“So I hear the two of you are going on a little getaway?” Sierra says, looking between us.

“Yeah, just for three nights,” I reply. We booked everything yesterday, plane flights and accommodation, and I can’t wait.

“Sounds fun,” she replies, smirking at her brother.

“I’m so happy the two of you got back together,” Mari says, her bright blue eyes twinkling. “I always loved you, Vi, even as a kid. I remember you looking after us when we were sick once, and at Dash’s basketball games.”

“And I remember you teaching me about girl code at the age of nine,” I tease, making her and Savanah laugh.

Dash wraps his arm around me and says, “I overheard the twins talking one day, about how I needed to ask Vi out and they thought I needed help because I hadn’t made a move, but they couldn’t talk to me about it, because of the girl code.”

We all share a laugh at that.

“That was the moment I knew I had to get off my ass and ask you out though,” he says, watching me and smiling fondly. “So maybe I owe the twins a thank you.”

The girls share a look, and then Mari guilty admits, “Actually, we kind of knew you were there.”

“We wanted you to hear,” Savannah adds, smirking. “You had to go after her. Sierra told us Jamie Derrick was going to ask her out, and we didn’t want her with anyone else except you.”

“Yeah, a few guys had their eye on Viola, but they were scared to ask her out, because of Max and Dash,” Sierra says, playing with the hoops in her ears. “I had no idea you would use that information to manipulate Dash though.” She pauses and nods, looking impressed. “At age nine…not bad, girls.”

“We’ve always been schemers,” Mari admits, high-fiving her sister. “Schemers for life.”

Dash groans and shakes his head. “My sisters.”

“You love us,” Mari says, blowing Dash a kiss.

“You do,” Savannah chimes in.

“He does,” Sierra agrees.

I look around the room and just feel so happy. I can’t even express how much.

“You guys have to come over every week,” I blurt out.

They agree.

And Dash gives me a look that I feel right in my bones.

The softest, most tender look I’ve ever received from him before.

A look that tells me without words that he loves me.

A look that makes today one of the best days of my life.

Chapter Eighteen

“Where were you?” Dash asks, glancing down at his watch. “Everyone’s expecting us in twenty minutes.”

“Sorry,” I say, wincing. “I was at the shopping centre and lost track of the time. Give me a second and I’ll be ready.”

I put my bags down and rush into my room to get changed. I come out a few minutes later and grab my bag. “Okay, let’s go.”

Tonight, there’s a charity event at Knox Tavern. They are charging an entry fee to the bar, and all the proceeds are going to charity. It’s a karaoke night, plus they are doing raffles and other things to raise money. Summer said we have to be there to help out, so everyone is coming along.

“You were shopping?” Dash asks, sounding curious as we make our way out the front door. “What did you buy?”

“Umm, some clothes,” I reply as I get in the car. “And a new pair of shoes.” I pull out my lipstick and apply some in the mirror in front of me, trying to make myself look a little dressier. “I’m really sorry I ran late, babe. I’ll tell Summer it was all my fault.”

“It’s fine, Vi,” Dash says, taking my upper arm and pulling me toward him. “But you haven’t kissed me yet.”

I bring my lips to his and kiss him deeply, only pulling back when things start to get a little too heated.

“Why do we always do this?” I ask out loud. “Whenever we have to be somewhere?”

Dash just chuckles. “I always want you, Vi, but I can wait until after the event.”

“Well, thank goodness for that,” I say in a dry tone, reaching over and placing my hand on his upper thigh. “Are you going to sing tonight?”

“No,” he says straight away. “I’m driving and not drinking, and there’s no way I’ll be getting up there sober.”

“I can drive if you want to drink,” I offer, not minding one bit. “I’m sure the guys will want you to have a drink with them.”

“No, baby,” he tells me. “I’ll drive us home. You can enjoy yourself and have a drink to relax. I know you’ve had a stressful week at work.”

I had. I’d been working overtime and taking on more and more clients. Having a few drinks isn’t going to solve any of my issues, but it might be good to relax and forget about work and my to-do list for one night.

“Okay, if you’re sure. We could always catch a taxi home and get the car tomorrow morning.”

He nods. “True, I guess we’ll just see how we go then.”

The bar is completely packed when we get there, which is definitely a good thing tonight. We pay the entry and then look around for any familiar faces. We find everyone at a table in the corner, having a drink and a bite to eat. Summer and Reid are missing, but Xander, Trillian, Ryan, Taiya, and Clara are there. I look to the bar and see Tag working, along with a few other bartenders I’ve never seen before. We all say our hellos, the music not too loud, which allows us to talk without raising our voices.

“What do you want to drink?” Dash asks in my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

“Gin and tonic please,” I say, using my go-to drink. Sometimes I like to change it up, but I think I’ll stick to my signature drink tonight.

“Okay, I’ll be back,” he says, pulling out a chair for me to sit next to Ryan.

I sit down just as Ryan says, “He’s such a gentleman, our Dash.”

I grin and reply with, “He is, isn’t he? How come you aren’t working, but everyone else is?”

“I’ll swap with Reid and Summer in an hour or so,” he explains. “So they can enjoy a little bit too. We hired extra staff for the night, so it will be fine.”

“If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know.”

“I think Summer wants you to handle one of the raffles,” he says, pushing his blond hair out of his eyes. “I’m sure she will find you when she needs you.”

“Okay, no problem,” I say, just as Dash returns with my drink.

He places it on the table and says, “Reid wants help out the back, so I’ll be right back.” He kisses my cheek and looks to Ryan. “Keep an eye on her.”

Ryan nods, but as Dash leaves, he glances around. “What could possibly happen to you here?”

I shrug my shoulders and take a sip of my drink. “Who knows?”

“You better stay right here, Vi,” he says, pointing to the table. “He will murder me otherwise.”

“As if you’re not protective like that,” Taiya says, amusement flashing in her eyes. “You only realise how ridiculous it is when another man is doing it, but you do the exact same thing.”

“I’m not that bad,” Ryan huffs, lifting his chin.

“Last week, you threatened a guy who accidentally bumped into me,” she says in a dry tone. “He was trying to apologise, but you kept telling him to get his sleazy eyes off your wife.”

“He was looking at your tits!” Ryan growls, shaking his head. “I can’t stand there and let some guy ogle you.”

Taiya ignores Ryan and looks at me. “He wasn’t being sleazy. Ryan was just overreacting.”

“Xander’s the same,” Trillian says, rolling her eyes at him. “I think it’s all of them.”

I look at Clara. “Tag?”

“The same,” she replies. “Why do you think I’m here, even though he’s working? He refused to leave me alone at the house.”

We all share a laugh at that.

“Apparently, they’re all as bad as each other,” I say, biting on my straw.

“Bunch of alpha males,” Taiya adds, but shoots Ryan a look that says she doesn’t mind one bit.

“We all chose beautiful women,” Xander says, kissing Trillian on the mouth. “I’m not possessive; I’m territorial. There’s a difference. I will protect what’s mine, because I never want to lose her, but I don’t try and control her or stop her from doing whatever she wants. I just make sure I’m there by her side to keep her out of trouble.”