I paused for half a second before I kept folding. “It’s unlikely.”
Theo groaned. “Shit, that was so romantic.”
I rolled my eyes. “As romantic as negotiating contracts with her grandfather and her uncle instead of just getting down on one knee, or are you perhaps talking about it being as romantic as referring to her family’s company as her dowry, without which, apparently, I would not have been doing this?”
“Okay, that’s a damn fair point, but maybe you should try a little harder when you get to Wisconsin. You don’t want your marriage starting off feeling like a technicality.”
“Itisa technicality.” I added a few piles of shorts and some more T-shirts to my suitcase, then threw in a pair of jeans and a jacket just in case. “Do you want to come up to Wisconsin with us?”
He considered the offer for exactly two seconds before he shook his head. “No, thanks.”
“I didn’t think so, but I thought it’d be rude not to ask.”
“Sorry, bro, but I have big plans while you’re gone.”
“I don’t like the sound of that.”
“You shouldn’t,” he said cheerfully.
I sighed. “I’m going to regret leaving you unsupervised, aren’t I?”
“Almost definitely, but it’ll be worth it.” He eyed the contents of the suitcase. “It looks like you’re packing for a marathon, not a trip with your future wife and her kids. Do yourself a favor and take a few less pairs of running shoes. Maybe add a pair of flip-flops if you’re really feeling adventurous.”
After that helpful nugget, he jumped off the bed and left, leaving me to what turned out to be the easy part. I was at the carwhen things fell really apart, proving that packing hadn’t been the biggest challenge after all.
The Jaguar XKE wasn’t going to work for this trip and none of the other cars I had in the garage were going to cut it either. When I’d bought them, I’d only been thinking of me and Bear, not a future wife, kids, and a nanny.
“She’s not exactly built for five people,” Theo said helpfully from behind me, evidently on some kind of mission from hell to keep pointing out the obvious to me today. “Especially not with all their luggage.”
“I’m aware,” I said.
“Also, don’t kids need car seats? You don’t have those.”
“I’m aware of that, too.”
“In fact, I’m not sure she’s built for children that age at all. They’re very sticky, aren’t they? Sticky and small.”
“I’maware, Theo.”
He held up his hands when I shot him a look over my shoulder. “Hey, don’t kill the messenger. I was just making observations.”
I closed my eyes, thought it over for a moment, and then pulled out my phone. This was fine. An easily solvable problem.
“Hey, Mike. It’s Zach Westwood,” I said when my car guy picked up. “I need something bigger, even if it’s a downgrade. What do you have available?”
There was a brief pause before he chuckled. “How many people in total, Zach?”
“Five,” I said. “Including me. Plus luggage and whatnot.”
“Give me an hour.”
“Thanks, man. I appreciate it.”
I hung up and slipped the phone back into my pocket, but when I turned, Theo was wearing shit-eating grin. “A downgrade, huh?”
“It’s not permanent.”
“Sure,” he said. “Because you’re only ever going to have to cart her kids someplace this one time? That seems right.”
