Man Handler (Man Cave - A Standalone Collection Book 3)

by Shari J. Ryan

  “Damn, you are gorgeous.”

  “Wow, look at you,” she says, breathlessly. I’ve amped up my fashion statement for the wedding. She asked me to, and I can’t say no to her. I bought a blue blazer along with white dress slacks. She picked up the light blue complimentary dress shirt, a brown leather belt, and matching dress shoes.

  I try not to smile, but I can’t help it. “Thank you.” I twirl my finger in the air, so she turns around. The zipper is halfway up, so I pull it up to the top and fasten the clasp. “I don’t think you’ll be able to get this dress off later.”

  “I think that’s okay,” she says, glancing over her shoulder at me. “I can probably find someone to help me out of it.”

  I bite down on my lip, squinting an eye at her. She knows just how to toy with me at the wrong times. I take a breath and give her another once over since I’m already worked up. “What is on your feet?” I ask her.

  “What does it look like?”

  “Are you wearing cowboy boots?”

  “Brendan's request for the maid of honor.”

  “No heels?” I ask.

  “No heels,” she confirms. “Which reminds me, I should go check on Brendan. He’s probably freaking out.”

  “Probably. I’ll go see how Kalvin is doing,” I tell her.

  With all the extra rooms in this house, it makes for a good guest space. In fact, the thought of how much space is here has gone through my mind so many times over the years. It hasn’t felt as empty lately with Scarlett here, but for years before that, it seemed like every time I yelled at Waldo for something, my voice bounced off every wall of this house.

  I walk up the stairs and head into the room Kalvin is getting ready in. “How are you doin’, man?”

  “Nervous,” he says, straightening his tie.

  “I’m sure that’s normal,” I tell him.

  “I’m not nervous about the wedding part,” he says, still staring into the mirror.

  “What’s going on?”

  “There’s something in my vows that is going to be a surprise to Brendan. I know he’ll be happy about it, but there’s a part of me that’s worried things could go in the opposite direction.”

  I sit down carefully on the edge of the bed, making sure I don’t wrinkle the jacket. “Do you want to tell me what it is, and I can give you my opinion?”

  “No, he has to be the first to hear it,” Kalvin says.

  “Yeah, but in front of everyone? Do you think that’s what Brendan would want?”

  “Have you met him?” Kalvin asks, laughing nervously.

  “I have,” I say, laughing in agreement.

  “He loves that kind of attention.”

  “Well, it sounds like you know him well enough that whatever you have planned will make him happy.”

  “I hope so.”

  There’s a knock on the door and I turn, finding Daisy and Clara in their Sunday finest. “Ladies, you look lovely,” I tell them.

  “Look at you, cleaning up all nice and handsome, yourself,” Clara says.

  “I guess it has to happen sometimes.”

  “The Justice of the Peace is here and everything is set up downstairs.”

  “Awesome, I’ll be right down.”

  As they leave, I stand up and place my hand on Kalvin’s shoulder. “Everything is going to be great. You shouldn’t worry.”

  “Austin?” Kalvin asks as I turn to leave.

  “What’s up?”

  “I hope this isn’t awkward for me to ask, but would you be my best man? I didn’t consider who to ask seeing as I’m marrying my actual best man.” He laughs as his cheeks turn red.

  “I would be honored. Where are the rings?”

  “On the dresser behind you.”

  I see the two boxes and head over to grab them.

  “Thank you, Austin. You’ve been a good friend these last few months.”

  “I feel the same,” I tell him. “I’ll see you at the altar. Take a deep breath and just know whatever decision you make is the right one. You’ve made it this far.”

  “You’re right,” he says, taking a deep breath.

  I jog down the stairs, seeing Scarlett walk out the front door with Waldo on her heels. He definitely shouldn’t be at this wedding.

  “Scarlett,” I yell after her. She doesn’t hear me with the door closing at the same time. I run outside, finding the space filled with guests. How are there so many people here with both Brendan and Kalvin being from out of town? Holy crap. I catch up to Scarlett and take her arm. “Waldo should probably stay inside.”

