Chasing Love's Wings (9 page)

I make a show of wiping drool from my chin, though I’m not actually drooling, and
she laughs. “So I take it you approve?” She smiles as she walks toward me. I can tell
that she is a little unsteady in her heels.
 

“Do they hurt?”
 

She shakes her head. “No, I just haven’t worn heels like this in a while. Takes me
a minute.” I embrace her as she comes to stand with me. I kiss her neck and then down
her shoulder. “I told you to behave yourself.”

“Yeah.” I snort. “Like that’s gonna happen.” She laughs. “Here,” I say as I hand her
one of the glasses of shiraz, and she takes a sip, then sets the glass down. “Don’t
like it?”
 

“No, it tastes great, I’m not sure if I’m over my alcohol binge. It turns my stomach.”

Good. But I don’t say that out loud. I get chills every time I think about what I
might’ve come home to if I hadn’t come home when I did. She was working herself into
some serious alcohol poisoning. The day after, she spent a good part of the day in
the bathroom as her drunk haze seemed to finally wear off and her hangover really
set in.
 

“Are you ready?” I ask, and she nods, heading toward the stairs.
 

******

Cami

******

When Tristan and I step out of the condo, there is a sleek black limo waiting for
us. I look at him and he shrugs, but I can see his goofy, I-have-no-idea-what-you’re-talking-about
grin on his face, and I smile.
 

This is really the first time we’ve been out since returning from Tarah. Things have
been pretty much business since the night he came home. Which has been good for me:
It is keeping my mind off of the fact that we’re going to Montana and that we will
be a short distance away from the ranch, where Bobby has been living for the last
year. While I want to go see him, I’m not sure I can do it without completely losing
it and going postal on him.
 

Though combing through all those videos and all that documentation I sort of understand,
there is more to it than what he is showing and I’m not sure I want to find out more
about his reasons. So many decisions to make.
 

We take the limo to pick everyone up — Ty and Jo, Beau and Mick, then finally Travis
and Naomi — then we are headed downtown to Excelsior, an exclusive restaurant and
bar plus nightclub that is frequented by local and visiting celebrities. I did my
due diligence to try and talk Tristan out of this place for tonight, mainly because,
as we pull up, there is a red carpet leading to the door, and lining either side of
that carpet are photographers waiting to see who is showing up.
 

“Oh, for hell,” Beau says as we pull up.
 

Ty and Tristan both laugh. “We can take you around back?” Ty says to her, and she
scowls at him. “Or not.”
 

Everyone starts laughing, but I know that, deep down, Beau is actually enjoying this.
I take her and Mick in. Mick looks nervous as hell, which is probably how he should
be. It’s a big night for him. I give him a reassuring smile as Beau is looking around
outside, waiting for our driver to come and open the door. No wonder Tyson insisted
on sandwiching me between him and Tristan.
 

“Tristan and Cami, you guys come out last. Maybe we can throw off the photogs if everyone
else climbs out first.”
 

“That might work if you weren’t getting out first.” Tristan chuckles. He knows that
Tyson’s face is as well known as Tristan’s, given that he is in all of Tristan’s candid
paparazzi shots.
 

“Good point, but oh well. You know how this goes.” The door suddenly opens and the
flashbulbs erupt. Jolene is followed by Mick and Beau climbing out first, and the
flashes stop.
 

“Hmph,” Beau huffs, and I start laughing. Naomi is next, but then the cameras start
up again. This group knows who she is, no doubt because she is caught with Travis
constantly.
 

The flashes pick up in double time as soon as Travis unfolds himself from the car.
 

“Here we go, ready?” Tristan asks me.
 

“No.” But he rolls his eyes. I say the same thing every time. I laugh.
 

He climbs out and I am immediately blinded by the mountain of flashes that begin firing
off, and I am still in the limo. Tristan stands and presents his hand inside the limo,
waiting for me to take it and climb out.

