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“You’re late, brother!”
We’re shown to a booth with the best view of the stage. Buckets of champagne and glasses of whiskey line the table.
“Look who’s here!” Elle crows.
“Jax’s kids derailed me.”
“Was Rose being demanding?” Annie asks, and Tyler pulls her against his side.
“She was innocent. Sophie, on the other hand…”
“Did she crash the truck again?”
“Again?!”
Annie and Tyler exchange a look as our hostess pours drinks—my favorite whiskey for me, a vodka for my brother.
We clink glasses.
Then I’m looking at the stage, the whiskey a smooth burn down my throat.
Raegan’s dark hair swings around her shoulders, her brows knit and lips pursed in concentration.
I love that expression.
Almost as much as I love kissing that focus away when she’s done.
She blew into my life like a storm. I tried to control her, but she defied every attempt.
No matter that I own the biggest chain of nightclubs in the world and she was an aspiring DJ and producer. She didn’t care about my empire.
She demanded I do better. Be better.
I vowed I would. For her and the thousands of people who worked for me, the hundreds of thousands who entrust themselves to me by stepping into my clubs knowing they’ll be entertained, kept safe, and respected.
“The first time we watched her at Debajo, you were going to wring my throat for looking,” Sebastian reminds me.
“I’m grateful she has better taste and you have more sense.”
His laugh is lost in the music.
I spent years mourning the family I lost.
Now, I want what Jax has.
I think of Haley’s teasing. Sophie’s smudged face and easy smile. Annie and Tyler, who visit as often as their schedules allow.
Don’t take it for granted.
I retrieve a Montblanc from the pocket of my suit to write on a cocktail napkin.
When our hostess returns, I give her instructions and the napkin, then I turn back to the stage and watch the theater unfold.
A silver bucket of bottled water appears next to the deck. Raegan reaches into it, ignoring the water and finding the napkin.
She looks up to meet my gaze, and the connection affects me from here.
Raegan straightens in the booth, then lifts one hand in the air, her third finger extended so the gem I bought her catches the lights.
