“That’s an uncommon name you have, Waldo,” I said, trying not to laugh.
“Yes, I get that a lot. It’s not because of your American books, Where’s Waldo, even though I hear that a lot, too.”
“It’s not?” Nicole asked.
Waldo led us down a grand staircase, showing us a bar, the desk where we could book excursions and a duty free shop. The Grand Foyer was beautiful. The floor appeared to be made out of white marble, and it sparkled against the overhead lights and chandeliers. People relaxed near a white grand piano, sipping cocktails and already enjoying their vacation. The lights reflected off the marble, and it reminded me of being at a ball.
We waited for an elevator as he explained his name—probably for the ten-millionth time. “My brother and I are twins, and my mother loves the poetry by Ralph Waldo Emerson. My brother was born first—by twenty-three minutes.” He frowned. “His name is Ralph and I’m Waldo.”
“Did you know the book was originally called Where’s Wally? when it was published first in the UK? It was changed to Where’s Waldo? for the US and Canada,” I said, getting into the elevator.
“How do you know that?” Nicole asked.
“Bailee loved looking for that man for hours in his red-and-white-striped shirt, bobble hat, and big, round, black glasses. I don’t remember where I first learned about that particular fact, though.” I smiled.
“I did not know that,” Waldo said, ushering us out of the elevator.
We followed Waldo down a narrow, dimly lit hallway with no windows. The carpets were a dark blue with different color stars randomly scattered throughout, making the hallway appear darker. Porters were hustling and delivering bags to rooms, and we followed Waldo to our room.
He ushered us into a small, cramped room with two twin beds that lined the walls with tiny bedside tables beside each, and an ocean-view window centered in the middle above the tables. The blue carpet with stars mimicked the carpet from the halls.
“You couldn’t splurge and get me a suite for my birthday?”
The closer our plane got to California, the more I felt like a bad father. I was going on an eight day vacation without my daughter. Avery told me to relax, but he didn’t understand; he wasn’t a father—not to mention a single father—so he had no clue. What if something were to happen to me? What if the ship were to break down in the middle of the ocean and we died? Cheyenne would be left without any living parents.
“You need to calm the fuck down before they think we have a you know what in your backpack, man,” Avery said, leaning over and whispering in my ear.
“Yeah, Daddy, I’m gonna be fine. Grandma and Grandpa P said they would take me to Disneyland and California Adventure this week.”
“Tell him, C.C. Tell your dad that he’s being a little B.”
Cheyenne laughed at him. I kept my mouth shut as my head went left and right, looking at them talk over me as I sat in the middle seat on the plane. Cheyenne had insisted she get the window seat so she could see everything as we flew over.
“Daddy, I’m ten going on eleven. I think I can survive without you for a week.” She rolled her eyes.
“Since when did you become such a big girl?” I asked, rubbing the top of her head.
“Oh my God, don’t mess up my hair!”
My little peanut was growing up. My mother told me that she was going to be a handful, especially when she reached her teens. I wasn’t looking forward to raising a teenage daughter. I was, however, looking forward to chasing off punk ass boys who thought they could win me over with “yes, sir” and “no, sir”. I was a master at that shit when I was a hormonal, teenage boy trying to get into all the hot girls’ pants at school.
“I know you will be fine without me for a week, Peanut. I just wish you were coming with us.”
“Uncle A told me that there won’t be any kids on the boat. I don’t want to go with a bunch of old people.”
I laughed. “Thirty-one is not old.”
“Yeah, huh!”
“Keep it up and I’ll be too old to play catch and teach you how to hit a softball.”
Every day after school, Cheyenne and I would go to the park and play catch. I had four weeks to teach her how to catch and throw a ball properly, and she had done really well. She was a natural. But hitting a softball? That was another story. I think she was scared, but when I asked, she would tell me she wasn’t and storm off.
“I love you, Daddy,” she said, leaning her head on my shoulder.
