by J. P. Comeau
"I can't believe it's only two days away. It seems like only yesterday that I was proposing to Julianna in the park."
I nodded, remembering that day well. Annie, Caley, and I had been there too. "You know, you joke about me being an old man. At least I won't be an old, married man!"
I playfully punched him again, and Jake shook his head.
"That's true," he said with a grin. "But, I'm genuinely happy."
I smiled and looked at my baby brother, remembering all of the crazy stories I'd read about him online before he came back home. He used to have dozens of women at his penthouse suite. There was even a rumor that he had an affair with an associate's wife, although I didn't believe that for a minute.
"You do seem happier than you've ever been. I'm so proud of you, man. You're about to have it all, plus it's great having you back in town. I may not always say it, but I love you, bro."
Jake nodded and reached across the table, squeezing my shoulder hard. "One day, you'll meet Mrs. Right, and all of those strippers will be nothing more than a memory. Especially when you meet a woman who can be even sexier behind closed doors… if you know what I mean."
"Ugh, it sounds so boring!”
Jake burst out laughing.
We ate our lunches discussing all of the details for the combined bachelor-bachelorette party, and I had finally gotten over the fact that Jake didn't want any strippers.
Right after I gave the waitress my credit card, Jake's cellphone started ringing. He pulled out his wallet, but I waved it off, encouraging the waitress to run it through for both of our meals.
"Hillard," I heard him say into the phone.
Hillard was Jake's best friend from San Diego. The two of us never expected him to be with Julianna for more than a few weeks, let alone move back to River Valley and get married.
My phone went off too, and I saw that it was a text from our father.
"I have to go to deal with business," I whispered.
Jake told Hillard to hang on a second. "Listen, enjoy the rest of your day, and I'll see you tomorrow night, okay? It's going to be one hell of a party!"
We gave each other fist bumps, and I left.
I got into my car and drove over to our father's house. It was where we ran the business from most of the time. Dad liked being able to wake up and go straight to work. In contrast, our mother was finding his everlasting presence a bit annoying. He was always at the office when Jake and I were growing up, so being together so much was a significant change.
I could hear them arguing as I walked up to the door.
"You turn the coffee machine off if the pot is empty," my mom yelled. "Otherwise, it'll crack, and this whole house could go up in flames!"
I laughed a bit as I headed in the front door, picturing her throwing her arms up in the air disgusted.
"Alright, alright," my dad said. "I'm sorry!"
"This is the tenth time that I've had to tell you this," she said in an even louder tone. "Sometimes I think you just want to burn this place down!"
"And how are Mr. and Mrs. Costanza?" I walked into the kitchen, hoping they'd get my cheesy Seinfeld reference, but it was clear they didn't get the joke.
My mom wrinkled her nose and asked, "Who are they?"
I just shook my head at her with a chuckle as I pecked her on the cheek. Then my father put his arm around my shoulders, and we walked into his office.
"I love your mother, but sometimes she drives me crazy." He whispered and took a deep breath. "Anyway, son. Only two days and your little brother ties the big knot!"
He sat down at his desk and began scrolling through emails.
"We were just talking about it over lunch," I told him. "We got a bite to eat after picking up our tuxedos. I've never seen Jake so happy, Dad."
He nodded as I took a seat across from him.
"Give it a few years," my dad replied with a smirk. "Unless he's smarter than me when it comes to home appliances."
I contemplated bringing up the next significant expansion in our business. Life had been so busy for us lately, between helping with the planning of Jakes' nuptials and working well over forty hours a week. "On a different note. I've been reviewing some emails about our next big expansion. Everything looks promising. It's just a matter of renegotiating the prices and signing the contracts."
I waited for him to reply, but he seemed a bit too occupied by whatever was on his monitor.
"After the wedding, son."
I knew that tone of voice well enough to let it go.
"There's something that I do want to discuss right now, though." He lifted a fire-safe box from underneath his desk that I had never seen before and pulled out some paperwork.
"What are those, Dad?"
He leaned back in his chair, took off his glasses, and looked at me. "Jake is doing quite well with his business, and I'm so proud of how well you've done with ours. And let's not fool ourselves, son. I'm no spring chicken. Even your mother, who would prefer that I stay out of her way all day, is telling me that I should retire soon."
I thought about what my dad was suggesting, but I didn't want to admit that he was getting older. As hard as it could sometimes be, I loved working with my father. The thought of doing it without him wasn't something that I wanted even acknowledge. "What are you getting at, Dad?"
He arranged some pieces of paperwork in front of me and leaned across the desk. "Jake has his empire to lead, and ours needs an heir. That heir will be you, Richard."
I shook my head. "You're not going anywhere anytime soon, okay? I'm not ready to discuss this yet."
My father nodded and put the papers back in the fireproof box. "But it's a conversation that we need to have, son. Sooner rather than later."
I shrugged my shoulders, even though I knew he was right.
3
_____
ANNIE
This evening it was just the three of us at Julianna’s house. Crystal, Julianna, and I were all getting ready before leaving for the bachelor-bachelorette party. I headed into the kitchen and pulled out a bottle of Dom Perignon from the refrigerator. Julianna had insisted that we keep the pre-party low-key, but there was no way we were drinking anything less than the best.
