17. Landry
CHAPTER 17
landry
“Why did we have to come all the way to Baton Rouge for this?” I muse to myself.
“Because there’s another surprise later,” JD says, winking as he hands a credit card to our Top Golf waitress.
We’ve rented out a whole bay for our group, which consists of Blake, JD, Ethan, Blake’s friend Aaron, Emmett, my dad, and myself. I must admit, I was a bit surprised to receive an invitation to Blake’s bachelor party, and even more so by the venue. I certainly hadn’t expected Blake the Snake to choose a guys’ brunch at the driving range for his last foray as a single man. But then again, there’s probably another leg of this itinerary later tonight, one that doesn’t include all of us.
“Is that the part with the strip club?” Ethan asks hopefully.
“Sorry to disappoint you, Big E,” Blake replies, patting him on the shoulder. “Even if I’d requested a trip to the local gentlemen’s club, Padre would never,” he whispers the last part and gestures toward JD. “Especially not with you.”
JD rolls his eyes. “For the record, you specifically told me you didn’t want that kind of party. And I quote, ‘keep it low-key, just the guys, no strippers … make sure I’m back in time to help Lo get the girls to bed.’ ”
Blake smirks and shrugs. “I did say that. And this is perfect. Thanks, man.” Then he turns to me and gestures toward the selection of golf clubs. “Ready to get your ass handed to you, Lando?”
I furrow my brow. “Let me guess, you’re both good at golf, too?”
JD snorts as he goes to pick out a club. “I usually just Happy Gilmore the hell out of it. But Blake’s pretty good. E, you ever played before?”
“Only putt-putt,” Ethan offers.
“Aaron’s not half bad,” Blake adds, gesturing to the guy he introduced earlier as his legal secretary’s husband. Aaron smiles and joins JD to get a club for himself.
“Coach, how about you? Been hitting the greens since you retired?” JD calls out to my dad.
He grunts. “Golf is a rich man’s sport. I mostly leave that stuff to my son-in-law.”
I shake my head. Figures he’d talk about Blake before me.
“Emmett?” JD asks next.
Emmett cringes. “He means his other son-in-law. I play, but I’m not a competitor.”
“Let’s hope you swing a club better than you toss a washer, hmm?” Blake jokes, referring to the time when we played a team washerboard tournament earlier this year.
I let them all gather their clubs and set up the game without saying a word. When it’s my turn, I walk up to the tee confidently and swing away. The ball lands on one of the targets in the far reaches of the range.
Blake lifts an eyebrow. “Damn, Doc. Beginner’s luck?”
“Not likely,” I mutter before I drive the next ball to hit the same target on the opposite side of the range. They all groan, and I turn to grin at them. “It’s gonna be a long day, boys.”
“Since when are you a pro golfer?” my dad asks quietly when I return to my seat.
“I’m not a pro, but I am a scratch golfer. And to be honest, I didn’t think you’d care,” I retort.
He huffs. “Nobody likes a cocky attitude.”
I shrug and nod in Blake’s direction. “So you say, but it doesn’t seem to be true.”
I don’t get a real reply, though, not from Coach Reed. He simply grunts again and returns to ignoring me for the rest of the game.
“Now, Blake, I know you said you wanted to make it home early tonight, but I’ve already gotten your lovely bride’s permission to have you home a little later than planned,” JD explains as we make our way back to a large SUV. He’d apparently swiped Tenley’s new ride so we could all squeeze into one vehicle.
Blake frowns, looking almost disappointed to hear he won’t be going home. “Oh.”
“Come on, bruh. It’ll be worth it. Trust me.”
“Don’t let him take me to the Pink Pony Club,” Blake whispers loudly to Ethan, making the rest of them laugh.
We leave Top Golf and head directly into a ridiculous traffic jam, one only made possible by a Baton Rouge game day. “There’s a home game this weekend,” I say aloud. “Why the hell are we bothering with this?”
“You’ll see, man,” JD returns cryptically.
I groan from my place in the third row beside Ethan, who turns to whisper to me, “He got us all sideline passes.”
My brow lifts. “Seriously? How did he—oh. Right.”
I’d forgotten how the Golden Boy had earned his crown for a second. But I suppose being a former collegiate and professional football player entitles him to lifelong perks such as these.
I keep my comments to myself for the rest of the ride, and everyone’s excitement grows as we get closer to the stadium. And I have to admit, I’m just as guilty as the others, grinning like a kid in a candy store as we walk out onto the field. Any football fan would have a hard time not enjoying himself.
My dad goes over and pats JD on the shoulder affectionately, effectively ruining my good mood. “Not bad, kid.”
“Eh, I couldn’t have gotten here without you, Coach,” JD says, making me roll my eyes. Ethan nudges me when he sees it, shooting me a secret smile and reminding me to silence my facial expressions.
I try to ignore them after that, though it isn’t easy with the way people come over to greet both JD and Blake as if they’re royalty. Emmett, Aaron, and Ethan are all starstruck, and my dad is practically preening at this point.
Shortly before the game starts, we’re escorted to a luxury box suite to watch the rest of the game. I scoff at the spread of food and drinks as we walk in. I mean, I’m a freaking doctor, so I’ve been schmoozed before, and I’ve never seen this kind of treatment.
Blake comes over and pats me on the back heartily as he picks up a drink. “Having fun yet, bro?”
I clear my throat. “I can’t imagine how much all of this cost.”
“Hey, lighten up. JD called in a few favors. Enjoy yourself.” He lifts another glass and puts it in my hand before he clinks his against it, and I sigh as I give in and take a sip. But the alcohol goes down too smoothly, so I set it down before I’m tempted to overindulge.
