"Raffo!" Ruth chastised, hastily shoving her earring into her ear hole. "You were supposed to have been out that bathroom five minutes ago!"

Raffo, being the lovely yet very late boy that he was, came rushing out of the steaming bathroom with his dress pants hung low on his waist and his button-up shirt still hanging open for the world to see. If Ruth wasn't so late already, maybe she'd waste a few more minutes on checking him out. But they were already running late, and she still had to figure out how to twist her curls into a sophisticated enough bun to pass for the evening.

And that was proving harder to do with Raffo running around the apartment late as hell, but still wasting no time in checking her out in her Cinderella blue dress.

Her dress was simple but beautiful, landing right above her knees and molding to the sides of her curves with long sleeves that caressed her upper arms in soft puffs. She didn't want to take away from the bride, so she focused most of her attention on the accents rather than the outfit itself. A silver bracelet, a silver necklace, sparkly hoops, and glittery silver heels that somehow always caught the light just right. Simple and beautiful, along with her natural make-up that she had thankfully finished while Raffo was in the shower.

"Damn," Raffo purred, his brown eyes shamelessly watching Ruth scurry by into the bathroom. His hungry eyes followed the movement along with his legs apparently, as he wandered back into the steaming room. His fingers lingered over the buttons of his shirt.

"What?" she asked innocently, moving her fingers into her hair and cursing low under her breath after realizing she should have given herself more time to dry her hair. No matter, she could diffuse the curls that would caress the sides of her face and be done with it.

"You look so damn beautiful, is what," he commented, and Ruth looked through her working fingers to smile sweetly at him.

"Thanks, Raff baby," she said. Her Raffo baby senses were tingling when he moved closer to where she worked the bobby pins pushing into her scalp. She cut him a look in the mirror. "Keep those hands off of me, Raffo Leflore. We don't have time for your foolishness."

"Eh, we have a little time," he cheesed, winking back in his reflection.

Ruth pursed her lips. She hated how well he knew her body as he hovered over it from behind, patiently waiting for her to tell him to get his Indigenous ass to the next room and wait for her there to leave. But he knew her well enough to know that just wasn't going to happen, and she needed a quick fix before starting what was going to be a long night.

So she simply said, "Five minutes, Raff."

He grinned, "That's all I need."

Raffo slid his hands over the expanse of her hips and nudged the material up so she wouldn't get anything on the dress and then moved his fingers to the warmth between her thick thighs. She sighed out almost instantly and leaned back into him, her hands still stuck in the curls of her hair as he peppered warm kisses along the length of her exposed neck. Her perfume nearly had him feral, as his fingers ripped the flimsy material of her underwear to the side and rolled his forefinger between her folds.

Ruth shuddered against him. His teeth skimmed the back corner of where her jaw met her neck in response. "Open up for me, beautiful," he drawled.

She spread her legs just a little, teasing his impatience.

"More," he whispered, curling his finger beneath her hood until the tip of it caressed her bundle of nerves.

And she was going to. She really was.

Until her phone vibrated and cut the moment short.

Raffo groaned low in her ear but released her body from his working fingers as she dove for the annoying device. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears and she was more than a little flustered, but it was Jana's night. If she called her, then it only meant they needed her earlier than she thought.

Ruth read the text and grimaced. "We gotta go."

"Damn it," Raffo grumbled. Ruth shimmied her underwear back over and nudged the skirt down over her hips while Raffo finished up buttoning his shirt after washing his hands. She smiled at the childish way he complained and nudged him out of the bathroom.

"Now I have to wait aallll night to finish you off," he groaned.

"Oh, what torture," she played along.

"That's what I'm saying. You know what? Hop on the counter and I'll finish exactly what we started in the bathroom."

"Nope. I think some Ruth rehab for the night will do you some good," she teased, grabbing his keys off the table and tossing them to him.

He mock gasped and pressed a hand to his chest, feigning hurt. "Rehab? I could never get enough of my Ruth. Plus, I'm making up for lost time."

"I think you've more than made up for it at this point, Raff."

"I don't think that'll ever be possible. I'll be making up that time for as long as I live. And after."

Ruth shook her head. Men.

Thankfully, there wasn't very much traffic for the early evening commute, and they got to the venue within thirty minutes. On the way there, Ruth had gotten an email notification from a hospital in New York that she applied to and got an interview offer. It soured her mood just a little, seeing as how she was still waiting for her Oklahoma offers, but she still sent an email agreeing to the interview. She told Raffo she'd keep her options open, so that was exactly what she did.

Even if she wasn't so sure what options she wanted to explore anymore.

Her parents and her had a long conversation the previous night about staying in New York. Though her mom would prefer her in New York or California, she didn't dissuade her from Oklahoma either, and said she'd support her decision no matter what she chose. Her mother's response had surprised her. She hoped it would last because honestly, she could get used to her mother finally listening to her for once.

They were even going to the rehearsal that night. And she was actually eager to see them again.

Ruth and Raffo climbed out of his car and walked up to the door of the fancy Italian restaurant. The plan was to eat dinner, go over the toast and all that, and then check out the venue to go over placements and whatnot. Though the rehearsal itself was going to be pretty late at night, Ruth didn't mind. As long as she got some food in her first, she'd be fine.

