“Oh, lovey,” Liv purred, rustling the sheets as she got out of bed.
Ren had texted Scott good morning.
He’d replied with, “Sorry, I’m not going to make it.”
“What the fuck?” Disgust pulled Fern’s tone down an octave.
“Let me see,” Liv said, and Fern handed over the phone before climbing into Ren’s bed and wrapping her in a hug.
Fern’s tears dripped into Renata’s hair, and Ren’s tears dampened Fern’s shirt as they clung to each other. The bed creaked when Liv joined them, kneeling and wrapping them in her arms, too.
“Ren,” Liv murmured, her voice choked, “I’m going to cancel the vendors for you, okay?”
Renata nodded.
“Do you want me to call your parents, too?”
She stiffened before wailing, “Oh, no, they’re going to be so upset.”
“They should be, Scott’s a fucking douche,” Fern said.
“No, atme. They want us to get married so bad. This is my fault!”
“This is not your fault,” she replied harshly. “You better not fucking think it for one second. I’m tough-loving you right now, Ren. You’re beautiful and perfect and you will not let those twats walk all over you.”
“Did you just call my mom and dad twats?”
“Yeah, and Scott too. Wantmeto call your parents for you?”
“Oh my god, no.” Laughing through her tears, Ren disentangled herself and climbed from the bed. Standing by the foot, she swiped at her eyes. “This is the worst day of my life.”
Fern nodded, blinking quickly to keep from crying again as her heart pinched for Renata.
“I need some air. I’m going to call my family and deal with that and… I’ll be right back, I guess?” She looked at Fern, a fat tear rolling down her cheek. “Will you wait here for me?”
“Of course. I’m not going anywhere.”
Tapping away on her phone, Liv blindly slid her feet into a pair of sandals by the door. “I just let Noa and Fitz know what’s going on. I’m going to call the photographer and DJ and find Able, so he can tell his staff. I’ll be right back.”
Renata wasn’t far behind. Sucking in a breath, she shot Fern a thumbs-up and lifted her phone to her ear as she left the room. The bags holding their unworn bridesmaid’s dresses swayed to a slow stop against the back of the door.
Fern exhaled a stream of air and took in the mess. Little omens dotted the suite: a dick-shaped straw, a blow-up penis, cock chocolates. Once spots of happiness, markers of a fun night, of the big step Ren was about to take, they’d become flaccid symbols of sadness and a shattered future.
She chucked the mess in the trash, pretty sure this was the only time she’d ever cry over sunglasses shaped like ballsacks with a big floppy cock hanging from the front.
It better be.
Her phone buzzed from the side table, and she hurried over, hoping for something positive on the other end.
Elliott
Hey sugar, I got Liv’s text
How are you doing?
And how’s your girl?
“Exhausted” she typed out before deleting it. “Nervous.” She deleted that too. “About to shower.” That didn’t capture her mood. “Scared you’re going to—” Deleting her final attempt, she started a video call and propped her phone up next to the in-room coffee maker.