Every time she told me she loved me, it melted my heart, and I was putty in her hands.
Bill and Trish were waiting at the baggage claim when we touched down. Avery and I were taking a bus to the docks, and Bill and Trish lived about forty minutes from the airport, so it made sense for them to pick her up.
“You be a good girl for your grandparents,” I said to Cheyenne, hugging her just outside the doors of the airport. “And say hi to your mom for me, okay?”
Bill and Trish always took Cheyenne to Dana’s grave to see her. Cheyenne would talk to Dana like she was really there, and at first it choked me up, but now it just made me happy.
Cheyenne nodded. “I will. I can’t wait to tell her that I’m going to play softball just like she did. I’m going to tell her that I want to play third base like she did, too.”
“She’s going to be so proud of you, Peanut.”
Cheyenne said goodbye to Avery. I kissed the top of her head and watched her walk away with Bill and Trish, waving until she got to the crosswalk. Avery nudged me, telling me it was time to go before we missed our bus. My heart ached as I watched my peanut walk away.
“I need a drink,” I said, willing my eyes to dry so no one would see me cry.
“Let’s do this shit!” Avery turned and walked toward the bus.
“How the fuck are we supposed to get laid in a twin?” I asked Avery as we walked into the ten by thirteen closet of a room. I heard Alex, our steward, trying to stifle a laugh.
“Just tap into your teenage years and make her be on top,” he said, slapping me on the back.
Since when did I take sex advice from Avery?
“Your bags will be here shortly,” Alex said, giving us a knowing smile. “If you need anything, just use the phone there,” he pointed to a phone on the small desk below the tiny ass TV that hung on the wall in a corner, “and have them page me. I’ll bring whatever you need.”
“Thanks, Alex,” Avery said, pulling out his wallet and handing him a ten. “We will.”
I felt claustrophobic as I looked around the room. It was tiny with twin beds, miniature side tables, and a miniature TV. There was a miniature desk at the end of one twin bed and a loveseat at the end of the other. They’d packed so much furniture in the room, there was barely space to walk. The bathroom had a walk-in shower that was so small, I was sure my six-foot-two frame would hit the shower head. New York apartments were small—but not this small—and I had to bunk with Avery for seven nights. Fuck me.
“I’m going to laugh so hard when you fall off the bed in the middle of the night.” I laughed at him.
“Fuck you! Like you’re used to a twin.” He paused and motioned towards the beds that lined the walls. “I was thinking we could push the two twins together when one of us brings a chick back.”
“I’m not sleeping in a bed that you just fucked a girl in,” I said, shaking my head.
“Fine, here’s the deal. There is housekeeping twenty-four/seven, so we’ll just have them change the sheets and push the beds back, or the other one can sleep up there for the night until the sheets are changed,” he said, pointing to a piece of the wall that stuck out. “You just pull it down and it’s a twin, too.”
“What if we both bring a chick back? We need rules. I don’t want to see your dick.” I had seen his dick before. We’d been best friends since we were practically in diapers, and we played sports together, so it was bound to happen. “We should just work it so we go back to their room, and then we w
on’t have to worry about kicking them out or anything.”
“Good plan.” He snapped his fingers and pointed at me.
“Let’s do this—”
The Captain’s voice played in a speaker in our room. “Hello, this is your captain speaking. I hope everyone has found their rooms and are ready to meet some single people. We only do this cruise once a year, and it’s my favorite one …” I gave a sarcastic laugh toward Avery, wondering if El Capitan ever got lucky on the singles cruise. “Before we start the fun, there is a mandatory safety briefing on Deck 7 on the Promenade in twenty minutes. Again, this is mandatory for all passengers. Once it is completed, you will be free to roam the ship and hopefully meet that special someone.”
“You fucking owe me big,” I said to Avery.
“Dude, you’re going to get laid. What are you complaining about?”
