Chapter 35
Chapter Thirty-Five
PRESLEY
I never thought I’d see my mom posing with a cartoon penis balloon, but here we are.
“A little to the left, Tilly!” Elena shouts over the top of her iPhone. I giggle into my wine. I might be a little tipsy.
“Are you okay with all this?” Zara asks, motioning to the chaos that has descended upon my living room.
She’s sitting next to me on the sofa with a paper plate filled with cheese, fruit, and crackers nestled in her lap.
Our tiny apartment feels positively cramped with Zara, her younger sister, Violet, Elena, Mercury, my mom, and me.
But we’re making it work. We pulled in chairs from the breakfast nook for Elena and my mom.
Merc is sprawled out on a pile of pillows on the floor.
When the guys whisked Hollis away for an evening at the bar, the girls barreled into our apartment, loaded with appetizers, booze, and a ton of party favors.
“Yeah.” I smile. “I didn’t want a bachelorette party, but this…this is great.”
“Good.” She pops a grape into her mouth.
“We all wanted to do something for you, but didn’t think a traditional bridal shower was your scene.
So we sort of threw this together. Kind of a grown-up sleepover—without the sleepover.
” She laughs when she sees the horror spread across my face.
“Don’t worry, we’re not all crashing here. ”
“Thank God,” I breathe out. “’Cause I have no idea how I’d fit all of you.”
She pops another grape. “Are you excited about the new house?”
I grin from ear to ear. “So excited. We’re fitting in a few days before the holidays for a honeymoon.
We’re driving up the coast. Hollis has never been to Big Sur or even San Francisco.
So I’m going to show him some of my favorite places.
But when we get back, we’ll meet the designer and finally get started. ”
“I’m really happy for you,” she says. “I realize we haven’t known each other that long, but Hendrix talks about you so much, I feel like I do. I know his reaction to your marriage wasn’t the greatest at first.”
“He was just being a big brother.”
She smiles. “He was, but he was maybe a tad overdramatic.”
“Hendrix? Never.”
We both laugh, and I take a sip of my wine. Elena and my mom have finished their photo shoot and are now settling back in the living room. My mom sits, but Elena remains standing, holding a small box. “Pres, I’d personally like to thank you for getting married—”
“Twice!” Merc hollers, making everyone laugh.
“Twice,” Elena echoes. “It not only gave us all a reason to celebrate you, but it also means I get a whole night—kid-free—with my husband!”
Hoots and hollers ensue.
“But in the meantime, we have some serious girl time to make up for—’cause Zara and I have been out of town for way too long.”
“Me too,” Violet agrees, squeezing in next to her sister. “I feel like I’ve barely been home in months.” She’s a successful model. She does runway shows all over the world, but you can also see her face in perfume ads and high-end clothing lines. She’s widely popular and obviously gorgeous.
“Well, I’d say you haven’t missed much, but…” Merc gestures to the rings on my hand, making everyone laugh.
“What’s with the box, Elena?”
She looks down and suddenly perks up. “Oh! It’s this game I found called The Newlywed Game.
It’s technically for the bride and groom.
You ask questions, and both of you answer, and it’s supposed to be cute and funny.
But I just thought it’d be a good way to ask you questions without seeming super nosy. ”
“Probably should have kept that part to yourself.” I laugh.
“Eh.” She shrugs. “Let’s play!”
I’m not exactly sure how the game really works, but Elena, who also seems a little tipsy, just slings off the top of the box and plops down in her chair, tucking one long leg underneath her. “Okay, I’ll go first. I’m just going to pick a random card, ask the question, and pass the box. Sound good?”
Everyone agrees.
Why do I suddenly feel so nervous?
Oh, right. Because our marriage started out as a sham, and everyone thinks it was real.
This is going to be fun.
She pulls out a card from the middle and holds it in front of her. Frowning, she mumbles. “Why did I get the boring card?” She blows out a frustrated breath. “Which one of you cooks more?”
“Hollis. Next.”
That is easy.
The box goes to my mom. She digs her fingers into it. Please God, don’t be a sex question. “What is your spouse’s pet name for you?”
“Oh.” I cock my head to the side. “We don’t really do pet names. Well…” I blush. “He likes to call me wife.”
“Like, just…wife?” someone asks.
I nod.
“That’s hot,” Vi says.
“Agreed,” Elena echoes.
I snuggle back into the sofa with my wineglass. This is fun. I can totally do—
“Where’s the craziest place you’ve had sex?” Mercury asks, her wide eyes peeping over the top of the card. She flips it over and points. “That’s literally what the card says.”
