Forever Together (Forever Love #2) (23 page)

"Mistress Weller?" He nods with wild eyes. "The lady in red lace who'll give you the show of your life. What the fuck is this?"

"My brother Tad gave it me. Says it’s the place you gotta be for a bachelor party.
Guess what,
S
s
he’s in Savannah tomorrow. You hear that man? Tomorrow night, the bachelor party. I figure we'll go there first and then carry on with the plan."

"Noah said no strippers."

"She's a classy broad, not a stripper."

"I’m not sure." The only half-naked woman I want in front of me is Cinders. I don’t like the thought of some stripper prancing around her in some thong with his package half on display, I'd be an asshole if I accepted that shit for myself.

"Look if we don’t like it, we go to another bar." Tucker holds his hands together, probably just dying to get one up on his brother.

"Ok, ok. Don’t blame me when Noah beats your ass." And he will definitely beat his ass, no doubt about it.

***

I don’t know why Jim looks so proud of himself. This burger looks like someone’s shoved a hockey puck in a bun. Tastes like it too.

"Tell me they’re not the best burgers you've ever tasted." He smiles at everyone as we slowly chew.

"It’s not the best burger I've ever tasted." Luke deadpans.

"They’re delicious honey.” Deena says, stepping onto her tiptoes to give her husband a kiss on the cheek.

"I’m just gonna go and eat my burger inside cause it’s getting kinda cold out here." Avery says, despite the fact it’s the middle of Summer and like a thousand degrees out here.

"It is getting pretty chilly, I'll come with you." Aiden calls.

"Kids huh? I guess they feel the cold easier." Jim shakes his head before looking at me. Fuck every time he looks at me like that I swear he knows what I've been doing to his daughter. It’s almost enough to make my dick shrivel up and fucking die. "So Brady I hear you're out of work."

I nod, not thankful for the reminder of that bastard Bob. Things being tense at home is the fucking understatement of the year. I haven’t spoken to that asshole since he fired me just before I was gonna quit and I swear I was gonna quit. My Moms tried buttering me up since then, offering to buy me shit and being all nice. I don't trust it. It’s a sad day when you don’t trust your own mother cause she's spending too much time buzzing around you.
Of c
C
ourse Cindy’s too nice for her own good and won’t let me tell her to take a hike so I just gotta accept it. The only thing cheering me up about the situation is that I’m pretty sure Bobs had a silent few weeks. My Mom seems to be just as pissed as I am though I’m sure Slutface Sandra's keeping him company.

"You know, son, I've got a job opening. We're a little understaffed and there's a bunch of work coming up. Seems some hotshot developer's building a new apartment complex in Savannah and well we got the contract. Whatcha think?"

"Sounds good." I nod. "I don’t know anyone though."

"I think you misunderstand me son. What do you think about the job?"

"I guess it'll get filled easily. People are always looking for jobs in construction."

Jim huffs before rubbing his blue eyes.

"Brady, do you want a job?"

I look up at that. A job? Doing construction? I don’t like the thought of being responsible for if some fuckers house falls down or not.

"What do I have to do?" I ask.

"Build. Saw. Carry stuff. What do you think you have to do? Do you want it or not?"

"Sure." Fuck I better get on Google later and look this shit up.

"Well alrighty then."

"Thanks." I smile. I can do this. I mean, how hard can it be, putting some bricks together with... glue?

"What are you guys talking about?" Cindy's smiling face pops up in front of me. Looks like she lucked out with avoiding the burgers too. Damn.

"I just offered Brady a job."

"Really?! Oh my God that’s amazing." She jumps up and down on the spot, clapping. Hell, if I knew she'd get that look on her face just by me getting a job with her Dad, I'd have begged him for one a long time ago.

She gives me a hard kiss on the mouth that makes big boy Brady downstairs stiffen up and throws her arms around me.

