I smile. “What can I say? I’m a corny caveman.”
“And I’m one very lucky girl.” She lifts my left arm to inspect the tattoo, then leans in to place a quick kiss right above it. The feeling sears through my skin more than the tattoo needle ever did. “And now I want to go back to the room and make up for lost time. And you’re giving me a full tattoo tour.” She smiles as she kisses me.
And in that moment, I know the exact tattoo that I need to get next.
35
Nikki
“Evan better puta ring on Amelia’s finger, because I quite enjoy flying on his private jet,” I say as I look out at the clear skies from my cushy window seat.
Tony grunts. “You might not have to wait too long for that.”
I whip back to face him where he’s sitting across from me. “What? He’s proposing? Did he say when? Does he have the ring? Does he need my help?”
Tony runs a hand over his face. “At Christmas, Evan pulled Dad and me aside to ask for her hand in marriage. My dad was in tears before Evan got the full question out. Needless to say, he got his blessing. Mine too.” Tears instantly start flowing from my eyes. “But I’m sorry, baby. I can’t tell you any more information. I’ve been sworn to secrecy.” He smiles warmly.
I wave him away. “Just make sure I’m not wearing white or any light colors that day. Deal?”
“Deal.”
I take a deep breath and wipe my tears away. I can’t believe my best friend is going to be a bride. A wife. She’s going to be so happy, and I can’t wait to be with her every step of the way.
“Do all women do this, or are you just that happy for Amelia?” he teases.
“She’s like my sister. I’m planning her bridal brunch as we speak.”
He groans. “Stop calling yourself her sister. That would make us… you know.”
I roll my eyes and scoff. “Sorry. Amelia was first, and you know what they say; you never forget your first.” I smile widely.
“Pfft. What am I? Chopped liver over here?”
“Don’t worry, I got a saying for you too.” I tap my chin dramatically. “Ah, yes. You never forget your worst.”
“Excuse me?” He almost spits out his water, looking offended.
“You were my worst New Year’s kiss.” I put my hands up defensively. “My fault, to be fair. I tainted it with all my lying and whatnot. But we’ve clearly long since redeemed ourselves. Just look at us now!” I laugh.
The infamous scowl is back, and to be honest, I kinda missed it. “Consider yourself lucky that the seat belt sign is on,” he warns.
I feel my body start to tingle, remembering a few days ago when he made good on his promise and bent me over his knees. I had to wear my swimsuit coverup the rest of the day to hide his handprints.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” He smirks as he takes another sip. I swear this man can read my mind.
“Pardon my reach.” Cortney, our flight attendant, places a charcuterie board on the table that stands between us. “We have some meats and cheeses, freshly sourced from the Dominican Republic, on the board, along with some fruit and nuts.” She places a cute bottle next to the board. “And this is Harissa Hot Honey. A sweet and spicy honey that goes well with just about everything. The brand is actually owned by a Dominican woman, Gloribelle Perez. She and Evan struck up a deal to have an endless supply of her honey on board once Amelia fell in love with it and the funny owner.” She chuckles.
I’m digging in and drizzling the honey on everything before she even has the chance to place a few water bottles on the table.
“Do you know when you go back to work? The two-week suspension should be over in a few days, right?” I ask as I reach for a grape on the table between us.
Tony visibly tenses at my question. He waits until Cortney walks away before answering. “Yeah, not exactly sure about that.” His grip on his water bottle tightens, making the bottle crackle. “I got an email this morning from my sergeant. I have a meeting with him and a couple of other higher-ups on Monday. Seems like they’re still riding a high from the media circus Amelia’s attack created. And by the looks of it, they’re trying to spin it and make me look like the new NYPD poster boy.”
“I don’t get it. Why would they suspend you, only to then use you as positive PR?”
He sighs deeply, looking like he’d probably like to be having any conversation but this one. “When I didn’t wait for backup and shot Amelia’s kidnapper, it was a clear violation of protocol. The shot was clean. Julian had a gun aimed at me. And he had a knife on Amelia. But the force panicked because they need to keep everything above board to avoid any police-related scandals.” He places the mangled water bottle on the table. “Clearly, Amelia’s relationship with a famous billionaire turned the series of events into a telenovela. Having her brother save her must be exactly the kind of heartwarming story morning talk shows salivate over. And now, I fear they might try to take advantage of my brown skin and use me as their shield for any racial accusations or deflections.”
“You can’t let them do that, love. You’re not a media puppet. And the NYPD can’t just use you for good press. That’s disgusting.” My blood boils at the thought of anyone capitalizing on Tony, by weaponizing the color of his skin.
