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19
Caiti
“Arewe really going to be that group of women?” Cami grumbles, a hue of pink covering her normally pale cheeks. She fiddles with the hem of her short black shift dress. The plunging neckline is sexy for the normally covered paramedic.
“Have we met? Am I not the same person who once called you over to help me retrieve a lost condom from my vagina? Yes, yes, and yes,” Kiersten unashamedly adds while passing out a bag of surprises with enthusiasm.
“I didn’t know you used condoms,” Evie interjects, looking pointedly at Kiersten’s rounded stomach encased in a purple dress. The floor-length fabric beautifully accentuates her new curve.
“You are the most one-of-a-kind friend I’ve ever had.” Cami retrieves a black sash from the bag. She wrinkles her nose at the text as she pulls it over her head. “Shot queen? You’re going to get me killed.”
“Mine isn’t much better,” I grumble at the gold designated drunk lettering.
“Someone had to wear them. I’m pregnant, so I’ll be taking shots of water, and she’s of course the bride.” Kiersten gestures to Evie, who sports her own sash in white. Soon-To-Be-Wife of the Party stands out brightly from her white dress.
“Neither of you can complain. I’ve seen both of you hammered, so don’t pretend you intend to drink virgin drinks all night.” Evie grins at my eye roll. She’s joined me flat on the floor after a night of too many a few times over the years, usually to Eric’s disgruntlement.
“What are the boys up to tonight?” I fix a pin in my hair to hold back a curl. I left Dane with Ophelia with a promise to be home much later tonight. Dane’s words have echoed in my head the last two days, so this evening couldn’t have given me a break at a better time.
The sentiment mingles with my hopes and fears, along with a pinch of guilt. I never thought I’d hear another man tell me he loves me in this lifetime. As the words left his lips and infused me with a solid warmth, it was all I could do to hang on and not tell him the absolute truth. That I might be falling for him too. The steady confidence as he told me he’d help me makes it easy to give in to the temptation.
The hang-up comes from within me. Weakness exposed its hand the moment I showed up at his door, and the last thing I want is for him to see me as another obligation. He’s a caretaker for his ailing mother, and he shoulders a sense of responsibility for the town's safety with his bar. It’s all too clear now why he stepped so easily into his role for Ophelia. I want him to see me as capable. Not a weak flower needing tending.
Kiersten shrugs. “Wrangling our brood, I suppose. He didn’t say.”
“Law either,” Cami adds. “I assumed he’d be joining one of your men for a few beers and moral support since Evelyn’s too old to need a babysitter.”
“Rhett’s supposed to be on a dry spell with me, but we agreed to a truce for the wedding week. Baby-making will commence the night of our wedding.”
“My fingers and toes are all crossed for you.” I wrap my arms around her from the back in a snug embrace. This journey has been incredibly hard on her, but she’s yet to give up her dream of becoming a mother. “I can’t believe you’re getting married on Saturday.”
Evie fixes a red ringlet in the mirror in our hotel room. Our eyes meet in the reflection. “Me neither.”
The four of us carpooled to a town forty miles away for the festivities and rented a room even though we weren’t planning an overnight stay. Kiersten insisted in case anyone was too drunk to transport home and so she didn’t have to use a public restroom. Dane’s bar is a perfect place to enjoy a rowdy evening, but the atmosphere was too familiar. We could have easily hopped a plane to a beachy destination for a wild weekend if we weren't on short notice. Something I wouldn’t mind planning with these ladies in the future.
“All right, don’t get sappy. There’s a pregame shot in your bags. Hit those, and let’s get downstairs,” Kiersten commands the room.
“I’m sorry for shirking my maid of honor duties, but I’m really glad we let her take control,” I whisper to Evie. We locate the small bottle of liquor in our gift packs. I wrinkle my nose at the amber color.
She knocks her hip to mine. “You might regret that by morning. Cheers!”
“Hold on, girls, it’s about to be a bumpy night.” Cami taps her mini bottle to mine.
“Payback is such a bitch. I hope she knows that.” I tip back my own shot with a grimace.
“Who knows,” Evie adds, her mouth twisted in a pucker. “There might be another wedding in the future.”
The burn of the whiskey renders me speechless. Or maybe I can’t truthfully refute her.
* * *
“Someone should have warnedme this place turns into a karaoke bar after ten o’clock,” Evie argues as a cordless mic makes the rounds of the hotel bar. We stayed on-site for the evening. This place is huge and open to the public. It’s properly packed to drown out our raucous shenanigans.
