Chapter 23 #4
And there it was, our quippy little equilibrium.
More than any serious conversation, any painful realizations, any storm of emotions, this was what I needed tonight.
The way we always were together—banter and bullshitting and picking at each other as we had from the start, when we knew nothing of sore spots and over-the-line exes.
I needed a hug from Diana too and some Santillian family noise to drown out all the breathtakingly overwhelming moments I'd lived through today.
And the tender way Ash called me love. I needed that the most.
Once we checked into the hotel, dropped our belongings, and changed into attire befitting a rehearsal dinner, we were out the door again.
I was thankful for the snug schedule and the hectic evening of meeting Magnolia and Rob's friends and family, rehearsing the ceremony, and then retiring to a local restaurant for dinner with the wedding party and guests traveling to the wedding from out-of-town.
It saved me from accepting any of the concern Ash desperately wanted to dole out.
Another thing saving me was the train wreck of a rehearsal. This beast went off the rails within the first five minutes.
Magnolia's heel snapped off when she stepped out of the mansion and onto the garden path leading toward her aisle, resulting in a twisted ankle and several scraped toes. Her pedicure was trashed.
The officiant referred to Rob as Raymond multiple times, once insisting to Magnolia it was, in fact, Raymond when she attempted to correct him.
Linden wandered away in the middle of the rehearsal to inspect a tree.
The redheaded bridesmaid stepped away to vomit in the bushes. The rumor mill was betting on morning sickness with that one.
And then a crack of lightning lit the skies and an almighty downpour soaked us all before we could take cover. Not that the mansion's staff allowed us inside dripping wet and muddied but they did open up a covered porch area for us to congregate while the storm blew through.
We were still soggy when we arrived at the restaurant but that only amped up this group's excitement. I was thankful for that as much as I was thankful for the hellish rehearsal. It felt good to laugh, to get back to myself.
There were toasts upon toasts, bottomless bottles of wine, and servings of tiramisu larger than my head.
Diana fussed over the funky way my hair dried from the rain and the mud splatters on the hem of my sundress after wrapping me up in the best hug of my life.
I got everything I needed plus several more hugs from Ash's aunts, each of whom chastised him for not calling or visiting enough.
They left the party with promises he'd do better—and a promise from me to hold him to it.
I hadn't known it but I needed that too. I wanted to be more than the friend parents loved to have around, the tag-along kid they didn't mind setting an extra place for at the table. I wanted to belong somewhere and to someone, and it had to be more than temporary.
After the final toasts were made and most of the guests were on their way back to the hotel, Ash looped his arm over the back of my chair and leaned in close, his lips almost on my ear. "We stayed for the entire event and now I'd really like to get you alone."
The words were no sooner spoken than Ash's father Carlo cleared his throat behind us. "Your sister is looking for you out front."
"This ought to be good," he grumbled, his arm shifting to my waist as we stood.
We followed Carlo outside and found Magnolia barefoot on the sidewalk, Rob and Diana flanking her. The street was still wet from the storm and now a warm mist moved in lazy swirls through the quaint downtown. It walked the line between spooky and dreamy which made it my favorite thing ever.
"My presence was requested," Ash said by way of greeting as he checked his watch.
"We need to have a sleepover," Magnolia cried, shooting her arms in the air and wiggling her fingers at the stars. "Just like we did when we were little. Oh my god, do you remember when we were small? Like, tiny humans." She cupped her hands in front of her. "Our feet were this big."
"What is happening to you right now?" he asked.
"We'll go back to the house we rented for the weekend," she continued at a volume that far outstripped the needs of this conversation. "The one Rob wanted so no one would hear me being slutty on my wedding night."
Rob ran a hand up the back of his head. "That…is not what I said."
"Just think, we can hang out together, just the three of us, the way it used to be," Magnolia said. "We can watch a movie and eat the kind of candy Mom never lets us have. Come on, please? Please, please, please."
Ash shifted to face Diana. "On a scale of one to Woodstock, how high is she right now?"
Diana offered a non-committal shrug. "She needed to calm down so I gave her a gummy."
"Two," Rob added. "This is what you get from two gummies."
"And how many have you had?" Ash asked Diana.
She smiled. "No more than usual."
Magnolia shrieked when Linden joined the group, throwing her arms around his neck. "Lin, we're having a sleepover. Isn't that great?"
"Oh my god." Ash rocked back on his heels. "Rob, you need to get this under control."
He shook his head. "I've been banished for the night. It's the one tradition she's holding on to and she's doing it with fists of fury."
Ash turned to his mother while Magnolia rambled off popular teen movies from twenty years ago. "Mom. Deal with this."
Diana held up her hands, saying, "She wants some time with her brothers. What would you like me to do about that?"
I patted Ash's chest. "You should do this. I'll find my way back."
