Smokin Gun

Flash Forward: October 2018: Part I

Stephanie's POV

I tiptoed down the stairs and let out a sigh of relief that the UGA game was still on. I checked my reflection in the mirror I had hanging near the base of the stairs. I had on a tight pair of dark jeans, knee high brown leather boots, the belt with a pistol buckle he'd bought me and a maroon cold-shoulder top.

My hair was fixed into a messy bun to keep it off my face with a pair of silver hoop earrings. Normally I would be glued to our couch yelling at the TV but the girl's and I had plans for tonight. Wasn't too often we all wound up in Georgia at the same time. I had told Brantley I was meeting Ashley to go do a little shopping for Tinsley's birthday in a couple of weeks. I checked my purse to make sure my phone was in there and came up empty handed.

I froze when I heard a throat clear to look up and see my husband standing in the middle of the foyer with his arms crossed across his chest. Damn, that man looked hot as hell in his black Nike pants, red UGA jersey, backwards hat, and barefoot. It was the middle of October and he had been home from tour about a week. Carson was crawling around by his feet with Sylo following his every move.

"Hey baby," I drawled out giving him a big innocent smile. He raised an eyebrow at me and held up my cellphone wiggling it at me.

"Looking for something sweetheart?" he asked with a slight growl. "It's been vibrating with texts for the last fifteen minutes while I am trying to watch the game."
I walked forward to lean down and scoop Carson up grinning down at him when he wrapped his arms around my neck to play with my necklace. I kissed his cheek before handing him to Brantley. I took my phone from his hand before standing on tiptoe to place a sweet kiss on his lips.

"Thanks honey," I said as I heard a horn honk outside. "Got to go babe. Love y'all!"

I hurried to the front door and darted down the steps. Caroline waved to me from the driver's seat of her SUV as Katie opened the back door with a grin. I turned to look out the tinted window to see my husband standing at the door with his mouth open in shock.

"Fuckkkk ,"Brittney said looking behind us. "We are sooo busted."

"Did he just pull his phone out of his pocket?" Lauren asked turning a little pale. "Yep, yep he did!"

"Floor it Caroline before he calls Chris to stop us on the way out of town," Ashley yelped.

"Nah, he wouldn't do that," Caroline said meeting my eyes in the rearview mirror. She thought about it a minute and her eyes got big.
"Would he?"

"Damn right he would! Ashley and I yelled together."

I saw her shake her head and increase her speed. Brittney turned to look at me from the passenger seat and smiled.

"Well, we didn't get to officially have you a bachelorette party since you eloped on us. Guess this shopping trip is going to have to do," she said laughing using her fingers for air quotes when she said shopping trip. Ashley looked at her watch and shook her blonde head.

"I give him fifteen minutes before the caveman connects the dots and figures out that we aren't going shopping," she said sighing.
"Good thing Eli is in Valdosta visiting his grandmother with the kids. Where are the rest of the guys?"

"At the ball game," Brittney said handing back a SOLO cup she had just poured a shot into for each of us. I looked over and side eyed Katie.

"Seriously, they got Justin to go to a Dawgs game," I said laughing.
She pushed my shoulder and rolled her eyes.

"Just because they were playing Arkansas. Thomas has been giving him hell for a week,"she said as she touched up her makeup. "Why didn't BG go with them? I thought he was supposed to."