THE NEXT THREE DAYS GO by in a blur of work and random errands. As hectic as the days seem, it all makes sense at night when Evie and I come together. Making love into the early mornings, we put our fears to rest, leaving them between tangled limbs and twisted sheets until we’re both satiated and too exhausted to do anything other than succumb to sleep.
She hasn’t said anything about her sister or Drew, or the suspicion that he’s cheating on her, and I hope that means she’ll let it go until after the wedding. I still can’t believe that’s something Drew’s capable of, but I’m also not privy to all the details of their investigation. Whatever the truth, we’ll figure it out and face the consequences . . . after this weekend.
Today’s another full day at the club, but when five o’clock arrives I wave good-bye to my co-workers with the biggest smile on my face. TGIF. I’m off work for the next two weeks, the longest vacation I’ve had since moving away from home. That’s reason enough to smile. More than enough. Tonight we’ll rehearse, share drinks and dinner with family and the friends we consider family, and then tomorrow . . . Tomorrow I marry Evie. I’m the luckiest man on earth.
Evie’s waiting for me when I walk in the kitchen door, already dressed and looking beautiful in a sundress and sandals that show off her blue toenails. I drop my bag, my feet moving toward her of their own accord. “You’re gorgeous, you know that?” I brush my lips over hers for a kiss. Her lips widen against my own with her smile.
“You remind me every day.” She eases away. “How was work?”
“Fantastic since I don’t have to go back. How much time do we have?” I pull her in for another kiss but this one’s not so simple. Starting at her lips, I kiss my way down her neck. I only break to glance at the clock, but she answers me first.
“Not enough time for that.” A giggle escapes her lips. She presses her hands against my chest to back away, but I don’t give up my hold on her hips. Her eyes widen and she shakes her head. “Tate! Ten minutes and we need to leave!”
“Fine, okay.” I laugh, walking backwards until I reach the hall. “I still don’t understand exactly what we’re practicing. Can’t we just skip it and go right to the wedding?”
“Tate!” she chides, but there’s laughter in her voice.
I wink and turn into the bedroom to get changed. We’ve made it here. Tomorrow is the day, but tonight we celebrate how far we’ve come. Surviving these months of planning and family and drama. Hell, making it through this week as one cohesive unit is reason enough to throw a party. Nothing’s gonna rain on our parade.
“I never understood the point of the rehearsal. For a band it makes sense; you have to check sound and make sure lighting is bringing their A game. But with a wedding, is it that difficult to walk down an aisle, say I do, and then walk back out?” Derek grouses as he lifts his beer to his mouth for a long pull.
We’ve all gathered at the bar at Rigatoni’s, a local Italian restaurant not too far from the ceremony venue, for a drink or two before sitting down to dinner in the back room.
“Don’t be a hater.” Kate throws him a knowing glare. “You’re jealous it’s not you and Carly.”
“What? No.” Derek’s quick gaze finds Carly across the room, Eli and Ezra at her side while she chats with our parents. The way he looks at my sister . . . It’s the same way I look at Evie, or how Jon regards Kate. We’re each so far gone over the woman we love.
“Liar.” Kate’s grin pulls wide and Derek’s lips form a goofy smile as he shrugs with defeat. Satisfied, Kate turns her attention on Evie and arches her brow. “No champagne tonight?”
Evie blanches. “Ugh. Don’t even say the word. I’m sticking with water. I can still taste last week’s hangover.”
We all laugh as the girls share highlights from the previous weekend’s bachelorette party. Jon and Derek order another round at the bar and I take Evie’s hand in mine.
“Let’s go eat,” she decides and we all head to the private room reserved for our dinner party.
Kate bumps her shoulder against Evie. “Who’s the hottie at two o’clock? I didn’t know you had Latino cousins.”
Evie stops to crane her neck to where a man, college-age I’d guess, slides into a seat at the bar.
“Shit,” she swears, and with that every protective nerve in my body comes to attention.
In his ball cap and jeans, he’s mildly out of place. I don’t recognize him, and when his stare continues to settle on my fiancé, I glance at Evie, wondering how she knows him.
