Dante's Angel (9 page)

Evie had
overcome the loss of her parents—even though she missed them every day of her
life—but some days the was pain so strong, it was as if she’d lost them only
yesterday. Having Daryk’s love helped ease some of the misery, and knowing that
she’d always have him to dry her tears when the sorrow overwhelmed her meant
more to her than words could say.

 
On her wedding day, she would feel the ache
from not having her parents there with her. But Evie would wear her mother’s
dress as she married the man she loved—just like her mother had—and she and Daryk
would continue the tradition of love and devotion that her parents had once had
together.

 
Just the thought of it brought sentimental tears
to her eyes.

“Oh, honey.”
Madeline rose from her seat and hurried over Evie to pull her into a hug. “I’m
sure you’ll look absolutely magical in your mama’s dress.”

Francesca
wiped at her own tears. “Hunter can be a pain in the ass, but then he does something
like this, and you can’t help but love him.”

“Your brother
is a treasure,” Evie told her, squeezing Madeline hard before letting go.
“Enough of this now. We shouldn’t be crying today until Kali finds her dress.”

“Umm…did you
hear about the guy that Sheriff Wyatt arrested yesterday for selling drugs on
the boardwalk?” Becca asked, trying to change the subject because she sensed that
Evie still felt too raw about finding her mother’s dress to talk about it.

“No!”

“Annabeth
Dunley was there with her kids, and they came into the shop after and told me
all about it.” Becca paused as Evie sat down next to her and squeezed her hand
in silent thanks. Becca squeezed back before continuing to regale the group
with the town’s latest gossip.

They were only
kept waiting a few more minutes before Kali came out wearing the first wedding
dress. It was pretty, but wasn’t the one. She tried on four more dresses, each
one a beautiful creation, but just not right for her. Her friends tried to keep
sounding upbeat and encouraging, but Kali only seemed to get more tense and
vulnerable with each dress she tried on.

That was,
until she came out in a gown that seemed to be made for her.

Kali was a
petite woman, with bright green eyes and short, red hair, highlighted with gold
streaks. The dress was a soft white, which suited her coloring and delicate
features. It was strapless, with a sweetheart neckline that only showed a hint
of cleavage, making it alluring yet still modest enough for Kali’s
sensibilities. There were crystals and tiny seed pearls covering the tight bodice
in an intricate design until it came to a crystal-encrusted belt on a high
waistline. Below the belt were yards of organza, gathered in various layers in
a frothy display of high elegance.

Everyone in
the room sighed in appreciation at how lovely she looked, but they stayed
quiet, waiting for her reaction before they said a word. The sheer joy on
Kali’s face as she stepped onto the pedestal and saw herself in the mirror said
it all.

“Oh my…I love
it!”

Tears streamed
down Madeline’s face as she sniffled. “Kali, you look like a princess.”

“I feel like
one.” Kali ran a shaking hand down the bodice of the dress as she studied
herself in the three mirrors. “Oh God, I think this is the one. I look like a
bride.”

“You really
do. It’s absolutely perfect,” Zoe agreed, then she gasped as Kali burst into
tears. And not the good kind. Panic surged through her as she said, “Shit. What?
What did I say?”

“It is
perfect!” Kali wailed as she buried her face in her hands.

Utterly
confused, Zoe glanced over at the bridal consultant. “Umm…is this normal?”

Jolene smiled
and said, “Sometimes brides can get a little emotional.”

“Kali, what is
it?” Madeline rushed over and gathered Kali in her arms.

“It is the
perfect dress,” Kali repeated as she looked up. “I wanted everything to be
perfect for this wedding—”

“And it will
be,” Evie assured her. That caused a fresh wave of tears that had all the women
glancing at each other in concern. Kali’s sobs were definitely not a normal
happy reaction.

Sam gulped
down the rest of her drink before setting the glass down. She leaned forward,
bracing her arms on her knees. “Kali, give us something here. Isn’t it a good
thing that you found the perfect dress?”

