Free Now and Forever Still by A.M. Johnson

COLBY
     
    THE FOOD WAS TAKING nine damn years to get to the table, and the loud din of voices started to grate on my nerves. Don’t get me wrong, it was a sideshow watching fucking Seth Montgomery smile more than a goddamn pageant queen. His chick was cool though; Tiffany seemed to be the right fit for him, so who was I to judge. He got married. When Todd said we were all meeting up at Rooster’s to celebrate Seth and Tiffany’s marriage, I had to admit, I thought he was messing with me.
    Cammie’s hand snaked around my upper thigh, demanding my full attention. The feel of her lips against my ear as she spoke, even after all these years, still got me hard. “Next August, baby, this better be you and me.” She pulled away and gave me a sugary smile. Fuck. I was in trouble.
    “I promise, Sweets.” I leaned in, and her scent was everywhere. Peaches. That smell, no matter if we were fighting or fucking, it made me crazy. My nose trailed along her exposed neckline, and my uneven breath made her smile — this time it was for real. She was wearing my favorite little black dress; it was sleeveless and her full tits were jacking me up. She did this to torture me. “You’ll be my wife next year… I promise.” My thumb brushed along her jawline, my fingers at the back of her neck. Her hair was up in a high ponytail, and the strawberry blonde waves cascaded down to just between her shoulders. God, she’s beautiful . I was such a piece of shit for not claiming this girl sooner.
    “So, next August?” Sawyer’s deep voice was skeptical; his smile was lopsided and filled with mirth. He knew me too well. Working with him was the best thing I’d ever chosen to do, but this motherfucker was always giving me a hard time.
    “Yeah, brother, next August. Be my best man?” I laughed and took a swig of my beer.
    “I’d be honored.” Sawyer smirked as Todd rolled his eyes.
    “Nice… you guys are dicks.” Todd laughed and shook his head. His girl looked really good tonight. Todd and Lily were finally starting to get some rest. Lyric was sleeping through the night according to Lily, so my brother wasn’t such a shit to be around.
    “Well, if it’s okay, Cammie, I’d love to help plan it. When is the exact date?” Elizabeth was always the planner. She was like the matriarch. Her “been there done that attitude” was my favorite thing about her.
    “We haven’t decided a date yet, just… August.” Cammie poked at her salad with her fork, and I felt like a complete asshole.
    You see, the thing was, I loved this girl. She was perfect; she didn’t take my shit and served up a good dish of her own sass as well. We completed each other. As cheesy as it sounded, this chick was made for me. But... in reality, I was fucking terrified. I watched her go through so many guys before we got together. I’d seen all the shit Todd and Seth had gone through. When Sawyer got hurt, Elizabeth almost shattered. It scared the fuck out of me to depend on another person like that. I’d always just been on my own. Cammie was my first real girl, and I was scared shitless that I could lose her. And being married to her… having her legally be my other half, was something I was looking forward to and dreading at the same time. Because then… it was done, that anticipation was gone, and she lived for that high, that feeling. If it was gone, what would keep her with me?
    “What about the thirteenth?” Tiffany’s smile had matched Seth’s all night, and I noticed they only let go of one another’s hand if absolutely necessary. “Thirteen worked for us.”
    Seth whispered something in her ear, and her cheeks turned pink. Her long, black lashes fanned down, and Seth smiled. I knew that smile. That kid was odd, and I could’ve only imagine what he just said to her. His eyes met mine. “August thirteenth could work. It’s about time you set a date, bro.”
    I swallowed down the irritation that was Seth Montgomery telling me about