Day Five

“It’s beautiful,” I say, smiling at Cynthia as she looks over the area on the beach where she’s going to be married tomorrow. The chairs and tables are set up without all of the fancy table cloths, flowers, and other over-priced wedding crap that will be there to make it look even more stunning tomorrow. They’ll be married under palm trees, and then we’ll be dining with our toes in the sand as we watch the sun set over the ocean.

“You think?” Cynthia asks.

I turn to her with a furrowed brow. “Don’t you?”

“Yeah,” she says, smiling wide. “It’s going to be perfect.”

“I can’t wait to see you in your dress, all done up,” I say, sliding a curly strand of her brown hair through my fingers. “I’m going to want to marry you.”

“You’ll have to settle for being the maid of honor,” she says. “I only want to marry one person.”

“You’re lucky,” I say, hooking my arm around hers. “It’s nice to find your soulmate.”

Cynthia turns to me with a raised eyebrow. “Maybe you’ve already found yours. Maybe he’s been in front of your face the entire time.”

I exhale long and hard. “God help me if it’s your brother.”

She laughs. “How’s it been going between you two? Without any details, please. You seem to be having a good time. It’s about time you two realized that you’re perfect for each other.”

“I don’t know if we’ve realized that yet,” I say, feeling my chest tighten when I think back at the gym this morning. I was mad then, but I’m just embarrassed now. It was my darkest secret, and I was completely humiliated when I found out that he knew.

Tucker is at the bar talking with Lucas. I’ve been avoiding him all day. It’s getting harder to stay away from him now that the rehearsal dinner has started and we’re only a dozen people, but I’m up for the challenge. I still can’t face him yet. He probably wants to dump me, thinking I’m going to spend all his money.

“Are you nervous for tomorrow?” I ask, trying to change the subject.

“I wouldn’t be nervous if Stephanie wasn’t here,” she says, looking around for the super cunt. “I just wish that she would do whatever she’s planning already and get it over with. This waiting and not knowing is killing me.”

“What can she possibly do?” I ask with a shrug of my shoulders. “We’ve foiled any attempt that she’s tried to sabotage us in the past.”

“She wasn’t engaged to the owner of the resort for Megan’s wedding,” she says with a shiver. “She didn’t have the staff listening to her every command for Tanya’s wedding. I bet she learned a bunch of tricks while she was in prison. Tricks she’s going to use on me.”

“I think you’re being paranoid.”

“Am I?” she says with a huff. “She’s already upped her psychological warfare game. This laying low is worse than anything. She’s making me lose my mind.”

“Maybe she’s grown as a person,” I say, trying to make her feel better. “Maybe she really is in love with Lars and has changed her ways.”

Cynthia gives me a look. She’s not buying it.

“Yeah, she’s planning something,” I say with a nod. “But don’t worry. We’ll all be on our toes for it.”

“Thank you,” she says as she leans her head on my shoulder. “I can always count on you bitches.”

The wedding coordinator calls us all over and begins to explain what we have to do tomorrow and where we’ll have to go. Unfortunately, Tucker is in the wedding party on the groom’s side. I’m sure that Chase wants him here even less than I do.

The guys and girls pair up as we practice walking down the aisle. Chase and his best man Ethan are standing at the altar.

Megan jumps on Tucker’s arm. “Shotgun, Tucker,” she says with a grin.

Lucas looks upset until Tanya grabs his skinny arm. “Don’t worry, Lucas. I’ll be your girl,” she says.

Megan turns around and playfully elbows her husband. “Good for you, honey. Look at the size of her tits.”

He starts turning red as Tanya rolls her eyes.

I stand behind the two couples by myself. I’ll walk alone as the maid of honor, followed by the bride and her mother. Cynthia made her promise to leave her iPad behind.

“The music will start,” the wedding coordinator says, waving her hands, “and then you’ll start walking.”

She guides each couple along the sandy aisle until it’s my turn. Tucker’s eyes are locked on me, but I keep mine straight ahead. I’m still too embarrassed to look him in his gorgeous eyes.

“And now the bride,” the wedding coordinator says, waving Cynthia and her mom forward when I step onto the low stage.

