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“It’s okay. I got a call from my doctor today. He managed to fit me in for surgery in Manhattan the day after the wedding. He’s supposed to fix the rest of my nerve damage with breakthrough technology, hopefully,” she added, holding up crossed fingers.
“That’s great news!” Lourde got up to throw her arms around Evelyn’s neck. Her heart was in the right place, but she was too much like Barrett. She didn’t understand.
Maybe because I wasn’t so busy with my head up my ass, eating rainbows for breakfast like everybody else. If anyone stopped to pay attention, they would clearly see she was uncomfortable.
I downed what was left in my glass before lifting it to grab the attention of one of our many servers. The restaurant was pulling out all the stops, probably because they recognized the Diamond family name and knew they needed to bring their A-game to the table. Like magic, my Scotch was refilled, and a fresh round of small plates were lined up in the center of the round table.
“I’ve got to be careful.” Grace helped herself to a mozzarella-stuffed meatball, which she quickly cut open on her plate. “I need to be able to fit into that Farrah Goldsmith custom dress in two days.”
“That’s what wraps are for,” Ari pointed out with a smirk. He would know, considering he ran his grandmother’s company. “You don’t need to zip up the dress all the way when you have something to cover it.”
“He makes it sound so easy.” Olivia laughed before swatting him playfully. “Hey, walk around with your dress half-unzipped all night. Great plan, Mr. Haute Couture.”
Grace’s boyfriend, Dane, slid an arm around her, drawing her closer. He had just flown in and was clearly making up for lost time with his girlfriend. “Come to think of it, that sounds like a pretty good plan to me. It would make getting you undressed a lot simpler.”
“One-track mind,” Grace teased but didn’t seem to have any objections.
“So, let’s get down to business, gentlemen.” I tapped my fork to the side of my glass to pull their attention away from their women. “The boat is set to leave in one hour.”
“Both boats,” Pepper interjected. As Maid of Honor, it was her suggestion that the bachelor and bachelorette parties take place on separate boats at the same time.
“Sure, sure,” I conceded, waving a hand. “You girls can have your fun too.”
“And exactly what kind of fun are you planning on having?” Ari asked, arching an eyebrow at his girlfriend.
“I could ask you the same question,” Olivia countered with her own eyebrow lifting halfway up her forehead.
“Don’t worry,” I promised. “I’ll keep them in line.”
“Oh, sure, that makes me feelso muchbetter.” She swatted at me with her napkin, and I grabbed it deftly, yanking it away while she laughed.
It would have been a much more interesting bachelor party if we were all single again and Barrett was the only one in a committed relationship. Nobody told me the good old days were over.
I had no warning.
I knew without having to be told that the sort of fun we would have had just six months ago would be frowned upon at best tonight.
“You better watch yourself,” Connor warned Pepper, who looked devastatingly beautiful in a new dress she picked out today with the girls. It didn’t get past me the way his eyes lingered on her body. “It’s not fair, looking as good as you do.”
“It’s all for you, baby,” she promised.
“So you’ll remember who you’re coming back to after you finish partying,” Olivia explained while draping an arm around Ari’s neck. “So don’t forget.”
“If I did forget, you could officially put me in a home since it’ll mean I lost my senses.”
This was all adorable, but it was starting to be a bit much. I excused myself, taking my drink with me, and headed out to the deck overlooking the harbor. The twinkling lights strung up in rows overhead swayed slightly in the breeze, and the boats already on the water bobbed on the gentle waves. Finally, I could take a deep breath without the weight of everybody else’s happiness sitting on my chest.
I thought I had it all with Leila. That was my mistake, my stupidity. I let her blind me to who she was. I played it off in front of my friends, acted like it was just one of those things. The bitch betrayed me, she was untrustworthy, but I bounced back fast enough.
So I wanted them to believe. The truth wasn’t so simple. I trusted her. I was stupid enough to trust and look where it got me. I should have known better. It wasn’t a mistake I’d make again.
Being around my happy, loved-up friends was tinged with complicated feelings I kept to myself because, at the end of the day, nobody needed to hear it.
“Oh. Sorry.”
I looked over my shoulder in time to find Evelyn standing behind me, wide-eyed, like she was embarrassed. I couldn’t imagine why. “For what? It’s not a private deck. You can be out here too.”
There was a moment of obvious indecision, where she fought with herself between joining me and running like a scared rabbit. Her pride won out, and she took a step closer, then another. “It’s a little warm in there, isn’t it?” She joined me at the railing, leaving plenty of space between us.
