You May Kiss the Groomsman

by Samantha Chase

  “I don’t have a home,” he told her, moving to lean against the wall because everything was starting to spin. “I have a house. Josie has a home.” He sighed. “Josie is home. The best kind.” He smiled as his eyes closed. “Every time I come here, it’s like getting a hug. She makes everything better.”

  “Aww…”

  Then he laughed softly. “And she’s crazy sexy. God, when she’s naked…”

  “Okay, no more talking for you,” Josie said loudly as she walked back over. “Let’s get you home.”

  But he shook his head. “Here. I want to stay here. Your bed is better than mine.” Opening his eyes, he studied her beautiful face. “Please. Please can I stay with you? Everything’s better when you’re with me.”

  Her expression softened and she nodded.

  They made it up the stairs just the two of them and she helped him get undressed. “Stay with me,” he whispered once he was down to his boxer briefs. Josie kept swatting his hands away and the next thing he knew he was in the bed and she was covering him with those soft sheets.

  “Get some sleep,” she told him and then kissed his forehead.

  “But…”

  “Shh…”

  He didn’t want her to leave, but his eyes felt so heavy that he just needed to close them for a minute.

  The next time he opened them, an alarm was going off and his head felt like it was ready to explode.

  It took a minute for him to get his bearings, and when he did, he realized he was in Josie’s bed. Beside him, he heard her hum sleepily before turning off the alarm. He knew she actually hit the snooze button because instead of getting up, she sort of hunkered down again, snuggling up against him.

  His arm went around her and he did his best to pretend he was still asleep as he racked his brain for why he was here with her when he was fairly certain Xander had dropped him off at his house last night.

  Then he started to remember…

  Drinks with the guys had turned into a childish game of proving he could make his own decisions which led to him doing ten shots of tequila. He didn’t remember too much of what happened with him inside the bar after that but distinctly remembered throwing up outside the bar and Xander driving him home.

  Josie’s hand smoothed over his chest and her legs tangled with his, but she didn’t say anything and neither did he.

  Think, you idiot!

  The next thing he remembered was walking over to Josie’s because he wanted to tell her…something–he had no idea what–and then she was in a…wedding gown?

  Okay, that part has got to be an alcohol-induced hallucination…

  But the more he thought about it, the more it seemed like it was real. The conversation he’d had with her about going to look at gowns with Lea and Skye so maybe that’s why he thought he saw her in a gown?

  The alarm went off again–he knew it was on snooze!–and Josie rolled away before sitting up and stretching. He looked at her in her soft pink cami, her long hair all tousled, and thought she was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. Then she looked over her shoulder at him and smiled. “Hey, you’re awake,” she whispered, no doubt knowing his head was pounding. “There’s a bottle of water on the nightstand along with a couple of ibuprofen.” Leaning back toward him, she kissed him on the cheek. “I’ve got an early meeting so if I’m going to take you to pick up your car, we need to get moving.”

  Josie was out of the bed and walking into the bathroom before Daniel even lifted his head from the pillow. It took him three tries to sit up and when he did, the entire room did a quick spin. Muttering a curse, he reached for the pills and water and quickly downed them. As much as he wanted to lie back down, he refused to do it.

  His movements were slow as he carefully swung his legs over the side of the bed and then he had to stop and take a couple of deep breaths because he was certain he was going to be sick. When Josie stepped back into the bedroom a few minutes later with her hair in a towel and wearing her robe, he didn’t even have it in him to make any sexy remarks.

  She walked over and stood in front of him with a knowing smirk. “Okay, the way I see it you have a few options.”

  All he could do was nod.

  “You can stay here and sleep it off for a little longer and call either Knox or Xander to pick you up and take you to your car or call an Uber,” she explained. “Or you can go take a hot shower while I go downstairs and make you the biggest cup of coffee I can find so we can hit the road in thirty minutes. It’s up to you.”

  They were both good options, he thought, and as much as it made him feel like a complete and utter wimp, he lay back down and pulled the blankets up.

  “That’s what I thought,” she said softly before kissing his cheek again.

  The next time he opened his eyes, everything was quiet. His head didn’t hurt nearly as much, he didn’t feel nauseated, and the room wasn’t spinning.

  It was also after ten.

  “Shit.” Slowly, he rose from the bed and opted to take another few ibuprofen and downed the rest of the bottle of water before he got dressed. It was tempting to use Josie’s shower, but he figured it would be better to do that at home so he could get dressed in clean clothes.

  Downstairs, he put the empty water bottle in her recycling pail before setting the alarm and heading out the door.

  The sun was painfully bright, but he toughed it out and made it across the street without wanting to kill himself.

  Baby steps…

  His car was in his driveway and for a solid minute, all he could do was stare. He had no recollection of how it got there but figured Knox must have followed them home last night with it. Reaching into his pocket, he had his keys so…there was another fun fact about the night he didn’t remember.

  Maybe they’re not such jerks after all…

  And once inside his own house, he let out a long breath.

  He couldn’t remember the last time he’d gotten that drunk and swore to himself right then and there that he wouldn’t drink ever again. He was sure his partners realized why he hadn’t called or made an appearance in the office yet, but on his way up to his bedroom, he sent a quick text saying he’d be in by noon.

