My Forever Plus-One

by Shannyn Schroeder

  “Why?”

  “Because that’s where clothes go.”

  He crossed to the closet, took a gulp of coffee, and said, “We’re only here for the weekend. What’s the point of unpacking?”

  “Such a guy. If you don’t hang your clothes up, they’ll be all wrinkled.”

  Reaching in the closet, he snagged a shirt and pants. Tossing them on the bed, he put a hand over his heart. “Oh, no. What would I do if I was wrinkled?”

  She rolled her eyes. “This isn’t a barbecue with your firefighter buddies. This is your brother’s wedding.” She glanced at the bedside clock. “You need to hurry. We’ll be late.”

  Her warning made him laugh.

  “What’s funny?”

  “You’re always late,” he said as he dressed.

  “But this is a family thing. I want to make a good impression.”

  “I told you, my family already loves you. You’d have to actively try to make them dislike you.”

  “It’s still weird.”

  “What?” He ran his hand over his head to make sure his hair was lying flat.

  “The whole couple thing in front of your family. Like what are we supposed to do? Tell everyone that we’re a couple now?”

  He walked to her and took her hand. “I was thinking more along the lines of making out at the table so everyone gets the hint at the same time.”

  She looked at him with uncertainty in her eyes. “Aren’t you nervous at all?”

  “Nope. Like my mother said, I don’t do things unless I’m sure. I’ve always been sure about you.” He kissed her, and she softened against him.

  “Ready?” he whispered against her lips.

  “Tricky.”

  He raised his brows.

  “You say all these mushy words and kiss me to make me forget.”

  “We’ll be fine.” They finished their coffee just as his phone buzzed with a text. “I’m sure that’s my family wondering where we are.”

  Down in the lobby, his whole family was waiting. “Evelyn takes forever to get ready.”

  Her mouth dropped open, and she smacked his arm.

  He grinned and told the truth. Dave walked over and hugged Evelyn. Then he shook Owen’s hand. With a nod toward Evelyn, his brother said, “Don’t screw this up.”

  “I have no intention of doing that.”

  They joined the crowd and got directions for the restaurant they were going to. When they got to the car, Owen asked, “You okay?”

  Evelyn smiled brightly. “You were right. I had nothing to worry about. Your family is great.”

  “Yeah, they are.”

  …

  The day whizzed by in a flurry of activity. Evelyn had thought she’d be able to sneak away and get some work done, but Owen’s family included her in everything they had going on. While the guys went to pick up their tuxes, the women had a spa day.

  In between getting facials and manicures, Evelyn had a chance to get to know Alicia, Dave’s fiancée. She was a lawyer for a nonprofit with flawless skin and a wicked sense of humor. No wonder Dave had fallen for her. By the time they were polished and pretty, Alicia and her three bridesmaids had convinced Evelyn to join them for the bachelorette party. She pulled out her phone to text Owen while they teased her.

  Her phone rang as she opened the messaging app. “I was just about to text you.”

  “How are things going?”

  “Great. Alicia and her friends are a lot of fun.”

  He released a heavy breath. “Good.” He paused. “Dave’s got plans for a bachelor party thing that I didn’t know about.”

  “So does Alicia.”

  “Do you want me to bail on him?”

  “What? No.” She practically yelled at him. “You should hang out with your brother. Alicia invited me to go out with them.”

  “Oh.”

  “That’s why I was going to text you. I’m going to go have a few drinks with them.”

  “Okay. Have fun.”

  “You, too.” She paused and then added, “No hookers.”

  “Why the hell would I want a hooker when I have you in my bed?”

  “Good point. See you later.” She disconnected, and Alicia and her friends were staring at her. “What?”

  Jenny’s brow furrowed. “Are you sure you just started dating Owen?”

  “Uh…”

  Alicia stepped forward and looped her arms into Jenny’s and hers. “I told you, Evelyn and Owen just started dating, but they’ve been a couple forever. Longer than I’ve known Dave.”

  “We’ve been friends,” Evelyn clarified as they stepped out of the spa.