“Who is he? Would he model for me?” Kate gives a round of silent golf claps over her belly.
“Only if I’m there too,” Jon says with a growl. I don’t know how he does it. He supports Kate’s photography, although maybe a little begrudgingly since she specializes in male nudes. I’m forever thankful my future wife doesn’t share the same interest.
Kate pats his shoulder and rolls her eyes. “Relax, Army. You’ve got a standing invite to all my shoots. But seriously, Evie, hook a sister up?”
“Let me go check. You all go on in.” Evie’s gaze is distracted as she hands off her drink and marches toward the bar. Something’s off, though. Evie’s got a horrible poker face, and none of us move.
“I don’t think she’s happy to see him, whoever he is.” Jon’s brow furrows as he follows her retreat.
Evie glances from side to side, her back to us as she talks with the man. He stands from the barstool and his gaze hardens. That’s when I’ve had as much as I can take.
“I’ll be right back.” I hurry through the smattering of tables and ignore my father when he tries to wave me into the dining room. Evie’s finger points at the door and the man shakes his head, the volume of his voice increasing.
“I want answers! You can’t make me leave. I’ll keep following you until I get them!” the man says so loudly that most of the bar and restaurant can hear.
Jon’s at my side, and he pulls Evie back as I step in front of her.
“Excuse me. I don’t know who the hell you think you are. But threatening my fiancé in a public place isn’t a wise decision.”
He holds up his hands, taking in the sight of both myself and Jon. I don’t have to look over my shoulder to know Jon’s giving the dude his most intimidating stare. “Look, I’m not here to fight or cause trouble. I just need answers.”
I glance to Evie and she crosses her arms, worrying her lower lip between her teeth.
“I’m sorry, who are you?” I ask the guy. Based on her body language and the conversation they were having, I need to know. He glances around, and it’s then I realize we’ve drawn quite a crowd. Basically the entire bridal party and some strangers, too.
“I’d rather not give my name. No offense.”
“Look, kid. If you don’t tell us who you are and why you’re here, we’re calling the police. You’re intruding on a private party.” Jon’s threat is enough to make the entire bar nearly go silent.
The kid doesn’t back down though, straightening his posture and narrowing his gaze so he almost looks menacing. He might be stupid, but he’s got balls. “The same way you two have been spying on my friend!” the young man accuses and Jon’s eyes widen with surprise as he continues. “That’s right! I’ve seen you sneaking around Amelia’s apartment. What are you doing there?”
Jon’s gaze switches from the college kid to Evie, but she won’t meet his stare. “Evie . . .” he murmurs. “What did you do?”
“I thought you were a cop, maybe, because you kind of look like one, but after she came by I knew there had to be more to it. What kind of trouble is Amelia in?”
“You went there? When?” Jon growls, completely ignoring the kid.
“I . . . Um . . . Don’t be mad,” Evie implores Jon, her eyes flitting around the room. “Maybe we should talk outside.”
“Dammit, Evie,” Jon curses.
“What? Don’t want to air your dirty little secret!” mystery man says.
Evie’s eyes narrow to slits while her brow creases and her nostrils flare. Oh, shit. “Shut up, Carlos. You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“That’s exactly why I’m here! To find answers!” he shouts. Evie steps forward, not one bit intimidated. With all of us here to back her up, she has no reason to be.
“They’re not my secrets to tell,” she says, glancing at her sister with sorrow etched in her expression. My stomach drops.
“Look. I don’t know what’s going on, but you can’t just break into someone’s complex and spy on an unsuspecting girl. It’s scary as shit. If she’s in trouble, I need to know. I’ll help any way I can. Just tell me what’s going on.”
“Wait. I recognize you. You’re . . .” Drew’s words trail off as he steps forward, returned from changing Claire’s diaper in the bathroom. His gaze bounces from Carlos, to Jon, to Evie, and then back to Carlos while his little girl babbles from her perch on his hip.
“Drew?” Carlos’s eyes go wide. “Wait. Why? How do you—?”
