond good. It was fun but left me wide open for him to poke at the fact that I had rolled into the venue with Saint. I wasn’t the type of guy who brought a date to an event like this, and considering the guest list for the wedding consisted of maybe fifty people at most, there was no missing her and the questioning looks coming from every direction.

The venue was dramatic and unique. It was set high over the city skyline, and you could see the lights and winter landscape of the Rocky Mountains for miles and miles. Shaw wanted everything to look pale and cool; she said she wanted it to feel like being in the center of a blizzard. Anyone who knew the soon-to-be-married couple knew that the bride had a serious infatuation with Rule’s superpale, icy-colored eyes. Clearly, it was what the entire wedding theme was built around. Rome and I had on matching black pants and button-up shirts, with ties that were the same color as Ayden and Cora’s dresses. Rule had the same thing on, only he was wearing a black jacket over his with a pinstripe pattern running through it. We looked badass, way better than typical wedding finery, and I couldn’t believe how steady my best friend seemed. I never thought he was going to settle down and now it seemed like the only thing in the world he wanted to do. I was a little envious, which surprised the hell out of me.

“So the nurse?” Jet gave me a look and handed me the flask. I grunted at him and took a swig of the burning, amber liquid.

“She doesn’t like me very much. I’m trying to change her mind about it.”

Rome was fidgeting with his tie and texting Cora back and forth. The closer she got to the due date, the more paranoid he got about her well-being. I think he would’ve kept her glued to his side or tied to a bed if the little spitfire would’ve allowed it.

“She showed up with you. She can’t dislike you that much.”

Yeah, she had showed up, but she kinda looked like she was going to be sick or like she was sucking on a lemon the entire ride over. Not that she hadn’t looked gorgeous even with the unease clear on her pretty face. It was the first time I had seen her in anything other than her work wear, and man, could she rock a little black dress and sky-high heels like a pro. It was simple, understated, but with all that spectacular hair and flawless skin, she looked regal and elegant in a way a lot of young women couldn’t pull off nowadays. She was a classic. Kind of like my car, and I had a feeling her ride would be just as nice if she ever let me get that far.

She wouldn’t let me pick her up, had insisted on meeting me at my place. I had almost had to literally twist her arm to get her to agree to actually ride downtown with me, and after I’d won that argument, she had spoken maybe five words to me since. I deposited her with Phil, who had just looked at me knowingly and given her a smile. He was holding up pretty well, all things considered, and there was no way he was going to miss seeing Rule tie the knot.

Rule and Shaw were doing things really informal. There weren’t going to be any sappy speeches, no first dance, just a quick ceremony, dinner with everyone they loved, and then Rule was taking her to New Orleans for a week for their honeymoon so they could spend New Year’s Eve partying it up on Bourbon Street. That is, if they managed to leave the hotel room. Knowing my best friend, I doubted it. Personally I was stoked that they weren’t dragging it out. They didn’t need pomp and circumstance to make the love between them official.

“She showed up with me under duress.” I grinned at him. “I don’t really get her.”

Asa chuckled and flicked his golden hair out of his eyes. “But you want to? Get her, I mean.”

I grunted again. “Did you see her? Of course I want to, but she’s throwing out some pretty strong ‘hell no’ signals. I’m not interested in pushing my luck.” That wasn’t entirely true. I wanted to push and push, not that I thought it would get me anywhere. I kind of dug the mystery to all of it. She always had me guessing.

I’m sure the conversation would have kept going, but Rule’s dad stuck his head in the room where we were all gathered and gave his son a nod and a grin.

“The girls are ready to get this show on the road. I sure am proud of you boys.”

Rule nodded and I saw his chest expand and release. The rest of the guys pounded him on the back, leaving just the three of us in the wedding party behind.

“You good?”

Rome clapped his brother on the shoulder.

“I’m f**king great.”

We all chuckled and I gave him a fist bump.

“You are f**king great, and so is she, so this is gonna rule.”

He lifted his pierced eyebrow at the pun and I grinned at him. We were tight for a reason.

“Let’s do this. Let’s get you married.” I was surprised that there was some pretty thick emotion working in my voice.

Rome fiddled with his tie some more. I guess when you had a neck like a fullback, ties weren’t very comfortable.

He looked at Rule and asked, “Did Shaw’s mom show?”

Rule shook his head. “Nope. I called her and told her what I thought about the entire situation and promptly got told to go to hell. Shaw seems okay with it. Her dad is here with a chick that looks like she’s maybe eighteen at the most. He wanted to walk Casper down the aisle, but she told him no. She’s having Dad do it.”

That made sense to me. The Archers had always been Shaw’s real family. Like Rome had told Rule when he was thinking about proposing, giving her his last name was just a formality.

We lingered at the back of the room while Rule took his waiting mom’s arm and made his way to where the ordained officiant waited. Fittingly enough, Brite Walker, Rome’s mentor and an ex-marine, was an ordained minister. He looked like a member of a biker gang, but was one of the most centered, thoughtful men any of us had ever met. He had played a big part in bringing Rome back to the land of the living, and neither Rule nor Shaw could think of a better person to guide them into a life as man and wife. Just like he had offered Rome a new start, their thinking was he was the best person to give them a new start on a life as a married couple.

The girls came out of the elevator and both Rome and I lost our breath. Cora looked like a fairy princess from a Disney cartoon—granted, with a full sleeve of tattoos and a round baby belly. Rome bent down and kissed her until it was almost awkward for the rest of us. Ayden was a knockout even on a bad day. The blue made her dark hair pop and the silly grin on her face made me smile back at her just as goofy.