I have a say here, but not enough of one. Not enough to stop this from happening. I抦 expecting the swell of rebellion in my stomach. I抦 stubborn, and it抯 a trait I encourage rather than tamp. But the rebellion doesn抰 drown out the pinprick of relief.
I don抰 want Crew to marry someone else. I don抰 want to marry someone else. Then, I抣l never know which of us will break first.
We抮e getting married. It抯 a done deal.
His words echo in my head, even when he抯 nowhere in sight. With a sigh, I climb into the car and instruct my driver to take me back to the office.
I spend the whole drive staring at the ring on my hand. Replaying the words that were spoken梐nd the words that weren抰梐fter I put it on for the first time. I抣l never be able to shake that moment. Not as long as I抦 wearing this ring.
Forever is a long time.
No shit.
CHAPTER FOUR
CREW
The cardboard boxes that have lined the front hallway for the last week are piled directly in front of the elevator when the doors to my penthouse open.
What the hell?
I push two stacks aside, wondering if the movers messed up the dates. The building staff would have notified me if they showed up early. The only way up here is through the front desk or with the code only a few people have.
The mystery is solved when Asher appears, wearing basketball shorts and a ball cap reading Best Man.
揥hat are you doing here??I grumble, dropping my briefcase atop a box and pulling off my jacket. 揂nd what the fuck are you wearing??
He grins. 揑 told you I was throwing you a last hurrah! Farewell to bachelorhood and all that jazz.?
揂nd I told you that we抣l keep getting drunk and picking up women after I抦 married, so there抯 really no point in doing anything.?
揥ell, I didn抰 listen. Pizza will be here soon. So will Oliver and Jeremy.?
I can feel a headache forming as I walk into the kitchen. 揧ou invited Oliver??
揧ep.?
揂nd he said yes??I open the fridge, debating what to eat. While I deliberate, I grab a beer.
揑 wouldn抰 drink that,?Asher tells me.
I pause. 揥hy??
揃ecause I抳e been reliably informed it抯 a bad idea to do the activity we抣l be partaking in tonight, drunk.?
揥hat the hell kind of bachelor party is spent sober??
揥e go out and get drunk all the time, like you said. I got creative.?
With a sigh, I stick the beer back in the fridge. 揑抦 going to change. Don抰 move any more boxes around.?
揚ut on something you抎 exercise in!?Asher calls after me.
I grumble a response as I walk down the hallway toward my bedroom. Boxes litter this room too. I抳e lived here for less than a year, since I graduated business school at Yale and moved back to the city for good. It抯 strange to see it so empty. Most of my belongings are being shipped to Scarlett抯， since she insisted on remaining in her place after our wedding. I was informed梫ia her attorney telling mine, our main mode of communication梩hat I was welcome to stay in my own penthouse following our marriage. I have no burning desire to cohabitate with a woman. The only urge outweighing it is the fact I don抰 share Scarlett抯 apparent willingness to leave our lives completely unchanged once we share the same last name.
There was a time my younger self dreaded marriage as a prospect involving a clingy wife and no freedom. Fucking laughable, in hindsight. Scarlett seems loathe to so much as to talk with me.
I change out of the suit I抳e been wearing all day, into a cotton t-shirt and a pair of joggers. New York has been unseasonably cool for June. Candace even called me on Monday to ask if Scarlett was reconsidering her strapless dress. I let a long silence answer for me.
In the short time I抳e known my father抯 second wife, I抳e come to the conclusion she lives in a fantasy world. One where my father views her as a comfort, not a convenience. One where Oliver and I look at her with lust. One where I give any thought to what dress Scarlett might wear on our wedding day and how warm or cold she抣l be.
That last one isn抰 much of a stretch, though.
I went so far as to search photos of strapless wedding dresses, just to know what to expect. I抳e never seen Scarlett look anything short of devastating. I have a whole lot of apprehension about seeing her on our wedding day that I抦 certain most grooms don抰 grapple with.
Lines between us have blurred. Boundaries have sharpened. I can barely think straight when I抦 around her. I抦 hoping that抯 a problem that will magically disappear soon.
When I reenter the kitchen, Jeremy and Oliver have arrived. Jeremy Brennan has known me almost as long as Asher has. He抯 not a native New Yorker; his family is from Boston. We went to the same boarding school in New Hampshire, then both ended up at Harvard. He remained in Boston after Asher and I left for Yale, graduating from law school there a couple of weeks ago.