Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 78340 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78340 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Eliot took off his glasses and wiped his eyes. Then he got up and told us, “I’m just going to say this once. I love all of you. Now I fully intend to get drunk, so who wants to help me make a giant vat of Bloody Marys?”
Hal jumped up and said, “Hell yes, let’s make two,” and they hurried to the kitchen.
I reached up and put my family portrait in the center of the fireplace mantel. Then Lucky drew me onto his lap. He was so sweet. He held me and rubbed my back while I curled into him.
While the conversation around the room turned to lighter subjects, I whispered, “I didn’t expect this to be such an emotional day.”
He kissed my forehead before saying, “I think it’s wonderful that you live in a home with so much love.”
Lucky spent another couple of hours with us before taking off. I told him he was welcome to stay longer, but he said he wanted to give me a chance to spend some time with Hal since I didn’t get to see my best friend very often. Before he left, he kissed me and told me how much he was looking forward to coming back for the wedding the following weekend.
Later on, when Hal and I were by ourselves in the kitchen, he asked, “So, now can we talk about the gorgeous man who’s totally crazy about you?”
“You think he’s crazy about me?”
My best friend stared at me like I’d just sprouted a second head. “Duh! Don’t tell me you’d somehow failed to notice.”
I started fidgeting with the baby monitor as I shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s incredibly nice, and a very affectionate person. I can see how that might look like he’s into me.”
Hal dragged both hands over his face as he muttered, “Oh my god.” Then he met my gaze and said, “Logan, that man is smitten. And I think you are, too.”
“It doesn’t matter what I am. In a month, he’s moving as far away as possible without actually leaving the continent.”
“And what are you going to do? Just wave goodbye and never see him again?”
“No. I’m planning to stay in touch, because we’re friends.”
He sighed at that. “Friends. Yeah, right. You and I are friends, Lo. When was the last time you made out with me, or sat on my lap, or gazed at me longingly across a crowded room?”
“Um, never?”
“Exactly, because friends don’t do that. Boyfriends do!”
“Which one of us gazed longingly across the room?”
“Both of you. When the party was in full swing, you’d look around every few minutes, and as soon as you saw Lucky, this expression that said, ‘my god, I totally fucking want that man’ would cross your face.”
I asked, “Did I really do that?”
“Repeatedly. And holy hell, the way he looked at you when you weren’t watching! Do you know what I’d give for my boyfriend to look at me like that?”
“Like what, exactly?”
“Like you’re the most beautiful, amazing, wonderful thing in the entire universe.”
“Really? He did that?” When Hal nodded, I asked, “So, what am I supposed to do? You and I already talked about this. Lucky has to go to Miami because he made a commitment to his dad, and Owen and I need to stay here with our family.”
“I know. But now that I’ve seen you two together, it just breaks my heart.”
I sighed quietly and admitted, “It breaks mine, too.”
Chapter 9
The day of Yolanda and JoJo’s wedding started out great. They’d gone out with a group of their girlfriends the night before, and after they slept in we made them a huge brunch. The mimosas, laughs, and conversation flowed, and the brides looked happy and relaxed.
They really wanted the hours leading up to the ceremony to be as calm and stress-free as possible, so after brunch Yolanda surprised not just JoJo but our entire household with a visit from a mobile spa. Lark was more excited about this than any of us.
The technicians set up their stations on the patio, and we all put on facemasks and took turns getting mani-pedis. Owen wanted to be a part of everything that was happening, so I let him splash in some water and then I rubbed lotion on his pudgy little feet, which he thought was hilarious. After that, the brides enjoyed a couples massage while the rest of us went back inside.
The cake and flowers had already been delivered by that point, and the caterers were planning to arrive in the late afternoon to get set up for that night’s dinner buffet. We’d all been helping clean and get everything ready for days, to make sure we didn’t have to scramble at the last minute. That meant all we really had to do for the next few hours was hang out and make sure the brides didn’t need anything.