Of course, Megan and Tanya both start singing, alternating lines as the bride walks down:

Cynthia is laughing all the way up. “I hope you got that out of your system, because there will be no singing at the ceremony tomorrow,” she warns.

“Awww,” Megan says, slumping her shoulders. “No fair.”

“Not even during the signing?” Tanya asks, looking frazzled. “We’ve been practicing all week.”

“You can sing it to me after the ceremony,” Cynthia says. “How about that?”

“Excellent,” Megan says, pumping her fist in excitement.

The wedding coordinator walks us through the rest of the ceremony and then takes the bride and groom away to show them where the pictures will be taken.

“I’m getting a drink,” Megan says, running away.

“I’m getting some shade,” Tanya says, hurrying under some palm trees.

My chest tightens when I see Tucker making his way over to me. I can’t avoid him any longer.

“You can pay me back if you want,” he says, looking upset. He stops in front of me and lowers his head. “What did I do wrong?”

My ears start to heat up again. “I don’t need your charity.”

“It’s not charity,” he says, looking like he’s sick to his stomach.

“Then what is it?”

“It’s me helping a person that I care about deeply,” he says with a sigh. “You’re stressed about it.”

“I’m not stressed about it,” I lie. “I have everything completely under control.”

He tilts his head and looks at me with a look of disbelief.

“Okay, maybe I’m a little stressed, but I was going to pay it all back.”

“I’m sure you were,” he says. “But I don’t like to see you stressed, or sad, or upset, or anything but happy. And I have the resources to take that stress away, so I did. I would do it again and again in an instant.”

“You might have to if I get my credit cards back. I’m kidding,” I say after he laughs.

“Look,” he says with his hands out. “I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you, but I thought you would say no. I’m happy to do it. I just want you to be happy. Are you happy?”

I nod. “I’m happy.”

“Me too,” he says, reaching for me.

I lean in and let him swallow me in his big muscular arms. He smells so good. Like sex and money. My two favorite things.

“But it’s a lot of money,” I say, resting my cheek on his chest. “I feel bad.”

He gently grabs my arms and holds me out so he can look into my eyes. “I’ll tell you what,” he says with a grin. “When I visit you in Buffalo, you try on all of those sexy outfits for me and we’ll call it even. That will be worth every last cent.”

I smile shyly. “I can start with the bikini collection when we get back to the room.”

He grins as he looks at me with hungry eyes. “Did I buy you any lingerie?”

“Not yet,” I answer with a laugh.

He pulls me back into his embrace and smiles. “We’ll have to change that. Really soon.”

* * *

The rest of the dinner goes great. We have a delicious dinner on the beach with tons of good food and fine wine. I’m sitting next to Tucker and surrounded by my girls at the large round table. Tucker has us laughing as he tells us stories of his Uncle Jack, the military man who raised him.

On his first night living there, Tucker woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of an electric razor. His crazy Uncle Jack held him down and shaved off his mohawk, giving him a more respectable military style buzz cut. I wish I could have seen it in person.

Chase stands up when the dessert is served, a delicious-looking chocolate cheesecake that my fork easily sinks into.

“You don’t know how grateful Cynthia and I are to have you all here with us on this special week,” he says with his wine glass in his hand. He looks at each member of the wedding party sitting around the table and smiles. “You are the closest people in our lives, and the week wouldn’t be the same without any of you.”

Tucker drops his eyes and stares into his lap.

“When I first met Cynthia,” Chase continues, “I was a mess. My knee was broken, my heart was shattered, and I had no reason to live. My brother and I were constantly fighting, I had no place to call home, and the only thing that mattered to me, the Navy and all of the people in it, had just given me my walking papers. I was ready to die. I had given up.”

He takes a deep breath as he fights back tears. “And then,” he says, turning to his bride, “you walked into my life and everything changed. You healed my heart. You gave me a reason to live, to laugh, and a reason to love again. Your unbelievable love helped my brother and my relationship become stronger than ever. You gave me a home, one with more love then I ever thought possible. You helped me get back on my feet, despite my broken knee, and not only made my life worth living again, but made it even better than before.”