  And was relieved when no one texted him back with any smartass comments.

  The shower felt glorious and by the time he was dressed and down in his own kitchen sipping a cup of coffee, he almost felt normal. The day was going to drag, and he seriously wished he could just stay home, but…that wasn’t who he was and definitely not who he wanted to be.

  Grabbing his phone, he headed out the door. He’d barely made it to the end of the block when he realized he owed Josie an apology–sooner rather than later. Knowing he was going to have to do some serious groveling, he stopped at the florist and bought a bouquet of two dozen roses. Considering he’d never done anything like this, he wasn’t sure if there was anything else he should buy to go with it. The florist assured him the flowers should be enough and Daniel figured he’d take her out for a nice dinner tonight and perhaps stop and buy a second bouquet later.

  Depending on how forgiving she was.

  When he pulled up to the Meet Me at the Altar office, he sat and considered what he was supposed to say. Obviously he’d start with an apology, but…considering he didn’t remember much about what happened, he had no idea just what he might have said to her.

  “And sitting here isn’t helping,” he murmured, grabbing the bouquet.

  Doing his best to look like the strong, confident SEAL he’d been for most of his life, he strode into the building and looked around before heading straight to her office. The door was partially closed and he realized she might be with a client or on the phone and he opted to step a little closer and listen before barging in.

  “Who’s so sweet?” he heard someone saying quietly. “Look at you. Look how pretty you are. Aunt Josie just wants to eat you up!”

  It took a minute for him to realize she was talking to Skye and Elliott’s baby. Stepping even close
r to the door, he waited to hear what else she was going to say.

  “Aunt Josie loves you so much! Yes, I do!” Then she made kissing sounds and Daniel imagined her kissing the baby’s stomach or cheek and smiled, wishing he could see her.

  Glancing over his shoulder, he looked around to make sure no one was watching him watch Josie.

  Talk about embarrassing.

  “Do you think your mommy would let me take you home with me?” Josie said, her tone light and teasing. “We could watch cartoons and have belly time on the floor and read stories…” There were more kissing sounds before she went on. “Then I can be your favorite aunt, right?” She laughed and then sighed. “Oh, Bella…I wish I had a sweet baby just like you.” Another sigh. “I wish I could give you a little cousin to be best friends with.”

  That’s when he heard her sniffle and suddenly had no idea what to do with himself. Maybe he’d wait until tonight to apologize. Maybe this was a mistake and…

  “Hey, Daniel! What brings you here?” Turning, he saw a woman walking toward him smiling. She looked vaguely familiar, but he didn’t think they’d met before.

  “Um…”

  Laughing softly, she said, “I’m Skye. We met last night.”

  We did?

  Forcing a smile, he said, “Right. How are you?”

  She studied him for a moment. “I’m fine, how about you?” Then she spotted the flowers and laughed again. “Good call. Come on, Josie’s in here with Bella.”

  When they walked into the office, Josie was standing and swaying with the baby in her arms and it stopped Daniel dead in his tracks.

  Everything came back to him.

  Josie, the wedding gown, him begging her to marry him, and the promise of them making a baby.

  Oh God…

  “Hey,” Josie said softly, smiling at him. “Look at you all up and around. How’s your head?”

  “Uh…good. Better,” he murmured before walking over to her. “Here.”

  She stared down at the flowers and then at the baby in her arms. Fortunately, Skye was right there and took the baby from her.

  “They’re beautiful. Thank you,” she said to him before inhaling deeply. “Mmm…”

  “Can we talk? Alone? Maybe?”

  Her lips twitched. “Can I ask you something first?”

  “Sure.”

  “Are you going to use more than one-word sentences because…I’ve got a meeting in thirty minutes.” He knew she was teasing, but it still stung a little. “We can go talk in the tasting room,” she said as she walked out with the flowers in her arms.

  As soon as he knew they were alone, he said, “I’m sorry.”

  She fluttered around the room until she found a vase and then made a bit of a show of transferring the flowers into it. “Go on.”

  “Things got a little out of control last night and I’m sorry that I came over and ruined your night with your friends.” When she merely glanced at him, he went on. “I don’t have an excuse and from what I’m remembering, I was kind of an ass.”

  With a nod, she continued to arrange the roses.

  The sigh was out before he could stop it. “It was completely juvenile of me to drink the way I did and honestly…I feel like a complete jackass for doing it. I was trying to prove a point that didn’t need to be proved. Xander and Knox have been baiting me for weeks and I caved rather than saying what I really wanted to say.”

  “And what was that?” she asked mildly without even looking at him.

  Walking over to her, Daniel stood beside her until she looked at him. “That I’m crazy about you, Josie, and I love what we have.” Pausing, he reached for her hand. “I look forward to seeing you every day and the nights where one of us has to work late seriously bum me out. You’re the best part of my day.”

  “Daniel, I…”

  “I wish I could take back everything I did last night–all of it–but I know I can’t. I can only apologize and promise it will never happen again.”