“Who’s ready for a toast?” Crystal and Julianna walked into the kitchen.
I handed each of them a champagne flute and then popped open the bottle.
Julianna raised an eyebrow. “Where was that bottle?”
I smiled while filling up Julianna’s glass with bubbly champagne.
“Relax,” I said. “I hid it in the back of the fridge.”
“You deserve good champagne, Julianna!” Crystal smiled as we all clinked glasses. “To Julianna!”
I laughed as Julianna just about chugged hers.
“Easy, girl,” I said.
She laughed and held her glass out for some more. “I’m just nervous. Jake and I have been living together, have a son together, and we do go way back to our high school days, but marriage is such a big step.”
“Just as long as you’re sober enough to get through the rehearsal dinner, you’ll be fine,” I told her.
“Nothing to worry about, sis. You know that I can hold my alcohol."
The rehearsal dinner was going to be at Richard's house, and everything had been planned out carefully in advance. But most of all, Julianna had been so busy that she hadn’t mentioned Richard and me going to the wedding together since the dress shop, thank God!
“So, after dinner at Richard’s,” Crystal explained, “we’re going to head over to the Twisted Lemon for drinks? That sounds like fun!”
“Yes, but we had to hire guards,” Julianna replied, rolling her eyes. “This town is so small. Virtually everyone knows about the Truman brothers and are aware one of them is getting married. Unfortunately, they are very well known to the press and media.”
Crystal nodded. “And the other is an attractive, eligible bachelor.”
I felt myself get a little bit jeal
ous at Crystal’s comment, which was ludicrous. There was no way that anything romantic would happen between Richard and me. Plus, I knew that she wouldn’t have said such a thing if she knew that I liked him even if I couldn’t admit it out loud.
“He's a serial bachelor,” I told Crystal. “Quite attractive, though. Anyway, the guards will keep any paparazzi, and people in general, at bay. It’ll be as normal as it can be… if that’s even possible with the Truman brothers.”
I topped off our champagne glasses and held mine up in the air.
“Another toast?”
I nodded at my sister. “Julianna, I truly couldn’t be happier for you. You’ve found the love of your life, a man to come home to every day, and one who has blessed us with your son. Seeing you happy makes me happy, and I know this is just the beginning of a wonderful journey for you guys. To a happy, healthy, and prosperous future!”
All three of us clinked glasses yet again, and as we finished our champagne, I started to wonder if I’d ever find the love of my life. Or was I destined to always be ‘the bridesmaid instead of the bride’, as the old saying went? Part of me knew, though, that was my own fault. Fear would always hold me back.
The rehearsal dinner at Richard’s house went well. I was seated next to him, and we spent most of the evening discussing that past year and how quickly the wedding had come.
“I remember the moment I knew he’d end up marrying Julianna,” he said to me, staring down the table at them. “It was the morning after they’d spent the evening at our father’s cabin by the lake. You, Caley, and I were waiting for them at a diner. The look on his face when he saw Caley was the moment I knew. They're a family.”
I smiled and thought back on that day, too. Julianna, Jake, and Caley did look like a family.
Speaking of family, Richard and Jake’s parents were sitting at a table across from us. I saw a lot of Richard in his father’s face. They both had the same nose and eyes, but he had inherited his mother’s lips.
“Aunt Annie!” I looked down to see Caley smiling up at me, her big, beautiful blue eyes lighting up as she stretched her hands out.
I grunted as I pulled her up on my lap. “You are not a little girl anymore, remember. You’re heavy.”
She wrinkled her nose. “My brain isn’t, but I’m still skinny…Or at least that’s what my mom says.” I laughed and glanced over at Julianna. Caley wiggled excitedly. “Oh! Did you see my new phone?”
I gasped and smiled dramatically. “No, who got it for you?”
“Jakey!” She jumped off of my lap and ran toward her chair to grab it out of her tiny purse.
Jake heard her and chuckled. “Julianna resisted, but I won out. Phones are a necessity for school kids these days. But rest assured, there are controls on her internet usage around here.”
Richard and I laughed and nodded as we watched her grab the iPhone and then come racing back with it, showing me her game apps. Richard watched as I peered over her shoulder as she played.
“Julianna and I loved playing with dolls growing up. That was before phones were such a big thing,” I told him. “I used to make mine do yoga stretches, and hers would be the student in my class.”
“That’s so funny,” Richard remarked.
I glanced up at him. “What about you and Jake?”
“Well, we never played with dolls, of course, but we were really into G.I. Joe and we had tons of Legos.”
I laughed a little. “Caley, do you have any new Barbies?”
“Yep, let me show you. I don’t play with them anymore. I just collect them.” She handed me the phone and took off to her room, returning with the latest Barbie dressed in a Puma outfit.
Richard’s eyes narrowed at me, and he glanced down at Caley and the doll. Then almost as if to prove something to me, he got on the carpet and started talking with Caley. I watched as she told him that this particular Barbie was into fashion design, and he hung on to her every word. Caley even brought out several different outfits for Richard to choose from for Barbie to model. I hadn’t pegged him as being all that good with kids, but then again, he’d been around Caley a lot that past year.