“Of course it
is,” Kali said exasperated. “But I just…I have the perfect man, with the
perfect wedding venue, and now I have the perfect dress…” When she started
crying again, they couldn’t understand the words she sobbed out.

“What was that?”
Francesca whispered.

Wide eyed,
Evie turned to the rest of the group. “Did she say baby?”

Madeline had
heard the word, too. Hope surging like a tidal wave inside her, Maddy cupped
Kali’s face, tilting it up so she could look into her
soon-to-be-daughter-in-law’s eyes. “Sweetheart, are you pregnant?”

“Y-yes,” Kali
hiccupped, then her breath left in a rush as Madeline jerked her into a bear
hug before letting out an exuberant shout of pure delight.

“Oh my God! My
baby is having a baby! I’m gonna be a grandmother!”

The rest of
the women jumped up from their seats and hurried over to them.

“I just found
out this morning,” Kali told them. “I took a test and…Jared and I talked about
having kids, but not yet. It was supposed to happen after we were married!”

 
“Oh, honey. Who cares about all that?”
Madeline asked as she wiped at Kali’s tears with her thumbs. Leaning in, she
pressed her lips to both of Kali’s cheeks in turn. “You and Jared will make
such wonderful parents. I’m so happy for you both.”

“But the
wedding is in less than a month. I don’t know how far along I am, but what if
my dress doesn’t fit then? Oh God, can you imagine what my mother will say if
I’m showing in my wedding dress?”

Madeline’s
eyes narrowed. “I dare your momma to try and say something mean to you about my
grandbaby. I. Dare. Her.”

“Do you want
the baby, Kali?” Becca asked cautiously. “Are you happy?”

The smile that
lit up Kali’s face was as bright as the sun. She wrapped her arms around her
waist as if she could protect the life that grew inside her. “Happy doesn’t
even begin to describe how I feel.” She lifted one hand to wipe at the tears
still streaming down her face. “I’m sorry. I can’t seem to get a handle on my
emotions.”

“That’s okay,”
Madeline told her as she beamed. “Hormones will do that to you.”

“I wasn’t
going to say anything until I told Jared, but I just couldn’t help myself. I
know we were all going to go to dinner after we were done here, but I think I want
to go home so I can spend some time with him instead.”

“Let’s get you
out of that dress before you cry all over it and have to pick another one. We
can go home now if you’d like,” Zoe offered.

“Oh, no,” Kali
said with a grin. “I may have found my dress, but we still have to pick out the
one you guys are going to wear.”

“Great,” Sam
said dryly, then she winced as Becca pinched her arm.

Kali laughed
as she looked around at her friends and her new family, and felt her heart
swell with love. Madeline was the epitome of the kind of mother Kali had always
wished she’d had growing up. Now, Maddy would really be hers. She would be a loving
grandmother to her and Jared’s child, and she would cherish all the other
children they were blessed to have in the future.

Through Jared,
Kali would also be able to call Evie and Francesca her cousins, and Becca, Sam
and Zoe were as close to her as sisters. They were all strong women that she
was proud to call her friends.

Suddenly, it
all became clear to her. Kali had been striving for perfection. She’d wanted to
make the wedding exactly like she’d imagined it in her head. To find the right
dress, the right venue, with everything going according to plan. When she found
out she was pregnant, she’d felt as if she’d gotten the wind knocked out of
her. She wanted Jared’s child more than anything, but the thought of her
perfect schedule changing had left her feeling slightly lost.

But what Kali
hadn’t realized until now was that she already had the perfection she’d be
looking for, and she’d been stressing about all the wrong things.

She loved
Jared, and he loved her back with a passion and intensity that constantly left
her wondering what she’d done to deserve such a wonderful man. She had friends
who cared for her, and now she was going to have the family she’d always
dreamed about.

Kali had found
perfection in her man, in her friends, and even in the town she called home.

“Thank you for
sharing this with me,” Kali whispered shakily. “It means so much to me to have
all of you in my life, and I love you so much.”

Zoe fought
tears of her own. “Of course you do. Now, are we gonna hug it out or what?”

