Saint Jude: Los Angeles Bad Boys (16 page)

I
thought falling
in love sucked, because it meant letting go and surrendering everything I fucking knew.

Turns out, doing that shit—the surrendering—makes for a life better than I could have predicted.

I know I’m getting pretty damn sentimental, but shit, I’ve got reason to be.

Today is Etta’s first birthday, and the day I plan on putting a ring on my woman’s finger.

Catalina has no idea … and hell, I’m ready to surprise her. To make promises to her. To be her man forever.

“I got Etta dressed,” Cat tells me, walking into our kitchen in dark denim and a flowery blouse. “She’s on the patio with our mom’s,

“You got dressed up, huh?” I tease her, knowing Catalina prefers tank tops and cut-offs to anything dressy.

“I know, right? I’m such a grown-up.” She laughs, wrapping her arms around my neck. “You can’t get mad, but I think Holden and Bexley are gonna trump Etta’s birthday.”

“What do you mean?” My hands are on her waist and I have about a dozen ideas of where else I’d like to rest them.

“Well, Bexley called, telling me she had some big announcement. I think she’s gonna tell us she’s engaged.”

I pull back, look in her eyes. “Really? You think? No way would Holden have kept that from me.”

But even as I say it, I realize I haven’t asked his opinion on my own proposal this afternoon.

“I know. I think Evangeline is gonna be all weepy.”

“Why’s that?” I ask, suddenly feeling like a total guy, out of the loop on everything.

“Because Cassius has been hinting at a potential engagement for months, but he hasn’t gotten down on one knee. I think she’d like to get a ring on her finger first, is all.”

“Well, this day is about Etta,” I say. “And if our friends are happy, I’m happy. I’m just glad everyone is coming over to celebrate.”

“And to spoil our girl rotten,” Catalina says, smirking. “She doesn’t need anything.”

As if on cue, Cassius and Evangeline walk through the front door. Evie carries a bouquet of balloons and Cassius has a toddler-sized piano in tow.

“What’s that?” I ask, stepping away from my girl to give him a fist bump.

“It’s a piano. Evie and I thought it was apropos.”

“She’s gonna love it,” Catalina says, grinning. “She’s on the patio; should we take it out?”

“And I’ll get us some drinks,” I say, headed to the fridge for beers and a bottle of white.

Out on the patio, drinks in hand, we stand around listening to Etta pound viciously against the keyboard.

“She’s a natural,” Marshal says, his arm around Cat’s mom’s waist. “I’ll be signing her to KMG any day.”

“No way,” Holden says, walking out the sliding glass doors, Bexley behind him. “My niece is gonna be a movie star.”

Bexley is grinning, and with her classic black-and-white attire, her hair swept up on her head in a bun, and her ruby red lips, she looks like a million bucks … which is more or less the truth. This girl won an Oscar this year, putting her—and Jude’s film—on the books for being a completely unexpected break out.

“What has you so happy?” Cassius asks Bex, handing her a glass of white wine.

“Oh. Um. Well. Okay.” She looks up at Holden, then, as if unable to contain her excitement, she throws her hand to the center of the circle, displaying a gorgeous solitaire diamond on her ring finger. “We’re engaged!”

Everyone starts talking, offering their congratulations.

“Oh, my god!” Evangeline says, dropping her jaw. For a moment I think she’s about to burst into tears, but instead, she tosses her hand into the center of the circle, too.

Another diamond ring.

Another engagement.

“I had no idea you were proposing,” Cassius tells Holden, and the two of them clap one another on the back.

“This is fucking great,” I say, congratulating them both. I look over at Catalina, who’s smiling graciously, asking the right questions—if Holden and Cash got down on one knee, and what the moment was like. The moms are animated, and Etta is just throwing her fingers over the piano keys, giving the moment the perfect pint-sized ambience.

“Sorry to trump your girl’s big day,” Holden says. “But we knew we couldn’t keep it a secret.”

“No. It’s awesome,” I tell him, meaning it. Etta won’t remember this day, but Cat will. And I’m currently more worried about her big day being trumped.

Her engagement being eclipsed.

Catalina pulls on my arm, “We should bring out the cake, don’t you think?”

“Yeah,” I tell her as we walk into the kitchen. “And later you can blow out my candles.”

