Drilled, p.6
Drilled, page 6
I want Harley.
Finally, I open my eyes to find Harley standing over me with an expression that’s a mix of amusement and worry.
“Thank you, Harley. I would love you whether or not you ripped out the garden tub. For the record.”
He grins. “I know.”
I roll my eyes. “Get in here.”
Harley laughs, drops his hammer, and starts to remove his work gloves.
“Leave the gloves on,” I say. He shakes his head but then leaves them on, humoring me, and joins me in the tub.
He pushes my tweed-covered knees apart and leans in for the kiss I’ve been missing all day.
Harley covers me in his warmth, dirt, and fresh sweat.
And I am home.
EPILOGUE
Harley
One year later
Everyone is here for the big day.
My brothers and Mom and Dad, of course. Even our aunts, uncles, and cousins from snooty Gold Hill held their noses and crossed the river to attend my wedding in Fate.
I guess that’s an exaggeration.
More and more, people on both sides of the river seem to set those old rivalries aside for happy events.
Buck’s wife Grace worked her magic and arranged for my old Marine buddies I was stationed with to attend as well.
The guest list has grown so long that we had to find a new venue. Charlotte and I originally wanted a simple ceremony in the garden behind Hilltop House, but the square footage wasn’t large enough.
We considered having it in the park by the lake, at the courthouse with a live band in the gazebo, but the city permits were too complicated, and our date conflicted with the annual Autumn Festival. The town has grown so much since Wood Brothers Construction started rehabilitating old houses here that it seems like an event is happening downtown almost every weekend.
Without prompting, Buck offered up the Paget mansion for the wedding. It was too generous but also too perfect to pass up.
After all, the Paget Mansion was where the brothers’ adventures in Fate had begun.
Charlotte, Presley, Grace, and our sister Susan have transformed the carriage house out back into a luxury bridal suite for the event. This groom’s suite is Grace’s office, but has been outfitted for the big day. There’s a bar cart in the corner where Nick, Donovan, and Eli pour rounds of shots with Dad. Grace has set up a ping pong table over her desk. Comfortable chairs and sofas are arranged around a crackling fire, and the window has a view of all the guests currently enjoying cocktail hour before the ceremony.
“Thanks again, brother,” I say to Buck, who’s finishing up shaving in the mirror. “For everything.”
He wipes the remaining patches of shaving cream from his face and slaps on the moisturizer that Grace has started making him use.
“We’re brothers. We stick together.”
Damn, I don’t want to get emotional before I even see my bride. “I know I’ve ridden on your and Wade’s coattails, and I haven’t been the best at making financial decisions.”
Wade wanders over with a concerned look, examining his tux. “Damn, did I pick up the wrong tuxedos? You didn’t say anything about tails!”
This breaks through the tension of the moment, and I have to laugh at my brother. “No, man. I was talking about me and my bad decisions. I appreciate you guys for letting me buy Hilltop House the way you did.”
Wade blinks at me. “Bro. I literally wired my entire savings to a Russian oligarch. So I can’t be the one to throw stones.”
Buck adds, “I hired a contractor because I liked the look of her, and then I made her full-time with benefits without consulting my business partners so I could keep an eye on her 24/7.”
Wade snorts. “Gold Hill is not sending their best or their brightest.”
Buck groans at the joke, then gestures at the two of us, the way he always does when taking charge of something that’s gone off the rails. “The point, gentlemen, is we found the loves of our lives, who accept us for who we are. I don’t know about you, but I think these amazing humans we found, this town, and all the friends we’ve made make us better.”
Wade’s throat bobs, and he looks out the window as his wife, Presley, scurries toward the house. “Same, brother. Same.”
At the end of the day, the brothers always have my back.
Two seconds later, there’s a delicate knock on the door.
Wade opens it to find Presley there, an excited grin on her face. “It’s time!”
It’s time. “I’m about to get married,” I say.
Buck slaps me on the back.
Presley leads me down the hallway, away from the action, as Wade and Buck fall in line behind me.
“Where are we going?”
Presley winks back at me as she hurries me through the library and out the side door to the mansion’s secret garden, fenced off from the rest of the property. Grace has installed a small koi pond, benches, boulders, ornamental trees, and shrubs with cascading florals. It’s a favorite hideaway for the weekly book club with Grace, Presley, Charlotte, and half a dozen other women in Fate.
“Pres, what are we doing out here?” I ask my sister-in-law.
“We thought you’d want your first looks to be private rather than in front of the entire town,” Buck says. “Well, semi-private.”