  “No, he’s the ring bearer,” she says.

  “No, he’s not,” I tell her.

  “It’s too late. I already tied a pillow to his collar.”

  “That doesn’t mean it’s too late,” I argue.

  “Come on, have a little faith in him,” she says.

  “Scarlett, he chases butterflies. I don’t have faith in him.”

  “Fine,” she says, leaning down to unhook the pillow from his collar. “You can be the ring bearer.” She shoves the pillow into my chest.

  “I can’t. I’m the Best Man.”

  “No, you’re not,” she says, laughing.

  “Kalvin just asked me,” I tell her.

  “Oh my God, that is seriously the sweetest thing ever.” She places her hand on her bare chest and pouts her lips. “That makes my heart happy.” She smiles and looks down the aisle. “Well, I guess Waldo is back to being the ring bearer.”

  “Come on, Scarlett. You’re asking for a disaster.”

  “I trained him. I swear.”

  “No, you didn’t,” I tell her.

  “I did.” She leans down to scratch behind his ears and he sits down, wagging his tail while gazing up at her like he loves her.

  “Back off, Waldo,” I tell him. “Okay, it’s on you if he destroys anything. I have to go stand at the altar.”

  I give Scarlett a kiss on her cheek and head down the aisle, feeling a little weird as everyone turns their attention to me. Suddenly, the thought hits me—marriage doesn’t look so scary right now.

  I turn and face everyone, holding my hands down in front of my waist, and Jack waves at me from his seat next to Scarlett’s mom. I still can’t quite wrap my head around that.

  A quartet is starting to play the chosen music, and I spot Waldo walking slowly down the aisle, like right down the center, holding the pillow with his mouth. He’s so agile, and I have no clue in the world how Scarlett managed to train him to do what he’s doing. He walks right up to me and sits down. I take the rings and eyeball him, wondering what the hell is going through his head. Regardless, I pet him on the head and tell him he’s a good boy.

  Scarlett slowly makes her way down the aisle with a bouquet of lilies in her hand, and my heart jumps into my throat with the thought that she could be walking toward me like this for our wedding someday. If I wasn’t sure before, I’m sure now that I need to marry this girl. As if she can hear my thoughts, her eyes zone in on me, and her eyebrow slightly arches, as if she’s thinking the same thing.

  The music changes, and Kalvin and Brendan walk down the aisle, holding hands. They are completely smitten by one other, and it’s nice to see them so happy.

  As the vows are being exchanged, and I’m staring at Scarlett and the smile on her face. Then I remember there’s something hidden within Kalvin’s vows, and it’s going to be a showstopper from the way he made it sound, so I tune in.

  “I’m lucky to have you to spend the rest of my life with,” Kalvin says to Brendan. “I can’t imagine navigating alone, especially when we bring our daughter home.”

  Holy—record scratch.

  Brendan’s eyes look like they’re about to fall out of his head, and I’m not sure what reaction is working its way out.

  “What?” he asks.

  Scarlett’s shock value is about the same as Brendan’s. She obviously had no idea this topic was on the table.

  My heart kind of stop
s as I wait for someone to say something.

  “The adoption agency called and said they found a match for us.” Okay, that must mean Brendan knew.

  Brendan tears up and cups his hands around his mouth. “A girl?” he confirms again.

  Kalvin takes his hands and takes in a deep breath. “Yes. She was just born.”

  “Oh my God,” Brendan says. “I’m going to be a dad?”

  “We’re going to be dads,” Kalvin corrects him.

  All the guests are cheering and clapping in their seats, and the Justice of the Peace clears his throat to bring their attention back to the ceremony, which isn’t finished yet.

  The ceremony concludes in the traditional fashion, and there’s a storm of flower petals shooting into the air as Brendan and Kalvin run back down the aisle.

  Scarlett and I meet in the middle. I grab her hand and Waldo’s collar, feeling like we were the ones who just tied the knot.