I do, and once again the cameras are going nuts. I know what is coming next. As soon
as I am standing, Tristan pulls me close, and with his other hand he lifts my chin
and kisses me in front of all of them. I ruin our kiss by laughing. I can’t help it;
he is so determined to keep the story straight and I love him a little bit more for
that.
 

The questions start flying as we walk toward the entrance, but Tristan doesn’t comment.

Once inside, it takes a minute for my eyes to adjust to the dimmer light inside. “Does
that ever get easier?” I mumble.
 

“No,” Travis, Tyson and Tristan all say at once, and all of us girls bust out laughing.
 

“Good evening, Mr. Michaels.” The female voice is a little too sweet, and I look at
her and watch her as she eye fucks my boyfriend. I lean a little closer into him and
watch as her face scowls. “Your table is ready,” she says, turning on her heels and
heading into the restaurant.
 

“What was that all about?” Tristan whispers as we follow our group to the table, and
I am instantly relieved that he didn’t notice.
 

“She was eye fucking you, so I thought I would show her who you belong to.”
 

He busts out laughing, then kisses my forehead. “I didn’t even notice. Not that I
would care. But I like this green-eyed version of you.”
 

“Tristan Michaels, I am not jealous,” I say a little too sharply.
 

He laughs again.
 

Okay, maybe a little, but I’m pretty sure he is coming home with me tonight.
 

We all take our seats, and within a matter of moments, two bottles of Cristal appear
and our glasses are being filled. I squeeze Tristan’s leg. Tonight is on him, and
he is already eight hundred dollars down on two bottles. Once all of our glasses are
filled, the bottles are placed in the center of the tables.

Tristan raises his glass. “A toast,” he says, and everyone, including myself, raises
their glasses. “To old friends.” I watch as he looks from Tyson to Travis, who are
sitting opposite each other. “And to new.” He looks to everyone else. “May this be
the start of lifelong friendships.”
 

“Hear, hear,” everyone says in unison, raising their glasses a little higher.
 

Tristan clinks his glass against mine and leans in to whisper, “And to the woman who’s
captured my heart.”
 

“I’ll drink to that.”
 

About halfway through dinner someone approaches our table, and it takes me a minute
to recognize who it is, but Beau doesn’t hesitate. She knows him all to easily, and
I feel a small hint of embarrassment at her eagerness.
 

“I hope you’re all enjoying your dinner.”
 

“Absolutely,” I say.
 

“It’s wonderful,” Tristan adds as he stands up to take the gentleman’s hand.
 

“Tristan, it is a pleasure to meet you.”
 

“Likewise. Thank you for accommodating our short notice reservations.”
 

“Anytime.” The man takes out his card and gives it to Tristan. “If you need anything,
just call. I’ll be happy to make it happen.”

“Thank you, sir.”
 

“Oh, no, don’t call me sir. Call me Mr. Aklund or Damon.”
 

“Certainly, Damon. Thank you again.”

“Absolutely, enjoy.” He nods and leaves the table. Tristan returns to his seat.
 

“Was that who I think it was?” Naomi gets a little excited. Tristan and I both nod.
“He’s hard to recognize without his stage makeup. I had no idea he owned this place.”
 

“I did, but never expected to actually see him here,” I said, and though I recognized
him, the name threw me off. He’s better known as Nikki Cliff, an eighties rocker that
has a strong presence in Phoenix.
 

The rest of dinner is a blast. We’re all having fun and joking around, much the way
we were in Tarah, and the alcohol keeps flowing, though after the initial drop of
Cristal, we all switch over to our signature drinks. While alcohol turns my stomach,
I decide that it is probably better to drink my way out of my aversion to it, and
Tristan doesn’t object.
 

Once our dinner plates are cleared away, we all order dessert. Though most of us are
pretty full, I insist. Tristan looks out of the corner of his eye at me, probably
because I’m very casually spending his money. But I have my reasons.
 