“I’d like to make a toast.” Jake and Richard’s father stood up, holding a glass of champagne.
Caley instinctively set the doll on the coffee table and turned to him.
“Julianna, you have made my son happier than I have ever seen him. Not only do you take care of our son, but you have given us a beautiful grandson and granddaughter. I know this is just the beginning of what is to come. May God bless both of you.”
We all raised our glasses of champagne, and Jake kissed Julianna as tears welled up in his eyes.
Maybe she was right. Maybe men really could change.
The dinner was delicious and filling, a stark but welcome change from my usual health food. A local catering company provided steak, pasta with garlic and olive oil, salad, miniature cakes, Italian bread, shrimp cocktail, and several other dishes that I was far too full to enjoy.
After we ate, Julianna’s housekeeper stayed behind with Caley and Jude as everyone got into limousines and headed to the Twisted Lemon. It was a local bar that had been a staple in River Valley for several decades. Word had already gotten out that we’d be celebrating there before the big day, which meant that it would be even more crowded than usual.
We made our way into the bar, and sure enough, it was packed. Most of them were there to celebrate with the wedding party, though. After chatting with Julianna and Crystal for a while, I made my way through the crowd and to the actual bar. And I found an empty seat right next to Richard. He was visiting with Jake's friend and business partner, Hillard. I nodded at Hillard as he left and made his way over to strike up a conversation with Crystal.
“It’s quite the party,” Richard said into my ear. Several women at the bar were making eyes at him, followed with dirty looks aimed at me. I couldn’t blame them, though. Richard was incredibly sexy. “Let me buy you a shot.”
I nodded with a grin and watched as he said something to the bartender that I couldn't hear. I sat with my hands in my lap and watched the bartender mix two shooters.
“This is too pretty to drink,” I shouted into his ear when the bartender placed it in front of me. It was two layers of white with a layer of pink in the middle. “What’s it called?”
“Pink Lady,” he said.
I downed it and shook my head, my lips pursing, and my mouth instantly watering. I could feel the burn of the alcohol in my chest.
“That’s potent,” I gasped, stifling a cough.
Richard started laughing and put his hand on the back of my seat. I glanced over to a corner of the bar. “The pool table’s open,” I managed, working to regain my breath.
He looked over at it and then back at me, lifting his eyebrows. “Do you play?”
I nodded.
“Not only do I play,” I said into his ear, “but I'm pretty confident that I could beat your old ass.”
I immediately regretted my choice of words, chalking it up to the alcohol. Luckily for me, he laughed it off.
“Is that a bet?”
I licked my lips. “Only if you buy me another shot!”
He nodded and ordered me another Pink Lady.
“Let’s do this,” I said after slamming the shot glass on the bar.
We made our way over to the pool table and racked up the balls. Richard was pretty good. Better than I had thought. He made every shot that he called out, whereas I had missed a few.
“Not so good for the young woman who is up against this old man,” he reminded me with a sideways grin.
I rolled my eyes and got all of the balls in on my next shot, shooting him a flirtatious look. Both of us laughed as we continued playing. “That’s what you get for poking fun at me.”
He came over to my side of the table, backed his body up, and it brushed against mine. “Oh, sorry.”
When he turned around, our eyes met, and I could feel the electricity be
tween us. I stepped back. Once again, he made the shot, and I could tell that I would lose the game.
We spent most of the evening playing pool and chatting with each other, along with other people at the party. Jake and Julianna watched us for a while, and I could tell that she was excited about Richard and I spending time together. Jake looked pleased too.
It was just for the wedding, though, I told myself.
Richard taught me a few moves, too. It was hard not to get a little aroused as my ass pressed against his body, especially after so much champagne and those shots.
After the party, everyone but Hillard got into the limos to head back home. He was in the corner flirting with five different women. I heard him make some comment to Jake about not staying out too late, to which Jake shook his head. I’d heard that Hillard was quite the womanizer. Now, I knew why.
Jake and Julianna were all over each other during the limo ride back home.
"Would you two knock it off," Richard said, wrinkling his nose in disgust.
"Jealous, big brother?"
They were across from us, and Richard was dangerously close to me on the leather seat.
"You're lucky that tomorrow's your big day," Richard said as they got out of the limo and the chauffeur closed the door.
"What would you have said if it wasn't?" I looked over at Richard, who had a big smile on his face.
"Well, I wouldn't say it in front of Julianna, but I'd bet any amount of money that I can satisfy a woman better than he can."
My mouth fell open as the limo pulled away and headed toward my apartment.
"This is it," I said to the chauffeur, grabbing my purse and looking at Richard.
There was an awkward tension between us, and suddenly I didn't want the night to end. Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was just the time I had spent alone, but the words came tumbling out before I could stop them. “Wanna come upstairs?”
Richard shrugged his shoulders to come off as relaxed, but I could tell that he was excited.
“Sure,” he said while inching closer to me. "Why abandon the party now?"