"Stella!" He calls but the dog just keeps tearing a path through the room.
"Hey Cap?" Emmett calls out. “Where do you want these?“ I turn to him and he has a gigantic plastic bag filled with plastic flamingos in each hand.
"Outside!" I call to E.T. who nods, watches Stella dart back and forth for a moment before backing out of the room.
The chicken must find a spot to hide because Stella stops at the edge of the sofa Nicola and Granny are standing on. The golden ball of fur is laying on her belly scratching at the empty space under the sofa.
I cross over and help the women down to the floor as Crosby grabs Stella’s collar and hauls her away. Duncan’s sister, Delilah rushes into the room with a towel and she handles swaddling the bird and getting it back outside.
"Shiver me feathers!" Granny Franny chuckles with a shake of her head.
"That was fucking awesome!" Bryson laughs.
"That’s it… everyone out!" I yell.
Bryson winces, Granny Franny straightens her spine. Nicola reads the room and goes along with them as they head out to the corridor.
I pinch the bridge of my nose, center myself on a shaky breath, and turn my focus to the gantt chart I’ve put together for the production of this event.
***
The last parties I had to plan were Bryson and Jo’s engagement party in Colorado, and Crosby and Laila’s shower in D.C.
Either I’m out of practice or everyone has decided to level up their chaos in the year and a half since.
Baby Maya threw up on Laila who then went to change instead of helping me roll silverware into the antique map printed napkins. Crosby couldn’t even take over because Greta was found pulling plants out of the kitchen garden and he had to go parent that situation.
To help make the party feel more special, I told Duncan and Rhys to spend the day away. They said something about a Yes Day and polishing wood and high tailed it out of here.
The rest of my men, while physically present, haven’t been anything near helpful.
Bryson keeps getting distracted by the live stream of Jo’s double header during the mid-season tournament.
Aiden is almosttooattentive to Harper’s needs and has insisted she simply sit with her feet up.
And E.T. is in a deep conversation about the estate’s history with Rhys’s father via a tablet where they each type out their side.
As overwhelmed as I feel by the remaining tasks, I smile at the adorable blonde who tagged along with me as she chats with Harper. Over and over again I am reminded of what truly is important.
The people we surround ourselves with.
"Awwww, Cap! You did all of this for me?" Duncan’s voice booms through the room and everyone turns in his direction.
I glance down at my watch, a gift from the boys for my retirement. "You’re early."
"Try as I might, my fiance refuses to be late. He just couldn’t wait tocome."
Rhys blushes slightly and I see his hand squeeze Duncan’s a little harder.
"Well, either way, things aren’t totally set up yet but we can’t wait to celebrate you two." I gesture for them to head into the room.
I pull up my text thread with the estate’s staff and tell them to bring the cold appetizers around and to put the warm ones in the oven. I learned from Bryson and Jo’s that anything temperature controlled couldn’t be served until the couple arrived.
The party begins and I step back to observe while checking what on the list still needs to be done.
A pink manicured hand gently lowers my tablet from view. "You know there’s a party, right?"
"Yes ma’am." I grin, place a quick kiss to her forehead, and lock the screen. I slide it to a cocktail height table we had brought in for the event. We make our way to the bar and pick up a Pirate Punch cocktail.