I can see the intense love radiating out of Cynthia’s face as she watches her man with glossy eyes.

“You’ll never know how much you mean to me, baby,” he says, starting to get choked up. He tries to fight back tears, but a few of them come sliding down his cheeks. “You are everything to me. Everything. And I’m so happy that I get to marry you tomorrow, Cynthia.” He shakes his head as he stares at her in disbelief. “We’ll be married forever, but I still can’t wait. Forever is a long time, but with you by my side, it will feel like an instant. I can’t wait to share every moment with you. To live every day with you. To watch you grow old and gray, and still see the young girl that I fell in love whenever I look into your eyes. Enjoy your last night as a bachelorette, Cynthia. Because tomorrow you’re mine, and I’m never going to let you go.”

Cynthia jumps up and leaps into his arms as the table cheers and wipes away the tears from their eyes. They’re holding each other so tight as Chase whispers something in her ear just for her.

I look up at Tucker and jerk my head back in surprise when I see his eyes wet.

“Are you okay?” I whisper when he looks at me.

He gives me a quick nod and turns away as the bride and groom sit back down.

“I second everything that Chase just said, but for this chocolate cheesecake,” Megan says, licking her fork. “I’m in love.”

Everyone laughs and then starts digging into the dessert. The conversations start going again, and I’m about to ask Tucker what he’s thinking when Tanya leans in from my other side.

“First fight as a couple?” she whispers.

“One of many, I’m sure,” I answer with a laugh. “We’re both stubborn and are bound to butt heads again, but as long as we’re quick to make up, it will be fine.”

She smiles as she takes a bite of her cake. “So, everything is okay now?”

“Yeah,” I say, smiling nice and wide. “Everything is great.” I look around to make sure that no one is listening and then lean in close to her. “He paid all of my debt,” I whisper.

“Shut up,” she says, a little too loud. We wait until everyone stops looking at us. “All of it?”

“All $98,456.19 of it,” I whisper. I still can’t believe it. It would have taken me half a decade, working four jobs to pay that off.

“Wow,” she says, nodding at me like she’s impressed. “He must be really in love.”

A smile breaks out across my lips. “I think he always was.”

“Have you talked about what’s going to happen?”

“With what?”

“He lives in Minneapolis,” she says. “Last time I checked you lived in your parent’s basement in Buffalo.”

I gulp. “I didn’t want to think about that. I’ve just been enjoying the moment.”

“Well you should,” she says, taking a bite of her cake. “God, this is so good. You have tomorrow left together, and then we’re leaving.”

I take a long gulp of my wine, trying to push the horrible thought out of my head. We have tonight too. I’m trying to stay positive.

I reach over to put my hand on his leg, but I touch nothing but air. His chair is empty. After a quick scan of the beach, I see him talking to Chase by the bar.

“I’m going to grab a drink at the bar,” I say to Tanya. “Want something?”

“Yeah, I’ll take a lemonade with a side of eavesdropping,” she says with a grin.

“Shut up,” I say to her with a laugh as I get up. I hurry over, keeping far enough away to look inconspicuous but close enough that I can hear.

“I’ll take a mojito please,” I tell the bartender. I hate them, but they take forever to make. It will allow me to listen for a little longer.

“You’re right,” I hear Tucker say, “and I’m sorry. I really was acting like a dick.”

“Don’t sweat it,” Chase says. “It’s okay.”

“It’s not,” Tucker answers. “I should have given you the benefit of the doubt, but I didn’t. I see now that you love her. I can see now that you’re a good guy. I just wouldn’t let myself see it before.”

“Here you go,” the bartender says, handing me the mojito.

Shit. I have to get the fastest bartender in all of Aruba.

“I’m allergic to mint leaves,” I say as I scrunch up my nose. “Can you make another one please?”

The bartender gives me a weird look and then takes the drink away, shaking his head as he grabs another glass.

“My dad ran out on us before Cynthia was walking,” Tucker explains. “I’ve always been protective of my little sister. She didn’t have a dad to look out for her, so I had to be it for her. I tried but I was young, and I didn’t always do it the right way.”

