Home | Happy Lowman/OC (Book 1)

seven

The drinks and conversation flowed freely for the next several hours and for the first time in forever, Victoria felt as free as the rest of them.

It hadn't taken long for Jacquelyn to get cozy with Kozik, and they'd been flirting back and forth for the last two hours. It was hard for men to resist her outgoing personality, so Victoria wasn't surprised he'd been following her around like a puppy. What she was surprised by however, was the way Jacquelyn seemed to be smitten right back.

"—she was triple jointed. Ankles up by her ears, I swear to god," Jake said, laughing so hard he could barely get the words out.

"Bullshit," Kozik countered, looking to Quinn for backup. "No one's really that flexible."

Jacquelyn snickered, looking over at Frankie who raised her feet to rest them in Jake's lap. Both women rolled their eyes at his elaborate story.

"She was, it was fuckin' incredible. She was a real knockout, too."

"Then what was she doing with you?" Frankie asked, taking a sip of her beer. Jake swatted at her feet resting on his thighs.

"Because I'm a catch, you dick."

Happy was quiet, his hand resting on Victoria's thigh comfortably like he'd been doing it all his life, like it were completely natural. She'd almost expected a man who appeared to be as rough around the edges as Happy to only be looking for one thing, but that hadn't been the case. At least that wasn't how it seemed. She'd forgotten how good it felt to be a part of something, to have a circle of friends, but she was starting to remember. It was too late to fix the past, but maybe the future didn't have to be so lonely.

"What are you thinking about?" Happy whispered in her ear.

She thought that over for a moment. "Just how I almost talked myself out of coming tonight, but I'm glad that I didn't."

"Mm, why's that?"

"I just haven't had fun in forever." The words came out slow with a little slur to them. "It's the same thing every day, you know? I don't even have a job. I just take care of him day after day." She was rambling, but once she started she couldn't seem to stop. "But tonight, tonight I've had fun."

Happy nodded, seeming to think that over. After a second, he leaned forward and kissed her again, causing an uncontainable smile to spread wide on her face.

"You look beautiful," he mumbled against her lips, making her giggle softly. "If I didn't tell you that already."

"You can tell me five times, I don't mind."

Victoria's phone resting on the table started vibrating and her stomach instantly dropped, mind sobering. The smile she'd been wearing all night disappeared. She pulled herself away from Happy and looked down to see she had several missed texts from Cameron. The cellphone had been an afterthought until now, she hadn't even noticed it ringing, completely caught up in the conversations around her. She squeezed her eyes shut, wishing she could just ignore it, but that would only make things worse. The so far perfect night was about to be ruined.

Happy reached over and squeezed her thigh, looking at the flashing screen to see what'd changed her mood. He let out a sigh. "Ignore it," he said, reaching to take the phone, but she stopped him by placing a hand on top of his.

"I can't,"

"'Course your can. You're having a good time and he'll be fine until you get home." There was a firmness to his tone.

"You don't understand how he is."

"What's he going to do? He doesn't know where you are." Happy didn't release his grip on the phone. "Even if he did, would he come?"