  For a minute, she didn’t say anything and it was starting to make him nervous.

  “I realize you were drunk,” she began slowly. “But it kind of felt like you were…mocking me.”

  “What? Josie, no! I wasn’t…”

  She held up a hand to stop him. “That’s what it felt like and…it hurt. I tried not to let it get to me, but…” This time she was the one to sigh. “Dammit, you know how I feel about these things. I’ve been honest with you about all of it. I want to get married and have a baby someday and you shouting it out like that last night made me feel really stupid.”

  “That wasn’t my intention, I swear,” he said gravely. “Last night, seeing you in that gown…I would have married you right then and there.”

  He expected the eye roll and she didn’t disappoint.

  “And you would have regretted it today just like you’re regretting doing so many shots.”

  “I’m not sure what to say to that.”

  “How about the truth?”

  “Yeah, I probably would have regretted it,” he admitted. “Look, you have to understand something about me–I never had a relationship like this. Ever. I never dated anyone for an extended period of time and I never gave it any thought. When I was younger, I didn’t see the appeal of it and the entire time I was in the Navy, it wasn’t something I thought about either.”

  So many thoughts were going through his mind that it was hard to keep up with them.

  “Then I come home and meet you and it’s like I can’t escape it. First because of your arrangement with Tyler, and then with what you do for a living, and…I don’t know, Josie! I don’t know how to think like that! And…and…” Dammit, he knew he was screwing this up, but he couldn’t seem to stop. “I just got done with fifteen years in the Navy–fifteen years of my life not being my own. In my mind I was going to come home and just…live.”

  She nodded but wouldn’t meet his gaze.

  “I don’t know how to explain why I reacted the way I did. I never thought about marriage before but that’s not to say I won’t ever think about it.”

  When she looked up at him, she gave him a sad smile. “Just not right now, right?”

  He nodded and immediately wished he was the guy who could give her everything she wanted.

  Gently, she pulled her hand from his. “It’s okay, Daniel. I promise. It was never my intention to put any pressure on you and if I have, I’m sorry.”

  “You haven’t and there’s nothing to apologize for. This is about me apologizing to you for last night.”

  “It was a one-time thing, right?”

  He nodded.

  “So then let’s just…move on,” she said wearily.

  It was what he had hoped she’d say–that they were good and everything was back to normal, but…

  “I can tell there’s something on your mind,” he said. “Something more that you want to say so can you please just tell me?”

  Her shoulders sagged. “I just feel like maybe…maybe we’re too different. We don’t want the same things and…”

  “Josie,” he quickly interrupted, but she wasn’t listening.

  “The thing is, I would have married you last night and I wouldn’t have regretted it.” Her voice trembled slightly and he saw her eyes well with tears and he felt like the worst kind of person. “I don’t want to be with someone who isn’t on the same page as me and I certainly don’t want to be with someone who sees committing to me as a regret.”

  “I don’t! You have to believe me,” he begged.

  “I just…I need some time,” she said sadly. “And I have a meeting I need to prepare for.”

  “Can I see you tonight? Please?”

  “I don’t know, Daniel. I just…I just don’t know.” And then she walked out of the room and he wondered if she also walked out of his life.

  13

  “Relationships are always perfect in our minds, but in the real world, true love requires a lot of patience and concentrated input.”
r />   Unknown

  Three days.

  She gave herself three days to put some things into perspective and that’s when she realized she owed her friends an apology.

  “I don’t understand what’s going on,” Lea said while they were having lunch. “Why are you sorry?”

  “Back when you and Brody were dating and you said you were falling in love but didn’t think he felt the same, I pretty much forced you to go talk to him to see how he felt.”

  “O-kay…”

  “And I had no right to do that. I didn’t understand.” She sighed. “When I told Daniel that I would marry him right now and he didn’t feel the same? I wanted to die.”

  “Oh, sweetie, I totally understand that because that’s exactly what happened with Brody if you remember correctly. And for what it’s worth, I still think it was the right thing to do because sometimes you have to have the uncomfortable conversations.” With a smile, she added, “And I believe you were the one to tell me that too. That uncomfortable conversation was a turning point for us and it led to some seriously hot sex right here in the office.”

  “What? Ew! Where?” Looking around frantically, Josie shuddered. “You didn’t do it on my desk, did you?”

  “Of course not! We’re not animals!” Lea cried. “Sheesh! Give us a little credit.”

  Still, Josie had the sudden urge to disinfect every inch of her desk.

  “Have you talked to Daniel since he came in the other day?”

  “No.” And it was the hardest thing she’d ever done. Knowing he was right across the street was a temptation like she’d never known.

  “Has he tried to talk to you?”

  “He texts every day,” she admitted. “Just a short little ‘I miss you’ or ‘Thinking of you,’ but…I haven’t responded.”

  “That’s kind of crappy, Jos. I’m very disappointed in you.”

  “Seriously? Why? You see the good in everything and everybody! Why aren’t you on my side?”

  “I am on your side and I love you, but…ignoring him isn’t going to help anything.”

  “Says the woman who ignored her boyfriend’s texts once upon a time,” she muttered.