"Well I'll leave you two to it then." Jim smiles, throwing a wink my way that tells me the reason he’s giving me a job is to make his little girl happy. Can’t blame the guy really, that’s all I want too
.

"This is so great. You're gonna be so good at this, I just know it."

"You think?" I ask, genuinely wanting her answer cause to be perfectly honest I think I'll be fucking terrible at it.

"Of course." The smile that lights up her face chases away any doubts I have. If I end up knocking someone’s house down so be it. I couldn’t give two shit
’
s as long as Cindy looks at me like that.

I catch a glimpse of Tucker slipping through the side gate with his arms round some leggy blonde, her fingers are running through that Justin Bieber hairstyle he’s got and I pray to God she's legal.

"You wanna get outta here Cinders?"

"Yeah." She says with a sigh. "We should probably get back to Brian."

I fucking love how she describes everything as we and us. Makes me feel like she’s in this for long haul.

"Come on then my little dark haired beauty."

I hold her hand in my own and lead her into the house where everyone’s gathered around Bailey belting out the theme song to some movie she’s always watching. Looks like I’m leaving with a job but without my hearing. The kid sounds like a fucking banshee, screeching and yelling. Everyone’s standing around her in a circle, fingers to ears and eyes squeezed shut as if in pain. Avery looks like she’s about to throw down in the kitchen. I’m still pretty mad that she cost me ten dollars by not shoving her sisters face in the cake. I was so sure she would too.

We listen to the rest of Baileys song which she finishes at a painfully high note. There are claps all round. I’m not sure if people are clapping because she did a good job or because it’s fucking finished. I’m clapping and cheering for the latter. Seriously, a guy needs his hearing!

"Well we're off." Cindy announces.

"Oh are you staying at Brady’s again?" Deena asks, a smug smile on her face. I catch Jim staring at me outta the corner of his eye. Time to go!

"Yes Mom but I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon before the bachelorette party."

"You going too Deena?"

"Oh yes. It’s been years since I've been to one. We're going to paint the town red and party hard. Pam, Ada, Rachel and I'll show these kids how it’s done." 

"Wait up, wait up." I put my hand up. "My Moms going?"

I look at Cindy who quickly looks at the floor. What the fuck?! That’s just weird. Why the hell would my Mom be going to Liv’s bachelorette party.

"Oh yeah Cindy invited us all."

"Ok well we better be going." Cindy sings. "Great to see you all. We'll have to do it again soon. Bye."

She’s practically running out the door... no wait, she’s actually out the door now. It looks like Cinders has got some explaining to do.

"Looks like we're going now." I shrug.

"You come back soon honey." Deena gives me a warm hug and I accept a pretty firm and silent handshake from Jim.

"Ok Happy Birthday Avery, see ya later Bails. Aiden, Luke, good to see you both. Grandma, I'll catch you later hot stuff." I give a wink to old lady, getting an eye roll in return.

One time, one fucking time I laugh at her teeth falling out and into her soup and fucking three years later she refuses to forgive me. Ain’t she ever heard that forgiveness is good for the heart or some crap?

I give one final wave before heading out to find my wayward woman and get some answers. Damn Cindy and her big heart because I got no doubt that’s to blame for this. On one hand I love that she’s so kind and caring, on the other I can see us being broke and starving in ten year’s time cause she’s probably given all our food to the homeless. And no I’m not overreacting, I’m talking from God damn experience.

I march down the path, my eyes zoning in on the dark haired beauty fidgeting with her hands next to my truck. 

"You're a sneak." I point at her, struggling not to get hard at the sight of her biting that damn lip of hers.

"I’m sorry. Are you mad?"

"Mad? Why the fuck would I be mad? I’m weirded the fuck out. Please tell me there ain’t gonna be no strippers there because it'll send me crazy just the thought of you seeing them, the picture of my Mom cheering for some half naked dude's enough to send me to the river with some bricks."