“Here you go,” the bartender says, rolling his eyes as he hands me the drink. “A mojito without the most important ingredient.”

Crap. Is this guy the frigging Flash?

I still want to listen so I slide the glass back. “Oops. I forgot to say no ice. I’m allergic.”

He takes a deep breath and then takes the drink back, muttering something under his breath as he grabs a spoon to take out the deadly ice.

“We’re on the same side, Tucker,” Chase says, placing a hand on Tucker’s shoulder. “Cynthia has both of us looking out for her now.”

“Us two and a group of Navy SEALs?”

“A whole army of Navy SEALs,” Chase says with a laugh.

“One mojito, no mint leaves, no ice,” the bartender says, slapping it down in front of me.

“And no sugar, right?” I ask with an ear still on the boys.

“No sugar?” the bartender says, staring at me in disbelief.

“That’s what I ordered.”

“That is definitely one hundred percent not what you ordered,” he says, glaring at me.

“I’m on a sugar-free diet,” I say with a shrug.

“Of course you are,” he says, taking the glass and turning around to make another one.

I turn back just in time to see Chase and Tucker hugging it out. I’m so relieved to finally see them getting along. I know how much they both mean to Cynthia, and I want tomorrow to go perfectly, not just for her, but for everyone.

“What did you really have in the poker game?” Chase asks with a raised eyebrow.

“A pair of twos,” Tucker lies.

Chase laughs and smacks his back. “You’re not as good a liar as you think you are. I saw Julia’s face when you folded.”

Tucker whips his head around to me, and I drop my eyes to the sand with a gulp.

“One mojito,” the bartender says, taking a deep breath as he places the drink down in front of me. “No mint leaves, no ice, and no sugar. Is this okay or would you like me to make it without a glass?”

“This is fine,” I say, feeling my cheeks redden as Tucker walks over.

“What are you drinking?” Tucker asks, taking the drink from my hand. “Ugh!” he says, looking disgusted after taking a sip. “What is that?”

“A mojito,” I say, trying to keep my eyes off the bartender who’s still standing there.

Tucker shoots him a look. “That’s the worst mojito I’ve ever had,” he says, handing the glass back to him. “Let’s go finish our wine.”

I cringe as I glance back and see him shooting daggers at me as Tucker pulls me away.

We sit down at the table and eat our cake as the DJ starts playing some fun dance music. “So,” I say, trying to stop my cheeks from turning red. “You said you were maybe potentially going to come and visit? Is that still on the table?”

“That is definitely on the table,” he says, locking his sexy eyes on me.

“When would that be?”

“We get back on Saturday,” he says, looking out at the ocean. “How about Sunday?”

I laugh so suddenly that I almost spit wine out of my nose. I’m really happy that I don’t.

“That sounds good,” I say as I dig my fork into my cake. “But I’ll probably still be on my layover in Colombia.”

“No, you won’t,” he says with a shake of his head. “I’ll upgrade you to a direct ticket.”

I exhale as I shake my head. “I think you’ve done enough.”

“I can never do enough for you,” he says.

I smile shyly, watching as my friends start dancing on the beach. “Come,” I say, taking his hand. “Dance with me, Mother Tucker.”

He tosses his napkin on the table and stands up with a smile on his face. “Whatever you say, Mosquito Bites.”

“Yes!” Megan shouts as we dance over to join the group. The DJ is playing all 90s Hip Hop, arguably the best music ever made.

2Pac and Dr. Dre come through the speakers rapping their classic track, California Love, and we all go nuts. Ethan is rapping into Tanya’s pregnant belly while she throws her hands in the air.

Megan is grinding on Lucas, using his skinny body like a stripper pole while Cynthia does the running man next to Chase, who is doing the worm in the sand. Tucker’s mom is dancing too, holding her iPad up as she films it all.

Tucker is a surprisingly good dancer, and we get in nice and close while moving to the beat.

“I’m getting married tomorrow!” Chase shouts, and we all cheer as the music and drinks flow.

The wedding tomorrow is going to be a blast.

As long as we can keep the new owner of the resort at bay…