Promises (The Kings of Guardian Book 14) Read online

  A flurry of orders pinged on the thread, and Ember added hers.

  >JASMINE: Everyone come to mine. Joy, do you need help with the orders?

  >DANI: I’ll help. Meet you in the lobby. Justin is down in the gym. Probably in the sauna dying.

  > TATY: Mike has one eye open. He’s green.

  >KEELEE: Okay if I bring Lizzy? Adam is dry heaving.

  >TORI: Bring her to our suite, Jacob/Talon can watch her while we plot our revenge.

  >JILLIAN: No revenge plotting needed. I’ve got the scoop. Meet you in ten minutes.

  >JADE: It’s a date. Jazz, order us breakfast?

  >JASMINE: Got it. Hurry up.

  >JEWELL: Just woke up to find my husband passed out in the hall between the bathroom and the bedroom. WTF did they do last night?

  >JADE: They got stupid drunk. Make sure he’s breathing and come to Jazz’s.

  > JEWELL: The way he’s snoring, I’m pretty sure he’s breathing.

  A picture of Zane on his stomach, no shirt and no shoes or socks on the floor in the hall accompanied the text.

  Ember chuckled and headed back into the bedroom to change for an impromptu breakfast party in Jasmine’s room. Not more than five minutes later she was out of the bedroom again.

  “Where’re you going?” Joseph’s craggy voice stopped her as she walked past him.

  “Jasmine’s room for breakfast. Unless you’d rather I ordered something and eat it here? I’m in the mood for a big breakfast. Bacon, cheese grits, sunny-side-up eggs with runny yolks.”

  Joseph groaned and brought both hands to his face, covering it. “You don’t love me anymore.” The pitiful whine made her laugh.

  “Oh, you poor, poor man. That’s not true. I love you more than ever. I put two Tylenol on the counter in the bathroom. I’ll be back. You have six hours before you need to meet Mal at the venue. I suggest you drink a lot of water.”

  “I hate him.”

  “You don’t, he’s your best friend.” Ember grabbed her purse and dropped her phone into it. “I’ll be back in an hour or so.”

  The mumble Joey gave could have been anything.

  “Love you, too!” Ember smiled as she said the words a bit too loud and let the hotel door shut with a resounding thud.

  She took a right at the end of the hall and knocked on Jasmine’s door. The Kings had taken over all the suites at the Charlottesville hotel.

  “Hey!” Jasmine opened the door for her and then flipped the privacy bar so the door would remain open. “How bad is he?”

  “Alive enough to whine. He’s just lucky Blake is with Amanda and Frank. I could just imagine Blake doing a leaping pin move on Joey this morning. I hope he’s able to hold his head up by the time the bride walks down the aisle.”

  “No doubt. Chad will be back in time to get ready for the wedding.”

  “It was so nice of him to agree to sing.”

  “He likes the smaller crowds, but he wants this to be about Mal and Poet. We’ll enter right before the groomsmen and groom take their places. He’s playing the bridal procession on his guitar and singing one song, then, as soon as the bride and groom leave the sanctuary, we will dart out the side door to a waiting limo and head to Chad’s mom’s to pick up Chloe.”

  “It’s such a shame that you can’t enjoy the reception.”

  “I guess, but you learn to deal with it.” Jasmine sat down on one of the long leather couches. “So, what’s up with Aruba? Chad said something about maybe going there?”

  “When?”

  “Knock, knock.” Faith pushed the door open and sauntered in. Of all the sisters-in-law, Faith was the quietest and the sweetest.

  “Hey! Come on in.” Jazz waved at the seats. “Frank and Amanda land okay?”

  “They did. Jason is taking everyone to breakfast before they go back and get Gabriel and Anna.” Faith yawned and sighed. “Man, I don’t know what it is about this weather that makes me so dang tired.”

  “The lack of sunshine is my go-to answer.” Ember understood being tired—man, did she ever. “Where are Gabriel and Anna staying?”

  “What? I thought Gabriel and Anna were in D.C.?” Jade asked as she and Jewell walked in unannounced. Jade plopped down on the floor beside Jasmine, and Jewell curled up in the couch's corner.

  “Guess they came to visit with Frank and Amanda while they were this close.” Faith shrugged. “Are we going to Aruba?”