"Zelda," he started, a warning in his tone, but Carlo was quick to jump in.
"I'll walk you there myself," Carlo said, offering his arm. "I'll look like a real cock of the walk with a fine pair of ladies with me."
"Oh my god," Ash muttered again.
"Did my father just say cock?" Magnolia yelped. She clung to Linden's arm as a fit of giggles vibrated through her. "Cock. He said cock."
Linden nudged Ash's elbow, saying, "She's gonna crash in an hour or two.
We'll watch something from Sarah Michelle Gellar's catalog while Maggie laughs herself to sleep.
" He tipped his head toward me. "We'll be back where we belong soon enough.
Then you can have all the soulful eye-gazing missionary sex you want. "
Ash stared at his brother. "How many gummies did you have?"
"What?" Linden asked. "Why?"
Ash shook his head. "Never mind. Isn't this what bridesmaids are for? Like, by definition?"
"My maid of honor is ovulating tonight so she's in pound town," Magnolia announced.
"But that isn't the point. We were born together, you guys.
I'm not going to be a Santillian triplet after tomorrow.
" She hooked a grumpy thumb at Rob as tears shone in her eyes.
"I'm going to be Mrs. Russo tomorrow and it's not going to be the same anymore so we have to do this tonight.
Together." She stepped away from Linden, turned in a circle, and pursed her lips. "Does anyone else smell pizza?"
Swearing under his breath, Ash guided me away from the group. "I don't want to leave you alone," he said when we'd gained some privacy. "I need some Zelda time."
"Well, your sister needs some triplet time," I replied.
"You know what? This is good. I need a moment to decompress and maybe write an anonymous letter to Colorado State University on the topic of academic integrity.
" I nodded as if confirming this decision with myself.
Yeah, that would do it. "I want you to spend some time with your sister but please keep her away from the pizza.
She'll regret it tomorrow when she can't breathe in her dress. "
He stared at me a moment, those concern brackets taking up residence on either side of his mouth and those same old crinkles cutting into his forehead again.
Then, he took my face in his hands and kissed me.
It was a sweet kiss, nothing rough or demanding as he usually preferred, and I didn't resent that change as much as I thought I would.
It felt like it always did with Ash—like I belonged right here.
"My dad's going to dine out on this two ladies story for months," Ash murmured against my lips. "Do you see what I mean about them wanting to keep you?"
"Maybe I like being kept by them."
He made a grumbly, growly noise of dissent I knew he didn't mean and asked, "You're sure about this?"
I replied with a quick kiss and a pat on his rock-solid chest. "I am. You know where to find me later."
When we rejoined Ash's family, we found Magnolia asking, "What is the actual difference between rocky road and Mississippi mud? Does anyone know? Because I'd like to explore that now. Where can we conduct this important research?"
"Baby, we're not going out for ice cream tonight," Rob said, slicing a hand through the air like that was his final word on the matter. "Go back to the Airbnb with your brothers. Get some rest. Call me when you wake up—or whenever you want."
"That will be on our wedding day," she shouted. "I'm getting married tomorrow."
"Okay, that's it," Rob muttered as he stepped forward and swung her up into his arms. "I'm putting you to bed."
"No," she cried. "We have to be separated tonight. It's the law."
"It'll never hold up in court," Ash said.
I elbowed him in the ribs for that.
"I'm just taking you home, baby. You're going to get yourself arrested for disturbing the peace if this goes on much longer and I'm not interested in bailing out my bride."
He marched away from the restaurant, Magnolia babbling on the topics of ice cream and movies and something about landscape renovation budgets.
"That's our cue," Linden said, gesturing for Ash to join him.
"Mine too," Carlo said, presenting his arm to Diana. "I'm going to get a reputation for myself if I'm out with two beautiful women at this hour."
"Keep that up," Ash said to his father. "It's hilarious." He gathered me in a tight embrace and pressed a kiss to my hair. "Text me when you get in. Okay?"
"I will," I promised.
He walked backward in the direction Rob and Linden had traveled, making little effort to catch up to them while I hooked my arm in Carlo's elbow.
"Are we ready, ladies?" Carlo asked.
I held up my hand, waving to Ash as we turned in the opposite direction. He did the same.
When I knew Ash was out of earshot, I patted Carlo's arm and said, "Since I have you here, may I bend your ear on the topic of business for a minute?"
"I can't think of a better topic for a moonlight stroll," he replied while Diana snorted. "What's on your mind, my dear?"
"I think I might be able to give you more time away from the office," I said. "But only if you're up for some creative solutions."
"I can't wait to hear this," he replied. "I'll do anything to cut my hours."
I almost laughed at that as I knew he'd stonewalled all of Ash's proposals. Almost. "Then you're going to love the plans I've developed."