Page 48 of Lovestruck at Sundown
“Billie!” She embraced me next.
“Happy Birthday, Nathalie.”
“Thank you! And thank you for coming.” She held me at arm’s length. “Now what can I get you to drink?”
“Oh, don’t worry about it,” I quickly replied. “We brought wine. We’ll pop it open in a bit.”
“Sounds good.” She winked at me and gasped when she spotted the strawberry shortcake on the table. “Oh, William!”
“Your favorite,” he sang. “With extra strawberries.” William pinched my waist to tease me.
“I call dibs on Billie’s strawberries!” Tobias shouted as he strutted toward us. Zara was shutting the front door behind her.
“Why don’t you hand over my car keys first, and then we’ll see if I feel like letting you have a slice?” William shouted back at him. Tobias tossed the keys at him, and he caught them mid-airwith his right hand, sliding them into his jeans pocket. “If I see so much as a scratch on it …”
“I can assure you I brought it back in one piece,” Tobias interrupted William’s threat, offering his hand and pulling him in for a hug. I could tell it was hard for William to stay mad at Tobias because the corners of his lips pulled up into a smile as he gave his brother a few affectionate pats on the back.
Zara was done saying hi to everyone else and was approaching us. She kissed William’s cheek and hugged him, then turned her attention to me. “Hello, Billie,” she said with her lovely accent. She looked gorgeous, as to be expected, and wore black, ripped skinny jeans, a white top, and a denim jacket with high-heeled boots. Her caramel brown hair cascaded down her back in long, loose waves. She was almost as tall as William in those shoes.
“Hey, Zara.” I kissed her hello. “You look pretty.” And I meant it. I remembered being jealous of her, and my stomach immediately felt hot from the embarrassment. I had messed up with her in the past, but I had to get over it to avoid casting a weird vibe between us.
“Thank you.” She gave me a forced smile. “So do you.” She turned around before I had a chance to ask how things were going for her at Juilliard.
“Give her some time,” William whispered, kissing my temple afterward. “She’ll come around.”
“I know.” I pressed my lips together with disappointment. “Should we open the wine?” God knew I needed it.
William pulled out the cork and poured me a glass. Then, Lily tugged my arm and dragged me to the living room, where we sat to discuss the wedding preparations, the bridal shower, and her bachelorette party while everyone else talked and laughed over beers. I was Lily’s maid of honor, admittedly feeling underqualified for the role, but I felt truly honored that she choseme. I was thrilled to be a part of the wedding.
“I think we should go to Vegas,” I threw in casually, like I’d been there thousands of times. Lily almost choked on her saliva as I took another sip of my wine. “You know, for the bachelorette party.”
“Vegas?” She lifted her eyebrows, but her eyes twinkled with excitement.
“Who’s going to Vegas?” Joel asked from across the living room, where he chatted with Zara and Eric.
“We are,” I said confidently, pointing between us with my thumb.
“We’re going to Vegas?” Tobias exclaimed with a mischievous grin behind us, where he’d been standing with William for a while probably without being noticed.
“You’renotgoing to Vegas,” Lily clarified with a chuckle. “Billie and I will. For my bachelorette party. And Zara, you’re definitely invited.”
“Sounds fun,” she chimed in. “Count me in.”
Lily leaned in to whisper, “Do you think your dad will be okay with you going?”
“Wasn’t planning on asking.” I shrugged. I’d have to let him know, though. And he would most likely want Aaron to come with us, but I didn’t mind as long as I could go. If I was paying for the trip, there was nothing he could do to stop me. Or so I supposed. “You just need to give me a few weeks to save for the trip.” Lily knew everything that had happened with my dad regarding the apartment and the being cut-off part. I was sure the entire Sjöberg family knew by now.
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous.” She waved a carefree hand in front of her, still whispering. “You know I can help cover the expenses.”
“That’s fine. I have a little money saved, and I’m sure I’ll beable to afford it once my paychecks start coming in.”
“And she has a duplicate of my credit cards in her wallet,” William said out of nowhere. “And you have all of Joel’s.”
“William.” I shot laser beams through my eyes at him. “No.”
He laughed. He was delusional to think I’d go to Vegas and pay for the trip with his credit card as if he were my sugar daddy.
“We can’t have a private conversation, can we?” Lily said with exasperation. “We’re surrounded by meddlers.”
