Assured (Soul Serenade #2) by Kaylee Ryan
“You sure about this, man?” I ask my best friend and bandmate, Kacen. I have to hold my fist up to my mouth to hide my smile. I know the question is ridiculous. All you have to do is see the way he looks at her.
Kacen doesn’t even bother responding with words; instead, he gives me the look. You know, the one that says, “You’re f*cking crazy.”
“There’s still time to back out,” Tristan chimes in. His grin is just as wide as mine.
“We got your back, just say the word,” Gavin adds.
I lose my control as I throw my head back in laughter. Kacen just looks between the three of us, shaking his head. He knows that we all love Logan like a sister—the two of them are perfect for each other. It is, however, our job to ride him. That’s what friends are for.
“Fuck off,” he grumbles. “Nothing is going to stop me from marrying Logan today. If you jackasses want to try, there’s the f*cking door,” he seethes.
“Whoa.” I hold my hands up in surrender. “We’re just giving you a hard time, Kace. You’re too serious.”
He focuses his angry eyes on me. “This is f*cking serious!” he shouts. “What if she changes her mind, huh? What if she realizes that she doesn’t want to be married to a rock star? What if she comes to her senses and figures out that she can do better?”
Seriously?
“For real?” Tristan asks. “Man, you and Logan are tight.”
“What’s got you all worked up?” Gavin questions.
Kacen plops down on the couch and rests his elbows on his knees. The three of us wait patiently for him to tell us what the hell is going through his head.
“I can’t f*cking breathe without her.”
We’ve all been friends forever, so even with that one sentence, we get it. We get him. Kacen has always been different than the rest of us. He’s not the guy who dips his stick into any available female; he’s always been the responsible one, keeping the rest of us in line. That’s actually how he met Logan—well, kind of. The guys and I had a hard time keeping our hands off our band’s personal assistants over the years. Kacen finally got fed up and demanded a man be placed in the position. Logan was overqualified and hired sight unseen. Needless to say, it was a shock to all of us her first day; after all, we were expecting a male Logan, and we got the female version. The beautiful female version.
Turns out, she and her friend Stacy—who also happens to be a knockout—met Kace while on vacation, using their middle names. Anyway, long story short, they fell fast and hard and here we are, their wedding day.
“All right then, let’s get this show on the road. We’ve got to get you to your ball and chain, and the boys and I”—I throw an arm over Gavin’s and Tristan’s shoulders—“have a bridal party to entertain.” I waggle my eyebrows. Tristan and Gavin voice their agreement, while a slow smile crosses Kacen’s face.
“Fucking finally. I’m going crazy waiting to make her mine.”
“Get your ass down there. We’ve got some beautiful ladies to escort.” Tristan winks, holding his fist out. Gavin and I follow suit.
“See you in a few,” Kacen says as he rushes off to take his place.
“I always knew he would be the first,” Tristan states.
“We got lucky. Logan’s great. She makes him happy, and she’s a hell of a cook,” I chime in.
“Right?” Gavin agrees. “Let’s hurry up so I can get out of this damn monkey suit,” he says, pulling at his tie.
We make our way to where the bridesmaids and the bride are waiting for us. I discretely wipe my palms against the leg of my pants when I see her.
Stacy.
Stacy, who is the beautiful best friend of the bride, is my companion for the evening. Logan, of course, chose Stacy as her maid of honor, and the boys and I drew straws one night with Kacen. We were giving him shit about who he was going to choose as his best man—not that any one of us would be offended regardless, since we’ve all been friends for years. Anyway, Kace was getting frustrated and Logan blurted out that we should just draw straws, and now I am the lucky one who bears the title of best man. Don’t get me wrong; I feel lucky and grateful for my man Kace, but the real luck comes with the fact that I’m paired with the lovely Stacy for the evening. I get to walk her down the aisle, we sit together at the wedding party table, and of course, after the newlyweds have their first dance, we as the wedding party must join them. I get to have my hands all over her, and I have an excuse!
Tonight is going to be fun.
Hence the reason my palms are sweaty. I’ve been trying to get my hands on this girl for weeks. From the minute I first saw her dancing in the club with Logan, she captured my attention. Since then, I’ve been pulling out all the stops and . . . nothing. Stacy gives as good as she gets; she flirts right back with me, but so far, I’ve been unsuccessful at seducing her.
I hope that changes tonight.
Our best friends are pledging to spend the rest of their lives together. It’s all romantic and shit. Chicks love that. She’s making me work for it, but that’s fine. Once she finally gives in, she’s going to wonder why she waited so long. I can guarantee, she won’t be disappointed.