Cherry Popper (Cherry 1)

“Let it be.” She guided us to the row of chairs in the front. “Let’s take a seat.”

I sat beside Monroe and placed my hand on her thigh.

She circled her arm through mine and held on to it like a pillow.

The ceremony started minutes later, and Simone’s father walked her down the aisle. I noticed her parents didn’t say anything to me even though I had dated their daughter. I also noticed the genuine love on my brother’s face as he watched Simone come toward him in her wedding dress.

Poor bastard.

Simone kissed her father before she joined hands with my brother, looking like a woman genuinely in love.

All bullshit.

Then the pastor began the ceremony—and my brother signed over his soul to the devil.

We had a private dinner together at the hotel, sitting on the balcony overlooking the water. Coen and Simone sat in the center of the long table, while everyone else was gathered around the sides. There were a few friends and other family members.

I didn’t bother mingling. I preferred the company of Monroe and my mother.

“Her gown is beautiful,” Mother said. “Truly.”

“It is,” Monroe said in agreement, complimenting the woman I despised.

My mother turned back to Monroe. “How did you two meet?”

Monroe didn’t know what to say, so she opened her mouth while she tried to find an answer.

“In a bar,” I lied. “She was sitting alone. I took one look at her and went for it.”

“The rest is history,” Monroe added, going along with the lie.

“You’re very cute together,” Mother said. “I saw pictures of you two online. You seem very happy.” She turned her head to look at me, giving me a focused expression.

“It’s pretty casual,” Monroe said. “But Slate is a great guy, and I’ve enjoyed spending time with him. He can be a little grizzled at times, but once you peel away that hard exterior, he’s a good guy underneath.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Mother said. She looked directly into my eyes. “If you find someone who likes you for you, then consider yourself lucky. And it seems like this young lady accepts you for who you are.”

More than she could ever understand. “Yes, Monroe is lovely.” My arm rested over the back of her chair. “Smart. Funny. Lovely. And she doesn’t put up with my shit…even though I wish she would sometimes.”

“Never.” Monroe smiled before she took a drink.

Mother watched us together, her eyes shrewd and observant. She said nothing more about our relationship but continued to sit there quietly, like she was thinking a million things at once.

The evening finally ended, and Coen and Simone left in a limo for the airport. The other guests said goodnight and headed to their hotel rooms.

Our room was right in front of the elevator, so I told Monroe to meet me at the room while I walked my mother to her room on the opposite side of the resort. It was almost two in the morning, and I didn’t want my mother walking outside the building alone.

I escorted her through the gardens toward the second building.

“I like her a lot, Slate.”

I kept my hands in my pockets as I walked. “I figured you would.”

“She’s perfect.”

“I think so too, but you hardly know her.”

“She’s easy to read—and she cares about you a lot.”

I already knew that. She wouldn’t put up with my bullshit otherwise. “Don’t get too attached.”

“You’d better get more attached,” she snapped. “That woman is nothing like Simone. She’s warm, friendly, and genuinely kind. You shouldn’t let the past affect your future so much, not when you have a good woman right in front of you.”

I decided to change the subject. “Where are Simone and Coen going on their honeymoon again?”

My mother didn’t fall for it. “You’d better give this woman a chance. Life is short, and you don’t want to waste time being lonely and depressed when there’s a good woman out there. You wouldn’t have brought her here in the first place if you didn’t adore her.”

“I never said I didn’t.”

“Well, you fight for her.” Mother stopped when she reached her doorstep. “Don’t do something stupid like push her away. I know you, Slate. You’ve been wasting your time with women who don’t matter. You finally find someone you actually like, so you should be everything she deserves. Otherwise…” She snapped her fingers. “She’ll replace you like that.”

I sighed but kept my annoyance in check. “I’ll consider what you said.”

“Good.” She kissed me on the cheek. “Thank you for walking me to my room. You’re always a gentleman.”

“Because you’re always a lady.”

“Monroe is a lady too. So you should be nothing but a gentleman to her.”

I walked into the room and found her already in her thong. She’d shed her dress and hung it up in the closet in the living room. She had the sexiest curves and the softest skin. She didn’t even understand just how beautiful she truly was.