Drew shakes his head and it snaps Carlos’ mouth shut.
My gaze can’t settle on one person, because it seems as if everyone knows something, but not enough. This night is supposed to be about celebrating Evie and me, not playing a horrible game of pass it on. “Would someone tell me what the hell is happening?” I shout to no one in particular, but Evie reaches over to hold my hand. Her eyes are full of pain as her fingers tighten their grip.
“Yeah, Drew.” Melissa’s voice breaks the silence and draws all eyes to her. “Why don’t you tell us what’s going on? How you’re cheating on me. On us.” Her hands rest on her belly. I have so much respect because even though her voice wavers, her stare doesn’t.
“What?” He laughs and shakes his head.
“Don’t try to deny it. Evie and Jon have seen you. They’ve got proof. I know about the money you’ve been siphoning away, too.” Her voice grows more confident with her accusations. Her hands hold her belly, almost as if she’s protecting the baby as much as herself.
Drew holds her stare, blinking several times before he bursts into laughter. Bad move. Melissa’s brow lowers, and if looks could kill we’d be calling in a homicide. Thankfully, he notices his wife’s reaction and his expression sobers. “That’s what you thought I’ve been doing for the past two months?”
“Thought? I know!”
“Melissa, stop. I’m not cheating on you.” Drew steps closer.
“Then how do you explain the money? The weekly “work nights” when you were in her apartment?”
“Melissa, it was a surprise.”
“What?”
“For our anniversary. I wanted to surprise you.” He shakes his head and glances around, his eyes searching as they settle on the lot of us. “You thought I was cheating? For months? And you didn’t say anything. All of you were in on this?”
“It was only a few weeks. We’d do anything for Melissa,” Jon says.
While that’s true, guilt pricks at my conscious. I had wanted to say something, but I also wanted to respect Evie’s choice in handling the matter.
Drew shakes his head, laughing again but this time without humor. “Except straight up ask me what was going on.”
“To be fair, most cheating husbands lie to cover their tracks. Your explanations or alibis would have been immaterial,” Kate chimes, but Drew only casts a shake of his head at both Tate and Jon before offering his free hand to Melissa.
She contemplates a moment before placing her hand in his.
His stare holds no teasing or joke as he speaks. “Melissa. I wanted to surprise you.”
“With divorce papers?” She tries to draw away but Drew only tugs her closer, holding her hand to his chest. Claire giggles, thinking it’s a game.
“God, no!” He shakes his head and lets loose a rough chuckle before smiling. “You’re so pregnant, you know that?”
Melissa’s eyes fill with unshed tears. “So, you’re waiting for me to have the baby and then leave me?” Her chest rises and she seethes her next words through clenched teeth. “You bastard!”
“Enough.” Drew’s voice commands attention. “You need to stop and let me talk now.” He meets my glare but only shakes his head while a trace of a smile plays at his lips. “I wish you had talked to me about your concerns. I was trying to surprise you, but I guess I didn’t cover my tracks well enough for the mystery gang.”
“That’s what cheaters say,” Kate whispers loudly. Jon has the wisdom to stop her from talking with a kiss to the lips.
“Remember when we were dating, our last year at ASU, and we were making plans for our life after college and all the things we wanted?”
Her shoulders are tight, along with her frown. “We did that a lot back then.”
“Sure did. But there was that one time, right before finals, and it was the night I decided for maybe the hundredth time that I would do anything if only you’d one day be my wife. We were having dinner in the MU and I asked you if there were no limitations, no budget, no obstacles . . . Where, of all the places on Earth, you’d go.”
Her gaze narrows. “I don’t understand what this has to do with—”
“Paris.”
Her eyes are glassy and she nods. “I remember, Drew.”
“You said you wanted to drink wine and eat cheese at every meal, walk hand in hand through the Royal Gardens, and kiss beneath the lights of the Eiffel Tower.”
“I remember.”
“We didn’t have the money when we got married, but I was hoping to take you for our fifth anniversary this year, except—”
“Baby number two.” Melissa sighs and rubs her hand over her belly.
