Chapter 56
Grant
Grant saw Brandy coming toward their table. He ducked down then hightailed it away from the rehearsal dinner. He did not want to deal with her. As he walked around, trying to clear his head, he came upon a small gazebo nestled in one of the gardens, and he gratefully sat down on a bench in it.
Grant thought he ate too much and probably drank too much at the rehearsal dinner. He’d never attended a real wedding before, with a planner and thousands of dollars in flowers. He thought maybe he would never get married. Grant had always thought that the marines he’d known who had married were making terrible decisions. They women they picked stole all their money, ran up credit card debt while their husbands were deployed, and neglected the house and the kids.
He didn’t know anyone who had a happy marriage—certainly not his adoptive parents. He hoped Ginny and Eric would be happy.
Could I be happy with Kate? he wondered.
“Contemplating the meaning of life and your existence?” Carter said as he ducked into the gazebo. He had a bottle of whiskey and some glasses, and he poured Grant a generous amount.
“What do you know about Kate?” Grant asked after taking a swallow of whiskey.
Carter laughed. “She was my babysitter when I was little.”
“Good God.”
Carter doubled over laughing as Mark came into the gazebo as well.
“What are you two laughing about?” he asked as Carter handed him a glass.
“Kate.” Carter snickered.
Grant could see Mark turn slightly red in the dark.
“Mark used to…” Carter gasped out between laughs.
“Don’t you dare tell him that!” Mark warned.
“Is that an order, Captain?” Carter said mockingly.
“Maybe,” Mark replied, eyes narrowed.
Carter ignored him. “We were too old to be babysat by Kate. Mark was, at any rate. He was obsessed with her. He had a little scrapbook with her pictures and random trash she would throw away.”
“Shut up, Carter,” Mark snarled.
“Mark and Kate kissing in a tree,” Carter teased, hopping away from his brother’s drunken swipes.
Grant threw his glass, and it shattered against the stone wall. “Don’t you dare touch her! She’s mine,” he said to his cousin, circling him as Mark tried to maneuver away from him.
“It’s all good, cuz,” Carter said. “We were just playing. Chill. Besides, Mark is too much of a Goody Two-shoes. He doesn’t have the balls to go after Kate. She’d cut him up and shove him down the garbage disposal.”
Grant tried to relax. He picked up the bottle of whiskey and took a swig.
“So…” Carter said, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
“So what?” Grant asked, looking at him out of the corner of his eye.
“When’s the wedding?”
“Tomorrow?” Grant was confused by the question.
“Between you and Kate, dummy. You’ve clearly got a thing for her.” Carter gestured to the broken glass around them.
Grant looked down bitterly. “She doesn’t seem to like me. I think I moved too fast.”
“You… fraternized with Kate?” Mark looked at him, wide-eyed.
“That’s my man!” Carter hooted, boxing Grant’s bicep playfully.
“I probably should have wined and dined her first,” Grant said sheepishly.
“This is the twenty-first century,” Carter replied. “Women want to test-drive the car before they write the check.”
Mark looked aghast. “That is a horrible attitude to have, Carter. You need to make a grand gesture, Grant.”
“I do?”
“Yes. Give her a speech about how she saved you and made you want to be a better man.”
“Will that work? I mean, she clearly likes me. At least, I think she does. She’s afraid to lose her job with my father.”
“Uncle Walter won’t care,” Carter scoffed. “There must be some other reason.”
“I don’t know,” Mark said. “It is unethical and would make our family seem trashy.”
“He’s rich and good-looking,” Carter countered.
“And I have a puppy,” Grant added.
“And the man has a puppy!” Carter exclaimed. “There must be something else.”
“Maybe she’s stressed from work?”
“That could be it,” Carter said thoughtfully. “Here’s what you do: After the reception, make some sort of declaration to her. She’ll be tipsy and high on endorphins. Women love weddings. They get wrapped up in the whole shebang and are super jealous of their married friends. That’s the ideal time. She won’t be able to resist you.”
“Are you sure?” Grant asked him.
“Absolutely! You are looking at the best wingman on the eastern seaboard!” Carter boasted.
Mark choked on his whiskey.
Grant smacked him on the back and said, “What have I got to lose?”