The hostess at the front of the restaurant asked for their party name and then led them over to a secluded section that was blocked off for their dinner specifically. There, Ruth found the wedding party and some of Jana and Eddie's family all talking about.

Ruth's gaze lit up at the sight of Kat, Cheyenne, Selene, and Peyton all huddled around Jana and Terry. She looked up at Raffo with raised eyebrows. "Save me a seat?"

"Maybe," he teased. "Eddie and Johnny said they were gunning for my free seats and you know how the boys get."

She playfully rolled her eyes. "One of them will have to nurse a broken heart then."

She puckered her lips for him and he bent down, giving her a gentle kiss on the lips. "See you in a bit," he murmured, patting her hip.

"Ruth! Stop kissing your fine ass man and get over here!" Kat all but yelled across the room. Her boyfriend scoffed somewhere, but the rest of Jana's guests only chuckled.

Cheeks flamed, Ruth detached herself from a laughing Raffo. She sent the giggling girls a heated glare and walked over, despising Kat's devious smirk. She wrapped an arm around Ruth's shoulder and tucked her face into her neck.

"I hate you," Ruth mumbled.

"Awww, I missed you too," she grinned, pulling back.

Chey wiggled her eyebrows. "Looks like all's well in paradise?"

"More than well, from what I can see," Selene winked.

"You'll have to update us on everything. Your cousins have been more than stingy with all the news regarding your love life," Peyton added.

Terry moved an arm around Ruth's waist and gave it a tender squeeze. "We wanted it to be your business, Ruthie. Whatever you want to share, or don't want to share, is fine with Jana's nosey friends."

"Hey!" Kat protested.

"Yeah, they're your friends too," Jana argued.

Ruth smiled and relaxed in the presence of the bickering girls. She forgot how much she loved hanging around them after Jana's bachelorette weekend. Though she didn't know them nearly as well as Terry and Jana did, she loved being around them just as much as her cousins did.

Which was why she updated them on everything. Her ex-girlfriend, her reunion with Raffo, the conversation with her parents, everything. It was the condensed version of course, since she couldn't hog Jana for long, but it was enough to have the girls gasping for more. Their questions were thoughtful and sympathetic, and their smiles genuine with love.

"I don't want to disrespect your ex-girl, but that was such a bitch move," Selene scoffed, shaking her head.

"What Sel said. But . . . I have to ask," Peyton added. She swirled her glass of red wine, took a tentative sip, and then eyed Ruth curiously. "What are you going to do after the wedding? Are you moving back to New York?"

Ruth nibbled on the corner of her lip. "I don't know yet," she confessed. "I mean, I got two offers from two different hospitals so far. One in Oklahoma and one just recently in New York, but the one in New York is offering me a little more if I get through the interview. The money doesn't really matter to me, though."

"If the money doesn't matter, what has you so torn on where you'd rather go?" Kat questioned. "What's keeping you from choosing New York? Or Oklahoma?"

"With New York, I've spent so much time rebuilding myself and establishing who I am there, that it became a home for me. A chance to be someone new," she admitted. "And with Oklahoma, it's always been home to me. My family's here, my grandfather's buried here, and I got to meet all of you. I have friends in New York, but they're not as close to me as you all have become in just a weekend.

"Not to mention . . . Raffo's here," she continued, her eyes moving to search for him across the restaurant. He was currently laughing heartily at Johnny who was acting a damn fool as always. His eyes were full of so much merit and light, she couldn't even remember the last time he was that at ease. Even when they first got together almost four years before.

Back then, his stepfather was weighing him down. Then, what happened between them weighed him down. And now that the truth was released, and Raffo was truly thriving both financially, physically, and emotionally, he was happy.

And Ruth loved seeing him happy.

She truly wouldn't mind seeing it forever.

"And now that we're together again, I don't think I can let him go," she admitted. The girls swooned.

"Would you have to? If you chose New York?" Kat wondered, confused.

"I don't know. Maybe? It would be so hard to do that sort of long distance when we can barely go a day without seeing each other."

"True. And long distance can get so . . . murky."

Ruth nodded. "Exactly. So, I guess I'm just waiting to see which choice feels the most right. I applied to a few apartments too like Jana suggested, so I'll have to wait to hear back from them anyway."

Chey rose her plucked eyebrows, impressed. "Well, it sounds like you're going about everything the right way, Ruth. I think it's smart that you're exploring your options and not just picking one on a whim."

"Agreed. Whatever you decide Ruth, we'll always be here for you. Oklahoma will always be here no matter what you decide," Selene said.

"And if you need us to take care of Raffo while you're gone, just say the word," Chey teased.

Ruth laughed, shaking her head. "No rest for the wicked, huh?"

"None," Kat agreed. "Does Raffo know about the offers? Or should everything stay on the DL?"

"I was actually going to tell him tonight at dinner. It's not the greatest conversation starter, but I don't want there to be anymore secrets between us if I can help it. We have too much bad history with that."

Jana sniffled and wiped invisible tears. Her arms theatrically embraced Ruth's shoulders in a hard hug. "Look at our little Ruthie all grown up and learning from her mistakes."

She supposed it had to have happened some time. And she was more than ready for it to be now.

*****