"No stripper." She looks adorable wrinkling her nose. My Cinders is a firecracker in the bedroom but only with me, not that she’s had anybody else. She better fucking not have anyway; I don’t need to be going down for murder.

"Well good then. Now hop on in, I've spent way too much fucking time outta bed today."

The honeymoon period, you gotta love it!

Chapter 17

Cindy

"I say we sharpen our pitchforks and take Boo two down." Trina says with her sassy attitude, staring at me with narrowed eyes.

If I could sink any lower into my seat, I would. Hell, I’m about half a minute away from crawling under the table until this horrible night is over.

I’m pretty sure Trina, Liv and I are all in our own personal hells right now. I mean, how can you not wanna put a gun in your mouth when you’re watching your Mother making shapes on the dancefloor in a bright
fuschia
fuchsia
pink tutu?

"Oh shit." Liv groans, burying her face in her hands when 'My Humps' by Black Eyed Peas plays from the club sound system.

"That’s nasty." Trina says.

I can only watch, completely speechless as the woman who gave birth to not just me but four other children, who made my packed lunches, who made me a hot water bottle up and bought two tons of ice cream the day I got my first period, humps the air on the dancefloor.

Believe it or not
,
this dancefloor was packed full of sweaty bodies grinding and moving to the beat of the music when we walked in half an hour ago. Now, it’s almost empty, only a strange looking guy with an eyepatch and a girl who looks like she’s having a party for one in the corner.

"I’m so sorry." I squeak while wincing at the same time at the sight of Brady’s Mom cheering for body shots. "So, so sorry."

"Maybe one of them will have a heart attack." Trina says causing mine and Liv’s heads to whip round to face her. "What? Not like a bad one, just one to slow ‘em down. It can’t be healthy moving that much at their ages."

"They’re only like forty." Liv says, picking at the learner plate sign pinned to her chest.

"Forty year olds have heart attacks all the time boo. There’s hope yet. Anyway one of them will probably be knocked out first with the way they're waving their arms about. Damn, Brady’s Moms got some moves."

I roll my eyes, silently agreeing that Brady’s Mom sure can dance. Her blonde hair which usually looks completely immaculate with not a hair out of place is flying wildly around her head as she moves. I had to look twice when she arrived at Liv’s earlier. Gone was the Chanel suit
’s
and Louis Vuitton peep toes and in their place was a matching ensemble to everyone else, a pink tutu, black top and black leggings. Despite being without her suit of armor, I don’t think I've ever seen Rachel smile and laugh so much. Of course most of the time she's laughing at my Mom who’s about one drink away from being carried out of here.

"At least they're not trying to grab men off the dance floor now." Liv sighs, sipping her Cuba Libre.

"That’s cause they all left! I don’t think I've ever seen a club empty so fucking fast."

This is killing me. It’s killing me that I'm watching this train wreck and most of all it’s killing me that it’s all my fault. Damn me and my big mouth. I’m pretty much sharpening my own pitchfork for myself at the moment.

"Ok, ok." I breath, needing to change the conversation before this officially goes down as the worst Bachelorette party in the history of the world. "Let's talk about something else. Actually let’s turn around so we can talk about something else while not looking at that.” I wave a hand at the mind scarring sight in front of me before making a big show of turning my chair to the side.

I wait while everyone turns and we're all facing each other rather than the dancefloor that will probably haunt me forever. I catch Trina more than once looking at it from the corner of her eye and pull my big girl panties up, grow some balls and click my fingers in front of her face to get her attention back on me. Now that’s being a good friend since I’m pretty sure I’m already treading on pretty thin ice in terms of how close I am to getting a punch in the face.

"So." I clap my hands together and plaster an over the top smile on my face that probably shows every one of my teeth and causes me to resemble the Mad Hatter. Christ I feel like the Mad Hatter right now. "Let's just ignore everything else and talk. Let’s have girl talk, we never seem to have that where we just shoot the breeze and have heart to hearts."