  Jade dropped her head back. “Fuck, I wish. It’s freaking cold as a witch’s tit in a brass bra out there.”

  Jewell added a yawned, “In December.”

  “Anyone home?” Keelee and Tori strolled into the suite. Ember waved at Keelee and patted the chair cushion next to her. Keelee dropped into the seat with her and Tori took a seat across from them. “Coffee?” Tori glanced around.

  “Here.” Joy carried an oval busboy’s tray with all the coffees balanced on it. Dani and Jillian trailed her. “There is one normal-ass coffee on that tray. Anyone touches it and they die.” Joy’s words stopped everyone’s dive to the tray.

  “You should work on your manners, yes?” Taty came into the room and laughed at everyone’s expression. “See? They are like scared rabbits. She probably wouldn’t kill you.”

  “Yes, I would.” Joy grabbed a cup and moved to the far corner of the seating area and sat down on the floor.

  Ember watched as Jade and Jewell dove into the tray, looking for their drinks. “Who the fuck ordered orange herbal tea?” All eyes lifted at Jade’s question.

  “That would be me,” Ember answered.

  A squeal that could have awakened the dead reverberated through the room. They mauled her with hugs and congratulations. “When are you due?”

  “Six months.” Ember pushed her hair away from her face. “But look, this weekend isn’t about me, it’s about Poet and Mal.”

  “More like Poet and Mal’s moms, from what Jason told me.” Faith snorted and then looked up, her eyes wide. “Oh, poo, I said that in my big person voice, didn’t I?”

  “Oh, my god, that was awesome!” Jillian laughed. “I didn’t know you had any snark in you!”

  Faith’s face flushed. “I have plenty of snark, I just rarely say what I’m thinking.”

  “Quiet ones.” Joy nudged Taty, who’d sat down beside her. “Dangerous.”

  “Pot, meet kettle,” Taty threw back at her.

  Joy rolled her eyes and took a long drink of her coffee. She snapped her fingers after she finished. “Aruba. Speak.”

  Jillian jerked her attention to Joy. “Rude much? We’ve talked about this, Joy. People don’t respond well to commands.”

  Joy sighed. She put her coffee down and jumped up to her knees, putting her hands together in supplication. “Please, Jillian, tell us what you know about Aruba. Like, that would totally be awesome!” The valley girl accent was dead on and sent everyone into fits of laughter.

  “Fine, since you asked so nicely, Drake––”

  “Wait, where’s the food?” Jade interrupted.

  Ember tossed a pillow at her. “Room service takes a while, now hush.”

  “Bossy. Just like Joseph,” Jade muttered and leaned back. “Please, by all means, gossip is so much more important than my stomach.”

  “Agreed,” Taty snarked.

  Jade rolled her eyes and muttered something about being hungry. Jillian disregarded Jade and continued, “Anyway, Drake and Dixon hatched a plan with Jacob last night.”

  “Oh, shit. How much is this going to cost me?” Tori hung her head. Her long blonde ponytail swished over her shoulder.

  “I’m not sure, but they got Joseph drunk enough that he invited everyone to Aruba for two weeks. The bosses are meeting today to clear everyone’s schedules. I think Gabriel is renting out a house just down from Joseph’s so there is room for everyone.”

  Joy snorted. “That explains it.”

  “Say what?” Jasmine asked.

  Joy shrugged. “Text last night at about one-thirty. Dixon as
ked if he had a swimming suit.”

  “Does he?” Jade leaned forward so she could see Joy.

  “Beats the fuck out of me.” Joy sighed. “I’m not into this shit.”

  “Yeah, but you and Dixon could do other things and not spend too much time with the family.” Jillian leaned back and kicked her legs out. “I’m going. I’m tired of being frozen.”

  “What about Ember?” Tori pointed at her.

  Ember blinked and looked from woman to woman. “What about me?”

  “Isn’t this your vacation we’re piling on top of?” Tori cocked an eyebrow.

  “Yeah, but I don’t care. We’ll have a great time. Seriously, ten bedrooms. Everyone can do what they want during the day and we’ll have a big dinner together. Not a problem.” Actually, she kind of loved the idea. Dealing with Joey when he figured out his two weeks of alone time would not happen, on the other hand… “I really hope he remembers inviting everyone.” She said the words more to herself than anyone else.

  A snort came from the corner of the room. “Holy shit. Okay, I’m in.”

