Drilled by K.M. Neuhold
Chapter 25
APOLLO
Ridge climbs out of the passenger side of my car, clutching a container of homemade potato salad in one hand, an easy smile stretching over his lips, tempting me to round the car and steal a quick taste.
He chuckles against my mouth, sliding his free hand into mine.
“You ready for this?” I check.
As much as I would rather keep our private life private, I was fully on board with telling the guys about our relationship once things were official. It was Ridge who put the brakes on that for the past few weeks. I think there was part of him that was worried things would go sideways at the family dinner and ruin everything.
“Are you ready?” he tosses the question back with raised eyebrows. “You know they’re going to ask all sorts of prying questions and shit.”
I grunt and shrug one shoulder. “Let them.”
“Are we going to tell them…?” He bobbles his head, leaving the unspoken question hanging between us.
A smirk flutters briefly over my lips. “Let’s see how it goes.”
“I think keeping secrets revs your engine,” Ridge accuses playfully as we make our way up the driveway and around to the back of Ollie and Daniel’s house.
“Look who’s talking.”
“Low blow,” he complains, still smiling as he shakes his head.
The murmur of voices reaches us as we round the corner to find all the guys milling around the deck while Ollie mans the grill.
“You’re late,” Miller calls out as soon as he sees us, his eyes dropping to our joined hands a second later. It seems like they all catch on at exactly the same moment, falling silent and then hitting us with a cacophony of teasing, congratulations, and finally.
West offers us both a beer, and we sit down in two open seats.
“Okay, so fess up, when did you two do the deed? We need to know who won the bet,” Miller asks, taking a sip from his beer and leaning against the railing of the deck.
“We’re saving it for our wedding night,” Ridge deadpans, and I bite back the urge to chuckle. I can’t be letting the guys think I’m all smiley and shit just because I finally got my man.
“Bullshit,” Cole says. “Come on.”
“You’re right, that is bullshit. Because we’re already married.” Ridge smirks, and I choke on a sip of beer before shooting him a glare. I know I said we’d play it by ear, but I figured we’d find a tactful way to break the news to the guys. Guess that’s out the fucking window.
“Hold the fuck up.” Ollie whirls around from his spot near the grill. “You’re lying, right? You two didn’t get married, did you?”
Ridge gives me an apologetic look, shrugging one shoulder and then taking a drink from his own beer.
“We’re married,” I admit, and then pandemonium erupts.
“You got married and didn’t invite any of us?” Stone seems completely astonished, as if I actually strike him as the type to want to gather a dozen people around to watch a private moment like that.
“We did it the traditional way, naked in the woods,” I say flatly.
“We already knew that,” Daniel jokes with a smirk.
“Seriously, when? Where? How?” Cole asks.
“Two weeks ago, at the courthouse,” Ridge answers. As for the how…we share a private look. That part is just for us, and he seems to be completely in agreement because he doesn’t go into the proposal or anything else.
Everett reaches over and pats me on the shoulder. “Congrats, guys.”
I grunt a thanks and take a sip of my drink, sneaking my hand over to hook my pinky around Ridge’s. He grins at the small contact, and my heart gives a little flip. I’m kind of glad he blurted it out like that. It’s nice to have everyone know that he’s mine, fully and forever.
Well…almost everyone. We still need to get around to telling my family, and something tells me my mom won’t be nearly as understanding about missing the wedding. We’ll cross that bridge in another few days or so.
I know he was teasing about me having a fetish for secrets, but in all honesty, it’s been nice that this has only been for us for the past couple of weeks. It gave us a chance to figure out how to live together and what married life looks like without having anyone breathing down our necks.
“We should throw you guys a reception,” Ollie suggests.
“Oh, what about a trip back to the beach,” Daniel suggests, sounding dreamy. “Hawaii was so much fun.”
“Yeah, it was,” Ren agrees, smiling at his husband with heat in his expression.
“Hell yeah, another vote for Hawaii,” West chimes in.
“Did we even agree to a reception?” Ridge asks me in a whisper.
“I think we’re past that.”
“Sure, it’s only our reception, after all.” He shakes his head with a smirk, and I let out a low chuckle.
“I could live with Hawaii,” I concede.
His eyes latch on to mine, full of warmth and love…shining with forever. “Me too,” he agrees.
“Seriously though, who won?” West tries one more time.
“I did,” I say easily.
Ridge squeezes his pink around mine. “We did.”
“Cheesy,” Stone complains.
“It’s sweet,” Ollie argues.
They’re both kind of right, but fuck if I care.