"We always have that."

"No not like this." I’m desperate, I’m so fucking desperate to salvage this that I'll talk any crap I can. "So Liv you’re getting married next week. Are you excited? Are you nervous? Do you think you'll make a good wife?" I realize a second too late that the last one probably wasn’t the right question to ask Liv when the color completely drains from her face. In this dark club with strobe lights flashing over us every few seconds, it says a lot when you can see that stuff.

"Oh shit." Trina mumbles, running a hand through her hair. "Abort boo two, abort!"

Liv opens and closes her mouth a few times, nothing but air coming out.

"What I mean is, um, are you nervous for the wedding not the marriage because you'll be great in the marriage. You'll be the best, the best wife ever. Everyone else will probably wanna marry you. Actually I'd like some pointers, wouldn’t you Trina?" I stutter
through
, sweat building on my brow as I stare at Liv’s white knuckles wrapped around the glass.

"I’m good" Liv squeaks, nodding. "I'm a little nervous. I mean I'm not really good at this lovey dovey shit and you know I didn’t really have a great marriage to watch while growing up but I'll be fine. I mean, sure I'm twenty, I had to use a fake
ID
id
at my own bachelorette party." A hollow laugh escapes her throat. "But what the worst that can happen, right? Turn into my Mother? Turn into the bitch? Oh fuck what if I turn into the bitch?" She becomes more and more frantic with every word.

"Now calm down Boo, nobody is that messed up."

"Yeah you're nothing like your Mom and Noah loves you so much. You guys are meant to be together."

"He's your Forever Love remember?"

"My forever love." Liv breathes. "Yeah, he's my forever love."

"And your gonna live happily ever after and have lots of babies." I squeal.

"Babies?" Liv asks, completely horrified. And the panic is back it seems. "Fuck no, no babies." She shakes her head back and forth furiously.

"Ok no babies." Trina pats her shoulder while rolling her eyes.

"This is a disaster." Liv groans. "A motherfucking disaster."

I nod my head solemnly, in complete agreement. I'm not totally sure I'll still be one Liv’s bridesmaids after tonight. 'Tub-thumping' by Chumbawamba starts playing through the club and my eyes can't help but travel to the dancefloor. Let me tell you, for a minute I thought things couldn’t possibly get any worse. I was wrong because now I'm watching as four forty-something woman jump up and down, tutus half hanging off and Sex on The Beach cocktails that they all "just have to try" spilling all over the place. It seems that watching Trina's Mom slipping on said spilled drink and falling on her ass in fits of giggles is the last straw.

Liv and Trina’s chairs scrape back and I’m pulled by my arm so I'm standing too.

"That’s it, let's go." Trina says in a clipped tone, gathering our stuff. "I can’t watch this crap anymore. I’m about five second away from throwing myself in that damn river."

"I'll call my Dad; he can come pick them up." Liv sighs, pulling out her phone and walking away from the table towards a quietish corner.

"This is all my fault."

"Uh huh, yep it is but hey we can go get ridiculously drunk and you dancing to Gangnam style can make it up to us. Anyway we should definitely leave cause I’m pretty damn sure the strippers just walked in."

"What do you mean the stripper's just walked in? I though we agreed no stripper. Liv definitely said no stripper."

"Yeah well it was a weak moment." She shrugs her shoulders.

I look around the almost empty club for the stripper in question.

"I don’t see one." I frown.

"You see the potbellied hairy guy by the door?"

"Yeah." He looks about five minutes from a heart attack and is dressed like a cowboy. "Wait, no!"

"He didn’t look like that in his ad."

"How do you know it's him?" I ask.

"Because he pretty much described what he was wearing in a text he sent me two minutes ago. So let's go go go boo two."

I help her grab our coats and snatch Liv by the wrist as she walks back to the table.

"Woah what's the rush? Can't cope with any more of this fucking torture?" She says struggling to catch up as her other wrist is grasped by Trina.