  “That was amazing,” she says.

  “I’m really happy for them,” I say with a sigh. “It’s too bad you only like to think about a day at a time.”

  “I know, it’s a shame,” she says.

  “You don’t ever want to get married?”

  “I didn’t say that,” Scarlett says, looking at me with confusion.

  “How do you suppose you go and get married without thinking past the current day?”

  By the look on her face, you’d think I popped her balloon full of life’s plans. “I don’t know. I guess I just assumed I’d get engaged someday. Maybe I’d hire a wedding planner, then just show up when I’m told to.”

  “You’re kidding, right?” I ask her, cocking my head to the side.

  “Maybe a little.”

  “For someone who likes to be in control of everything, I don’t foresee the slightest chance of that happening.”

  “What if we just woke up one day and decided to get married?” she asks.

  I shake my head with a smirk. “Nope.”

  “What do you mean nope?”

  “There are some things in life you can’t control,” I tell her.

  “That’s not true,” she argues. “Well, maybe it is, but when it comes to getting married, you can do it whenever you want.”

  “Hmm, well, I’ll just take my chances then.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” she asks, becoming utterly flustered.

  “I don’t even know.” I shrug.

  “Austin, don’t toy with my emotions.”

  “Okay, I won’t play games.”

  “Austin … are you suggesting we get married?”

  “I didn’t say that!”

  She groans. “You’re a pain in the ass.”

  “To think … they say opposites attract. Clearly, ‘they’ don’t know us too well.”

  “I’m not a pain in the ass,” she argues.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Scarlett

  SIX MONTHS LATER

  Thinking back through this last year, it’s funny to think how everything started. I didn’t think twice when I saw the banner go up for the ice cream festival. I’m not sure I’ll be trying anymore “Cold Sweat” ice cream, but maybe we can at least try a few others this year.

  “Do you know this is only the second time I’ve gone to this festival since I was a kid?” Austin says.

  “What is wrong with you?” I ask him. “It’s ice cream. Who would avoid this?”

  “I’ve got a busy life,” he says.

  “The hospital is two blocks away, and you have breaks. It’s ice cream, don’t act inhuman.”

  We’re making our way up and down the rows, looking for flavors that spark our attention. We agreed not to start a battle of who can be tougher tonight, so I’m curiously looking for something that might actually taste good.

  “Mr. Austin,” I hear a young girl’s voice. “Do you remember me?”

  Austin turns around, finding a girl who must be around ten years old. “Of course, I remember you. Candace. How is that arm of yours? The burns must have all healed up by now, right?”

  “Yes, sir,” she says, smiling shyly. “I saw you over here and I just wanted to thank you for helping me last year.”

  “You are very welcome, I tell her. Hopefully, you’ve avoided sneaking out at night since then,” Austin says, smiling at her with a wink.

  Her mother places an arm around her daughter’s shoulder. “Oh those windows have been bolted shut,” she says with a laugh. “It’s nice to see you, Austin. Candace talked about you for weeks after the accident.”

  “I’m glad she's better now,” he tells her.

  “Have a good night,” the mother says.

  Once they’re out of hearing range, Austin smiles. “That’s why I love what I do.”

  “That’s why I love you,” I tell him. “You’re amazing.”

  “I know, I know. It’s hard to compete with me,” he laments.

  I roll my eyes and spot a booth with chocolate and strawberry puree. “I think I’ll try that one,” I tell Austin.

  Just as I make it up to the booth, all the lights in the square go dark. Uhh. “Austin?”

  “I’m here.”

  “Is there a power outage?” I ask him.

  “It must be. That’s odd. It’s not raining or anything.”

  There’s a lot of commotion, but I’m not moving because I literally can’t see a foot in front of me. I reach into my back pocket for my cell phone so I can turn the flashlight on. It takes me a second, but I find it and flip the light on, holding it out in front of me and looking around. “Austin?”

