“Stop,” I hiss and shake my head. “Don’t you have any other volume besides max?”
“Nope.” He grins at me.
Linda snatches my phone and shows Riko James’s picture. “Start planning the wedding. I want it just like yours. This was perfect.”
Riko chuckles. “That guy is cute. Wait. You’re serious?”
“Total daddy material,” Linda says, gushing. “Am I right?”
“I want to see,” Eloise exclaims, showing up out of nowhere. “Who’s that guy?”
“Your new daddy,” Riko blurts out.
“Oh shit,” Eric rumbles against my ear. “You really made a mess of this one.”
“They’re just kidding,” I hiss, really hoping they are.
I pluck my phone from Eloise’s grip and then hurry away from them. Linda and Riko are already discussing cake flavors. They’re ridiculous.
“Now he’s texting me,” Eric says as he tugs on my hand, guiding me back over to our table. “Oh shit.”
I peer over at his phone and burst out laughing.
James: Give me Linda’s number, man. If another guy finds out she’s single, they’re going to snatch her up. I can’t let that happen. I mean LOOK AT HER.
He sends a picture. The same one I sent him, but it’s cropped to just her smiling face.
“Are we that gross and annoying?” I ask with a giggle.
“I think we’re worse.” He replies that he’s on it and then tucks away his phone. “Want to dance, sass?”
I allow Eric to take me to the dance floor where the DJ begins playing the first song of the night. He wraps me up in his arms and we stay that way until the night is over.
Two months later…
I wake to the sound of buzzing. Groaning, I reach over and snatch up my phone. It’s a text from James. Squinting, I try to make out what’s happening in the picture. Eloise and James are showing a mouthful of chewed food. Linda is covering her eyes and Topher is pretending to gag.
Why are they so weird?
Me: Disgusting. Send that shit to Eric, not me.
Me: Also, I’m glad you guys are having fun.
Bile creeps up my throat. Thanks, James. Ugh, not again. I bolt to the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before I purge stomach acid. I’m hungry and sick all at once. This sucks.
A few seconds later, footsteps thud into the bathroom. Eric squats behind me and pulls back my hair.
“I got you some ginger ale and crackers. Can you try and get that down this morning?”
I shudder at the thought of eating or drinking anything, but I know it’ll help. It did yesterday and the day before that and the days before those.
“Let me brush my teeth first,” I murmur. “Ugh. Why didn’t Casey tell me I’d be deathly ill all the time?”
Eric chuckles as he helps me to my feet. He then disappears. I brush my teeth and shakily make my way over to our bed. He waits with the ginger ale can and some peanut butter crackers. Despite the roiling in my tummy, I devour them eagerly. After a few sips of the drink, I feel normal again.
“I made pancakes,” he says with a grin. “Is my little princess hungry?”
“We don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl yet.”
