“Emma, it had nothing to do with Ian and Jarrod being friends. Your brother never trusted anyone you went out with in high school, and he’s still overly protective now.” While Liv knew Emma’s brother only had his sister’s best interest in mind, she’d go crazy if Owen acted in a similar manner.
“Liv’s right and you know it,” Phoebe said, pointing a carrot stick at her friend.
They’d spent enough time talking about her. She wanted to hear about what was going on in her friends’ lives. “Now that you have the 411 on my life, what’s new with you guys?”
Phoebe didn’t have to be asked twice. “Aaron’s going to propose soon.” The smile on her face could light up the entire town on a starless night.
“How do you know?”
“Did he tell you that?” Liv asked at the same time.
“No, of course not. I wanted to borrow a pair of his socks, and I found an engagement ring in the drawer. It’s gorgeous too. In two weeks, we’re going to Cancun. It was his idea, and he planned everything. I think he’s going to do it then.”
One thing she could say about Aaron was that when it came to Phoebe, there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for her.
“Any chance we can get a sneak peek at it?”
Liv had been about to ask the very same question.
“If I knew for sure when he was going to be home, I’d show you, but I don’t. And it would look odd if he came home and found us gathered around his sock drawer. But it’s exactly what I would’ve picked out myself.”
Matt watched the group on the dance floor and shook his head. The song “Y.M.C.A.” was as old as dirt, yet everyone seemed to know it, and there always seemed to be one person at events like this who requested it.
“Nice job today,” his cousin Jake said as he and his wife, Charlie, sat in the empty seats across from him.
“Thanks, but I had help.”
Even before Adam asked him to be his best man, Matt had known that he’d be filling the role when the time came, which meant he’d be responsible for the bachelor party. Unfortunately, Adam hadn’t given him much time to plan. Thankfully, he’d gotten some unexpected help from Evie’s maid of honor, because the happy couple wanted a joint bachelor/bachelorette party.
“The brewery tour was Kathryn’s idea. I just did the research and booked it.”
He’d known, even before they started tossing around ideas, that he wanted to avoid anything that might draw unwanted attention because of him. After all, the day was about Adam and Evie, not him and his fans descending on the group, which could easily ruin it for not just the happy couple but everyone else.
When Kathryn proposed the idea and said she’d heard that some companies offered private tours, he jumped on the internet to see if there were any in his cousin’s area. Not only did it sound like something everyone would enjoy, but a private tour would reduce the risk of unwanted party crashers ruining the day.
Matt had found not one but three companies that provided such tours. And when he’d called Kathryn back the following day to discuss the options, he’d shared an idea of his own to prolong the couple’s day. Well, maybe it hadn’t been 100 percent his own. A sponsored ad for a romantic night of dinner and dancing aboard the Serenity as it cruised along the Potomac popped up during his brewery search. And although he hadn’t come up with the idea of a dinner cruise, it had been his idea to reserve the entire boat so it was just for their group. Regardless of who deserved the credit, Kathryn had immediately approved of the plan.
In fact, during the entire planning process, they’d only disagreed on one aspect: who should foot the bill. Kathryn insisted she should help, and he’d been just as adamant about paying for everything. It had taken some intervention by Liv before they’d settled on a compromise—one he wasn’t honestly comfortable with but had been necessary.
“I should’ve known. Event planning requires more brain cells than you have,” Jake said.
“Hey, I said the brewery tour was Kathryn’s idea. I suggested this.” Matt gestured around him. “And I wouldn’t talk about brain cells, Prince Charming. You’d be lost without your better half.”
If looks could kill, Matt would be dead on the floor. His cousin hated it when people used the nickname the media had given him years ago.
“Speaking of better halves, who’s the woman you’ve been photographed with recently? I didn’t recognize her.”
Before he answered, Theo pulled out a chair for Brianna at the table and raked his fingers through his windblown hair. “Whoever requested this song should be thrown overboard.”
“If Sara were here, I’d blame her,” Jake said, referring to his younger sister. “She’s got a thing for 70s music.”
While some of Matt’s cousins were there, others weren’t arriving until Friday or, in a few cases, Saturday morning, just in time for the wedding. Jake’s sister and her husband fell into the second category.
“My money is on Tory. I saw her talking to the DJ, and when the song came on, she jumped out of her seat,” Aiden said.
“Maybe I’ll bribe the DJ on Saturday night so that if anyone requests it at the reception, he doesn’t play it.” Theo flagged down a server and ordered a Manhattan.
“Oh, come on. It’s a fun song. Everyone loves it. You’re just being ornery,” Brianna said once everyone placed their drink order and the server walked away.
