“Are you sure? They’re willing to stay all week with you, buddy, as long as it takes to fuck her out of your system. They love fucking each other too,” he says, closing the fridge door with a can of beer in his hand that he pops open. “I’m just trying to help. What could be better than a threesome with these two beauties?”
Sighing, I mutter, “I know you’re trying to help, but this is not what I need. I don’t want to ‘fuck her out of my system.’”
“Fine! Your loss,” he says with a grin. He quickly downs his beer and sets the empty can on the counter rather than throwing it in the recycling bin. “You heard him! Let’s go, girls. My son is too much of a pussy to handle you both at the same time, but I’m not.”
They both giggle, and if my teeth clench any harder, I’m going to break one.
But thankfully, after a little whining and pouting, the blondes get up and get moving out the door, following my father like little puppy dogs.
Once I wipe down the counter with a Clorox wipe, I strip the sheets from my bed, get undressed, and finally, thankfully, pass out, dreaming of my beautiful, sad redhead.
The ringing sound that wakes me up is so unfamiliar that it takes me several long seconds to figure out where it’s coming from before it hits me. That’s when I start scrambling out of bed, searching for where I last laid down my phone. It ended up on the floor next to the sofa, falling out of my jean pocket when I crashed. I pick it up and answer it without even paying attention to the name on the screen. I’m just that damn happy someone is calling me.
“Hello?” I say, now wide-awake even though I think I only slept a few hours.
“Your window is finally opening,” the deep voice on the other side of the line says so cryptically that I do finally pull the device away from my ear to see who it is.
Cannon.
“My what?” I ask as I sit down on the armrest of the sofa bed to focus on what the hell he’s saying.
“Your window,” he repeats as if I know what the hell that means. “The window to get back into Roman’s good graces is finally opening. “
“It is?” I say in relief. “Seriously? What’s going on? Have you seen Tessa? How is she? Did you all vote again? I’m back in?” All the questions I’ve had for months come pouring out.
“Ah, it’s not exactly official or anything,” Cannon says. “But next Friday, Roman’s finally tying the knot. It’s just a small thing for him and Charlotte down at the magistrate’s office. Then, we’re throwing them a reception and boom, they’re going out of town for their honeymoon!”
I let that information sink in, trying to figure out his angle. “So you think I should sneak back to town while he’s gone?”
“Winston will be acting president, and he’s all sunshine and rainbows now that he’s with Zoe with a kid on the way. We could vote you back in while Roman’s not at the table.”
“I’m sure Roman will fucking love that when he gets back,” I mutter.
“Dude, it’s been what, six months now? You know Roman. He may have been okay with you coming back before now, but he’s just too stubborn to admit it. Your best bet is to show up at the reception, wish him and the bride well, and tell him you’ll help hold down the fort while he’s gone on his honeymoon.”
“Hold on,” I say with a sudden realization. “If Charlotte and Roman are going on their honeymoon, then what’s Tessa going to do? Go with them? Stay home by herself?”
“Your girl just got herself an apartment,” he says.
“She did? Where?” I ask while holding my breath.
“Here in town,” he says, and I finally relax a little.
“By herself or with someone…”
“By herself. Roman’s got the two prospects watching out for her.”
“Prospects? We have prospects? Since when?”
“Ah, yeah, we voted them in three months back. They’re both twenty-one and grew up in town together. Apparently, they hate each other, but they’re loyal to the club.”
“Roman’s leaving Tessa’s safety in the hands of babies who don’t get along?” I exclaim.
“They’re not much younger than you, and we’ve put them through their paces. They’ve got balls and aren’t stupid.”
“I don’t like it,” I tell him. “Tessa won’t either – two strange guys who are always lurking around her place? What the fuck?”
“She seems to like them. They’ve been hanging out at Roman’s, helping move her things and put together furniture in the new place. I think she’s getting a dog too.”
“A dog and two kids? That’s how he’s going to leave her while he goes wandering off to wherever with his new bride?”
“I can tell he doesn’t really like it, Tessa moving out and having to leave her behind for a few days. Charlotte is obviously worried about her too.”
“Obviously!” I exclaim.
“Which is why I don’t think he would deck you if you were to show up at the reception and tell him you’ll be around in case Tessa needs anything.”
“Oh,” I say in understanding. “Yeah. That could work.”
“I think it’s your best shot. Roman will be happy, he’ll be leaving, and he isn’t going to do anything to make his new wife pissed at him, like get into a fight at the reception.”
“That’s all true,” I agree. “So Tessa’s not back with that Paul guy or whatever?”
“I haven’t heard Roman say a peep about him if she is,” Cannon replies. “Doubt he would have prospects hanging around if she had a man.”
“You’re right,” I say with a sigh of relief. “I’ll settle up things here and see you Friday afternoon.”
“The party starts at seven, but you should give Roman until around eight or so to get a few drinks in his system. I doubt if he’ll stay long,” Cannon says. “Just come in long enough to get his blessing to stay in town before he leaves. That way, if I can convince Winston to have another vote, it won’t look like such a dick move.”
“Okay. Sounds like a good plan. Thanks, Cannon. I was starting to wonder if you were ever going to call.”
“Just had to wait for the right time, and they kept putting the damn wedding ceremony off,” he mutters.
I don’t have to ask to know that it was probably because Charlotte didn’t want to have to rush Tessa out of the house before she was ready.
Is she ready now or just acting tough for their sake?
Guess I’m about to find out.
Chapter Seventeen
Tessa
* * *
“This really is a great apartment,” Charlotte says as she wanders around the open floor plan, glancing out the windows. “And the second floor is safer than the first.”
“I know,” I reply when I slump down on my new royal blue, velvet sofa. “It’s a great place. Once I’m settled in, I’ll start looking for a job in a local law office so I can actually afford it.”