Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
DECLAN
“Wow. This is quite the restaurant.” Mom looks around in awe.
“I thought you might want to try something different. It’s new.”
The dim sum, ramen, and dumplings restaurant is one of my favorites. Red lanterns hang down from the metal beams crisscrossing the ceiling. A window into the kitchen shows the chefs making the various dishes.
“How were you able to get a reservation on such short notice?” Dad asks, helping Mom with her seat.
I help Alice before taking my seat next to her. She looks beautiful in a black-and-white striped sundress with thin straps.
“Well, when I said my name, they got me in.”
Dad gives me a quizzical stare. “Should you be using your name like that?”
“Relax, Aiden.” Mom swats at him. “We’re thankful you two were able to come out with us.”
Alice smiles at her. “I’m glad you were able to come on a day I didn’t work and we could spend the day together.”
“Those bouquets you helped me make are just gorgeous. All my friends will be jealous when we get home.”
“Well, you know when you get me started on flowers, I don’t stop.”
Dad took me for a round of golf while Alice took Mom to the flower market. It let them bond while doing something Alice loves.
“Maybe when you come out and visit us next, you can do a flower class for my wine club.”
“I’d love to.”
“Welcome. I’m Daisy and I’ll be your server tonight. Can I get you anything to drink?” our waitress asks with a tablet in hand.
“Hi Daisy,” Mom starts. “We’re celebrating these two getting married, so we’ll take a bottle of the house red.”
“Four glasses?”
“Please,” I tell her.
She nods before leaving us to the menus. Mom hands Dad his glasses and he takes them without looking. I study the two of them as they peruse the offerings.
I don’t know if I’ve ever realized how in sync they are. Is this what marriage is like? You sense what the other person is going to be doing and when? Knowing someone better than you know yourself?
“Should we—”
“We’ll get the beef pancake rolls,” I tell Alice, finishing her sentence.
“Good. Those sound delicious.”
I lean back and drape my arm across her chair. I hide my smile. I know we’re technically married—even if only for the next year—but there is no one in my life I know better than Alice. No one knows me better than she does.
“Alright, here we are.” The waitress appears with the bottle of wine and four glasses. “Would anyone like to do a taste test?”
“No. It will only slow her down.” Dad thumbs in Mom’s direction. “You can go ahead and pour.”
“Fantastic. Would you like to start with any shareables?”
“We’ll do an order of the crab rangoon, your green beans, and the beef pancake rolls,” I tell her.
“I’ll get that in right away and let you enjoy your wine and will be back soon for your orders.”
“She is so sweet,” Mom gushes. “You know, in the past, I would have tried to set you up with her, but I think those days are behind us.”
“Now, now, Kathleen.” Dad pats her hand. “Why don’t we toast the happy couple?”
“Yes, before you try and pawn my husband off on our unsuspecting waitress.”
A feeling I’ve never felt rolls through me at hearing her call me her husband. I’ve had a few relationships here and there throughout the years, but none ever stuck. They hated my travel schedule, and I can’t blame them.
Even if this is temporary, I belong to someone. I’m Alice’s. I want to be hers.
She’s always been the most important person in my life. If anything happened, she was my first call.
First NHL goal? I called Alice.
When I got traded? I called Alice.
Wanting someone by my side when we won the Cup? Alice.
It’s always been her.
“Declan? Would you like some?” Alice nudges me in the side.
Somewhere between being lost in my thoughts and Alice nudging me, our appetizers came.
“Yes, thanks.”
I take a crab rangoon and one of the pancakes before passing the plates around the table.
“Oh my God. These are amazing.” Alice covers her mouth, chowing down on her crab rangoon. “This might be the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth.”
I lean back in my chair and quirk a brow at her. “Is that so?”
She looks confused until it dawns on her. “Stop it.”
She swats at me, but I grab her palm and press a kiss to the center of her palm. “You make it too easy, Froggie.”
“I don’t know,” Mom says. “These green beans are delicious.”
I reach across the table and take a few to put on my plate, but can sense Alice’s emotions at my move.
