Page 1 of Desert Sky

Spaniard— tried to use his connections to punish us. Well, Cal and Colton for disowning her and us for being blissfully happy.

I froze. “She just won’t stop, will she?”

“She’s broke. That Spaniard cartel prince dropped her after Regan may or may not have given him some very... creative misinformation.”

I blinked. “Wait—what?”

Regan—now holding a mimosa and one stiletto heel in her hand—clinked her glass with a fork and called out over the laughter.

“Confession time!”

The room quieted like a bunch of kids being called to the principal's office.

She grinned at me, totally unapologetic.

“So… while you were working and JD was on his top secret bachelors trip, I might’ve made a solo visit to someone’s Marbella villa.”

“Oh my God,” I muttered.

JD groaned beside me.

“I might’ve told Señor Cartier that Clarissa was actually a man named Clarence who’d had bottom surgery in Thailand in the ‘80s.”

Everyone burst out laughing. Tarak choked on his beer. Edge actually sprayed coffee out of his nose.

“And,” Regan added smugly, “I might’ve shown him a very badly photoshopped birth certificate and told him she once ran a drag club in Atlanta called ‘The Silver Zipper.’”

River slammed a hand on the table, howling. “Youlegendary bitch! That’s gold!”

“He dumped her that night,” Regan boasted. “She’s back stateside. We heard she’s working the express lane at a Piggly Wiggly somewhere outside Savannah.”

“I’m… I’m crying,” I gasped, wiping my eyes. “You didn’t.”

Regan just sipped her mimosa with a wink. “I did. Ain’t nobody gonna mess with my girl’s wedding day. We all half-expected her to crash.”

“Well, Clarissa didn’t but Evie did instead,” I muttered.

JD kissed the top of my head, “Is my wife jealous?”

“Never. I put a ring on it,” I grinned up at him as my finger traced the ring on his left hand.

“Regan also changed all our security protocols, passwords, and travel clearances while we were sleeping with Hacker’s wife’s help…”

I laughed so hard I nearly fell over.

And for once—surrounded by chaos, carbs, cackles, and pure, unapologetic loyalty—I felt it deep in my chest.

Peace.

Safety.

Home.

JD tugged me into his lap and whispered in my ear, “You ready to tell them?”

I looked across the room at our found family. Jackson with whipped cream on his nose. The club teasing River with the garter. Amber trying to stuff a croissant in Tarak’s mouth while he spoke.

I looked at the man I’d married, the baby already blooming in my belly.

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