As the crowd quieted and turned her way, she announced, “Lee has something to say.”

Standing in the curve of Ren’s arm, having just been shooting the shit with Stella, Mace and Shirleen, we all turned our attention to Lee, who was holding a bottle of beer in one hand, Indy close to his side in the curve of his other arm.

Incidentally, Indy had a can of Fresca.

Lee didn’t delay.

“Two years ago, I met Tex while he was assisting my now pregnant wife with a B&E.”

There were giggles and chuckles and out-and-out laughter, but Lee kept going.

“Not long after that, he saved her life.”

Everyone quit laughing.

“Since then, a load of shit has gone down. As it did, we always knew two things. One, we’d wouldn’t be able to guess what mayhem would happen next. Two, Tex would be there.” Lee pinned Tex with his eyes and stated, “We knew Tex would always be there.”

Oh shit. My eyes were getting hot again.

Lee kept going.

“I’ve learned in the last two years that when life gets rough, and even when it doesn’t, the best thing a man can have is a good woman at his side.”

I looked to Indy to see she was pressing her lips together.

Just like me.

“So if there was anything I wished for you, Tex,” Lee continued. “The kind of man you are, the kind who deserves it, I wished that for you. So we’ll just say I’m f**kin’ pleased you found her and tied her to your side today.” He lifted his bottle. “May you have many years with her right there. To Tex and Nancy!”

Everyone looked to Tex, who was holding Nancy close, and she was leaning into him doing the same, smiling the knockout smile she gave her daughter with tears wetting her cheeks. We all lifted our drinks and many (including me, but not Ren) shouted, “To Tex and Nancy!”

Once we’d thrown some back, we found Lee wasn’t done and he was still looking Tex and Nancy’s way.

“Now, Luke and Ava couldn’t be here, but they wanted to give you something to celebrate. And Ava told me the best thing they could give you was something you’d appreciate. Something loud and possibly obnoxious, but definitely spectacular. So here’s your gift from Luke and Ava, gone for now but here in spirit.” He then turned and shouted toward the back fence beyond which was an alley, “Go!”

He barely said the word before we heard a shrieking whiz.

And over Blanca’s festive backyard, with a loud boom, a huge firework exploded.

There were oo’s and ah’s.

Then came another.

And another.

And another.

Then more, tons more, the night sky lit up with beauty, and jeez, Luke and Ava spared no expense.

It was amazing.

As it kept going though, I tore my eyes from the display and looked Tex and Nancy’s way.

The big man still held his wife close and Nancy still leaned heavily into him, but their heads were tipped back, colors lighting their face.

And warmth so sweet it was difficult to process stole through me.

This was because Tex was smiling.

And completely happy.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Tush

“Well?”

That was me, the afternoon after Tex and Nancy’s wedding, standing on Daisy’s stripper stage at her house, wearing a robe Daisy just threw over my shoulders that I’d pushed my arms through, tying the belt tight.

Daisy had suggested, and I agreed, that before I stepped onstage that night that I do my thing in front of a live audience so that I wouldn’t be breaking that particular seal in front of, well… a live audience.

This meant that sitting around Daisy’s stage in chairs she got Marcus’s boys to drag in were Indy, Jet, Roxie, Stella, Sadie, Daisy, Shirleen, Annette, Tod, Buddy, Lottie, Nancy, Ada, Smithie and one of Smithie’s three women (yes, three; don’t ask, just know it works) LaTeesha.

“Jumpin’ Jehosphats!” Annette shouted. “I wanna be a stripper again!”

“That. Was. Awesome,” Indy breathed.

“Blooming heck, I don’t even know what to say. That was aces,” Sadie put in.

“Child, you do the sisterhood proud,” Shirleen told me.

“I might add a striptease to my stage show,” Stella announced.

“I think I turned ungay for about two minutes,” Buddy murmured.

After all these compliments, Daisy gushed, “Momma’s so proud,” on a sideways hug.

But I knew the girls (and g*y guy) would give me props.

So I only had eyes for Smithie.

“Smithie?” I called as he stared up at me, face blank. “What did you think?”

“Please,” he whispered and I blinked because I’d never heard Smithie whisper. “Dance for me full-time.”

Righteous!

He liked it.

“Will it work?” I asked and he stood.

“Bitch, it not only works, I’m givin’ you the stage for your own f**kin’ song,” he declared.

Oh shit.

Dancing with a bunch of other dancers who might take attention off me was one thing.

Dancing like Lottie danced as the headliner, having the stage all to myself and all eyes on me, was a-fucking-nother.

“Uh…” I mumbled.

“Excellent idea!” LaTeesha proclaimed on a big white smile and a clap.

“You totally have to do that!” Lottie cried.

“That would be sofa-king phat, sister!” Annette exclaimed.

Tod was giving me a sideways look, reading me, I knew, when he turned to me full-on and decreed, “You do know, if you’re only dancing for a song, you can spend the rest of your time keeping your eye on things, talking to the other girls, getting the job done and…” he paused, “only dancing for a song.”

“Three songs,” Smithie announced and looked at Lottie. “She’s lead in for you on all your sets.”

“Works for me,” Lottie replied to Smithie and turned to grin at me.

Shit.

“Decided!” Smithie yelled and pointed to me. “Three songs. You pick. Get me the music. I’ll get it to the DJ. You start tonight. Lottie’s first set is at nine. You go on at eight fifty-five. Be f**kin’ ready.”

My heart started beating. Hard.

Smithie turned to LaTeesha and pulled her out of her chair, murmuring, “Come on, baby. Gotta get you to work.”

After LaTeesha sent us a finger wave, they were gone.

I jumped off the stage, taking my life into my hands because I was wearing platform stripper shoes, and the gang gathered around.