“My baby brother is all grown up,” I said and patted him on the shoulder. “And I’m happy to announce he’s marrying the woman that he loves. Evie, I know that you love my brother. I do. Seeing you two together for the past week has been inspiring. I expect good things for you in the future.” My mother had turned to me now, most likely surprised. She was probably waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“So I’d like to toast the happy couple. Cheers to your wedding tomorrow, and for a lifetime of happiness to follow.” Everyone cheered, and I leaned down to Todd. “I mean it,” I said and gripped his shoulder. “I’m happy for you.”
He gave me a surprised smile. “Stop,” he said sheepishly.
“Don’t make him cry,” Evie said teasingly. She beamed at Todd. “He’s so alpha tonight.” They started kissing, and I took that as my cue to leave quickly. I sat down next to Audrey and pulled her face into my hands. I gave her a long, lingering kiss, for the moment not caring about all the radar in the world.
Maybe my mother would see that I was happy for the first time. Maybe she would soften toward Audrey.
Maybe… but probably not.
Hope is a four-letter word, I thought, but I pulled Audrey close to me anyway.
* * *
Cole dragged me to the bar after dinner. The girls had gone to the ladies’ room. “Dude,” Cole said. He ordered two bourbons.
“Yes, dude?” I asked. “Actually—aren’t we too old for that now? We used to say that at Wharton. It makes me sad to hear it come out of my mouth now. It’s like I’m an old-timer.”
“An old-timer who’s ready to settle down?” Cole asked.
“Do you have to go there tonight, Coley?”
“Fuck you,” he said good-naturedly and had some of his drink. “You know you’ve got an emotional boner for that girl on your forehead though, right?”
“An emotional boner? I didn’t know they existed.”
“It’s like a heart on your sleeve, but bigger and more obnoxious,” he said, laughing at me. “And you totally have one.”
“She offered me a crab cake today, and I didn’t eat it.”
“You’ve fucked her, though. I can tell. Like, fifty times this week I bet.”
I shrugged. “Not fifty.”
“Then Jenny and I are winning.”
“Haven’t you been to work?” I asked him, simultaneously disgusted and impressed. He was probably exaggerating. Probably.
Cole shrugged. “Nah. I did a conference call. But this girl is like a drug for me. I can’t keep my dick out of her.”
“Does that qualify as an emotional boner? Or are you two just sort of disgusting?”
“I don’t know,” he said and rubbed his eyes. For once, my friend actually looked perplexed. “I seriously can’t keep my hands off her.” He looked back at me. “Is that love?”
“It sounds sort of like it… but it could just be lust,” I said.
“There’s definitely lust.”
“Do you like her?”
“I’m fucking crazy about her,” Cole said. He had that baffled look again, and I patted him on the shoulder. I watched as Audrey and Jenny came back toward us, both of them laughing. Audrey looked happy and almost relaxed.
“Dude,” he said. “Put your emotional boner away. It’s embarrassing.”
Audrey
Jenny told me that she’d had sex with Cole earlier today while they were out shopping, and it almost made me forget about the awful scene with my mother. And the story about Danielle. And Celia Preston’s offer to pay me to go away.