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“What?”
“Don’t let me them overrule Aubrey on the wedding stuff.” Ethan pleaded, his big blue eyes widening with exaggerated concern. “She’s got it mapped out, and she’s letting them say their piece, but I think they might be too much.”
I laughed, thinking of how I spent part of my week at work diffusing disagreements about decorations with their mothers just because I was the maid of honor. Before I could tell him how little he knew about wedding planning, and their bossy moms, the room filled with coos and laughter.
“Ezra! Rowan!” Ethan’s mom cried as they closed the door. “I haven’t seen you two in,” she turned toward the living room, “what, Ethan? A year?”
“Dad’s birthday party,” Ethan shouted above my head. He squeezed my shoulder before getting up to greet his friends, who were still being swarmed with affection from Ethan’s mom. I took their cat from my lap and plopped her onto the couch, where she nestled into the spot Ethan left.
I wasn’t sure if I felt embarrassed about Maggie and our students or if it still annoyed me that Rowan said he wouldn’t let Diego flirt with me. Either way, I had a hard time looking at him. It didn’t help that he was wearing a Blazers jersey that displayed his defined, tanned arms.
“Nobody wants to see that,” I groaned, waving at him when Aubrey joined me in the living room.
“It’s disgusting.” She agreed, pulling me to the table where they’d gone over wedding details. Aubrey was going through catering details with me when everyone else bothered us.
“Meredith!” Ezra cooed, opening his arms for me to run into. Why not? He was nice. He never teased me about the color of my bra after my intern poured beer on me. “I haven’t seen you since Vegas. Three weeks is too long. Want to get coffee tomorrow?”
“He had three beers before I picked him up,” Rowan acknowledged, hugging Aubrey tightly.
“He needs to be drunk to want to hang out with me?” I sneered, shaking my head at Rowan for being a dick. Before he could correct himself, blue eyes already rolling at me, I held my hand up and went into the kitchen.
“That’s not what I meant.” Rowan followed me, leaning against the counter when I closed the fridge. Clutching my heart, I had to catch my breath. I don’t like surprises.
I looked at him once before opening a bottle of sparkling water. “I did my best the other night. I corralled them, nobody hooked up with anyone, and we never have to talk about it again.”
“You’re fine, Meredith.” Even his reassurance sounded like he was mocking me as it came through his smiling mouth. “I think I owe you an apology, though.” I lifted my hand to my forehead, checked my pulse on my neck, and looked up at him. “What are you doing?” Rowan stepped closer to me, his arms crossed, staring at me all types of smug. His biceps were killing me.
“I think I just heard you say something about an apology. I just wanted to make sure I hadn’t died waiting for one.” As I turned from him, I felt his foot on my butt.
“What’s going on?” Aubrey looked between Rowan and me, her eyes squinting suspiciously.
Rubbing my butt, I glared at him. “Nothing,” I told Aubrey. “Rowan’s just being a typical,” I deepened my most annoyed stare at him, “asshole.”
Heels clicked along the floor, the voice of Ethan’s mother getting louder as she approached. She was rambling on about something with Ezra. It could’ve been about whether to serve chocolate mousse or flan at the reception, surely something I’d be mediating for Aubrey.
“There you are!” She waved a finger at Rowan, sending him a motherly tsk. “Hiding in another room with the girls. This boy hasn’t changed,” she squeezed Rowan’s cheek like he was five, “one bit since high school.”
“I can’t imagine you in high school,” Aubrey added, leaning against me.
“He never left the weight room, the field, my kitchen, or the dating pool,” Ethan’s mom continued, her attempt to engage adorable and embarrassing at the same time. “How is Theresa anyway?”
Rowan coughed, reaching behind me to open the fridge. “We broke up,” he told her before swallowing from his water bottle, “a while ago.”
“Thank God,” Aubrey groaned, lifting from me and knocking Rowan in the abs as she passed by. It must’ve hurt, because she pouted and rubbed her knuckles on her way out of the kitchen.
Following her, I was happy to leave Rowan and Ethan’s mom in memory lane and settle in with Aubrey and her mom. After a while of us talking about Aubrey’s dress, her mom asked about my work. I told her about the staff meeting, how I needed to look for a new job, that maybe a miracle would happen and something would save the nonprofit.
“It’s risky everywhere,” she added, trying to soften my nerves. “Aubrey’s dad had to let some people go over Memorial Day. It was awful.”
“That’s not helping, mom,” Aubrey hummed.
Ethan walked around us on the sofa to kiss Aubrey before they left for the basketball game. When his mom joined us, she was still smiling.
“They’re great, aren’t they? Those three have been inseparable since I can remember.”
“Those must be some awful memories,” I muttered, unable to bite my tongue. Aubrey snickered, pulling her collar over her face. “Not of Ethan, of course.”
“You know, honey,” Ethan’s mom leaned forward, “Ezra’s quite a catch. Have you thought of asking him out?”
