Experiment in Terror Book 9 - Page 62

I gave him a one-shoulder shrug. “I don’t mind being called a d.i.c.k. Why not highlight my best feature, right?”

He narrowed his eyes at me. “You’re an a.s.s**le too, you know.”

I grinned. “Tight as a whistle.”

He grimaced. “Please tell me Perry and Rebecca will be here soon because I don’t know if I can handle another moment of bro night.”

“They’ll be here,” I a.s.sured him, leaning back in my seat. We were in one of my favorite bars on 2nd Ave. Perry and Rebecca had gone and done girly s.h.i.+t so I decided to get together with Dean and meet up with them later. Now that Dean had officially accepted as best man and Rebecca had accepted as a bridesmaid, it felt right to have a little soiree.

I gave him a wry look. “So, you getting any preggo s.e.x?”

He rolled his eyes. “Dude, she’s still a lesbian.”

“A lesbian you put your d.i.c.k in. Your super sperm got her pregnant. I don’t think it’s that far-fetched to think that you may still be hitting that.”

“Hitting that?” he scoffed.

“Sorry. f.u.c.king that v.a.g.i.n.a with your d.i.c.k. Better?”

“Dex you need to get more idioms. Join us in the future, will you?”

“Can’t happen, my friend. I’m getting married. Didn’t you hear? That means that Perry accepts me as I am, faults and all. It also means I don’t have to ever change.” I took a swig of my beer and burped. “Isn’t that brilliant?”

“For you, maybe.” He shook his head in mock sorrow. “Poor Perry.”

Thankfully, Dean’s baby mama and my wife-to-be showed up before our conversation could disintegrate along with the contents of our drinks.

“Were you guys talking about us?” Perry asked, settling into the booth, a round Rebecca going beside Dean. The first thing I noticed was the stiff way Perry sat down. It was almost like she was trying to match Rebecca.

“What’s wrong?” I asked her.

She immediately looked at Rebecca.

“I told you he would know,” Rebecca said in her smart accent, though she looked awfully relieved to be sitting down. Next to Dean. No preggo s.e.x, my a.s.s. He was totally hitting that. Sorry, f**king her v.a.g.i.n.a. G.o.d.

“What, what?” I asked.

Perry breathed out of her nose in a huff and then said, “Okay, promise not to get mad.”

I frowned as she lifted up her s.h.i.+rt and exposed a black patch of plastic on her ribcage, the kind tattoo artists use.

“You got a tattoo?” I asked.

She nodded. “It’s not of you though.” She peeled back a corner and I saw a detailed blue and black waterfall with the names Maximus, Pippa and Mom on it. It was actually quite awesome. “You’re not mad?” she asked.

I shook my head, taking it in and feeling a bit of sorrow at the sight of Maximus. “Of course not. It’s beautiful. And painful looking. That must have hurt.”

She nodded.

I went on, “Why did you think I’d be mad?”

She tilted her head to the side in thought. “I don’t know, I guess cuz Maximus was on there too. And I’d only just got the anchor for you.”

“Kiddo,” I said, pulling her close to me and kissing her temple. “First of all, you can get a million tattoos, I don’t care. And second of all, I think your mom and Pippa would love it. And Maximus, well, his ego would love it too. I think it’s wonderful, really.”

And I did. It made my insides seem all warm and fluttery, though that could have been the beer and shots of Jameson.

She smiled. “OK, good. I just wanted to honor everyone, you know.”

I nodded. I knew.

I gave her another kiss and ordered Perry her favorite beer and Rebecca a club soda with lime. After our drinks came, the four of us raised our gla.s.ses to another.

“Here’s to living the good life,” I said, making sure to look them all in the eye. “And if not the good life, then just life in general. Here is to living life.”

We all clinked gla.s.ses and bottles, Dean getting mine good this time, my beer flowing over.

I grinned at him, grinned at Rebecca, grinned at Perry.

Life was good.

And it was only going to get better.

EPILOGUE

Perry

“On a scale of one to eleven,” Ada said as she stuck her hand into a crinkly bag of chips and popped them into her mouth, “how nervous are you?”

“Judging by how you’re driving me nuts by crinkling that d.a.m.n bag and your loud chewing,” I said, taking the bag from her and sliding it down the table, away from us, “I’m going to say I’m at an eleven.”

“Hey,” she said with a frown, staring at the chips. “I’m hungry. It’s not fair everyone else gets to eat before we do.”

“Well, that’s the price you pay for being part of the bridal party.”

“Plus having to wear a hideous dress,” she added. “Don’t forget that.”

I managed to glare at her. The dress I picked out for her and Rebecca was simple and beautiful and she knew it. It was knee-length and strapless, a fitted cherry red color that flared out from the waist. With her red lipstick and updo, she looked gorgeous and far older than sixteen.

But she was still a brat. Loving her didn’t change that.

She sighed and sat back in her chair. I wondered how she could possibly be so bored when I was anything but. I was freaking the f**k out and half-expected everyone to be freaking out with me.

We were sequestered away in a waiting room just above the hotel ballroom where the reception would take place. Outside the window, guests were filing into the area where the ceremony was set up. It was truly stunning, I had to admit that, with rows of white chairs leading up to a quaint gazebo where the officiant was waiting.

Dex was nowhere to be seen. That didn’t surprise me, but I knew that if I did see him, standing there, waiting for me, a lot of my anxiety would disappear. I hadn’t seen him for days because of the ways things ended up and I felt like I was shouldering this wedding all on my own. It had turned into a circus of sorts and I wanted nothing more than to ignore all these people – even though they were family and friends – and go be alone with Dex for a long time. Our own private world was the only place I could truly breathe.

Most people thought Dex and I were crazy for having a partially outdoor wedding in Was.h.i.+ngton, in October of all times, but though the sky was grey, it looked like the rain was holding off and I could see a few glimpses of bright blue sky punch through. There was a chill in the air, thanks to our location in the mountains, but the ceremony wouldn’t take long and I had this beautiful lacy shawl to protect me from the elements.