Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 78634 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78634 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
I almost told him I’d take him when I got my inheritance, but I stopped myself. What if we blew it and didn’t get the money? Or what if he hated me by the end of this? It would be awful to make a promise I couldn’t keep.
Once he finished his cookie, he broke the yellow one in half and shared it with me as he said, “Tell me about Paris. What were your favorite things about it?”
I told him a few stories while we sipped our huge drinks and finished off the cookies. I was afraid he’d find them dull, but he seemed fascinated.
After a while, a loud, boisterous bachelorette party paused nearby, while one of the women took off her stiletto heels and stuck them under her arm. It was early afternoon, but they were already pretty drunk.
Embry called, “Congratulations, beautiful bride! We’re getting married, too!”
The women whooped and cheered. Then a brunette in a red dress teetered over to our table and slurred, “Here, sweetie, you need this.” With that, she popped a tiara on Embry’s head and handed him her sports bottle, which was shaped like a huge, pink cock.
Embry exclaimed, “Yay! Thank you,” and raised a toast to them with the dick as they continued on their way.
“Maybe don’t drink whatever that is,” I advised.
He shook it and told me, “It’s empty.”
“Good.”
He gestured in the direction the women had gone. “That’s what we’re supposed to be doing tonight, having a… stag party? Is that what it’s called when the groom goes out and parties before he gets married?”
“That’s one name for it.”
“What’s a stag?”
“A male deer.”
“Are male deers known for partying?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
“So, that makes zero sense.”
“Agreed.”
“Anyway, that’s what you’re supposed to do the night before a wedding,” he said, as he climbed off his stool. “So, let’s go find a bar.” I got up too and started to toss out my margarita, but he exclaimed, “You can’t throw that out!”
“But I’m done with it.”
“I’m done with mine too, but we have to keep the glasses.”
“Do we?”
“Yes. They’re souvenirs.”
It was easier not to argue. We moved to the nearest bar, which was pretty quiet at this hour, and Embry lined up both Eiffel Towers and the pink dick on the table as I asked, “What would you like?”
“Something fun.”
I didn’t see any waiters, so I went over to the bartender and asked him to make me the biggest, most touristy drink on the menu, along with a whiskey sour. When I returned to the table and placed Embry’s drink in front of him, his eyes lit up. Whatever I’d ordered was bright blue, in a huge fishbowl of a glass, and adorned with tropical fruit.
He hoisted it with both hands and clinked it against my much duller drink before taking a big sip. I asked, “How is it?”
“So good. Thank you.”
“You should call your friends, if you want to make this a proper bachelor party.”
“I’ll text them later. I’m having fun hanging out with you.” He took another sip and asked me, “What did you imagine your wedding would be like when you were younger?”
“I never wanted to get married.”
“Why not?”
I shrugged and swirled the brown liquid in my glass. “After watching my parents’ marriage fail spectacularly, I decided it wasn’t for me.”
“What went wrong?”
“I wish I knew. They met in college and got married a year later, and in pictures from those early years, they looked so happy. When I asked my dad, all he said was that they grew apart, which isn’t much of an explanation.” I tossed back the last of my drink and added, “My brother Fallon’s marriage seems to be going the same way.”
“I didn’t know you have a brother. Is he younger or older?”
“Younger, by two years.”
“Are you close?”
“No. He went to live with our mom when our parents split, and I guess he let her anger color his opinion of me. I think I mentioned she never forgave me for choosing to live with my dad, instead of with her.”
“When was the last time you saw him?”
“Last Christmas. Our great uncle owns a vineyard in Sonoma County, and we all gather there every year. That’s where you’ll meet my grandfather and the rest of my family for the first time.”
Embry smiled at me. “I’m looking forward to it.”
I was struck with a strong, sudden urge to protect him. He was such a sweet person, and I already knew my brother was going to treat him like shit. It was one thing to treat me that way, but it absolutely wasn’t okay for Fallon to take his perpetual bad mood out on Embry.
Since I felt myself getting angry before anything even happened, I changed the subject with, “Same question. How did you imagine your wedding when you were younger?”