Most of us have our share of complimentary drinks but manage to remain remotely sober by the time we walk back to the SUV a few hours later—all except for Blake. He stumbles through the parking garage, and JD quietly ducks under his arm to help him slide into the back seat. This time I end up sitting between my two brothers-in-law for the long ride home.
Blake chuckles and snorts to himself when he picks up his phone.
“What’s so funny?” I ask, already annoyed.
“Your sister,” he replies with glossy eyes and a lazy smirk. Then another message comes through, and his expression changes. He swallows hard as he stares down at the phone, then clicks it off abruptly.
But the screen lights up again with a FaceTime call from Loren. Blake turns the phone over in his lap, cringing while it continues vibrating.
“Aren’t you going to answer her?”
He blows out a breath. “Not now.”
“You’re really making her wait on you?”
“Trust me, it’s for the best.”
I frown at him. “You’re such a douche.”
“You really think I’m ignoring her right now because I’m having too much fun with you ?” he poses, laughing incredulously. Then he shakes his head. “You have no idea what it’s like for us, do you?”
“What?”
He casts a pitying glance my way. “You don’t understand the power that woman has over me. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her,” he slurs.
“Except answer the phone, right?”
He laughs again. “You know they threw her a lingerie shower tonight?”
“Oh.” I’m not sure I like the way this is headed.
He leans in closer and gestures to the phone. “She’s been sneaking away all evening to try on her gifts for me. And you don’t really want to see what she does to me, do you?”
I shove him away, and he cackles loudly. “What is wrong with you?”
Blake grins widely. “A lot, although it’s nothing a little alone time with your sister can’t fix.”
“You’re disgusting.”
He bounces his eyebrows. “Maybe. But it turns her on, so I’m leaning into it.”
“Ugh. You don’t deserve her,” I mutter.
“We’ve already established that, haven’t we?” He pats my thigh. “And for some reason, she loves me anyway. What else you got?”
I press my lips together, unable to think of any more insults, and he sighs when he senses I won’t be continuing. “I’m fully aware that I’m the luckiest man in the world, Landry. No doubt about it. Not only do I have an amazing family and a great career, but I’m also charming and relatively easy on the eyes, or so I’m told.” I grunt before he goes on. “Wanna know what the best part is, though?”
“Not really.”
“I get to spend the rest of my life with the girl I fell in love with when I was only thirteen years old, the kind of woman who sends me sexy selfies in her Lord of the Rings themed lingerie, who isn’t afraid to call me out on my bullshit but still loves me for who I am, and who makes me so hot that I can’t even stop fantasizing about her while I’m riding in a car with her brother and dad,” he explains, closing his eyes and tilting his head back as a smile creeps across his face.
I cringe. This is worse than usual. “You’re drunk.”
“I am,” he confirms with a sigh. “And I miss my fiancée … and my babies. I wanna go home.” He lifts his head to yell into the front seat. “You’d better be taking me home, bruh. My babies can’t go to sleep without me, remember? They need their daddy.” He pokes himself in the chest, and it’s almost endearing.
“Don’t worry, dude. I’m having withdrawals of my own. I’ll get us back soon enough,” JD returns, sounding amused.
“Good, ‘cause I miss my lady so much,” Blake replies, sighing dreamily again. “Especially her smell. Have I ever told y’all how amazing Loren smells? Gah …” He shakes his head and inhales. “Like roses … and really good sex …”
“Oh-kay, bro,” JD cuts him off, but Ethan and Emmett are already snickering. “We all appreciate how much you love her, but can ya take the poetry down a notch?”
Blake squints and groans. “I don’t know how you did it, man. These past weeks have felt like a lifetime, and the next few days aren’t going to be any easier, are they?”
I glare at him, and JD chokes on his laughter before he answers. “No, but it’ll be worth the wait, kid. You’re almost there.”
“But it’s getting harder and harder every day …” Blake seems to lose his train of thought when he pauses to snort at himself, and Ethan joins in again.
“You can’t be serious,” I mumble, but Blake’s head lolls to the side and his eyes pop open.
“We’re down to the last week,” he continues. “It’s been ten long months, Lando. Ten. Freaking. Months. Almost a year since the best night of my life, and only six days until she’s mine forever and ever.” Then he reaches up to swipe at his cheeks.
“Are you actually crying about not getting laid?” I ask incredulously. “To me? In front of my dad?”
“No. I’m mostly crying because I love her so much,” he says, his head drifting over to my shoulder as he brings his pointer finger and thumb up for reference. “And maybe a little bit about not getting laid.”
JD grins and reaches over to pat my dad on the arm. “He’s a good man though, right?”
My dad grunts, but his mouth curls up into a half-smile. “He’ll make a better husband than I ever was, that’s for sure.”
“I’m gonna try like hell, Coach,” Blake vows before I have time to dwell on my dad’s comment. “I didn’t believe him before, but my brother was right. It’s all so different once you realize she’s the one , you know? But it’s always been Lo. I’d wait a lifetime for her, because she’s it for me.” He sniffles and shakes his head. “She’s my person. I just keep praying she won’t change her mind, because I don’t know what I’d do without her. And the girls, they’re everything to me, all I’ve ever needed.”
I curl my lip in distaste when he turns to rub his snot on my shirt. “You’re pathetic,” I say to him. But when I glance around the car, all I find are watery eyes and looks of admiration. I groan. “You guys aren’t really buying this, are you?”
“Have some respect,” my dad speaks up, his voice thick. “He’s talking about your sister.”
“I know, that’s the freaking point!” I yell, throwing my hands up in exasperation.
Blake sighs and rolls his head back from my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Landry. I know you never wanted to see her with a selfish bastard like me, but I can’t help myself. I think I was made just to love her,” he drawls until his heartfelt apology ends in a yawn and a snore.