Chapter Fourteen
Milo
“Finally! I feel like I haven’t seen you in a year.” Ethel smacked her thighs when Rowan and I entered her room. “Are you all well now? What did the doctors say?”
“I’m fine, Ettie.” I kissed her cheek. “It’s been a week, and I called you every day. The doctor said that a weekend away can actually do me good. I wrapped everything up, and Sophia will open the cafe with reduced hours.”
“Rowan, is he telling the truth?” Ethel reached for Rowan.
He obliged her, taking a seat next to her on a chair way too small for him, and placing his hands in hers. “Yes, ma’am. I wouldn’t have taken him otherwise.”
She narrowed her eyes at his palms, lifted her eyebrows, and let go. “Okay. I believe you.” She turned to me. “You’ve been overworking yourself with the cafe and school. You deserve a break. I love that place too, but it’s not worth losing yourself over.”
For a fleeting moment, for the duration of this summer, I had someone to prioritize over work, but soon that would be over. Then, I’d rather focus on work than spiral into my head.
A knock sounded on the door.
“Ethel!” a female voice carried from the other side.
“Shit shit shit.” Ethel ducked under the table and pulled the chair behind herself. “Don’t tell Mary I’m here.”
Rowan made a zipping motion over his lips.
“What did you do now?” I asked, hands on my hips, the same way Anabelle would when I misbehaved. I grew up more like Ethel, unruly and mischievous, but I’d absorbed a lot of mannerisms from both of them.
“If you don’t reply, I’ll come in.” Mary yelled and opened the door. The petite woman wearing a Happy Life Senior Home blazer barged in. “No more pot brownies, Ethel!” She glared at me. “I know she’s here.”
Ethel crawled out from under the table. “Why? We made them with Liza’s prescription pot.”
Mary pinched the bridge of her nose. “Even if that was okay, which it isn’t, you did that by breaking into the kitchen in the middle of the night and using it unsupervised.”
Ethel waved a hand. “Nothing bad happened. We need to live too. Liza loves baking, and you lot are gatekeeping the kitchen. I love it too, even if I’m shit at it.”
“Same,” I mumbled, and Ethel low-fived me as if Mary wouldn’t see it.
“Don’t enable her, Milo. You’re a responsible young man.” Mary’s voice was stern.
“You confuse me with someone else,” I said at the same time Rowan said:
“Yes, he is.”
I looked at him, confused.
Mary sighed loudly. “Let’s hope we don’t get complaints from other residents’ families this time. You ladies make us look unprofessional.”
“Frank was on the lookout.” Ethel smirked. “He carried the jam jars too. We don’t discriminate.”
“I can’t deal with you.” Mary flopped her arms and marched out.
Ethel shrugged and took a seat in the chair. “She’ll get over it. Until we make pancakes tomorrow.” She released a witchy cackle and turned to Rowan. “You said it’s a three hours’ drive?”
Rowan was sitting like an obedient child at school, with hands awkwardly on his lap. “Yes. The wedding party is on an estate on the outskirts of Chicago.”
“And you’ll drive safely.” Ethel’s words formed a statement.
“I will.” Rowan placed a hand on his heart like a scout. He was adorable beyond belief.
“He knows, Ettie.”
“Oh?” She raised her eyebrows.
“About my parents.” About my fear of driving. He was aware of many of my flaws and issues, and somehow he was still here. Not for long.
She nodded once. “You be good to Milo, Rowan. I’m not as strong as I used to, but my mind is sharp, and I’ve made interesting friends here.”
“There’s no need for threats,” I glared at Ethel.
“I wish I met Andrew sooner. I should have throttled him with my cane, but he avoided me for almost a year.” Ethel sneered.
I plopped onto a chair. Being threatened by a petite old lady had probably not been on Rowan’s bingo card when entering a nursing home, but he was handling it with grace, nodding with utmost seriousness.
“I promise he’ll be safe with me,” he said the simple words with such earnestness, a lump formed in my throat.
Ethel turned to me. “Bring me some cake.”
“I don’t think—”
Rowan interrupted me by taking my hand in his. “We will bring you something tasty for sure,” he promised.
We stayed for half an hour longer, and Ethel told us the ins and outs of the brownies’ shenanigans.
On our way to the car where our suitcases were already waiting, I bumped his arm with my shoulder, bringing his attention. He had a soft smile on his face that was lit by the early morning sun. The weather was perfect for a drive.
“Thanks for coming here with me. It means a lot.” I wanted to stop by Ethel’s before the wedding trip, but time had escaped me in the past few days. I’d made sure everything was prepared for the cafe, and informed everyone that I’d be available but may not respond as quickly as usual.
