button-down shirt, and cowboy boots. The man fit the ranch a million percent.
Up until that moment, the term gobsmacked had been more of a metaphor than reality.
Up until the exact moment when Mr. Cowboy turned to look at them.
“Hey, hon. Come here and meet Sasha’s friends.”
Trina’s husband turned their way, all smiles. “Hello, Sasha. Lovely as always.” The man didn’t hesitate as he placed an arm around Sasha’s shoulders for a hug.
She looked like she forgot to breathe. “Wade.”
“AJ, this is my husband, Wade.”
Wade put his hand out.
AJ grasped it and tried not to stutter. “Wade Thomas.” Country singer superstar. No wonder they were riding in limos and flying on jets.
He grinned. “I take it Sasha didn’t tell you.”
“Neither did Neil.”
Wade turned to Neil. “Really, man?”
“I forgot.”
That made AJ laugh. “I’ll try not to embarrass myself. Thank you for having us.”
“Anything for family,” Wade said.
Sasha shifted on the balls of her feet.
Claire stepped forward and waved. “I’m Claire and clueless. Should I know you?”
Wade and Trina laughed.
“Nope. Not at all,” Wade said.
Trina started speaking in a language AJ didn’t know. At first he thought it was German but then realized it sounded more Russian. Didn’t matter, he didn’t understand a word, but it appeared both Sasha and Claire caught what Trina was saying.
Claire started to laugh.
“You know I’m just going to make you tell me what you said later,” Wade teased his wife.
“She said you’re famous outside of the house,” Claire told him.
Wade shifted his gaze. “And inside?”
Claire laughed.
Trina stepped around Wade. “Let’s get out of the doorway. Are you guys hungry? I know it’s a long flight, but—”
“I’m starving,” Claire interrupted.
“I told you she wasn’t shy,” AJ said.
It was Claire’s turn to say something he couldn’t understand.
When Sasha laughed, he knew it had to be good.
“Ever feel like you’re the butt of a joke, AJ?” Wade asked.
“Every day this week.”
There had only been a handful of times that Sasha had been in Trina and Wade’s home. Every time except one, Sasha had been part of the security detail policing the place. The other time was shortly after Lilliana was born. Even then, Sasha couldn’t bring herself to stay longer than a couple of hours. Hours that she watched from the sideline while Trina and Wade accepted congratulations from family and friends.
Sasha and Trina were family by circumstance, not blood. A fact Sasha told herself often when she was face-to-face with the woman.
Yet here she was watching the sky change colors from a private balcony on Trina and Wade’s ranch. It was hard to admit how well she’d rested the night before. They’d gone to bed long after midnight and here it was almost nine in the morning, and Sasha had just climbed out of the shower.
Unheard of.
She pulled out her stash of clothes and selected the cleanest pieces to wear. Laundry was in order . . . or a trip to a store. Not that there was time for that.
After tidying the room and piling up her clothes, Sasha tied her hair back and walked through the quiet house to find some coffee.
Noise from the kitchen told her she wasn’t alone.
“Is that good?” Trina said in a high-pitched voice.
Poised in a high chair and shoving a fistful of what looked like Cheerios into her mouth was Lilliana.
At least that’s what Sasha assumed. She hadn’t seen the girl since she was a newborn. And that was nearly a year ago.
“She got big.” And beautiful. But then that was a given considering Trina was a cross between the angelic girl next door and model beautiful. Her Latin American heritage gifted her curves in the right places and perfect skin. And Wade . . . the man may not have been Sasha’s flavor, but he sure did fill out a pair of blue jeans.
“I know, right? I go to bed, and when I wake up, it’s like she’s a different person.”
Lilliana giggled around her full mouth and waved a chubby fist in the air.
“Did you sleep well?”
“I did.” Really well. Sasha crossed to the coffeepot and helped herself.
“Oh, let me help you—” Trina started to stand up.
“I’ve got it. Is everyone else still in bed?”
“Oh, no. Wade is out there somewhere with AJ. And Neil has already jumped on the computer and started barking orders to his guys.”
That sounded about right. “And Claire?”
“Haven’t seen her yet. She’s a sweet girl.”
Yeah, she was. And witty. The girl made her want to laugh. Except for some reason Sasha had spent her entire life trying