“Seriously, get out of your head. You clearly love Carly, and deep down I know you want to be with her. So stop fucking around,” he says as his laughter subsides.
Sighing, I glance back at the kids. “It’s not just my fucked-up head that’s the problem. Carly’s past is…complicated. I know she’s talking to a guy online, but she’s very hesitant when it comes to men. Her ex really fucked her up. I feel like there are things she hasn’t told me, but what she has told me is horrible. He was emotionally abusive at best. And I don’t even want to think about the worst. She’s worked so hard to move on and be a good mom. She might be ready to go on a date when there’s no chance of a future, but I’m not sure she’s ready to jump into the deep end of the pool,” I explain.
“Shit. I didn’t know it was that bad with her ex,” Gray says as he looks at me.
“It was from what she’s told me. I think that’s part of why he’s not in their lives. That and the prick didn’t want to be,” I add.
“Wow. I knew she had sole custody, but I never really pried as to why,” Gray admits.
“Well, that’s the why,” I mutter as I look out to the vineyards and rolling hills before us.
We’re quiet for a few minutes as we both watch the kids. Then I see Margie and Cornelia emerging from where they are staying. They are literally tiptoeing across the patio like cartoon characters.
I point to them. “What the fuck do you think is going on there?” I ask.
Gray puts a hand over his eyes and squints. “What the hell are they doing?” he says.
“They look like they belong on a cartoon or are pretending to be teenagers breaking out of the house for a party,” I muse.
“Both are valid descriptions,” Gray adds as he stands. I follow him around to the front of the main house. We stay slightly behind a set of hedges.
The ladies stand on the edge of the drive, whispering to each other. They’ve changed from their earlier outfits into new ones.
“Either they are sneaking out to meet people, or they are having friends over,” Gray guesses.
I see a car driving down the tree-lined drive. “Well, we won’t have to wonder for long,” I murmur.
The car stops and out come two men, not much older than we are. They are dressed to the nines in suits. They each walk up to a lady and say something before kissing her. And I mean, kiss. I look away and blush.
“What in the actual fuck is happening?” Gray whispers.
“Please tell me they did not hire escorts for the rehearsal dinner,” I scoff.
“I don’t think I cannot tell you that I think they hired escorts,” Gray replies.
“Fuck. Cam’s going to have a shit fit,” I mutter as I turn.
“Holy crap! Cam’s walking up to them,” Gray says. I look back over, and Cam’s walking out the door. She shakes their hands. The taller one says something, and she laughs and presses a hand to her chest.
“Is that dude flirting with the bride?” Gray asks.
“Fuck if I know,” I reply.
“What are we doing?” Hutch’s voice makes us jump. He leans forward, his head between us. “Are those their dates for tonight?” he asks.
“No fucking clue,” Gray replies.
The shorter one wraps an arm around Cornelia’s waist. And then, without looking our way, she calls out loudly, “Will you boys stop hiding and just come meet our dates?”
We all look around as if there are other boys hiding in bushes nearby.
“OMG! You guys are ridiculous. Get out here,” Cam says in a voice that has us all jumping and scurrying around the hedges like little kids that just got caught with their hands in a cookie jar.
When we’re standing on the drive, Cornelia introduces us.
“This is Lorenzo and Enzo,” she says.
Hutch starts laughing, but no one else is. He quickly stops. “Oh, uh, sorry…uh, nice to meet you,” he manages as he extends one of his giant hands.
