Reckless (Thoughtless, #3)(121)

Pushing his chest away from me, I stood up. Jackass. Laughing, Kellan grabbed my hips and pulled me onto his lap. I giggled as I crashed into his arms. Tangling my fingers into his remarkable hair, I husked out, “I’ll etch you if you etch me.”

Kellan twisted me around so I was straddling him. His eyes were bright with excitement as he brought his lips toward mine. “Deal,” he mumbled before our mouths touched. Then his fingers darted under my shirt, like he was going to start the art project right now.

His fingers danced along my skin, tickling me as much as caressing me. I was laughing in between our playful kisses and wishing that we could somehow sneak off of this bus and escape into a private hotel room.

“Well, this is familiar,” said a voice from behind me.

I broke apart from Kellan’s lips to glance at the now-open bus curtain. Being walked in on didn’t startle me as much as it used to, but it still wasn’t something I enjoyed. When I saw who was here, shock washed through me. “Jenny?”

My blond best friend giggled as she bounced on her toes. “Surprise!”

I squealed in Kellan’s ear and shot up off of his lap. I collided with Jenny and held her tight as new tears stung my eyes. It had only been a couple of months, but it felt like forever since I’d last seen her. After our exuberant greeting, I noticed who was behind her. “Kate? Rachel? Cheyenne?”

Seeing all of my favorite people from Seattle here in D.C. was beyond odd. They seemed stranger to me than all the hoopla surrounding Kellan and another woman. Jenny laughed at the look on my face as I twisted between my girlfriends and Kellan; a small, knowing smile was plastered on Kellan’s face, so I figured he knew what was up. “What’s going on?”

Griffin and Anna were back from their shopping excursion. Anna was standing behind Cheyenne, her expression joyful. Griffin was loaded down with shopping bags and dramatically collapsed into a chair; a sea of colorful bags fell around him, and a couple of blue onesies fell to the floor.

Looping her arm around Rachel, Anna handed me the only thing that she was carrying—a completely black plastic bag. A little nervous, I gingerly removed it from her hand and peeked inside. There were a plethora of things in the bag, but a giant penis staring me in the face was the thing that really got my attention. Cinching the bag closed, my eyes snapped to Kellan’s. “Okay, seriously, what the hell is going on?”

Kellan laughed as he stood and put an arm around me. “We’re officially getting married next month, and Anna and Griffin just tied the knot, so we”—he pointed at Anna and himself—“decided a little celebration was in order.”

Anna held her belly while she bounced on her toes. “Dual bachelorette party, Kiera!”

I looked over all of my friends, shocked. They had all flown across the country with hardly any notice to help Anna and I celebrate our weddings? And, I suppose, in Jenny and Rachel’s case, to visit with their boyfriends.

After hugging each friend in turn, I looked back at Kellan. “You arranged all of this?”

He smiled and shrugged. “Our lives are crazy. When moments to remember happen, you have to pause a second to appreciate them. Otherwise none of this”—he indicted the bus—“is worth it. And getting married to you is definitely a moment to remember.”

I heard a dreamy sigh escape Kate’s lips as my eyes misted. Griffin intruded on my romantic moment by doing what he did best. He opened his mouth. “And while you guys are drooling over dudes, we’ll be swimming in a sea of half-naked babes.”

Anna elbowed him in the stomach, but she laughed. I looked back at Kellan. He shook his head. “We’re just going to a bar after the show tonight.”

Griffin pouted. “I said I wanted a strip club.”

Kellan gave him a flat look. “And I said I wanted a bar. If you want to do separate bachelor parties, then by all means, go to a strip club tonight. But I don’t feel like celebrating my marriage with overpriced alcohol and glitter.”

Griffin rolled his eyes and made a sound like a whip being cracked. Kellan only smiled at him. I faced my sister. “And what exactly are we doing tonight?”

Anna gave me a wide smile. “Oh, don’t you worry about the details. I’ve got everything under control.”

Hours later, I was staring at myself in the mirror contemplating whether I should kiss my sister or deck her. Her master plan to celebrate our nuptials was to dress all of us girls in matching outfits that were half Robert Palmer video chick and half Muppet. We were all wearing skintight, short, long-sleeved dresses. Jenny and Anna had done everyone’s makeup—bright red lipstick and smoky eyes—and Cheyenne and Kate had pulled everyone’s hair back into long, sleek ponytails. I thought we were going to leave the dressing up at resembling “Addicted to Love” fill-ins, but I should have known that wasn’t flashy enough for my sister. Once we were all uniformly dressed, she’d pulled out the coup de grace—an assortment of neon colored wigs.

As I fingered the bright pink hair in my reflection, Anna joined me. Giggling at her own mass of electric blue hair, she exclaimed, “We look f*cking hot!”

Turning around, I examined my sister’s outfit. Even with a belly large enough to house two small children, she looked good. I had no doubts she would be hit on at some point. “I feel ridiculous, Anna.”

Making a dismissive noise, Anna smoothed my short, pink bob. “Well, you look amazing.”