I was still feeling kind of guilty to be out having fun without my peanut, but really, I needed this vacation. Working long hours at the bar and raising Cheyenne was tough.
“Nothing. Let’s go.”
I scoped out our playing field as we made our way to the Promenade, but I didn’t see anyone who was our type. When we first got to the ship, I’d seen plenty of hot chicks. Where they had gone was beyond me. Our cabin must have been located by all of the old people because I didn’t see anyone our age walking with us.
“You really fucking owe me,” I said to Avery—again.
“Dude, relax. Trust me.”
“Do you see these broads? They’re Ma’s age.”
“They have activities for our age group. Fucking relax.”
I had a funny feeling in my gut. I didn’t have anything against older women, but when Avery told me that we were going on a singles cruise, I envisioned hot chicks in bikinis—not grandmas in a one-piece.
We were ushered and packed like sardines into the promenade as we listened to the captain’s voice through the speakers. He gave us the rundown on safety as we watched the staff mimic what the captain was saying—like on an airplane.
People were pushing, stepping on toes and not paying attention. I tried to listen, but it was just a clusterfuck of drunk people who were not interested in hearing a lecture on safety. I silently prayed that we didn’t hit an iceberg (unlikely on the way to Mexico) when I was pushed to my right, trying not to hit the person next to me.
“I’m sorry, they keep pushing me,” I said to the brunette beside me. I was just about to point to my left when she looked up at me. The most beautiful emerald green eyes I had ever seen stared back at me.
A smile spread across her face. “It’s okay. It’s a clusterfuck.”
It was like she had read my mind—or had a sailor’s mouth which I fucking loved. Either way, I wanted to keep talking to her. There was finally someone around my age, and if she was the only one, then Avery and I would have to fight to our death for her. Okay not really, but I saw her first and well … hook, line, and sinker.
“It is,” I replied, glancing to my left at the people slightly pushing each other to fit on the side deck. “Is this your first time?”
“Yeah, you?”
“Yeah, my buddy dragged me here.”
“My friend dragged me, too.” She smiled again.
Fuck, that smile.
The captain finished his spiel—that I wasn’t paying attention to—and we were dismissed. People started to push again like we were herds of cattle being released. It was fucking crazy.
“What’s the plan now?” I asked her.
We scooted down the hall, Avery in front of me, the hot brunette to my left. “I have a boyfriend, so I’m just here for my friend. I can introduce you if you want?”
“You have a boyfriend and you came on a singles cruise?” I laughed slightly. For some reason, this girl was making me nervous. Usually, I had no problems telling a girl what the plan was, but now, I was asking.
“Like I said, my friend dragged me. Nicole, this is …”
“Easton,” I replied, giving a little nod. We made it into the open lounge area. The grand piano started to play in the background as people lined up at the bar. “And this is Avery.”
We shook hands. I noticed Avery and Nicole’s hands lingered on each other a little longer than necessary. “I didn’t catch your name …”
“Oh, Brooke. Sorry!”
Even though Brooke said she had a boyfriend, I still wanted to get to know her. The moment I saw her, I forgot about all the possible hook-ups on the cruise. Her smile was like … well, her smile made my dick hard and my pulse race. Period.
It had been a long time since I’d had an instant hard-on when I met a chick. Usually I would watch them on the dance floor, their legs glistening from the sweat as they moved to the pounding beat, and then as they leaned over the bar to order a drink, I felt a little twitch in my pants as I stared at their chest. But this—this was fucking instant. I didn’t know what it meant, but I was going to find out.
And I had seven nights to do it.
I’ve read a lot in romance novels about how, when you touch the one, you have an instant spark, like electricity running through your body. I’ve never felt that way with anyone before. When Jared and I met at a house party that Nicole dragged me to, I’d felt nothing as I talked to him and kissed him goodnight.
