5. Connor
“The last time you were on a yacht before a wedding, you were wearing a blinking dick on your head.” I had to grin as I reminded Pepper of the antics revolving around Lourde’s bachelorette party. “I wouldn’t blame you if you can’t remember. You were pretty wasted that night.”
Pepper made a point of meeting my gaze in the mirror, where she took one last look at her sexy, summery dress so I could witness the way she rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t that wasted. I remember everything.”
“You were cute as hell that night.” Approaching her from behind, I wrapped my arms around her slim waist and had the pleasure of admiring her reflection. “Come to think of it, you’re cute as hell every day.”
She turned to me, smirking a little as she wound her arms around my waist. “You don’t need to lay it on so thick,” she purred. “If I didn’t know better, I would think you were feeling guilty or something. Kissing a little ass to throw me off track.”
“But you do know better,” I reminded her, kissing the tip of her nose while shamelessly groping her. It was our honeymoon, after all, even if we were the only ones who knew about it. “I don’t know. I guess it’s something about being here and witnessing another milestone. Knowing we had a milestone of our own. It’s got me thinking, I guess.”
“Good things?” She pulled her head back a little before her eyebrows knitted together. There was loving concern in her voice when she asked, “Is everything all right?”
“Oh, yeah. Everything’s great. Nothing to worry about.” When her penetrating stare remained focused on me, I chuckled. “I shouldn’t have said anything. I don’t need you thinking I’m… I don’t know, second-guessing things.”
“I know you aren’t,” she retorted like the little smartass she was. “Because you would be a fucking idiot if you were second-guessing us.”
With a growl, I pulled her closer, running my hand over her ass before slapping it. “Careful, or we’ll miss boarding the yacht. I’ll be too busy punishing you.”
“Ooh, I’m shivering.” She even gave me a dramatic shudder and managed not to crack a smile until I did. “Was that convincing?” she whispered.
“Let’s just say you’d better not try to make it as an actress.” I checked the time on my phone and winced at how late it already was. “Come on. We better move. I don’t need one of those wedding planners getting on my ass for throwing the schedule off.”
Something almost wistful passed over Pepper’s face. She probably thought I didn’t notice, but I noticed everything about her. “You know…” I offered as we left our rooms and headed down the east wing hall, “… we can do it right if you want to. We can have the whole party, the guests, everything. Nobody ever has to know we got married already.”
“Oh, I know. I’m not worried about that.” There was something strained in her voice that told me otherwise. “Besides, it’s your wedding too. And I totally respect that you didn’t want to go all out and make a big deal about it. People do that all the time, and for what? To show off?” She winced, looking around with her teeth bared in a grimace. “I probably shouldn’t say that so loud around here,” she added before wincing again.
The controlled chaos had broken out shortly after dawn, which was unfortunate, considering we hadn’t finished our third round of sex until a couple of hours before that. I tried and failed to stifle a yawn, thanks to the dozens of workers buzzing around the place.
As we reached the top of the stairs, I turned to her and took her hands in mine. “We can still have a party,” I told her and meant it. “We know we are completely committed to each other, which is what matters. There’s nothing wrong with showing off if that’s what you really want.”
She didn’t deserve to suffer for the bullshit my parents went through. If I’d spent years not seeing the point of committed relationships, it was largely thanks to witnessing the two of them. Everything was for show to keep up appearances and our social standing. By the time Ari and Olivia’s wedding had rolled around, they were essentially divorced in every meaningful sense of the word. There was nothing between them anymore, barely a semblance of a true relationship. I wanted no part of that charade. I wanted us to be authentic and even spontaneous, which was why a trip to Vegas seemed like a no-brainer.
“Uncle Connor!” The sound of feet slapping the hardwood floor followed my nephew’s joyful cry. As always, Colton was a tornado on two legs, running full speed toward me with his arms outstretched.
I caught him and swung him around, laughing at the way he giggled. “What are you doing?” I asked after hugging him. “Where’s Naomi?”
“There you are!” The girl looked beyond frazzled as she jogged down the hall. “I’m sorry, Mr. Diamond.”
“You don’t have to apologize. I know how slippery this one can be,” I added, tickling Colton’s stomach until he shouted with laughter.
“I come with you!” he announced. As usual, he was very determined.
“I’m sorry, big guy. Not this time.” The kid knew how to pull off a killer pout that could take an uncle’s heart and crush it into pulp. “But hey, it’s not like you’re here alone. Right? You have Noah here. You guys can play all day, so long as you get lots of rest before tomorrow. It’s going to be a big day.”
“I’ll take him back to Noah’s room,” Naomi offered, and I set him back on the floor before she took his hand to lead him away. I caught the same wistful look on Pepper’s face she was wearing earlier when we talked about the wedding. The time would come for us, I had no doubt. Watching my friends start their families was enough to get me thinking in that direction too. They’d shown me it was possible to be involved parents and have a life at the same time. Kids didn’t mean the end of anything.
We started down the stairs, and the girl who’d first greeted us on arrival released a heavy sigh when she spotted us. “Great, you’re here. Everyone else is already out on the dock. There’s plenty of food on the yacht.” She must have been a shepherd in a former life since she had no problem herding us out the door and down to the docks that were part of the estate’s eastern border. I spotted everyone waiting down there, and it was my sister who first noticed us, waving an arm over her head.
When Barrett noticed, he followed the direction her attention had taken. Even at a distance, it was clear his smile turned to something else. I noticed it at the bonfire after Pepper and I returned from our trip to the boathouse.
It didn’t completely disappear by the time we reached the group, either. I hadn’t mentioned it to Pepper, figuring I could be imagining things. I didn’t want to start trouble during the wedding. That was why we kept our wedding a secret, anyway. Nothing worse than someone who pulled focus from the bride and groom.