  Dani leaned over to see Joy. “Why the sudden change of heart?”

  Joy shrugged. “I want to see him explode.” She made an explosion with her hands to emphasize her point.

  A knock at the door interrupted the conversation. Jazz hurried to the door, opening it for several wheeled carts of room service. Jasmine hurried to sign the bill while Jade lifted lids.

  “Is this going to be too much for you?” Keelee asked in a whisper.

  Ember leaned over and replied softly, “No. We have a staff at the house. I’ll call down today and inform them of the change and ask them to get some temporary help. It won’t be a problem.”

  “I mean with you expecting.” Keelee bumped their shoulders together. Ember had told Keelee as soon as she and Joseph had told Amanda and Frank. She still talked to her best friend a couple times a day even though several states separated them.

  “No, actually, I’ve had no morning sickness with this one. If I wasn’t late, I wouldn’t have suspected.”

  “Then it’s a girl.” Keelee smiled at her.

  “You can’t know that.” Ember shook her head.

  “I’m right.” Keelee shrugged. “I knew Tori was having a boy each time and I knew I was having a girl.”

  “She also guessed about Chloe.” Jasmine handed them each a plate.

  “And about Royce,” Faith added from the other side of the food-laden tables.

  “This baby shit isn’t catchy, is it?” Jade’s eyes grew large. “I’m not okay with that.”

  “No, Jade, we’ve had this talk. You know how babies are made.” Jewell scooped up a chocolate-covered donut. “Yummy. Food of the gods.”

  “How are you not the size of a barn?” Dani stared at Jewell as she demolished the sugar bomb.

  “High metabolism.” Jewell said the words around a massive bite of chocolate-covered goodness.

  Jasmine asked, “So, we’re all going to Aruba? When?”

  Jillian gave a shrug. “Drake said he and Dixon would fly everyone. Except for Ember and Joseph, no one has packed for a tropical vacation.”

  Ember snorted. She had packed very little. The plan was to be naked and alone most of the time, but she had clothes at the house.

  “I heard that.” Tori laughed at her. “Did you pack anything besides lingerie? Amanda and Frank were watching Blake, right?”

  Ember felt her face flame. “I have clothes at the house in Aruba, but I’m not saying we won’t disappear after dinner.”

  The laughter that filled the room also filled her heart. She loved these women. Her Crazy Coven.

  “So, have you picked out the next B name?” Jade asked as she licked her finger after drizzling honey onto an English muffin.

  “We have. Brooke for a girl and Barrett for a boy.”

  “That’s cool ‘cause you need to take the cousins into account,” Jewell said between bites.

  Dani nodded. “We met Brianna a couple of years ago. She’s sweet.”

  “Cousins? You mean the ones in Hope City?” Faith took a sip of her coffee.

  “Yep. Let’s see, Brock, Brianna, Brody, Bekki, and Blay,” Jade rattled them off in order.

  Ember nodded. “We discounted those names immediately. Didn’t want to duplicate.”

  “When will you find out if you’re having a boy or a girl?” Taty asked.

  “Usually between the eighteenth and twenty-first week, so it would push it to find out before Christmas.”

  “But you’re going to push it, right?” Tori asked.

  Ember smiled. “Oh, yeah. Definitely.”

  “Wait. Has anyone seen Poet yet this morning?” Faith turned and looked around the room.

  Jasmine answered, “She has a day planned with her maid of honor. They are doing a spa day, then makeup and hair.”

  “I bet her mother flipped out when she said there would only be a maid of honor.” Ember chuckled. “Poor Poet was at The Rose training while the mothers were setting this monster up. She was adamant, though. A best man and a maid of honor, and she was picking her own bridal gown. Other than that, she gave the mothers carte blanche until they heard about the people that the moms wanted to invite, then they screwed that down, too.”

  “Man, maybe I should have done that.” Jade took a bite of her muffin.

  “What?” Faith asked.

  “Had my mom plan the wedding. It would have been easier, that’s for sure.” Jade shrugged.

  “It would have saved me from seeing that puke green monstrosity you called a dress.” Jasmine shuddered and rubbed her arms.

  “Puke green?” Joy chuckled. “Knew you had shit taste.”

  Jade lifted her middle finger. “Har, har, har, and fuck you. I messed up the color number. It worked out. The wedding went off without a hitch.”