“I don’t want to start a fire,” she says coyly. “But don’t worry, I will certainly blow on something.”

* * *

L
ater
, everyone has watched Etta unwrap more presents than any child needs, finished their cake, posed for pictures, and told us the details of the proposals. Holden took Bexley on a private helicopter ride, where they looked over the Hollywood sign. Cassius wrote a song for Evangeline, and sang it to her on the beach as the embers from their bonfire faded.

No fucking pressure.

Still, a big flashy proposal is not what Catalina would want. She would want to be here, in her home, with the people she loves. That is all—to her, that is everything.

“It’s just so crazy,” Evangeline tells Bex. “Being engaged together.”

“It is,” Marshall says, “You kids should have a double wedding.”

“Can you imagine?” Bexley says, staring at the ring on her finger. Then she laughs. “Though, honestly, it’s not the worst idea. I mean … half the work, double the fun.”

Evangeline grins. “Seriously, and the guys would be happy, they wouldn’t be flying solo on their big day.”

I know my opening when I see it. “But you know what’s better than a double wedding?” I ask.

“What’s that?” Cat asks, taking the bait. Etta is in her arms, with frosting on her upper lip, her party dress rumpled and her eyes blinking slowly as she heads toward sleep. Catalina kisses her forehead, rubbing her back.

“A triple wedding.” I fall to one knee, pull an antique ring from my pocket and present it to her. “Catalina,” I say.

She’s completely caught off-guard and shakes her head in shock. I reach for her finger, holding her hand.

“You make me a better man, a better father. And more than anything, I want to be your husband. I want to be yours. Marry me. And make me the happiest man on earth.”

“Jude.” Her word is an echo, her face flooded with tears. “Jude, of course I’ll marry you. I love you.”

I slip the ring on her finger and stand, wrapping her and my baby girl in a hug, feeling like the goddamn luckiest man in the world.

“This is insane,” Cash hollers. Everyone’s clapping, laughing, surprised.

Trish pulls us into a hug, and my mom does, too. Everyone exclaims their surprise. Bex takes Etta from Cat, and I pull Cat into my arms.

“Jude,” Cat says, her arms around my neck. “You planned this?”

“Of course I did. I just didn’t plan on the other two engagements today.”

“I love you,” she tells me, kissing me, and the world around us disappears for a moment as we melt against one another.

“I love you more.”

“Do you love us, too?” Evie asks, breaking the stolen moment. “Because we want to know if you’re in.”

“In what?” Cat asks, laughing. She turns to face our friends, but her eyes are on the engagement ring. Precious stones in a rainbow of colors, set against gold. There’s no other ring like it on the planet.

“In for the triple wedding,” Bexley asks. “It’s a go.”

“What are you talking about?” Cat asks, laughing.

“Are you in? Or are you one of those bridezillas who needs things perfect?” Holden asks, teasing his sister.

“I do not need things perfect,” Cat says. Looking up at me, she adds. “I mean, I already got pretty damn lucky.”

“So it’s a go?” Evie asks, laughing. “I mean, it would be pretty epic.”

“And pretty….” I trail off, not wanting Catalina to feel any pressure about this crazy idea—an idea I happen to like. I mean, my two best friends, their women, and the start of our lives? Pretty epic, actually.

“Pretty cool,” Catalina finishes. “I mean, only if the wedding was as crazy as this concept.”

“Right,” Cassius adds. “Like, it would have to be in Vegas or Monte Carlo or something insane.”

“A Vegas wedding?” my mom asks. “That sounds like … exactly what I’d expect from you three.”

“Is this for real?” Holden asks, laughing. “I mean, on a bullshit scale, how much bullshit are we talking?”

“I’m not bullshiting,” Evie says. “I think it sounds fun.”

Cash pipes up. “And my buddy Jack Harris has connections in Vegas. His best friend Ace owns a hotel. We can get married there.”

“This is bananas.” Catalina shakes her head.

“Like, good bananas or bananas-bananas?” Bexley asks.

“Like banana splits with a freaking cherry on top,” Cat says. “I mean, who does this?”

“Apparently, we do,” Holden says, laughing, raising his glass.

“To a triple wedding in Las Vegas,” I say, pulling Cat close to me.

“To us,” she says, the rim of her glass clinking against mine. “To us all.”