The Wedding Wrecker

BONUS SCENE - EMMA

"Absolutely not," Emma said, snatching the Cards Against Humanity box from my hands. "We are not playing that at game night."

"Why not?" I asked, trying to grab it back. "Afraid you'll discover your sweet sister has a dirty mind?"

"Oh, she definitely does," Marcus said from the kitchen where he was pulling more wine from our rack. Lily smacked his arm but couldn't hide her grin.

"Nobody needs to discover anything about anybody's mind," Emma insisted, reaching to put the box on a high shelf. I watched with amusement as she stretched up on her tiptoes, her shirt riding up to show a strip of skin.

"Need help with that, shorty?"

She shot me a look that could've melted steel. "Not from you, traitor."

"I vote yes on Cards Against Humanity," Maggie called from our couch where she was sprawled dramatically with her feet in Derek's lap. My friend looked mildly terrified and more than a little uncomfortable. Ever since meeting him a few weeks ago, Maggie had made no secret of how attracted she was.

Unfortunately, Derek didn't seem to share her attraction, but he was too polite to say anything.

"Derek?" I asked.

"With how easily Emma blushes,” Derek said. “I'd be curious to see if she can make it through even one card without turning red. So it has my vote, too."

"See?" I said. "Democracy in action."

"This isn't a democracy," Emma said. "This is my apartment?—"

"Our apartment," I corrected.

"—and I refuse to watch my sweet, innocent, baby sister play that game."

"Em," Lily said, accepting a glass of wine from Marcus. "I'm married. And I'll have you know, I'm an absolute freak when the lights are off."

"Oh, God," Emma winced, covering my eyes. "Does anyone have one of those things from Men in Black? The little silver memory wiper tools? Because I could really use one right about now."

"Girl's a freak!" Maggie said, laughing as she bolted upright so fast she nearly kneed Derek in a very unfortunate place.

I took advantage of the distraction to grab the game, but Emma's reflexes were too quick. She snatched it away again, then yelped as I caught her around the waist.

"Give up the game, shorty."

"Never, wedding wrecker."

We wrestled for it while our friends laughed and shouted encouragement. Emma might be tiny, but she fought dirty. When she realized she couldn't overpower me, she resorted to tactics she knew would work—pressing back against me in a way that made me lose focus.

"That's cheating," I growled in her ear.

"All's fair in love and game night," she said sweetly, pressing herself even harder against me as she reached and tried to cup me between the legs.

"Oh my god, get a room," Maggie called.

Emma managed to snatch the game, triumphantly holding it over her head. "Ha!"

I let her have her moment of victory before simply reaching up and plucking it from her hands.

"I hate you," she said, but her eyes sparkled.

"No, you don't."

"Guys," Lily interrupted. "Can we please play? I want to emotionally scar Emma."

Emma tried to glare at me, as if this was all my fault. "Fine. But I reserve the right to veto any card combinations that are too scarring."

"Deal." I pulled her close, pressing a kiss to her temple. "Besides, I mostly want to see Derek try to explain some of these terms to Maggie."

"What terms?" Derek asked nervously.

"Don't worry about it," Maggie patted his knee. "I'll explain everything to you later."

His eyes widened in alarm, making us all laugh.

Two hours and several bottles of wine later, we'd learned that Maggie had an even dirtier mind than I'd expected, Derek knew way more slang than any of us suspected, and Lily was an absolute savage.

"I can't believe my sweet baby sister won," Emma said, curled against my side on the couch. "My innocent little Lily..."

"I told you she wasn't that innocent," Marcus said proudly.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," Emma muttered into my chest.

"More wine?" Maggie asked, already reaching for a bottle. “And by the way, she added, eyes darting to me and Emma. "When are you two having a baby?"

Emma choked on her wine. "What?"

I rushed to change the subject. "Who's ready for Pictionary?"

"Ooh, yes!" Lily clapped. "Teams?"

"Couples versus couples," Marcus suggested. "Sorry Derek."

"I'm not a couple," Derek protested.

"She’s literally sitting in his lap," Emma pointed out.

Maggie looked down, as if just realizing this fact. Derek's face went red.

"Well," Maggie said. "This is awkward."

"Not as awkward as your Pictionary skills," I said. "Remember last time?"

"That was clearly a giraffe!"

"It was supposed to be the Eiffel Tower!"

The conversation devolved into arguing about Maggie's artistic abilities while I pulled Emma closer.

"You okay?" I whispered.

She nodded. "Totally fine. Just don’t want to scare you off by talking babies too soon."

"Scare me off?" I pressed a kiss to her hair. "I’d like to see you try."

She smiled up at me.

"If you two are done being disgustingly cute," Maggie called, "we have a game to play!"

"You're just jealous," Emma said, but she was already reaching for the Pictionary cards.

"Please," Maggie scoffed. "I have my own man to be disgusting with now." She turned to Derek. "Right?"

His deer-in-headlights expression sent us all into fits of laughter.

"Poor Derek," Emma whispered. "He has no idea what he's in for."

Game night might not have gone according to Emma's careful plans, but somehow those were always the best nights. The ones where things got a little messy, a little chaotic, and a lot perfect in their own way.

Just like us.