  “Except your fiancé went missing,” Faith giggled. “And the ring thing.”

  Jade nodded her head. “Well, there was that.”

  Keelee sighed, “We’ve had every type of wedding between us, haven’t we? A Tuscan Villa for Dani and Justin. Beachside for Ember and Joey.”

  Jasmine pointed across the room. “And Jewell and Zane.”

  “Actually, we got married on a boat,” Jewell reminded her. “We had the reception at your house.” She glanced at Ember and lifted another donut. “Best dessert bar ever.”

  Ember snorted. “That was all Justin and Dani.”

  “Your boat was beach-adjacent,” Keelee amended.

  “True,” Jasmine laughed. “Chad and I got married in a small chapel in his hometown. Keelee and Adam tied the knot in a church in South Dakota. The same one Jade got married in.”

  “Mike and I married in Switzerland. Where we met.” Taty smiled and blushed.

  “That is so romantic.” Tori smiled. “A judge married Jacob and me, and we consummated the marriage on my office floor.” There was a moment of silence before every woman in the room cracked up laughing. “Hey, we didn’t know if he’d be coming back. It was… so not romantic. But damn, it was hot.” Tori’s laughter joined everyone else’s.

  Jillian raised her hand before she spoke. “I hijacked Joy’s wedding day.”

  “Like those two men would get married on different days.” Joy glanced at Faith. “Where did you get married?”

  “Well, originally, we planned to get married in Vegas.”

  “Except for the Russian interruption.” Tori nodded.

  Faith shrugged. “So, we said our ‘I do’s in South Dakota. Probably the same Justice of the Peace that married the two of you.” She pointed to Joy and Jillian.

  “Who else here is planning on having children?” Tori sipped her coffee before she added, “I’ve been pulling the lion’s share of this grandchild bearing thing. Time for you ladies to get into the groove.”

  “I want a kid.” Joy’s words snapped every head in her direction and silenced all conversation. “What?” She narrowed her eyes and then shrug
ged with a muttered, “Whatever.”

  “No! I think it’s wonderful that you want a baby!” Tori spoke in a hurry, trying to eliminate the silence. “You’d make a fierce mom.”

  “That’s the truth. No one would fuck with your kids, that’s for sure.” Jade nodded. “You go for it. I’d like to see Dixon as a dad. I think between the two of you you’d raise some awesome kids.”

  “What about you, Taty?” Jillian asked.

  Taty blushed an adorable color of pink. “Mike and I don’t use protection. If it happens, it happens, but so far, no luck. So we wait.”

  “I want a couple of kids someday,” Dani added. “Soon, but there are things Justin and I want to do before we have children.”

  “Base jumping off of Mount Everest. Talk about kick-ass parents.” Jade widened her eyes. “You two do you, you know what I mean?”

  Jewell nodded and added, “I’m not against kids. Just not sure I understand their programming.”

  “They don’t have any,” Tori chuckled.

  “See, that would be a problem.” Jewell shrugged. “Maybe someday.”

  Jillian took a drink of her coffee, “Drake and I haven’t really talked about it. I’m in Jewell’s camp. Maybe someday.”

  All eyes turned to Jade. “What? Kids? Me? Ah, that would be a big no. They scare the shit out of me.”

  “They scare the shit out of all of us.” Ember laughed and reached for a small crescent roll. “They don’t come with a manual or a programming script. We all play it by ear and hope for the best.”

  “Well, see, that right there, that sucks. Manuals should be mandatory.” Jade got up and headed back to get seconds. She lifted the dome cover off a dish. “Jazz, I think I love you. Look at the size of these strawberries! In December!”

  Chapter 3

  Ember sat in the pew and watched as Dr. Maliki Blue and Poet Campbell exchanged vows. Poet's dress was simple and breathtaking at the same time. A silk sheath with an ivory lace overlay that fit her athletic body like a glove. For the third or fourth thousand time since puberty, Ember wished she had that type of figure. Poet, Keelee, Tori, all the King women… tall, slender, and minus the curves that were the bane of her existence. But Joseph really loved her curves. She slid her attention from the couple to her husband. The Tom Ford tux was stunning, not in small part due to the man underneath the fabric. Her husband. As if he sensed her looking, Joey's eyes found hers. The smoldering intensity of his gaze still took her breath away.