Desserts arrive, along with a dessert wine, and we are all treated to fresh glasses
of alcohol.
 

We’re all chattering on when I hear the clink of silverware against glass, and my
heart goes about a thousand beats per minute. I look immediately down the table to
Mick, who is shaking like a leaf.
 

“I’d like to propose a toast,” he says, and we all raise our glasses. “To the most
beautiful woman I know. The woman who keeps me sane and keeps me on my toes. The woman
who has my heart in every way possible.”
 

“Hear, hear.” We all raise once again and take a drink.
 

We all set our glasses down as Mick continues. “I’m so glad we could all get together
tonight, despite the fact that we are all going back to our work and our lives over
the next few days. These last few weeks have been a lot of fun. But before you go,
there is something I want all of you to see.” Mick stands up, sliding out from between
his chair and the table. He stands next to Beau at the head of the table. Then he
drops to one knee. “I can’t imagine spending the rest of my life without you in it.
You mean more to me than anything I could’ve ever thought possible, and I need you
in my life.” He produces a small black box from his pocket. “Beauty Allison Robinson,
will you marry me?”
 

I watch as Beau’s face goes beet red — she knows no one at this table knows her as
anything other than Beau — but she also starts crying. But she doesn’t answer. I know
she’s toying with Mick, and he begins to grown uncomfortable. “Yes,” she responds,
and we all clap as Mick places the ring on her finger and they kiss. Many of the other
restaurant patrons join in our applause.

Tristan leans over and kisses me, then whispers into my ear, “You knew about this?”
I nod. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Shh, it was a secret.”
 

He kisses me.
 

I pull back and stand, walking around the table to give Beau a hug.
 

“You bitch, you knew.”
 

I give her my best innocent face. “I have no idea what you’re—”

“Liar.” We laugh and hug.
 

I whisper in her ear, “Congratulations. I’m so happy for you.”
 

“I love you, girl,” she says, and we both squeeze a little tighter and then let go.
 

I go around her to Mick and hug him too. “Well done,” I whisper in his ear.

“Thanks for keeping the secret.”
 

I can’t help the breathy laugh that escapes. “You deserve to be happy and I am honored
that she’s the one that makes you that way.”

“Love ya, Cams,” he says, and we pull away from each other.
 

I look down the table at all of our friends — Tyson, Travis, Jolene, Naomi and of
course Tristan — and for the first time in twenty-five years I finally feel the love
that has been hiding there all along. It’s something I never knew I was capable of
until I met Tristan, and right now I feel as though my heart could explode with all
the overwhelming gratitude I’m starting to embrace toward each and every one of them.
 

Tristan smiles at me and I smile back. Those eyes are the eyes I know I can never
live without, and I love him even more for that.
 

“Let’s party, shall we?” I say, and everyone stands. Tristan handles the bill and
we all head into the nightclub part of Excelsior and kick off what turns out to be
a wonderful night of laughing, drinking, fun and lots of dancing.

TEN

******

Tristan

******

We finally return back to the condo after dropping everyone off at their places. I’m
exhausted but extremely excited about whatever Cami has planned. I behaved. Sort of.
It’s kind of hard when we’re dancing and she keeps grinding her ass into my crotch.
But I didn’t do anything that would embarrass her.

She kicks off her heels as soon as we make it inside, even before climbing the stairs.
Dammit, I wanted her to wear those.
 

She takes ahold of my hand and she leads me all the way to the top. We should’ve just
taken the elevator, but when I tried to drag her that direction she kept climbing
the stairs.

We come into the sitting area of her bedroom and she pushes me into the oversized
chair. “Wait there,” she says, and I obey like a lost little puppy wanting to be pet.
 

A few minutes go by and I start to wonder if she’s passed out on me, but before I
can stand to go looking for her, she’s standing before me in a silk robe, and coming
through the speakers is the first song she ever danced to for me. Porn Star Dancing
by My Darkest Days.