I still think that spark is fiction, but as I looked into the cornflower blue eyes of this stranger, my heart felt as though it skipped a beat. I didn’t feel the spark when our shoulders smashed into each other as we listened to the safety presentation, but holy fuck, he was fucking hot. And tall—at least nine inches taller than me. His five o’clock shadow was growing in, and I had the urge to reach out and run my fingers down his cheek, feeling the prickly stubble.
When he smiled at me the first time, I couldn’t look away from his dimples and the way his mouth curved upward, causing faint lines to crease by his eyes and around his mouth. It was like I’d never seen a smile before. There was just something about the way he smiled that drew me in and made me want to look at it all day.
As we moved down the deck of the Promenade toward the foyer, I wished silently that it wouldn’t be the last time I would see his gorgeous face.
“What’s the plan now?” Nicole asked, looking at Avery.
I was too busy looking into the mystical eyes of Easton to realize that Nicole was already in lust with Avery.
“Our dinner time isn’t until the late seating—” Avery started to say but was cut off by Nicole.
“Us too!”
“Perfect. Do you ladies want to grab a drink with us then?”
Easton and I were both looking at each other … but not looking at each other. I’d catch him stealing glances, and he’d catch me as well.
“I’d like that,” Nicole replied, eyeing me and silently telling me that we were going with them even if I didn’t want to.
“Sounds good to me.” I smiled, looking over at Easton again.
He smiled back with a nod. “Perfect.”
Nicole and I sat in the lounge area, listening to the piano in the background and people watching as we waited for Easton and Avery to return with our drinks.
Nicole leaned into me. “Avery is fucking hot, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, he’s cute,” I agreed.
“What about Easton? Are you interested in him?”
“Nic, remember Jared? My boyfriend?”
“Whatever,” she huffed, waving her hand to brush off my statement. “Remember, I won’t tell if you hookup with someone—especially Easton.”
“I’m not hooking up with anyone. I’m here to get a tan and a massage and to be your damn wing-woman. So, if I have to sit here and talk to Easton while you and Avery flirt, fine. But I already told Easton that I have a boyfriend, and he was cool with that. I’m sure he’s going to want to find a single chick—not hang around with me.”
“Your loss.” She shrugged. “Easton is much better looking than that loser you call a boyfriend.”
/> “I know,” was what I wanted to say, but I didn’t. Jared was slender with no muscle and had shaved blond hair. Easton was cut and had broad shoulders and dark blond hair that I wanted to grab while his head was buried between my legs. In the twenty minutes that I’d known Easton, I had already pictured him in several different positions, but I’d never been a cheater and I wasn’t going to start now.
After Jared’s lack of help while my shoulder had been bothering me, and his flirting at my birthday party, my gut was telling me to end our relationship. But we had been together for four years, and during those four years, he had shown me that he loved me—he just wasn’t good at it.
Easton and Avery returned with our drinks before I could respond to Nicole.
“So, do you two come on single cruises often?” Nicole asked, but only looked at Avery—again.
“No, this is our first time.” He smiled.
“Ours, too. I heard we should sign up for activities before they book up. Maybe we should do that after this drink?”
Easton and I both sat and watched them talk. I didn’t know how any of this worked. I figured that once I told a guy that I had a boyfriend, he would move on to the next girl on the cruise—not sit with us and have a drink. I sipped my margarita and he sipped his beer. I shouldn’t have been drinking because of my medications, but I figured one margarita wouldn’t hurt. Plus, Nicole would tell me to loosen up and have a good time.
And I was having a good time.
We continued sipping our drinks and making small talk as Nicole and Avery practically made footsies under the small cocktail table. Now that I was paying attention, I realized Nicole was glowing. She didn’t have that look about her when she was crushing on Mike from work. This was different. Her eyes were twinkling as she talked to Avery, occasionally touching his arm and laughing.
Jared and I had never experienced that. The night we met, we were both drunk as we made out at the party Nicole dragged me to. The only flirting on Jared’s part was telling me that I was hot and then going in for the kill.
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