“That’s right. And I’m so damn happy. But I wanted to do something special. Since we couldn’t go on your dream vacation, I-I wanted to bring France to you.”
Her gaze lifts to meet his. “For me?”
“I found a grad student who agreed to trade French lessons for statistics tutoring.”
“You’re so smart,” she whispers.
“And when she found out I was also planning to take cooking lessons, she offered to let me practice in her kitchen. That’s when I started paying for tutoring. She helped me learn to speak and make authentic food. Amelia’s really such a sweet woman, and I’d love for you to meet her. I even gave her Evie and Jon’s business card.”
Evie gasps, and glances at everyone before words tumble from her lips. “All this time we thought Amelia was trying to throw us off her husband stealing scent when she was really only looking for love.”
Melissa sobs aloud and wipes the tears from her cheeks. “I’m sorry, Drew. I never should have doubted you.”
“Hey.” He pulls her into his side, shifting Claire out of the way as she babbles something most of us can’t understand. “Don’t cry, babe. It’s not your fault. We can blame it on the hormones. I know you trust me, and I have been acting weird. It’s hard to keep something from you, even for a surprise. Just sucks that it was all for naught. The idea sounded way cooler in my head, but now the whole thing seems silly.” Drew shrugs and his cheeks blotch with his blush.
“No, I love it. I love you. That you wanted to make our anniversary special even though I look like a blimp.” She’s still crying, but a smile paints her features.
“You look beautiful, and I will take you to France one day. Until then, next weekend your parents are taking Claire and we are bringing Paris to us.”
“Did you really learn French for me?”
“Je ne peux pas vivre sans toi.”
“Fuck, baby, that’s hot. What did you just say?”
“I said I can’t live without you. Because I can’t, Melissa.”
“You could talk about conference calls and spreadsheets in that language and I’d drag you home,” she murmurs but everyone can hear.
“Tu es très belle. J’ai besoin de toi.”
“So, we’re leaving now!” Melissa grabs Drew by the tie, then gives us all a quick wave. “See you at the wedding tomorrow.”
Drew follows his wife. Smart man.
“You are all crazy.” Carlos shakes his head and then nods at Evie. “Sorry about interrupting your party. Though, I think maybe it helped. Jeez. I guess my college professors aren’t wrong. Communication is everything. Later.” He waves and turns toward the exit.
“Carlos, wait!” Evie calls and he turns around with his eyebrows raised. She jogs over to close the space between them and lowers her voice, but I manage to overhear. “I know you have feelings for Amelia . . .”
“She’s my friend, yeah.” He fiddles with the brim of his cap.
“And I know we don’t know each other at all. But if your feelings go deeper than friendship, maybe you should take a risk and ask her out.”
“I don’t know. I’m a few years younger and there’s no chance she’d want to date me. Her last boyfriend had everything—car, money, career. I have student loans, a bike, and work weekends at Jimmy Johns.”
Evie shrugs. “Funny, I didn’t see her as shallow when we talked last week.”
Carlos shakes his head, his voice rising. “She’s not at all. She’s kind, hard-working, smart, and one of the most considerate people I know.”
Evie grins. “Ask her out.”
His hands slide into his back pockets and he rocks back and forth on his heels.
“Carlos, I think you’ll regret it if you don’t. Besides, I think you’re one of the good guys. That’s what she’s looking for right now.”
He nods and flashes a smirk. “Yeah, okay, maybe I will.” He shakes his head and waves. “Later.”
“Okay, so this has been the strangest rehearsal dinner I’ve ever attended.” Kate’s voice cuts through the bustle of the once again busy bar. “Are we eating soon? ’Cause I’m doing that for two.”
Evie whirls and gives Kate a pointed scowl before she meets my smile and winds her fingers through mine. “Kate’s right. A party isn’t a party without food.”
“This is perfect, really,” Kate says. “You got all the drama over with ahead of time. Now tomorrow will go seamlessly.”
“Let’s not jinx it.” Evie laughs. “The only thing that matters tomorrow is marrying this guy. Everything else is gravy.”
I couldn’t agree with her sentiment more.