  Virginia came up on the other side of Evelyn. “Oh! You fell in love with your best friend.”

  “I didn’t—”

  Beth, on the other side of Jenny, said, “That’s so romantic. How did it happen? Did he look into your eyes one day and you just knew?”

  They all talked so fast that Evelyn didn’t know who to answer or what to say. “I—”

  Alicia laughed as she nodded toward a limo waiting at the curb. “Knowing Owen, he made a pro/con list before making a move.”

  Evelyn laughed, because it did sound like something he would do. They climbed into the car. “Our relationship just kind of evolved.”

  Virginia gave the driver the name of the bar they were going to. When she sat back, she patted Evelyn’s leg. “I’m so glad you joined us. I’m the only married one here, so I always feel weird when they’re all hitting on men.”

  Beth scoffed. “We do not always hit on men.”

  “Yeah, we do,” Jenny admitted.

  “Anyway, it’ll be nice to have someone to talk to when they go off to find someone to make out with.”

  “You guys didn’t bring dates to the wedding?” Evelyn asked.

  Beth and Jenny smiled. “Of course not. We plan to play the role of sad bridesmaid. Everyone knows that a wedding is the best place to get lucky.”

  Alicia said, “So glad I could help with your love life.”

  Before long, they stopped in front of a bar, and the women piled out. Virginia informed her that they had the driver for the night, so if she wanted to drink, they had a safe ride back to the hotel. Evelyn couldn’t remember the last time she had a real girls’ night out, so she wanted to have a good time.

  Four bars and six hours later, Evelyn was feeling pretty happy. While she hadn’t indulged in nearly as much alcohol as the bridesmaids, she’d drunk enough to be feeling fuzzy-headed. She knew she wasn’t thinking straight when she couldn’t manage to text Owen. After three tries, she gave up and decided she would just see him at the hotel.

  She helped Virginia get Alicia tucked in while Jenny and Beth stumbled to their room. Over the course of the night, Evelyn realized that Virginia played mother hen to them all. As they closed Alicia’s door, Evelyn said, “You’re a good friend. They’re lucky to have you.”

  Virginia waved her off. “I didn’t do anything they wouldn’t do for me.”

  Evelyn wasn’t sure about that. She waved good night to Virginia and headed to her room. She slid the key card in twice and it wouldn’t work. Just as she was about to go to the front desk to get it fixed, the door swung open, and Owen stood wearing nothing but his boxer briefs and a grumpy look on his face.

  “Hey,” she said. “You’re back early.”

  “They wanted to gamble. I hung out for a while with my brother, but gambling’s not my thing.”

  No, it wouldn’t be, she thought. He didn’t like to take chances.

  He stepped back from the door to let her in. “Did you have fun?”

  “Yeah, I did. Alicia and her friends were great.”

  “Are they all as drunk as you?”

  “I’m not drunk. Buzzed. And except for Virginia, they are all far worse off than I am.”

  “Tomorrow morning is going to be rough for them.”

  Evelyn tossed her purse on the dresser and began to peel off her clothes as she neared the bed. �
�I’m glad you’re here.”

  “So am I,” he said, watching her move.

  “Besides that.” She flounced on the messy bed and sprawled out. Staring at the ceiling, waiting for the slight spin to recede, she said, “I love your family.”

  He climbed into bed next to her. “They’re pretty fond of you, too.”

  She rolled to her side, and he reached out to move her hair and toy with it. She could just spend time looking at him like this—relaxed and…happy? A sense of peace washed over her, but part of her worried that it was manufactured.

  “What’s on your mind?”

  “It’s just that, I was thinking about us while the girls were scoping out available guys.”

  “Alicia and her friends were scoping out guys?”

  “Just Jenny and Beth. Anyway, I was thinking this is almost too easy. We haven’t had to work for it.”

  “That’s your big complaint?”

  “We’re taught that we have to work for the good things in life. Without effort, it’s easy to lose things. Or let them go.” Hell, her voice cracked on the last part. She hated when alcohol made her emotional.