Kali threw her
arms wide, and the women gathered together to join in one big circle.

“Trust me, if
I didn’t love you, I wouldn’t be wearing pink for your wedding,” Sam grumbled.

As Zoe stood
within the group’s embrace, her heart hurt. She was surrounded by love—more
than she’d ever thought possible—and couldn’t help but feel like a complete
fraud. A storm was coming…and in the aftermath, she could lose everything she’d
come to care about.

And knowing
that, she held onto all of them a little tighter to make the moment last.

Chapter Six

“What the hell
are you doing here?”

Zoe grinned at
GT as she, Sam and Francesca sat down on three empty barstools that had just
opened up. The Fox Hole was packed with people, and their timing couldn’t have
been more perfect. “I couldn’t stay away.”

“You’re a sick
woman, Zoe. It’s your night off, and yet here you are.”

“I know it.”

“I need a
goddamn drink, GT,” Sam growled. “There was too much female bonding going on
today. Make mine a beer.”

Chuckling, GT
nodded. “Want your usual Strongbow, Zoe?”

After Zoe
agreed, GT asked Francesca what she wanted.

“Beer is fine
with me, too, but could you make mine a light?” When Sam muttered something
obscene, Francesca just laughed.

GT left to
fill their order, and Zoe looked around the room, glad she wasn’t working. It
had been a long and emotional afternoon, and even though she didn’t want to go
home when they made it back to Breakers, she didn’t have the energy to work a
shift at the moment.

When they’d
left the bridal shop, the women had all wished Kali luck telling her fiancé the
wonderful news about the baby. Evie and Madeline had also gone home to their
men, and Becca had opted to head back to her apartment since she had to be up
early to open the bakery. Sam, Francesca and Zoe had decided to go to The Fox
Hole, wanting a drink after the pains of trying on countless dresses. They had
found one they all agreed on, but it really hadn’t mattered. As long as Kali
had liked it, the group would have worn anything she chose.

“I’ve decided
I need to kill off a clothing designer in my next book,” Francesca announced.

Sam snickered.
“That’s not very romantic.”

As an erotic
romance author, Francesca’s books were filled with love and happily ever
afters, not murder. “I don’t care. Whoever made some of those dresses we tried
on today needs to be punished. Seriously, it’s like they are trying to mock people
with hips, and that’s just mean.”

Zoe chuckled
and shook her head. “At least you have hips.”

“But you’re so
slim, and you—” Francesca wagged a finger at Sam, “—I don’t even know where to
begin.”

“What the hell
does that mean?”

“All I’m
saying is that I love you guys, but there is no way I’m getting stuck standing
between you and Nikita for the wedding. Nope. Being the cream filling between
Combat Barbie and Fitness Barbie is too much to ask of anyone.”

“I’m really
going to have to hurt you if you don't stop calling me that,” Sam warned.

Francesca fluttered
her lashes and smiled. “You love me too much to do any real damage.”

“Fucking female
bonding,” Sam groused again. Gratefully, she picked up the glass that GT placed
in front of her and drained half of it in just a few swallows.

“That sounds
awful,” GT said in sympathy.

“It was,” Sam
insisted. “We were stuck trying on dresses for hours today. Hours.”

GT shook her
head sadly. “That sounds like my idea of hell. Why couldn’t Kali just pick out
a dress she liked and make you guys wear it? Isn’t that how it normally goes?”

“That’s what I
said!”

“It wasn’t as
bad as Sam is making it sound,” Francesca countered. “She had just as much fun
today as we did. I really like the dress we picked, even though my hips look
huge in it.”

“I would kill
for your curves, Frannie,” Zoe said with a sigh.

“You say that
because you’ve never had to fit this ass in these jeans.”

“No one in
their right mind would wear those jeans. You have rhinestones on the pockets
for Christ’s sake,” Sam muttered.

“Don’t hate.”
Francesca’s eyes were alight with mischief when she added, “Besides, weren’t
you the one to pick the winning bridesmaid dress today? You know, the one with all
those pretty little sparkles on the strap and the waist?”