I turn to my brothers and Nick, who stand behind me with shit-eating grins on their faces. Grace, my parents, and a photographer are here as well.
My heart might pound out of my chest.
Charlotte emerges through the garden gate. And I can’t feel my face.
Her dress is the lightest shade of lilac, embroidered with pearls and floral lace. More importantly, her face wears a smile that’s all for me.
“Hi,” she says.
“Charlotte,” I croak out.
Hands slap my back, and my brothers murmur something. I’m pretty sure Mom and the others are dabbing their eyes with tissues.
Everything blurs but Charlotte. My bride. The love of my life.
I don’t remember going to her, all I know is I have to feel her to make sure this is real.
Her scent fills me, reassuring me that this is our wedding day and this is really happening. It’s not a dream.
She squeezes my arm. “You look so handsome,” Charlotte says, tears welling up.
“I clean up good,” I say.
She shakes her head. “Aren’t you going to kiss me?”
“I want to, but I don’t want to mess up your makeup.”
She laughs. “Believe me, it’s not going anywhere; this setting spray is magic.”
That’s all the permission I need to kiss my wife ahead of the main event.
I only hope that the setting spray repels moisture because my eyes are leaking all over her perfect face as I capture her lips with mine.
“I was so nervous, but I felt so much better as soon as I saw you,” she says as I kiss her forehead, careful not to mess up her perfect updo.
“Me too. I thought Presley was taking me to the interrogation room or something. To make sure I was gonna be good to you.”
I don’t know how long we stand there like this, basking in each other.
“Kids, it’s time,” Dad chimes in.
She looks into my eyes with zero uncertainty. “You ready? Don’t be nervous. It’s about to be a fun day.”
One more kiss to her pretty lips. “It’s about to be a fun life.”
“You promise?” Charlotte asks, her eyes dancing and eager.
“Cross my heart, pretty baby. Let’s go.”
THE END
Thank you for reading Screwed!
If you enjoyed the Wood Brothers and all the characters in Fate they met along the way, then you’ll love the entire Roadside Attractions series. Check out all eight main books in the series, all available in KU.
And don’t forget these three related short-reads:
Next To You (KU)
Accidentally Inn Love (Available wide)
Foreign Exchange (KU)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abby Knox writes feel-good, high-heat romance that readers have described as quirky, sexy, adorable, and hilarious.
Abby’s favorite tropes include: Forced proximity, opposites attract, grumpy/sunshine, age gap, boss/employee, fated mates/insta-love, and more. Abby is heavily influenced by Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gilmore Girls, and LOST. But don't worry, she won’t ever make you suffer like Luke & Lorelai.
If any or all of that connects with you, then you came to the right place.
Say hello at authorabbyknox@gmail.com
Find links to all my social media pages, and be sure to sign up for my newsletter at authorabbyknox.com to get free stuff!
ALSO BY ABBY KNOX
All my books are stand-alone romances, each with its own HEA. No cliffhangers or cheating!
The Wood Brothers
Nailed
Screwed
Drilled
Reckless Royals
Favored Prince (Torben and Hailey)
Bad Prince (Etienne and Kala)
Wild Prince (Sigurd and Stasi)
Forgotten Prince (TBA!)
Stolen Crown (Flora and…?? TBA!)
If you want more stand-alone Kindle Unlimited reads, I’ve got plenty…
Are You For Reel?
The Bodyguard and His Bunny
A Little Amusement
511 Kissme Lane
V-Card Vacation
Hail Mary
The Halloween Flip
Snow Plowed
Prefer to dive into a series?
All stories in the three trilogies below are stand-alone romances, with interconnected side characters in the same town and/or family.
Small-Town Gossip
(contemporary romance set in Darling Creek. Tropes include: small town, insta love, workplace romance)
Do That To Me
Say That To Me
Love That For Me
The Mail-Order Brides of Darling Creek
(tropes include: age gap, mail/e-mail order brides, small town, insta love, cowboy)
A Baby for the Bride
A Week to Wed
Her Guardian Groom
The complete bundle
The Cowboy Auction of Darling Creek
(tropes include: dating auction, small town, cowboy, insta love)
The Cowgirl’s Bid
Winning the Cowboy
Her Forbidden Prize
The complete bundle
Homemade Heat
(Tropes include: age gaps, workplace romances, dad’s best friend)
Judge Me
Cake Walk
Hand-Tossed
Chef’s Kiss
Bite Me
The complete bundle
Need more? More titles are available on iBooks, Barnes & Noble, Scribd, Smashwords and more! Please visit my website at authorabbyknox.com.
Abby Knox, Drilled
