6. Cocoa vs. Cocktails
COCOA VS. COCKTAILS
CHELSEA
“So, a wedding cocktail? Why?” I inquired, letting my stress overtake my usual filter.
“It’s all the rage right now, having a signature drink the bride and groom especially pick to go along with the wedding theme,” Miriam added a Tsk and spoke this so matter-of-fact as if some bridal magazine would shame me for not keeping up with the latest nuptial trends.
“I’m thinking something with pink champagne,” she said and pulled out the binder from her bag and opened it on the bar. Now the thick beast appeared complete with color coded tabs, coordinating with same-colored pens.
“As a Christmas wedding, I was thinking of having a fancy hot cocoa bar,” I suggested, but Miriam just laughed in my face. Rex patted my hand like I was being silly. Had New Yorkers never heard of the chocolaty drink?
“I think a cocktail is a fine idea,” Rex sided with his mother. “I’ve been a little jealous of my friend Jameson and his new wine bar, even labeling his own line of merlot. Wouldn’t mind a custom drink named for us.”
Apparently, his ego showed up for this meeting, too.
“We’ll need to name your chosen cocktail.” Miriam pondered, holding a purple pen to lavender paper and jotting ideas.
“Name it?” I asked.
“Yes, dear. We need a themed drink name to have it printed on the gold-leaf menu card for the guests. See?” She produced a heavy ivory card with foiled lettering from one pocket in the binder. I didn’t even want to know what else she had in there. The only thing I’d kept track of for the wedding so far were a few things I liked on the Pinterest app.
Before I could retort, or explain how I wasn’t sure we even needed a cocktail, a bartender approached us with a tray of drinks. No matter how silly this seemed, I counted the seconds until I could down the first sample.
“Hello again, Rex,” the mixologist purred behind the bar.
Rex’s smile suddenly diminished, eyeing the woman with the tray. “Jenna?”
“And Miriam, so nice to see you as well,” Jenna continued.
“Oh, it’s you .” The way she peered down her nose at the woman behind the bar had me thinking my future mother-in-law wasn’t a fan.
“You must be Chelsea, the bride?” She asked, and I couldn’t blame her for asking what with Rex tongue-tied and Miriam flipping through the pages of her binder, neither one introducing me.
“Yes, I?—”
“Rex and I knew each other in college.” She cut me off and filled me in. “We sure had a lot of fun back then, didn’t we?” The model-like brunette beauty tossed her hair and gushed to Rex in a nasal tone that made her pass for a Kardashian. The tall one. “We should get our old Columbia gang back together for dinner and drinks one night. I’d love to see you, and everyone else, of course.”
Miriam harrumphed. Immediately, I sized Jenna up and realized I wasn’t a fan, either. Finally, something Miriam and I could agree upon whole-heartedly.
At least I counted myself lucky to have made it onto Miriam’s list of approved candidates to marry her son, especially after hearing her go on and on over lunch with Agnes one day about how poor Richard’s ex-fiancé was such an awful disappointment.
“Did you two date?” I whispered to Rex. I really wanted to ask if they’d fucked. Without an answer, he shifted awkwardly in his seat, a clear yes to me.
“We were off and on—more on, though, right Rex?” Jenna’s eyes gleamed.
The air left my lungs. How could they possibly expect me to sit here in this situation? I couldn’t. Like a runaway bride, I rushed out of there with Rex close on my heels.
“Go back to your mom and Ms. Mix-a-Lot in there, Rex,” I shouted behind me as we exited the establishment’s revolving door into the warm night outside.
“Why? I’d rather be with you. You know that.”
“Of all the bartenders in New York City? Did you sleep with—” I had to stop myself right there and squeezed my eyes closed, trying to get the picture of Rex and Jenna out of my brain. He pulled me into his arms, locking me in place.
“I try every single day not to think about another man’s hands on you or a small town guy from your past coming back into your life and stealing you away from me,” he admitted. “We both had lives before, but we belong to each other now. Let’s leave the past in the past, shall we?”
His words wouldn’t erase the little spectacle I made of myself. “I’m going to see Maisy.” I wrangled from his arms and hailed a cab.
He waved the cab on by. “You need to see her? We’ll take my car together. ”
“No, I need to see her without you. I need my sister. So go back in there and drink with your mom and wink at the barmaid.” I huffed and turned away from him, but he brought my arm and me back around.
“You think I want to be in there? I’d rather be with you,” he hissed. “I only have eyes for you and when have I ever given you cause to think otherwise?”
Suddenly, everything was spinning out of control and I swayed as his car and driver pulled up next to us. I realized I’d hardly eaten all day between work, India, stress and now this. He opened the door, ushering me quickly in. Once we were inside the vehicle, Rex told the driver to go to Maisy’s, then closed the window between us and him.
I took in Rex’s side profile as he slumped against his door with an elbow on the window and his hand covering his mouth. All I wanted was to kiss that mouth and forget the past hour.
What a fiasco? This had never happened to me before, losing my head like that, especially in front of someone like Jenna, or his mom. I scooted over the back seat of the car next to him, lifted his arm and ducked under it until I nestled my ear against his chest, hearing his heart so strong—as if beating only for me.
“I’m sorry. I’ve been worried about Maisy all week on the heels of our time on the island. Then today was rough. India proposed I do a weekly segment about our wedding and share our planning with the morning show viewers, even going so far as running a poll so viewers can voice their opinions about our plans.”
“That’s a great idea.”
I jerked my head back and narrowed my eyes up at him. “Really? You want our wedding out there for all the world to comment on?”
“Well, when you put it that way, it hardly sounds appealing. But darling, I’d broadcast my love for you across the universe, because I want everyone to know you’re mine. I love you.”
He brushed the back of his knuckles down my cheek. The guilt of the way I acted in front of Jenna returned.
“I love you, too. I didn’t realize how much of a jealous streak I could have until a woman was right there in front of me, pouring on the charm thicker than the alcohol she was about to serve us.”
“Your eyes were pretty wild, turning vividly green in there for a minute,” he chuckled and squeezed me closer, kissing the top of my head.
“I suppose with a rich, handsome man beside me, I’m going to have to get used to fighting off the ladies.”
“Same with me having a beautiful redhead beside me. You’re always oblivious to the ogling from other men, but I notice.”
I snorted at this. “Ogling, seriously?”
He lifted my chin and said, “I don’t care how many men look because I have something they don’t. You’re mine. You’re about to be my wife, and I’m the only man who can touch you.”
Our lips connected in a sweet kiss, only we didn’t stop there. The heat of our brief argument fueled more, and a minute later, I landed on top of him, straddling him. His fingers worked up my dress, between my thighs, feeling me through my wet panties. My skin warmed to his touch. The man knew exactly how to get me so hot.