GT choked.
“You…what?”

“And did I
forget to mention it was a pink dress?” Francesca asked.

“Oh, wow,” GT
said, straight-faced. “This is a whole new side of you I never knew about.”

“Don’t make me
kill you.”

“Stop teasing
Sam,” Zoe admonished even as she tried to hold in her laughter. “Wait until
she’s had a few more drinks at least.”

“Fine. I’ll
behave,” Francesca promised. “It’s just so fun to rile her up.”

“Gee, aren’t I
lucky.”

GT leaned on
the bar in front of them, completely ignoring customers trying to get her
attention. “Speaking of being riled, maybe you could spare a minute to talk to
the boss, Zoe. He’s been on a real tear tonight.”

Zoe frowned.
“What happened?”

“He knocked
out some asshole groping a girl on the dance floor, then got in the middle of a
big brawl outside in the smoking area. It’s just the usual spring break
bullshit, but you know how he gets when you aren’t around to calm him down,”
she said, watching Zoe carefully for her reaction. “Plus, Dante has also been
bitching about you ladies drinking and driving back from Houston. Just thought
you might want to let him know you’re back, safe and sound.”

With that, GT
walked away to serve a group of people further down the bar.

Zoe could feel
Francesca and Sam's eyes on her. Turning, she glared at them when she saw they
were both grinning. “What?”

“That’s so
sweet,” Francesca said cheerfully. “He was worried about you.”

“Us.” Zoe
stressed the word. “He was worried about us.”

“Dante couldn’t
care less if we were pole dancing in Houston right now,” Sam countered. Holding
up her glass, she gestured toward Zoe. “What the hell is going on with you
two?”

“Why does
everyone keep asking me that?”

Francesca
grinned. “Because we’re curious. Added to that, I love a good romance.”

Zoe sighed
before lifting her glass to take a small sip. “I don’t know what we’re doing.”

Sam shot her a
derisive look. “Well, you might want to figure it out…and quick. Dante’s a good
guy, but he’s still a man, and all of them do stupid stuff sometimes. My advice
is to do something about it before one of those hussies catches him during a
weak moment.”

“Wow, that’s
way harsh,” Francesca admonished.

“I’m a
realist.”

“No, you’re a
cynic.”

Sam shrugged
and her eyes shifted to look at something off to the side. “I’m just saying…”

Zoe’s gaze
followed Sam’s, and she stiffened when she saw Dante striding away from a
giggling woman with dark-blonde hair and two of her friends. He was heading toward
the hallway that led to the bathrooms and his office. The blonde shot her
friends a sly grin before she broke away from the group to follow after him.

Zoe’s glass
hit the bar top with a loud crack as she slammed it down. “Oh, hell no.”

“Go kick some
ass, girl,” Sam encouraged.

Zoe didn’t
have to be told twice.

Slipping off
her barstool, she got to her feet and pushed through the crowd, ignoring those
who called out to her as she moved past them. Things might not be settled
between her and Dante, but she’d be damned if she was going to let another
woman get in her way now.

The lines to
the bathroom were long, and it took her some time to maneuver through the mass
of bodies. By the time she was clear, she’d lost sight of both Dante and the
blonde. Anger surged through her as she remembered why the woman looked so
familiar.

The woman came
into the bar with her friends once in a while, and made a point to belittle
everything about The Fox Hole...except for the men. There had been a few times
when Zoe had overheard them discussing the male staff members, but she
specifically remembered the blonde talking about Dante, going so far as
bragging about how she could have him anytime she wanted him and discussing in
detail how he was in bed.

Zoe knew that
Dante had a reputation for hooking up with multiple women before she’d met him,
but she didn’t doubt his word when he said he would stick to their bet and
abstain for the duration. Still, she wasn’t about to let some other woman go
after what Zoe thought of as hers.

And Dante was
hers.