  “I’m not letting you go anywhere.” He slid an arm under her head and the other around her hip and pulled her close until her face rested on his chest.

  She closed her eyes and tried to focus. She didn’t think he was leaving, but she couldn’t quite verbalize what she did mean. Instead of worrying about it, she breathed in his scent and let it comfort her to sleep.

  …

  Owen was happy for his brother, he really was, but he couldn’t wait for the wedding to be over. Between the bachelor party and then the rehearsal the following night, he felt out of sorts. He missed his routine. Now he had to go take pictures, but Evelyn wasn’t ready.

  “Go on without me. I don’t need to be there for at least another hour.”

  But she was always late. He didn’t want to have to deal with the comments and questions about his marital status without her on his arm. Unless that was why she was procrastinating. “Do you not want to tell people about us?”

  “What?” She poked her face out of the bathroom, makeup artfully done on one eye.

  “Do you want to skip telling people about us being together?”

  “Of course not. I mean, I don’t think we need to make an announcement or anything, but I don’t plan on keeping my hands off you like I have at every other family event over the years.”

  “Sure?”

  “Positive. Plus, if people don’t realize we’re a couple, you’re going to have a bunch of single women hitting on you as a sure thing.”

  He huffed. “Who said I’m a sure thing?”

  She arched a brow, which looked silly with one eye made up dramatically and the other plain.

  “For you, of course, I’m a sure thing. But if I didn’t have you, I might play hard to get.”

  “I don’t believe that for a minute. Go on so you’re not late. I know how uptight that makes you. I’ll be there before the bride walks down the aisle.”

  He must’ve looked unsure because she added, “I promise.”

  With a quick nod, he left to go find his brother and their parents. Alicia wanted to have some photos taken before the ceremony. When he got to the lobby, they were waiting for him.

  Dave asked, “Where’s Evelyn?”

  “She said she’ll be down before Alicia walks the aisle.”

  “Oh. We wanted her to be in the family picture.”

  Owen froze. Sure, he thought of Evelyn as family, but he hadn’t considered whether she should be in wedding pictures.

  His mom waved a hand. “We can get another one later. Come on, my handsome boys.” She looped her arm through each of theirs, leaving their dad to trail behind.

  An hour later, he stood at the front of the chapel with his brother, who didn’t seem nervous at all. Owen kept an eye on the door, looking for Evelyn. Then suddenly, she was there, sweeping down the aisle with a bright smile on her face.

  Their eyes met, and she winked at him. His mom waved her over to sit with them. The tension in his shoulders eased. He didn’t know why he was worried. Evelyn had never lied to him. She said she’d be here, and she was. Dave leaned over and whispered, “You’re one lucky man.”

  “I know,” he answered, not taking his eyes off Evelyn. The bridal march started, and he glanced at his brother. “So are you.”

  Dave slapped him on his back. “Let’s do this.”

  The ceremony was short and sweet. They all moved down the hall to the banquet room for dinner and dancing. As soon as they were through the door, Owen searched for Evelyn again. As she neared, a thought flashed that he wanted her all the time. This was a forever thing.

  When she’d asked if he ever wanted to remarry, the thought hadn’t occurred to him. But seeing her here, now, during his brother’s wedding, had him reevaluating. Like Evelyn had said, there was something about having someone to come home to. As soon as she was within touching distance, he reached out and pulled her in for a kiss.

  He wouldn’t tell her what he’d been thinking, but he let his kiss hint at it. They had time to address things. A moment later, he was being nudged. Hard.

  He looked up, where Alicia stood holding champagne and Dave’s elbow was ready to connect with his side again.

  “We’re supposed to be the only ones sucking face today,” Dave said.

  Evelyn blushed and looked around. A few people had taken notice of them kissing, like his cousin Maria, which meant that anyone who didn’t know that he and Evelyn were a couple would know within the hour.

  Alicia handed them both a glass.

  Evelyn raised hers and said, “To the bride and groom. May you have a happy, healthy marriage.”

