“Forehead and cheeks,” Batta said.
“Armpits,” Bronze shared.
“Legs,” Judge called.
They continued with Duke having chest, Carbon’s was stomach, and Shaker had arms.
“Keegan, Reese, Harper, and Annabelle, we need your assistance.”
“What are they doing?” Avery asked.
“I have no idea, but I can’t wait to find out.”
A few minutes later, the girls returned to their seats after smearing something black onto the body part assigned to each man.
Layla cleared her throat and struggled to stop giggling long enough to explain the game. “We have smeared the guys with a blackhead removing face mask. It’s supposed to do wonders for your skin, if you can stand to peel it off. Since I know none of you will be able to peel it off without crying out in pain, the winner will be whoever can go the longest without making a sound. Are you ready?”
“Fuck, yes!” Batta roared.
“Go!” Layla shouted.
“Ahhh! Motherfucking son of a cocksucking bitch!” Batta blurted. “Oh, fuck! Do over! Do over!”
“Sorry, Batta, you’re out!” Layla laughed.
“Need help, Bronze?” River teased.
He frantically shook his head and waved her away with his hands. He was visibly struggling to pull that from his armpits without making a sound.
“Fuck this shit,” Duke announced. “I give up.”
Judge was doing well until River grabbed what he had pulled up and yanked. “Fuuuuccck!” he bellowed.
A high-pitched, ear-piercing shriek filled the air and we all looked to see Bronze hopping in a circle on one foot. “Put it back! I want my skin and hair back, right now!”
Keegan had snuck up behind Shaker during the commotion. She ripped the mask from his arm causing him to shout out in pain.
Carbon stood proudly and flashed us all a wicked smile before he silently ripped the mask from his chest and tossed it aside. “Looks like I win, motherfuckers!”
I was laughing so hard I had tears running down my face. Avery was cradling her stomach and desperately trying to catch her breath. Bronze came over and sat down beside her. “What about one bald pit? Is there a trend for that?”
25
Avery
Ihad so much fun at the combined bachelor/bachelorette party for Kellan’s friends that I didn’t want the night to end. We talked and laughed until the wee hours of the morning.
To my surprise, the party continued the next day. As soon as the kids were up, they were outside playing on the inflatables. “When do you have to return those things?” I asked Layla while we were eating breakfast.
She shrugged. “Any time in the next day or two. Copper is friends with the guy who owns the rental company. He let us have those for free and told us to call when we wanted to have them picked up.”
“Do you have his contact info? I know both of my kids will be asking to have something like that for their next birthday party.”
“I don’t have it handy, but I’ll ask Copper to give it to Savior for you.”
“Thank you.”
River came barreling into the room with a frantic look on her face. When her eyes landed on me, she made a beeline for the table. “There you are! I was afraid you’d already left.”