Besides, it seemed like Ari’s head would explode if anything went wrong.
“She’s determined to make it,” he was telling Olivia once they began boarding the yacht. “I keep telling her if your health won’t allow it…” He could’ve only been referring to his grandmother, who hadn’t been in great health but was as stubborn as her grandson. Nothing would stop her if she was determined to make it to the wedding.
Olivia was his calming influence, touching his chest once they were on deck. “Hey. She didn’t live as long as she has by making stupid decisions, right? We have to trust your grandmother knows what she’s talking about. If she feels well enough to be here, she will be, and she wouldn’t want you worrying about her. So don’t make me tell on you for worrying yourself sick because you know I will, and Grandma Farrah listens to me.” There was a twinkle in her eye when she said it, but I had no doubt she meant it.
As the yacht set off, we sat down at a table so full of food I was amazed it didn’t crack under the weight. Every kind of fruit and pastry known to man was already set out, along with an elaborate charcuterie board that took up half the table. Beside us stood a chef ready to prepare fresh crêpes and omelets.
“How are you guys?” Lourde asked, waving a hand when one of the stewards offered a mimosa. “No, thank you. I’ll just stick to tea this morning.”
“I should be the one asking you how you are,” I observed with a sympathetic frown before accepting a Bloody Mary. “You feeling all right? Too much sangria last night, sis?”
“My stomach is just a little funny. No biggie.” However, she snagged a chocolate croissant from one of the serving trays on the table before taking her next breath. I guessed chocolate didn’t count as something worth avoiding when she had an upset stomach.
In an effort to engage Barrett, I said, “I don’t know how that kid of yours isn’t the most spoiled brat in the whole world. It’s impossible to say no to him without wanting to offer like a million bucks to make up for it.”
He snorted, but it was half-hearted. “Tell me about it. When he puts on that pout, he might as well punch me in the face.”
“It’s only going to get worse as they get older,” Olivia predicted. “They’re going to be a handful.”
“With their genes?” Evelyn pointed out, and the girls giggled with her. “It’s inevitable.”
“So this is what we’ve become.” Magnus looked around the table and tried to seem disappointed, fighting back a grin. “A few years ago, we were running Manhattan, keeping entire bars and clubs in business thanks to all the money we spent there and the business we brought in just for being who we were. Now look at us. We’re sitting around on a yacht, talking about our kids.”
“And those of us who don’t have kids have nothing to add to the conversation,” Pepper pointed out with a wry smirk. There were no feelings behind it. She wasn’t hurt. She made a good point, though. So did Magnus.
“That’s how it goes,” I summed up before lifting my glass. “To new beginnings. For the happy couple and all of us.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Evelyn agreed with a sunny smile, kissing her husband on the cheek before raising her mimosa.
Once we had finished our toast, Barrett’s gaze weighed on me again. “New beginnings? What’s new with you guys?” he asked, but an undercurrent of bitterness ran through the question, though I didn’t have the first clue where it came from.
“Yes.” Lourde practically pounced on us, leaning in. All it took was Barrett easing the door open a crack for her to barrel through. “When is it going to be your turn? I mean, no offense or anything, but you’ve been together forever. I’m looking forward to watching my brother tie the knot.”
Of all times for Pepper to sit back mutely and let me stumble my way through an answer, the fact that all eyes were now on us was no help. “Oh, you know,” I replied, deliberately vague. “When the time is right. It’s not like we never talk about it.”
“That’s reassuring.” Lourde rolled her eyes at me, scoffing. “And romantic too.”
“I thought we were supposed to be talking about them?” I waved an arm toward Ari and Olivia, though they seemed amused at where the conversation had gone.
“It’s okay,” Ari offered, chuckling. “We don’t mind having to share the spotlight for a minute, and it’s a good question.”
Of course, they would decide to bust my balls about this.
It was a good thing the steward announced that the chef was ready to begin preparing our meals, distracting the group from their interrogation. Lourde murmured something to Barrett, who shook his head with a scowl before exchanging a look with Magnus I couldn’t make sense of. What the hell was going on?
I’d had enough by the time Barrett joined me in front of the omelet station, where I looked over the filling options. “Hey, can I ask you something?” I ventured, hoping I wouldn’t regret it. I’d known him long enough to know this wasn’t something that would go away on its own. When he started brooding, he could make it an Olympic sport. Normally, though, he didn’t conceal his thoughts for long.
“Sure. What’s up?” There was tension in his voice and his stony expression. He wouldn’t look me in the eye. Like I was talking to a stranger rather than my lifelong friend and brother-in-law.
“Well, that’s what I want to ask you.” With one eye on the rest of the group, I muttered, “Are you pissed at me?”
He scoffed, still avoiding eye contact. “Why would I be pissed at you?”
“That’s what I would like to know. Why would you be?” I insisted. Nothing was more frustrating than talking to a brick wall, which was what this felt like. “It seems we need to clear the air since we’ll be hanging around here for a few days. I don’t want this weird vibe between us.”
He was fighting with himself. That much was obvious, his jaw ticking, nostrils flaring before he released a sigh. “There’s something we should talk about when we get back to the house,” he settled for grunting, keeping his voice low. “I’m going out of my way to keep things quiet for Pepper’s sake, and I would suggest you do the same.”
“What the hell does that mean?” I asked, stunned. We may as well have been engaged in two different conversations for all the sense he was making.
Before he could reply, Pepper joined us. “Do you have a second?” she murmured, looking pained. I noticed her phone clutched in her hand. “I think we have a little problem.”
I had to pretend I didn’t hear how Barrett snorted behind me.
What did he think he knew?
And why did he seem so pissed at me about it?