Page 2 of Wed
"You're already rich." Becca slapped his arm playfully. "When do the others arrive?"
"Noam, Kasey, Carter, Archer, Beau, and Parson are already here. We passed them in the hall as they headed to their room. Trenton and Ben arrive later tonight." Matt moved to look out the window. "Great view. We're on the other side of the building and can watch the Stratosphere out our window."
"I don't imagine there's a bad view from any of our rooms." Bryon walked over and put his arm around Becca. "You guys have plans other than gambling tonight?"
"Not really. I want to hit one of the buffets. I'm starving. Other than that, I figured I'd find myself a good blackjack table and sit my ass there the rest of the night," Xander told him.
"Mind if I tag along while the women go shopping and do their thing?" Bryon asked.
"The more the merrier." Matt turned to face him. "You sure you don't want us to throw you some bachelor party tonight?"
"No, I do not want a bachelor party. I made that clear when we talked about the wedding plans. Both Becca and I agree we didn't want anything like that. You guys don't need a party to get drunk and I have no urge to celebrate my last days as a single man. As far as I'm concerned, I've been married to Becca for years. This is just making it official." He kissed Becca's forehead. "The girls at work threw Becca a party at work before she left. We want this simple. You're lucky we invited any of you. We talked about just sneaking down here for a weekend on our own."
"You wouldn't have done that. You know we'd kick your ass later if you didn't let us be part of your big day." Matt moved to Xander. "Besides, Faith would have been hurt if Becca got married without her there."
"Which is why you're all here to drive us nuts." Becca smiled. "You boys decide what you're going to get up to tonight. I'm going to go shower and change and get ready for Faith to get here. I have a list of stores I want to hit."
"Why do I have the feeling we're going back with twice as much luggage as we came with?" Bryon teased.
"Because you are." Becca kissed him and hurried from the room.
Xander laughed. "She's not joking. I've seen her and Faith on their shopping sprees before. Your bank account is about to take a very large hit."
"I can handle that. It's the space to put everything. Already she's using the closet in our room and one in the guest room. I'm going to have to buy a bigger house just to keep her clothes." Bryon shrugged. "As long as she's happy, so am I." He meant that. Now that he was semi-retired, he could focus his attention on her and not be focused on his job all the time. It was nice to sleep in for a change and not rush to the team house, worried about the next job they had. While they hadn't stopped hunting altogether, they weren't going out like they used to.
"It's computer equipment at our house." Xander hip-bumped Matt.
"I like my toys." Matt frowned.
"I know, and that's why our basement looks like the NSA data collection center," Xander teased. "Okay, so plans for tonight?"
"It's only two now. Let's see what the others are planning. We can figure out where you want to go get dinner, then we'll hit the casino. Some of the others might want to join us. When do you get your tattoo?" Bryon asked Xander.
"Ten tomorrow morning, so don't let me get too drunk tonight. I need to be somewhat alert for this. It's a two-hour session. I'll be more than ready to go by the time we meet for the wedding at five," Xander informed him.
"Where's this one going?" Bryon asked.
"The back of my left thigh." Xander sighed. "I'm running out of room."
"Still have your ass to cover." Matt smacked Xander on the butt.
"Which I'd consider if I didn't have to worry about you slapping it while it healed." Xander put Matt into a headlock.
Bryon grinned. He loved the guys like brothers. The team had been through hell and back together. They'd put their lives on the line too many times to count to save each other. "Enough about your ass. Go relax for a few hours. We'll meet back here at four and figure out dinner. Let the others know if you see them."
"Sounds good." Xander released Matt. "If you get bored before that, knock on our door. I'm sure once Faith arrives, she'll rush right over to see Becca. You'll want to escape."
"Probably." Bryon laughed. Right now, all he wanted was to get rid of the guys and join Becca in the shower. "Go. I'll drop by later." He led them to the door.
As they stepped out into the hall, he thought about how far they'd come. He never dreamed they'd live through all they had, let alone come out in the end, happy and with each of them finding their soulmate and looking into a bright future. Life was good and he wouldn't forget that. He had more than a man could ask for with his friends and the woman he loved. And no matter what, he'd protect them all with his life just as they would him.
CHAPTER TWO
Becca followed Faith back into the hotel, both with armfuls of bags. They'd hit every store they could find, even some of the not-so-welcoming places along the strip. She'd never get used to not having to worry about the price of things. Even after years of having Bryon buy her whatever she desired, she still tried to watch prices and not splurge on things that were overpriced. She'd found most of the items she'd bought in a second-hand store they'd found tucked into a small alley. "You going to drop your stuff off in your room?" she asked Faith as they headed up in the elevator.
"Nope, I'm not risking going back to the room and having Dad there to distract me. I'll stash it in your room until later." Faith brushed her long hair back from her face. "Besides, I'm dying to see your dress."
"It's just my mom's old dress." She shrugged as if it wasn't important, but the truth was, she loved that she fit into her mom's dress and could wear it during her own wedding. Her mother had died when she'd been seventeen, and the dress was one of the few things she'd kept of her mother's. She hadn't been able to show it to Faith when she'd come over earlier because Bryon was still there, and she didn't want him seeing it until their wedding.