  They clinked glasses, and then Dave said, “Mom wants more pictures.”

  Owen groaned.

  Evelyn bumped him with her hip. “Don’t be a baby. It’s not every day that she gets to see her son get married.”

  “At least for me, this’ll be the only time,” said Dave.

  Owen shot a dirty look at his brother.

  Dave raised his hands, one still holding his champagne. “It’s not my fault you were careless in your choices when you were young.”

  Being roasted was not helping.

  Evelyn, however, laughed. “You’re supposed to make mistakes when you’re young. That’s how you learn.” She stroked his jaw. “Besides, I like this older, wiser version of Owen.”

  He couldn’t help it. His chest puffed out with pride. Evelyn always knew what to say to keep everyone happy.

  Mom joined them. “Good. You’re all in one place. I swear herding you as adults is a hundred times worse than when you were kids. Let’s go before the photographer moves.”

  “Have fun,” Evelyn whispered, and drank from her glass.

  “You, too,” Mom said to Evelyn. “You missed all the pictures at the ceremony. I want a nice family photo.”

  “Uh…”

  She looked to Owen for help, but he said nothing. If he had his way, she’d be in all his pictures. He took her empty glass and set it on a table. Slipping his hand in hers, he led her behind his mom and Dave.

  Evelyn tugged his sleeve. “What are you doing?”

  “Apparently, taking more pictures.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “Since when are you camera-shy?”

  She pulled him to a stop. “What kind of message is this sending your mom and your entire family?”

  “It was my mom’s idea, but I don’t have a problem with it. They love you. I love you.” He’d told her he loved her before. The words weren’t new, but the look on her face was. To ease whatever thoughts were racing through her head, he added, “It’s just a picture.”

  She didn’t argue or try to pull away. He wasn’t used to seeing Evelyn unsure of anything. She was a woman who always knew what she wanted and went for it. For her to be unsure of her place in his life unsettled him. Slipping an arm around
her waist, he whispered in her ear, “There’s no one I would rather have in a family photo.”

  “It feels so official. Taking a family photo at a wedding.”

  He chuckled. “Afraid people are going to start hounding you about when you’ll be next?”

  “Kind of. Aren’t you? This is your family. They’ll hound you before they come after me.”

  “Won’t bother me a bit. I’ve been dodging them and their questions for years. When it happens, it happens.”

  “When, huh?”

  “I think you’re a safe bet.”

  “I thought you didn’t like to gamble.”

  “I don’t, unless I know how the hand will play out.” They joined the rest of his family, and he turned Evelyn so she was in his arms in front of the camera. Their relationship didn’t feel like a gamble at all. It felt right.

  …

  Evelyn had a great time at the wedding. All of her fears about things being different were unfounded. The wedding was really small, and almost all of the family in attendance were people she’d met numerous times over the years. No one commented on her relationship with Owen. Then her phone started blowing up with texts.

  Nina: Oh my God. What is going on?

  Tess: When did this happen?

  Even Trevor sent her one: About time

  She stared at the screen. Then she looked up to where Owen was on his way back from the bar.

  “You couldn’t just leave the phone for one night?” he asked as he neared.

  “Of course I can. In fact, until it started vibrating like crazy, I didn’t pull it out.” She turned the phone to show him. “Want to tell me what this is about?”

  He set their drinks on the table and glanced at the phone. It took a second, but then acknowledgment lit his eyes. “Probably the picture I posted to Facebook.”

  “What picture?”

  “My mom took one of us dancing.”

  She looked at him, because a dance wouldn’t cause this kind of stir.

  “And kissing.”

  “Don’t you think that’s something you should’ve run past me first?”

  He sat beside her and took a pull from his bottle of beer. “You said you weren’t looking to keep us a secret. It’s a good picture.”

  “But these are our friends. We should’ve told them together.”

  He leaned over, putting one arm on the back of her chair. “Look. We’re in a relationship. I’m pretty fucking happy about that. I don’t care who knows. That picture told the world, and I didn’t have to say a word.”