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Mission accomplished, Little A had nearly squeezed the stuffing out of that bear, and then slept with it every night for, well, ever. I’d spotted the ratty old thing sticking out of a box when I’d helped load their dad’s truck the day she left for college. I’d been home on leave, staying in their guest room, and pitched in like it was as natural as breathing. And yet, as Paul and I had stood on the curb watching them drive away, I thought I might never be able to breathe again.
Little A wasn’t little anymore. Not even close. And she was headed off to do big things. See the world. Maybe even meet other guys. Other guys who would be able to give her the life she deserved and make her forget all about the jerk who’d rejected her. Which was good. It killed me, but I knew it would be good for her.
“I’m calling with a dinner invitation, except you don’t really have a choice.” Aria’s melodic voice floated from the car’s speakers.
“Tonight?” Paul asked, looking at me like his sister was nuts.
“No, silly. I know we have your bachelor-bachelorette combo dinner tonight. Tomorrow night.”
I jolted. I’d totally forgotten about the dinner tonight. The events of the day had me pretty distracted. Shifting in my seat, I mentally prepared myself to basically go on the double date of my nightmares. Or dreams, if I were being honest. But we’d stick with nightmares.
Paul and Shelby weren’t big party people. Shelby couldn’t drink thanks to her heart condition, and Paul had never been into the nightlife scene anyway. So, instead of having separate bachelor and bachelorette parties, they’d decided to make it a joint effort and have a nice dinner instead. And it had to be a weeknight since Aria’s weekends were booked with weddings.
The original idea was to keep it limited to their bridal party. Except the other bridesmaids, Layla and Lyndi, were on vacation out of state. Paul’s cousin Nate was stationed in California and wouldn’t arrive in town until shortly before the wedding. And Chase lived in the barracks on base, so they didn’t want him to feel obligated to drive all the way to Bluffton for dinner on a weeknight.
That left the bride and groom with their best man and maid of honor. Which meant I was in for a night of torture, just like every other time the four of us had hung out since we’d moved back here. Sure, it was only recently that Paul and Shelby turned their we’re-just-friends act into a relationship, so it never had date vibes on either end. But the fact that I could imagine it, the fact that I secretly yearned for it, made it hard to get through.
Paul snorted. “Dinner tomorrow, huh? At your place?”
“No, Mom and Dad’s. Bring Shelby.”
“I don’t know. Having dinner with you two nights in a row? I grew up and moved out for a reason.”
“Very funny.”
“What’s the occasion?”
“No occasion. Mom wants to make chicken and dumplings, so I told her I wanted to come over, and she told me to tell you. She said she’ll make plenty.”
My stomach grumbled just thinking about Donna’s homemade chicken and dumplings. They’d been the ultimate comfort food growing up. One time I tried to get some at Cracker Barrel when I was feeling homesick, but it didn’t hold a candle to Donna’s.
“I’ll bring Will, too,” Paul said, wagging his brows at me.
I wondered if he remembered how much I loved that meal or if he’d heard my stomach grumble. Either way, I was glad for it despite the fact that Paul wouldn’t be the only one having dinner with Aria two nights in a row. Could I handle that? Well, yeah, for chicken and dumplings, I definitely could.
But then I heard the insanely loud sound of Aria’s silence. Did she not want me to come? She’d seemed cool with me when I’d gone over there Friday night to get my hoodie. In fact, I’d been pretty pleased with that conversation. Even though the sight of her in that hoodie almost knocked me on my butt like a fantasy come true, I’d kept it light. Acted normal. Maybe calling her special at the end hadn’t been the best move. But I hadn’t said anything that wasn’t true.
“Oh, yeah, of course,” Aria said, seeming to recover from the long pause. “Bring Will, too. There’ll be plenty.”
“Cool,” Paul said. “We’ll be there.”
“Sounds good. And I’ll see you tonight at the restaurant, I guess. Bye.”
After she disconnected, I turned to Paul, ignoring the uneasy feeling in my gut. “Thanks for including me, bro.”
“Anytime. It wouldn’t be a family dinner without you.”
My lips flattened. “Yep.”
“I didn’t ruin your plans for tomorrow night, did I? No hot date?”
“Nah, not tomorrow.”
“I still can’t believe you’re going stag to my wedding,” he said with a shake of his head. “Of all the nights I thought you’d want to bring a date for some wedding fun, it would be mine.”
I looked at him like he had three heads. The wedding was in two weeks, but I’d told him from the very beginning—the day he asked me to be his best man, in fact—that I wasn’t planning to bring a date. “Are you kidding? I’m never bringing a date to a wedding again.”
“What? Why?”