My faint blush turns fire-engine red. “Oh god. Mom, can you cover your ears?”
“Nope.” She laughs, taking a gulp of her wine.
I cover my face with my palms. “The bar,” I mumble.
“The what?” Elena giggles. “I’m not sure we heard you.”
“The bar!” I groan, making them all cackle with laughter.
“Pretty sure that bar’s seen all our bare asses at some point.” My mom just shrugs.
“Mom!” Merc and I shout while Elena and Zara double over with laughter.
“Not mine.” Vi pouts. “I feel left out.”
“Bucket list,” Zara suggests to her. “The bathroom is a little cramped, but it works.”
“Single stall too!” my mom chimes in.
“Oh my god.” I shake my head. “I have not had enough wine for this.”
“Well, at least we know Mom and Dad’s meddling worked,” Merc says, but then immediately sucks in a breath. “Shit, I did not mean to say that. This is why I shouldn’t drink.”
I whip my head to my mom, who looks way too pleased with herself. “What meddling?”
“Yeah, what meddling?” Elena and Zara say at the same time.
Her grin widens. “You know we have a security system at the house. With cameras and audio.”
My brow furrows. “Yes, but what does that—” I gasp, my palm slapping across my face. Our kiss. The talk before the kiss… “The driveway!”
“I got the notification that someone drove up, and when no one came to the door right away, I pulled up the camera. That’s when I saw Hollis. I probably shouldn’t have spied on you, but I had no idea why he was here or what we were about to walk into.”
“That’s for sure,” Merc mutters.
Zara looks around the room. “Can someone explain what the hell you’re talking about?”
I grimace, ignoring Zara. I’m completely focused on my traitorous mother right now. “So you’ve known the whole time that we were—”
“Faking it? Yes. But after a few minutes with you that day, we knew there was something else going on. Maybe you thought you were faking, but there was no denying the way you two looked at each other. You obviously had feelings for each other, whether you knew it or not.”
I can totally picture it now—my parents secretly texting each other back and forth, as they conspire and plot a way to bring us together without tipping us off.
God, they’re sneaky.
And surprisingly good actors.
“So you just played along?”
“Not only did they play along…” Merc snorts. “But they decided to give you a little push by throwing that wedding reception.”
“Mom!” Then I turn to my sister. “Wait, how do you know?”
“I had to tell her,” my mom explains. “When has Merc ever just accepted something at face value without asking a hundred questions first?”
My mouth drops open. I had found that part a bit strange. “I just figured you were distracted.”
Merc shrugs. “I was, but not that distracted. Thanks for the help, by the way.”
I give her a sharp glare. I haven’t told anyone about the song recording. I’m sure my dad knows, and probably my mom too. But I really don’t want to make it into a big deal.
It’s not that I’m not proud. Merc sent me a copy of the finished track, and I love how it turned out. When, or if, it ever makes it to the radio stations, it will be the thrill of a lifetime to hear my voice everywhere.
It’s just that I don’t want anyone to get any ideas.
My family is all about music, and don’t get me wrong, I love it too. But just not in the same way. Recording that track was fun for a single afternoon, but I know it’s not something I want to pursue as a career.
It may sound silly to some, but I enjoy my life at the bar. I love the history and the family connection. Searching for new bands and giving them a place to showcase their talent is rewarding. In the grand scheme of things, it may not seem like a lot, but for me, it’s home.
Just like Hollis.
“So the whole wedding reception was just a ploy to keep us together?”
“Of course it was! I didn’t know what you were doing or why, so I suggested the idea of a reception, knowing you’d have to keep up the ruse until then.
” She shrugs. “Anyway, it obviously worked, and I won’t apologize for it.
That boy loves you to the moon and back, and I’m so happy to know you’ve found each other. ”
I open my mouth to argue that her meddling didn’t really have anything to do with Hollis and me falling in love.
But did it? If my mom hadn’t planned that wedding reception, would I have made such a big deal about telling each of my siblings in person?
Or would I have just let their busy schedules work to my advantage until our inevitable “break up” in an attempt to protect them?
Shit.
My mom’s smile simply widens.
“Well, now that we all know your marriage started out as a sham,” Elena says, breaking the silence. “I say we toss the cards and ask the really nosy questions!”
Oh, boy.
“Fucking ouch. Stupid dresser…”
I awake to the sound of someone stumbling through our room.
No, not just someone.
My very drunk husband.
“What the…damn these pants.”