“Ethel is a hoot. I adore her. I see where you get your chaos from. Thanks for letting me visit her with you.” Rowan unlocked his car with a click.
I slid into the comfy passenger seat. Even the belt wasn’t squeezing me too much.
“You met my family, now it’s time for me to meet yours.
” I drummed fingers on the dashboard, channeling my nervous energy.
In all honesty, I was as excited as absolutely terrified of the wedding.
What if I made a fool of myself? Or worse—embarrassed Rowan?
The one good thing was that his family would never see me again.
“Yes. And everyone is very curious about you.” Rowan pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward the highway.
“Why? Why did you tell them?”
“Not much. Only that you’re hot.”
I gasped. “You didn’t!”
He chuckled. “No. They’ll find out by themselves soon.”
“You’re such an ass.”
“This ass just put you in charge of the music.” He touched the screen in the middle of the dashboard and pulled out a bluetooth connection.
I squeaked and linked my phone. “Road trip playlist!”
Within the first half an hour I couldn’t decide on the song so I kept jumping through them every few seconds until Rowan mumbled something about ejecting himself out of the car if I continued doing that.
Campy 2000s hits proved to be the best for belting out half-remembered lyrics.
We arrived at an elegant, mansion-looking hotel with gardens spreading around it, and a glass-ceilinged venue visible to the side.
The humid heat blasted me in the face when I stepped out of the air-conditioned car.
“Rowie!” A tall woman with flowing ginger hair on her head and short fuzz all over her uncovered skin ran out of the building. “You made it!”
“Of course I did.” Rowan caught her in a hug and lifted her off the ground until she pulled away. “I missed you.”
“Yeah, yeah.” She waved her hand. “Now introduce me to your boyfriend.”
“I’m Milo.” I offered my hand, and she shook it, squeezing it harder than I expected.
“Rowan didn’t exaggerate.”
“Raina, leave him alone.”
“What? You said he was smart.” She grinned innocently. “He’s here for my party and I want him to have fun too.” Raina turned to me and narrowed her eyes. “Have you been good to my little brother?”
I straightened my back and turned serious. “I tried my best.”
Raina clapped my shoulder. “Okay, let’s get you settled.”
“Is this revenge for Ethel threatening you?” I whispered to Rowan.
“You’ve seen nothing yet. You’ll be able to put your people skills to use here.”
I was vibrating with excitement.
Our room overlooked the gardens that were surrounded by forest, with a large clearing in the middle where a structure with a glass roof stood. Underneath it were tables without anything on them yet, and right outside was a wedding arch decorated with white flowers.
The room itself had an old-school feel with exposed brick walls and a fireplace, but done in a very clean and modern fashion. I parked my suitcase against the wall and plopped onto the large bed in the middle.
“Do we have an itinerary for the day?”
“Raina would love to give you one.” Rowan snorted. “But no. We can settle in, walk around the grounds, and meet with everyone at an informal dinner later at the restaurant below. But no pressure on any of it.”
I picked up a folded leaflet from the nightstand. “And tomorrow, we can have breakfast between seven and ten, then be all dressed and ready for the ceremony at noon, and for the wedding party at four.”
“How did you—oh.” Rowan snatched the paper from me. “Of course, she thought of everything.”
I lay back on the bed. “I like knowing in advance. This is nice.”
We’d spend the rest of the day enjoying nature around, and a quiet dinner as, apparently, most people would arrive on the morning of the wedding.
The ruckus of those arrivals was what woke us up—me sprawled on top of Rowan, and him with his hair all over his face. We ordered breakfast to the room and prepared our clothes.
Rowan put on his grey suit, and matching socks and handkerchief to his lavender shirt, and added cufflinks with basketballs on them.
He caught me looking. “Raina gave them to me for my prom,” he said. “They’re my favorite.”
“And perfect for the occasion.” I wore a dark blue suit with a white shirt and thick-heeled fuck-me boots that I was planning to wear for the party later too.
The ceremony was beautiful, from the simple, heartfelt vows to families on both sides sniffling into their tissues.
Rowan looked gorgeous next to his brother and sister in matching suits, so I kept taking an insane amount of pictures.
On Troy’s side stood two petite women and a tall, lanky man who I overheard to be Troy’s siblings, all with hair that must have been tamed really hard to be kept in place.
The werewolf gene was probably present in all of them.
Troy wore a sharply cut black suit that contrasted beautifully with Raina’s flowing, lacy white dress, straight from a fairy dream.
I was crying with everyone else, moved by the event but also by the overwhelming support and presence of both their families. If I’d ever got married, the chairs on my side would be empty bar Ethel and a handful of friends.