AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Much to my surprise, I relax pretty quickly and start to enjoy myself once we leave the hotel. The funniest part of the evening is watching my mother and her sister cracking onto a couple of young, hot sailors. I silently click away on my camera. It should be fun sharing these in private with her later.
“So, are you having fun?” Cindy asks, flopping down next to me.
“I am,” I admit, and for once I don’t have to lie. “It’s good to get out and just forget about everything for a while.” The last few weeks have been so stressful, what with planning the wedding and finishing up my exams. It feels good to not have to think about any of that stuff for a few hours.
“So,” she says with a sneaky grin. “Are you wondering what Lennon is up to?”
I narrow my eyes at her. “You wouldn’t be asking me unless you knew the answer,” I say. She laughs and nods excitedly.
“Rick has been messaging me updates right through the night,” she admits, her cheeks reddening.
“Since when are you and Rick so close?” I ask suspiciously. “How do you even have his number?”
“We exchanged numbers at your engagement party,” she says defensively. “It made sense, him being the best man and me being your maid of honor and all.”
“Sure, it did,” I tease, nudging her. “Nothing to do with the fact you like him, huh?”
“No,” she retorts. “I don’t like him. He’s way too much of a player for me.”
“Cindy, he’s the male version of you,” I chuckle. “If you don’t like him, it’s because you’re too similar.”
“He is not like me,” she gasps, horrified.
“Oh, he so is,” I argue. “Put the guy in a skirt and throw some extensions in his hair, and it’s you. It’s okay, Cin. You’re allowed to like him.”
“But I don’t like him,” she protests with a little too much gusto. That, and the way her cheeks are still glowing, I know I’m right. “Can we please change the subject? Let’s talk about whether we need to intervene on that,” she says, pointing to where Mom and Auntie Silvie have one of the sailors cornered. He glances around, looking for help. I groan and shake my head as I walk over to save him. I think I’m starting to understand why my dad hates my mother drinking.
***
It’s after two when I arrive back at my room. I’m exhausted, but much more alert than I was expecting I’d be. It was a good night and I’m glad I let Cindy plan it. Yawning, I curl up in bed and reach for my phone. I try calling Lennon, even though it’s late, but there’s no answer. I try and hide my disappointment, because I was hoping to hear his voice, but I can see him tomorrow. I quickly tap out a text and press Send. I read the text again, a tiny smile creeping across my face.
I can’t wait to be your wife.
Chapter Three
Lennon
I open my eyes and curse, closing them just as fast. My head throbs, and no matter what way I position it, I feel like I’m going to hurl. I’m still drunk, I know that much, but what scares me is I have no recollection of the last twelve hours. In fact, I don’t remember much of what happened at all after Darcy picked me up from the airport yesterday. I grin, despite my panic. At least I haven’t lost that memory.
A few minutes pass, and the pain seems to dull. I’m still hazy, but at least I’m alert enough to move now. I pick up my phone from the nightstand and check my messages, frowning as I scroll through them. I skip past the numerous texts from my mother and smile when I get to Darcy’s.
Darcy: I can’t wait to be your wife.
My heart pounds as I type out a reply. This is what it feels like to be in love, and I know I’m such a lucky guy. She’s an amazing woman, and she’s about to become my wife. Laying back on the bed, I sigh, and press Send. Something rubs past my leg which startles me, and when I turn, I see Rick, naked and in the fetal position, clawing at me in his sleep.
“What the hell, man?” I growl, jumping up.
I shove him hard, trying to rouse him, but get no response. I kick him a little harder, enough that he stirs and rolls over, but the immediate snoring tells me he has no intention of waking up anytime soon. I guess I can add sharing a bed with him to the list of things I don’t recall happening.
