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 couldn’t face anything besides coffee, but he eagerly polished off the continental breakfast for two. Then he leaned back and brushed some croissant crumbs off his T-shirt as he asked, “What’s on your agenda for today?”
“A nap, hopefully. Also, I’m planning to buy us our wedding rings. Do you know what size you wear?”
He switched a silver ring from his right hand to his left. “You can use this as my wedding ring if you want. I got it at a craft fair when I was a teenager, and it’s one of my favorite things.”
“I want to get us matching bands. I think that’ll help us seem like a real couple.”
He took off the ring, and when he handed it to me, I noticed it was embossed with a repeating pattern of turtles. “I don’t know what size I wear, but maybe you can use that as a guide.”
“Good idea. Want to come along, so you can pick out something you like? You’re going to be stuck with it for a year.”
Embry shook his head. “I need to spend the day finding our wedding venue, and then making myself cute for the ceremony.”
“You’re already cute.” He probably thought I was trying to flatter him, but it was true. He was actually adorable.
“Oh, it gets better than this. Believe me.” He got up and said, “Thanks for breakfast, and for letting me crash in your bed last night. I was planning to sleep on your couch when I invited myself over.”
“I wanted you to be comfortable.”
He collected his phone, dick-shaped sports bottle, and key card on the way to the door. I walked him out, and he turned back to me and said, “I’m not sure if the place I find for the ceremony is going to need a deposit. I might end up asking you to call and give them a credit card number, since I don’t have one. Is that okay?”
“That’s fine.” I had exactly one functional card left after maxing out the others trying to save my failing restaurant, and I was using it to fund this entire weekend. I thought of it as an investment. Running off to Vegas should sell the story of two impulsive people in love. I could only hope my grandfather ended up buying it.
Embry flashed me a smile and said, “See you soon, Bryson,” before turning and walking down the hall. As he passed an older couple, they stopped and stared—probably because he was barefoot and wearing nothing but a tiara, red briefs, and a T-shirt. He called a cheerful, “Good morning,” and waved to them with the dick bottle, never breaking his stride. He had zero fucks to give, and I loved that about him.
I kept watching until he reached his door and unlocked it, just to make sure he got in alright. He looked back at me and waved before disappearing into his room.
I’d been propping my door open, and I ducked back inside and let it swing shut. Then I slipped the turtle ring onto my pinky finger for safekeeping, since that was the only place it would fit.
I held up my hand and studied it for a moment. The ring wasn’t my style, but I liked it because it was just so Embry. I hadn’t realized how much I needed a friend until I met him, or how dark my world had become until he came along and brightened it up.
I really wanted to find him a beautiful wedding ring, something he could enjoy beyond this next year. I wasn’t sure why that mattered. It just did.
Late that afternoon, I double-checked the address Embry had sent me and climbed out of the convertible. I was parked in front of a large, Spanish-style house in the foothills outside Las Vegas, which seemed odd.
I was about to text him when the front door opened and Hal stepped outside. He was dressed all in black in a halter top and tailored pants, so effortlessly stylish that he looked like he belonged on the French Riviera.
He hurried over to me and said, “You’re in the right place. I saw you sitting out here, and you seemed confused.”
“Where are we?”
“This is the rugby team’s Airbnb. They agreed to let you and Embry get married here.”
“Is one of them independently wealthy?”
“No. They’re in town for some kind of tournament, and they needed someplace big enough to accommodate the whole team. This probably isn’t all that expensive by the time you divide it by fifteen guys.”
“It’s really nice,” I said, “but what happened to the idea of a theme wedding? I thought Embry was pretty sold on that.”
Hal swept his long, dark hair over his shoulder and shrugged. “We went to a bunch of wedding chapels today, but none of them felt right to him. Embry said, and I quote, ‘Bryson is a classy guy, and this wedding needs to be classy, too.’ That’s when I thought of this place and messaged Ryder.”