“Shush, you can never be too careful, and if I’m being honest, Casen was in charge of the baby proofing; he just got a little carried away.”
I nod, knowing she is absolutely lying through her teeth. Yes, Casen is extremely protective of his son and their daughter Abby, but this is the workings of Jen. She just doesn’t want to come under fire for it, so she instead opts to throw her fiancé under the bus. We’ve all done it a million times; I’m just surprised Jen wouldn’t fess up to it.
Liv runs through the house in search of Emma and Grace, while Jen grabs my hand and leads me down a back hallway. I hear laughter and glasses clinking together in the opposite direction, so I offer my best ‘what the heck’ look to Jen as she passes by the direction of the noise and crowd.
“The party’s that way. Am I missing something here, or did I do something wrong that deserves a private lashing?” The latter is entirely possible. Jen’s stress level is out of hand as the wedding approaches. We are all covering our asses, hoping the days fly by. November can’t get here quick enough.
She looks around my shoulder and ducks back into her bedroom. “No, this isn’t wedding related.”
“Okaaayyy,” I draw out.
“I know you and Royce shared some gross, sloppy kiss in Vegas–”
“Hey,” I cut her off. “It was a nice kiss. He and I have been talking. I really think you would like him if you gave him a chance.”
“Yeah, well, Casen just told me Royce is coming tonight and he’s bringing a girl. I wanted to give you the heads up.”
“What!” I screech. I had no idea he would be here and, therefore didn’t do a decent or even adequate job with my appearance, and then to hear he’s bringing someone…dagger to the stomach. I should be looking top notch; make him regret his decision to ever flaunt another woman in front of me. “Darn it, Jen. What a jerk!”
“Darn it, really?” she says, narrowing her eyes at me. “I think this deserves a little more profanity, a good old ‘fuck that douchbag’ fits the situation. I warned you what kind of guy he is.”
“Well, what do I do?” I ask, my frustration reflected in my voice. “I don’t want to be the poor sap they laugh about when they leave. I’m so embarrassed.”
How could I have been so stupid? Of course, Royce would be bringing a date, probably some hot twenty-year-old with tits under her chin and legs for days. I could never compete. I don’t know why I thought I could. Still, that is so rude to bring her here in front of me without bothering to tell me he wasn’t interested in me. Jen’s right, he’s an asshole.
“I’ll tell you what we’re going to do. We’re going to doll you up, you’re going to ignore him, and he’ll be sorry he ever played with your delicate feelings.”
I exhale loudly. While I would like to fix myself up a bit, I have no intentions of ignoring him. Nope, I’ll call him out and be super nice to the tart he brings. I can be the bigger person, and that will be more powerful than any silent treatment can be. I won’t let him get under my skin. I won’t let myself be hurt by this. Jack’s done enough of that to last a lifetime.
Jen has already left my side and is rummaging through her closet. With her job, she gets samples in every size and she tucks them away as gifts for us. I always thought it was not all that thoughtful of her to re-gift hand-me-downs that she doesn’t want, but in this moment, my goodness, I’m super thankful for something decent in my size in her closet. Lord knows I couldn’t borrow anything of hers, and the drab outfit I’m sporting isn’t going to make the cut.
“Here, try this,” she says, throwing a cute strappy dress at me before heading back into her closet. “I think I have some boots that will match.”
I undress and throw on the outfit, and when the boots come flying at me, I grab those and slide my feet into them as well. Jen finally reappears and examines me closely.
“Head to my bathroom; we need to touch up your makeup and hair a bit,” she demands.
I follow her into her expansive bathroom fit for a queen. She scrambles around me, gathering makeup in my perfect shades, turning on a hair straightener, and assembling a barrage of brushes.
She pulls the ponytail holder from my hair and feverously runs the strands between the steam of the flat iron. Once every piece is in place, she begins working on my makeup.
“I can’t wait to make him suffer,” she says under her breath, a comment that makes me pause. I grab her hand, pushing it down by her side.
“Are you doing this to make me feel better about myself or to hurt Royce?” I ask. “You didn’t want me with him anyways.”
She moves the blush brush back up to my cheek and shrugs her shoulder. “Same difference,” she says nonchalantly.
I take the brush from her hand and step away. “I appreciate what you’re doing, but I think I’ll be fine. I’m just going to go out there. I don’t need to waste my time on a guy who had no intention of pursuing anything anyway.”
Her nose scrunches in misunderstanding. “What are you talking about? I thought you wanted to make him wish he were never born.”
“It’s his loss, but thanks.”
I hand her the blush brush and walk past her. I hear her throw it on the bathroom counter and she quickly follows behind me. Soon as we are walking toward the deck where the rest of our adult party-goers are. In the kitchen, we are met with warm welcomes, and of course, hugs from Vivian.
“Where have you been, ladies?” Casen asks before offering us both a beer.
“Oh, you know, just girl talk,” I say, accepting the cold bottle and taking a swig, trying to fade into the crowd. He gives Jen a knowing look and huffs with a smile. Jen narrows her eyes at him and shoos him away. Casen picks Ryker up from his high chair and takes him outside, leading the others to the back deck. When the doors open, I can hear the chatter and laughter of the kids playing in the backyard.
I turn my feet to follow the crowd when the doorbell rings. I look around the girls, and Jen states exactly what I’m thinking. “The douche patrol is here.” Well, not exactly what I’m thinking.
She briskly walks to the door and hastily pulls it open. “Welcome, come on in. The guys are out back,” she says, overly unenthusiastic and monotone. She immediately turns and leaves Royce and his guest on the steps.
“Well, thank you for that warm welcome, Jen,” I hear Royce say. “I didn’t know how I was going to make it through the day without seeing your friendly face.” The sarcasm drips from his voice.
He and his guest finally step into the house and my heart sinks. He is just as gorgeous as I remember him, and she is the perfect arm candy, adorable and tiny enough to fit in my pocket. Her brunette curls bounce just above her shoulders and her smile is bright and cheery. My jealousy spikes when I see him put his hand on her back to guide her further into the space, but I try to taper it down.
Jen notices my discomfort and grabs my arm, pulling me toward her. “I would offer to kick her in the cooch but I’m afraid I would lose a shoe, and I’m fairly attached to my strappy sandals,” Jen whispers in my ear.
“Stop it,” I hush back at her. “She looks really nice, like someone we would hang out with if the situation were different.”
Vivian rushes forward to offer a better greeting, shaking their hands and walking with them to our little group.
“Hi Royce, good to see you again,” I say when they finally reach us. I try my hardest to be pleasant, and when Royce returns my smile, I know I’ve pulled off the ruse.
“This is Hannah,” he says as she offers a shy wave.
“Sorry, I’m a little nervous meeting you all. Royce speaks so highly of everyone. I didn’t want to disappoint,” Hannah says.