"Excuse me?" We freeze at the sound of the crackling voice.

"Sorry dude we are in a rush." Trina laughs, pulling Liv forcefully.

"I'm just wondering if you know where the bride is, I've gotta lasso her up." He wiggles his overgrown eyebrows, stepping towards us. I almost gag at the overwhelming scent of cigarettes.

"Wait what?" Liv asks, looking towards me. I shrug and nod towards Trina, ignoring her hiss of "snitch".

"What can I say boo? I'm weak. The thought of a cowboy was just so... juicy."

"He looks juicy alright." I mumble, shrinking at the glare Trina throws my way.              

"Listen ladies, do you know where the bachelorette party is or not?"

I’m pretty sure the guys gotta be blind not to see the giant learner plane stuck to Liv’s stomach and the ridiculous get ups we're in. I’m not gonna go pointing that out though
be
cause... well you know.

A sly smirk spreads across Liv’s face as she snatches her wrists back and takes a step towards the greasy looking guy who looks a little like he should be on the Crime Network.

"You see that bunch of women on the dance floor? Yeah they’ve been waiting for you. The one with the short brown hair, lifting the tutu up is the bride. Make sure you give ‘em the whole show. She’s dirty too so I’m pretty sure she’s gonna want lots of grinding and humping."

My mouth drops over as the grease ball walks towards our Mothers with a creepy smile on his face.

"Why did you do that?" I ask, shocked and slightly concerned for my Moms well fare.

"Eh my dad will be here in like ten minutes to take them all home. Plus, she’s turned into a bitch with this whole wedding business. Might as well take entertainment where I can
get it
."

She shrugs
,
walking off and out the door, us trailing behind. The last sound we hear are disgusted gasps from the few people in. I’m guessing greasy cowboy guy ripped his shirt off.

***

The floor vibrates from the bass roaring from the huge speakers practically covering the walls. I'd like to say I know what song this is but I have no idea, the booming overtaking any tune that I should be hearing.

"Bottoms up!" Liv shouts, gulping back the Buttery Nipple. I don’t know who the hell comes up with the names for these shots. I swear I saw a sign on the way in advertising a two for one offer on Red Headed Sluts.

I eye my own drink before taking the bull by the horns and knocking it back, squinting my eyes and going through a full body shudder as it drips down my throat. Well I guess that’s another drink I'll make sure never to try again. That’s about the thirteenth tonight.

Thirteen? Wow, I should be way more drunk than this.

"Trina?!" I point to the shot still standing on the bar, not willing to let her get away with avoiding it.

"Driving." She sings, jangling car keys in front of my face. I faintly remember her already telling me this about ten thousand times tonight.

"Great, more for me." Liv swipes the small glass and empties it, wiping her arm across her mouth afterwards. "So
.
I’m getting married!"

"WOO!" We scream.

"I’m gonna be Mrs. Noah Travers!"

"WOO!"

"And my Dad text ten minutes ago to let me know the old fogies are safely tucked up in bed back in Franklin!"

"WOOOO!"

"And there’s a hottie at nine o clock right over there." Trina squeals, wagging her brows and pointing her thumb behind her.

"You know the rules, bitch. Five minutes and if you don’t get a number he's just not that into you." Liv shrugs, holding two fingers up to the bartender and gesturing to our empty glasses littering the bar.

"Oh he’s into me alright. He’s just begging for a bit of Trina for his birthday cake. Wish me l
uc
oo
k boo's."

"Good luck." I shout, giggling at her strutting across the packed up dancefloor, bumping into people and more than once almost toppling over in the bright pink heels on her feet.

"Shot." I get a glass almost thrust into my face by Liv and can’t help cringing at the sight of the brown drink swooshing around inside.

"Again?" I whine.

"They're good. They taste like coffee."

"You need to go to CA meetings." I grumble.

"CA?"