I’ve always been touchy-feely with her. It’s second nature. I guess pretending to be in a real marriage to her is easier than I thought.
“Oh, you’re right. These are delicious,” Mom agrees. “Aiden, make sure you get a rangoon.”
“I have one,” he tells her, rather obviously.
I smile at the two of them going back and forth.
“Do you think we sound like that?” Alice asks, leaning close.
It’s hard to read her eyes in the low light of the restaurant. Every blink of her eyes, those lashes kiss the top of her cheeks.
Red wine stains her lips.
“I—”
“Of course you two sound like this. You love each other,” Mom interrupts.
“How can you hear us?” I whine, turning to face my mother.
“I have the hearing of a bat. Why do you think you could never sneak into the house?”
“Declan sneaking in? I can’t imagine him breaking any rules.” Alice laughs.
“Okay, we are not going to go down this road.” I try to wave over the waitress, but Alice slaps my hand down.
“Oh, I want to hear all about high school Declan from your parents.”
I groan, burying my face into my hands. Even after ordering our meals, my mom doesn’t stop with the stories, and even my dad gets in on the act.
If there is an embarrassing story to tell, they have it ready to go.
“You tried to dress up as the school mascot?” Alice giggles, taking one last sip of wine as I pay the check. “I can’t believe you never told me that.”
“It wasn’t my finest hour.”
“Well, Kathleen, you are going to have to come back when you can bring photo albums next, because I want all the old baby photos of this cutie.”
“And on that note, time to go,” I cut Alice off.
After even one glass of wine, she can lose her filter. From the look on her face, she’s not tipsy, but we don’t need to keep going down that road.
“Oh, this has been wonderful. You know, I’ve always secretly hoped you two would get married,” Mom tells us as we walk out.
“She has,” Dad confirms.
“Wait, seriously?” That’s the first I’m hearing of this.
“Who wouldn’t want Alice as a daughter?” Mom says.
My parents have always loved my best friend, but this is news to me. Mom and Alice take the back seat as Dad and I take the front.
Their happy chatter carries us the entire way home.
“We’re proud of you, son.” Dad pats me on the back before I pull into the garage. “You’ve done well with your life, and that’s all we’ve ever wanted for you.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
He is never one to heap on praise unnecessarily, so I take it when I can.
“Time for bed, you,” Mom tells Dad. “Thank you both for such a wonderful night.”
Alice hugs them both before heading to my room. Well, our room.
“Oh my God.” I run smack into the back of Alice as she lets out a small gasp, and steady myself on her waist. “I forgot.”
“Forgot what?” I sidestep her and grab the neck of my shirt and pull it over my head.
She looks behind her before turning back to me. “We have to share a bed.”
“You know we’ve shared a bed before, right?”
“Yeah, but not as a married couple.”
Toeing off my shoes, I kick them into the corner.
“It’s not like it’s going to be any different.”
Alice crosses her arms and stares me down. Seems she’s already taken a page from my mother’s playbook, because it has me cowering. “It is going to be different.”
“We’ll deal with it. It’s only for one night.”
Alice ignores me and goes into the closet to change. Wanting to finish getting ready and be in bed before she’s done, I brush my teeth and go to the bathroom.
When she comes out of the closet, she’s in a skimpy pair of shorts and a loose fitting tee. I can barely look before she closes the bathroom door.
Fuck. Maybe sharing a bed isn’t a good idea. One look at her and it’s burned into my brain.
I throw the pillows off the bed and climb under the duvet. Alice comes out of the bathroom and grabs them and puts them right back on the bed. Right in the middle of the bed.
“What are you doing?” I laugh. “You know we’ve shared a bed before, right?”
“Yes,” she hisses. “But that was before we were married. I want you to keep all appendages on your side of the bed. No funny business.”
I throw my hands up. “I’ll keep everything on my side of the bed.”
“You better.”
Alice lies down and turns her back to me. I don’t know if I’ve ever slept with so many pillows in a bed. Especially between me and another person. But if Alice needs it to make herself feel better, I’ll deal with it.
One night. It’s only for one night.
Maybe if I keep telling myself that, I’ll believe it.