Gabby blushes but looks over her shoulder and winks. “No, but he let me tie his wrists together last week.”
“Hell yeah, he did.”
Ivory drives down the quaint Main Street of Seaside Pines, and I roll my window down to watch as the mom and pop shops that have been staples in town for decades pass by. The ice cream shop we used to spend time at looks a little worse for wear, but its faded pink awning reminds me of all the bike trips to get a waffle cone. Hal’s Hardware Store still sits proudly on the corner. There’s a cute coffee shop now that looks like it might be a bookstore too and rivals Jeni’s cafe in Nashville with its style.
“I can’t believe my family and Miller’s family used to vacation here and we never ran into each other,” I say as we pass the park.
“I know, that’s so strange. Wait, doesn’t Grant’s family own a hotel here? Did you guys meet here?”
“The Davenports do own the beach resort on the other end of the island, but I never met Grant there.”
I can’t remember if Josh met him here before college but feel like they might’ve been summer vacation friends. I loved seeing them together a couple weeks ago for my engagement.
“Do you think Grant’s family is here?” Ivory asks as we pass a sign for the resort.
“I’m not sure. I don’t talk to them, and we try to not speak about them. It’s been very contentious with his family since we first got together. I think two of his brothers kind of came around when he was in New York in September, but I don’t think I’ll be accepted into the fold anytime soon.”
“Their loss. You’re brilliant.” Ivory reaches back and pats my knee.
“Oh, I know. Can you believe they would willingly miss out on all of this?”
I may act like it doesn’t bother me, but there’s still some partof me that wishes his family weren’t assholes and we could move into this next phase of our marriage with their blessing.
The GPS directs us to take a turn towards Ocean Drive and Ivory signals taking the left. We pull up to the gate of the beachfront house I rented for the weekend. With Ivory’s celebrity status, I’m weary of staying anywhere without some form of protection, so even though the house isn’t massive like the one we stayed at in St. John, this one still comes with a locked gate and security cameras.
“What are the odds that the guys crash your bachelorette trip?” Gabby asks, taking in the two story house on stilts due to the potential for high surf and storms.
Ivory laughs, unbuckling her seatbelt. “One thousand percent. I’m surprised they’re not already here.”
“I figured they’d at least give us a day, maybe two. Why do you think I’ve booked a four-bedroom house?” I unbuckle my belt and open the car door to get out.
“Always thinking ahead.”
“Our little planner.”
“That’s me. Come on. We need to drop our bags and then my toes need to be in that sand and the water in the next ten minutes.”
We jump out of the car, grab our bags, and go up the stairs to the house. The common area and a bedroom are on the main floor and on the top floor are the remaining three bedrooms. Dropping our bags in the living room, we rush down the back stairs leading directly to the sand below.
“We’re not actually going in the water, right? Because it’s North Carolina in November and that water is cold!” Gabby calls after me.
“Oh, come on, don’t be a wimp.” I kick off my shoes on the bottom stair and dig my toes into the sand. It’s cool from the temperature outside, but invigorating. Walking to the water’s edge, I wait for the wave to roll in and the water to cover my feet.
“What should we do now?” Ivory asks, linking her arm with mine. Gabby joins on my other side, both leaning their heads to my shoulder.
“Wine night on the porch and a movie sounds perfect to me.” I take a deep breath and realize I’m finally right where I want to be, with my best girls, the man of my dreams and love of my life, and a career that I’ve built brick by brick.
This is the life I’ve always wanted.
After the perfect relaxing night to start our vacation, we’re ready to explore the town, but first, coffee. Pulling up to the coffee shop, Ivory parks and we pile out of the car in search of caffeine.
“Inject it into my veins,” I groan, opening the door.
“You’d think after getting a good night’s rest, we wouldn’t be so tired.” Gabby chuckles, stepping inside the shop.
“We’ve been on the go too much—it’s catching up to us.” Ivory yawns, looking up at the board over the counter.
My eyes rove over the cute shop. They have books set up in the corner and oversized chairs mixed among the smaller tables. A blonde sits in the corner on her laptop and something about her is familiar. She lifts her head as if she knows I’m staring and when her eyes meet mine, I piece it together.