  By the time I spot him, my heart is in my throat and I’m not sure I could breathe if I tried. “Scarlett,” he says.

  “What are you doing?” I don’t know why I just asked that, but it’s a natural reaction, for me, anyway.

  “Scarlett,” he says again. I’m holding the flashlight on him, shaking. “Will you marry me tonight?”

  I nod, feeling my throat tighten a little more. Tears fill my eyes, knowing I’ve found someone who understands me and respects my crazy wants and needs. “I will marry you,” I tell him. “For whatever forever means, I will be that with you, and I will walk next to you so you don’t have to ever look back or even look ahead.”

  He places a beautiful ring on my finger and leans forward, placing his lips against my ear. “The courthouse over the border in Georgia is waiting for us. There is no waiting period for a marriage license there.”

  “You love me this much?” I ask him.

  “I love you more than that,” he says.

  Running past the applauding people and shouts of congratulations, I have tunnel vision for a future that will start today. Today is the best time to start everything and anything.

  It only takes us a half hour to cross the state border and arrive at the courthouse. We walk in, and to my utter shock, the place is decked out with flowers, tea lights, and rows of seats filled with everyone we love. Daisy pops out of one of the rows as I’m trying to take in what’s happening. “Come with me,” she says.

  I’m still spinning in a haze as she tears my clothes off and drapes me in a beautiful white dress. “You’re easy to turn into a bride.” She whips out a tube of lipstick and curling iron. “I just need five minutes, and you’ll be ready to go.”

  “Is this crazy?” I ask her.

  “Yeah, that’s putting it mildly, but you know what? I like the way you think. You know how to live. More people could learn from that mentality. You’ll never have to wonder if you’re going to miss out on something.”

  I’ve always thought I was nuts with the way I think, but thinking about the future stresses me out. I know I’m happy today, and I don’t want to tarnish that with the thought of possibly not being happy tomorrow. I don’t know if I was bred to think that way because of the way Mom and Dad were or if it’s just something that’s part of my brain, but it works for me, and it hasn’t failed me.

  “Austin is lucky,” Clara says as she walks
into the bathroom. “I couldn’t be happier for you two. He needed you. He’s always needed you.”

  “That means a lot to me,” I tell her.

  “You look beautiful.” I turn to look in the mirror, still unable to wrap my head around this, but it’s how I always dreamed my wedding day would be. Unplanned, but perfect.

  “Let’s go,” Daisy says.

  She pulls me out of the bathroom and before I know it, I’m standing at the bottom of the aisle, staring at Austin, who managed to get into a tux faster than I was able to slip into a dress.

  Brendan steps out from the last row of people and he hands me a large bouquet of roses. “I couldn’t miss walking my best girl down the aisle, he says, placing a kiss on my cheek.”

  “I can’t believe you’re here,” I whisper, trying not to choke up.

  “I can’t believe you’d think I wouldn’t be here for this. I couldn’t be happier for your, Scarlett. Without a doubt, he’s your one.”

  I swallow the lump in my throat as Brendan slips his arm through mine, walking me slowly—the way Austin likes, the way I’m not used to—down the aisle. I pace myself with deep breaths, having no doubts in my mind. Mom stands up in front of Austin with tears in her eyes and reaches for my hands. “I could learn a thing or two from you,” she says. “You are going to have a perfect life, Scarlett. I’m proud of you.” She kisses me on the cheek and passes my hand over to Austin’s.

  I’m lost in his eyes, wanting to pinch myself to make sure I’m not asleep, but the words floating around us are real. The promises he’s making are clear, and the promises floating freely from my mouth are purely instinctual.

  “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride,” the judge says.

  Austin’s hands cup my cheeks and just before he touches his lips to mine, he says, “Could you have walked any slower down that aisle?”

  “No,” I tell him before leaning in to kiss him.

  “I love you,” he whispers to me. “I needed a strong woman to handle me, and I’m grateful I found you.”

  “Some men just need to find the perfect man handler, and I’m happy to be that person in your life, Austin Trace.”