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“It’s not enough, Webber!” Adam exclaimed, growing excited. “You have to have the whole package. Mom, Dad, white picket fence.”
I frowned. I clearly wasn’t getting it. I must have been more wasted than I realized. “But I’m not married. Neither is Josie for that matter.”
“She’s the mother, though. And she’s proving she’ll do what it takes to provide a home life for Katie. So, you need to up the ante.” Meg, Skylar, and I were looking at Adam as if he had grown a second head.
“You’re not making any sense, Adam. Try spelling it out for the rest of us so we can understand,” Meg said, folding her arms on the table.
“You need to get married,” Adam announced.
There was a moment of silence, followed by us collectively laughing our asses off. Except for Adam. He appeared offended.
“What are you laughing for? It makes total sense.” He had to raise his voice to be heard over our cackling.
“Dude, you’ve had way too much to drink.” I slid Adam’s full beer toward me slowly.
“Back off, that’s mine,” he barked, snatching it back. “You’re not listening to me. Who’s the lawyer here? Me.” He pointed at his chest—or tried to. He ended up poking his nipple. “I know what’ll work. And I’m your lawyer, Webber.” Then he pointed at me. “And I’m telling you this would work. If you were to get married, plus all your other stellar qualities, this could be a home run.”
My brain was just fuzzy enough to think this made sense.
“Yeah. Get married.” I mulled it over, though I wasn’t doing the best job, considering I couldn’t put two thoughts together.
“That is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard you say, Decate. And I’ve heard some dumb shit come out of your mouth,” Meg snapped, surprising everyone.
“Hey, it’s not dumb. What are you talking about?” Adam complained, his eyes droopy. Yep, my buddy was hammered.
“You’re telling Web, our best friend, to simply get married? And you think a judge wouldn’t see right through the convenience of that?” Meg was annoyed. Even as drunk as I was, I could tell.
“She’s right. It doesn’t make sense,” Skylar piped up. She didn’t sound drunk at all, but Murphy could be three sheets to the wind and give a ten-minute speech on the greenhouse effect to a roomful of researchers.
“It does make sense,” Adam argued. He started bobbing his head in time to the rock song playing over the speakers. “I love this song.”
“Adam. Concentrate.” Meg lightly smacked the back of his head.
“Stop being such a bully, Galloway,” Adam pouted.
“It’s not Galloway anymore,” I reminded him.
His smile turned goofy. “I know. Because she’s my wife.” He nuzzled into her neck, kissing her. “I’m so lucky too. The luckiest guy in all the world.”
Meg rolled her eyes again but with less venom this time.
“How do you deal with him?” Skylar asked her, shaking her head.
Adam laid his head on Meg’s shoulder. “Sure, Webber can’t marry some stranger. It has to make sense. It has to be someone he has a relationship with. Otherwise, yeah, a judge will see straight through that, and that would be bad.”
“So, who should he marry?” Meg asked, then looked at Skylar. “What about you?”
Skylar and I glanced at each other and then in unison said, “Nope.”
Adam sat up, his drunken haze clearing slightly. “But that might work. You guys have been friends forever—”
“And there’s not a person in Southport—or anywhere else for that matter—that would believe for a second we were in love.” Skylar made a face.
“Hey, it wouldn’t be that bad, would it?” I asked, feeling a little hurt.
Skylar put a hand on my arm. “You’re like my brother. And I’m like your sister. Do you want to have to make out with your sister to prove we’re happily married?”
We both shuddered. “She’s right. Anyone that knows us would never believe it. Including Josie,” I admitted, trying to erase the thought of kissing Skylar out of my head. Not that she wasn’t a good-looking woman, but she was right. We were more like siblings.
“Who else then? If you’re going to make a fake family work, it has to be someone no one would question Webber wanting to be with. It has to convince Josie too.” Meg tapped her finger on her chin. Then her eyes widened. She and Skylar shared a look, and then she turned to Adam, who seemed to have the same thought at the same time.
“Are you thinking of the same person I am?” he asked.
“I think so,” Meg whispered.
I looked between them. “Care to share?”
They ignored me, still looking at each other.
“Whitney?” Adam asked, and Meg nodded.
“It’s perfect.”
My stomach turned over instantly. “What in the hell are you suggesting?”
“No one would think twice if they ended up together. We’ve been calling it for literally years,” Skylar enthused with a grin that put me on edge.
