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The anxiety I have been trying to push down for days is on the verge of spilling out of me. My emotional capacity is full to the brim; my metaphorical water glass can’t hold another drop before it floods.
“Enough about me. Can we talk about literally anything else?” I plead, biting the inside of my cheeks hard.
“Well, we’re about to do some heavy lifting,” Kora points out. “No time to talk during hard labor.”
“As if you’re going to do any heavy lifting.”
“I’ll be very focused on watching hot men do the heavy lifting,” she says, wiggling her eyebrows. Her eyes dart to Hayden and Mike, who’re carrying large boxes.
“Did you just say you find Mike hot?” I smirk.
“Like objectively.” She rolls her eyes. “But not in the ‘I wanna bang him hot’ way. I just enjoy watching men do hard work while I relax. It’s the feminist in me.”
My mom snorts. “I thought we were here to help too, Kora.”
“You’re right, you’re right,” she mumbles. “I don’t know how much work Hayden will be able to do with Robin around. He’ll be too busy looking at her like a love-sick puppy.”
“Shut up.” I glare at her, and she blows me a kiss.
We’re only a few feet away from the two men, and I’m terrified they’ll overhear her comments. Mike notices us first, giving us a friendly wave, which catches my boyfriend’s attention. When he turns around and our gazes meet, my stomach flips.
Because Kora was right.
He does look at me like a love-sick puppy.
Chapter 31
Hayden
“Wow, this turned out better than expected,” Robin says, her eyes sparkling with amazement at the funeral going on in front of us. “This is how I want my funeral to be.”
“Can we not talk about your funeral, please?” I groan and interlace my fingers with hers.
“I meant in the extremely distant future.” She pulls me toward Mike’s bar setup. “Let’s get a drink. We deserve one. Or several.”
The funeral is impressive. We transformed the park into an elegant space, incorporating the greenery with pearly white drapes hanging from little pop-up tents that offer drinks and food. Small round tables with fresh bouquets of flowers are spread out for guests to sit and eat. The gazebo is decorated with garlands and flowers, and string lights hung from tree to tree create an almost romantic atmosphere. The sun is slowly setting, the evening air a welcome reprieve from the hot afternoon. The lights illuminate the park, and everything glows around us. Including Robin.
Guests were instructed to wear colorful outfits for the celebration of Darlene’s life, and Robin is in a flowy summer dress with her usual half-up, half-down hairstyle. My eyes rake over her body, and I can’t believe she’s mine.
I pull her close and lower my head to whisper in her ear. “This dress looks incredible on you, but I can’t wait to take it off of you later in your bedroom.”
She gazes up at me with a look of exasperation. “My mom is staying with me. We can’t, you know, do that while she’s around.”
I shrug. “We’ll leave it in my car.”
“Behave.” She gives me a gentle shove. “We’re at a funeral.”
I wrestle her into my arms and lock them around her so she can’t escape. “Don’t look like this and ask me to behave,” I mutter into her ear and teasingly bite her earlobe.
She laughs and tries to wiggle out of my grasp, but I hold her tight. It’s not until she threatens me with not allowing me to sleep over anymore that I let her go.
I briefly make eye contact with her mom, who’s a few feet away, chatting away with a very animated Kora and looking at us with pure joy written across her face.
Robin’s mother has embraced me with open arms––figuratively and literally. I was slightly nervous when she showed up unannounced. There’s no way she could’ve heard the rumors about me, but I so desperately wanted her to approve of me. And thankfully, she seems genuinely excited about me being with her daughter.
“Wait, I’ll be back. I’m going to say hi to my coworkers.” She gives me a small wave before walking to a group of people gathered around the gazebo.
I join her mom and Kora’s conversation. I haven’t had a chance yet to really get to know her mother.