She paused briefly
in front of the closed office door, then moved on, knowing automatically they
weren’t in there. As she neared the end of the hallway, her steps slowed when
she heard voices coming from outside the side door. The door was propped opened
a bit, and Zoe saw Noah Brixton’s large body blocking the view outside. Zoe
stepped into the shadows, moving a little closer until she could glance around
Brix.

Damn it.

Her eyes
narrowed as she saw the blonde clinging to Dante. Her first instinct was to
grab the woman by her hair to drag her off him. Women threw themselves at him
all the time. He usually engaged in a little flirting before turning them down,
but with the more insistent, he could be biting and cold. Curiosity had Zoe
shifting so she could get a better view of the situation. The expression of
pure disgust on Dante’s face had a slow smile spreading across her own.

Dante was in
no mood for this shit.

“Cut it out,
Tammy. Stop touching me. You’re just embarrassing yourself. I told you I wasn’t
interested,” Dante growled out as he pulled her arms down forcefully when she
tried to wrap them around his neck….again.

He was losing
what little patience he had as she rubbed against him.

“You were
before,” Tammy said with a giggle he assumed was supposed to be sexy.

“That was a
year ago, and it was before I really knew you,” he shot back. The insult didn’t
seem to bother the blonde who was busy trying to shove her hands under the
black t-shirt he wore. Fucking hell, the woman had hands like an octopus…they
seemed to be everywhere.

He glared at
Brix, who was standing between the door and the floodlight so he was cast in
shadows. “Don’t just fucking stand there. Do something.”

“Like what? I
just came out here for a smoke.” The blond giant lifted the cigarette in his
hand and took a drag. Blowing out smoke, Brix said, “I ain’t touching her.”

“You’re no fun
anymore,” Tammy announced with a pout.

Dante ignored her
words, still focused on his friend. “She was with those two twits she’s always
here with. Get someone inside to get their asses out of here.”

Brix got on
the radio while Dante continued to struggle with the drunk woman. Most of the
women he’d hooked up with knew there would be no repeats, but Tammy obviously
didn’t get it. And with a father who gave her everything she wanted, Tammy
wasn’t used to being told no.

She saw it as
some sort of challenge.

Dante knew
that women went after him expecting him to jump at the chance for a quick fuck,
but he’d lost interest in that shit when he’d met Zoe. He heaved out a sigh,
prepared to hold onto his temper until her friends came out to take her off his
hands.

That was,
until Tammy reached down and grabbed his cock.

“What the
fuck?”

“Come on,
Dante. I know you’re always up for a good time,” Tammy purred.

Disgusted,
Dante forcefully shoved her hand away from him, not caring when she lost her
balance and almost fell down.

“Jesus, is she
for real?” Brix asked as he tossed his cigarette aside and made a quick grab
for the woman, holding her upright.

“Get your
hands off me—” Tammy began, then blinked as she finally got a good look at
Brix. Her face softened and she blinked a few more times, working up some fake
tears. “Oh, Noah. Did you see that? Dante pushed me and—”

“Save it for
someone who cares.”

Tammy’s
expression hardened. Pride injured, she jerked away from Brix and sneered at
both men. “How dare you treat me this way? Don’t you know who I am?”

“A spoiled,
rich bitch looking for a quick fuck?” Brix shrugged when Dante snorted.
“What?
 
She asked.”

“Like I care
what you think. You’re a nobody,” Tammy scoffed scornfully. She whirled on
Dante. “And you…the only thing I should be embarrassed about is slumming with
you. I thought we’d have a little fun, but I guess you’re too busy doing your little
bartender whore to be with a real woman. Really, Dante. Fucking the help? How
cliché. But then again, I can’t expect any better from a man like you.”

Dante had
taken a few steps away to head back inside, ready to dismiss her, but he froze
at Tammy’s words. Turning slowly, his face must have shown some of the anger he
was feeling, because Tammy took a cautious step back from him as he leveled a
glare in her direction.

“If you were a
man, I would kill you for that.” Dante’s voice was low and filled with such
contempt it made Tammy take another step away from him. “You’re going to want
to leave. Now. Before you piss me off even more.”