Page 6 of Mr. Swoony

I lose the fight inside me because I’m defeated in more battles than just getting Penelope up to the hotel room tonight. Somehow, my life has spun out of my control, and I’m not sure how to right myself. Lately I feel as if I’m on the teacup ride, and it just keeps spinning and spinning, and there’s no chance to get my bearings. Maybe it’s just wedding jitters, and once it’s over, and we’re on our honeymoon, all this dread and anxiety will go away. I sure hope so.

“Thank you. Really. I appreciate it, and I’m sorry for taking you away from your friends at the club.”

He shakes his head. “You’re not taking me away from anything.”

For the rest of the ride, I watch Penelope and the cab driver’s GPS, eager to get to the hotel and out of the small confines of the cab because Conor’s thigh is pressed to mine, and those butterflies aren’t going away. They shouldn’t even be fluttering. I’m marrying Tristan. He is the love of my life. Right?

The cab pulls up to the hotel, and Conor files out first. I nudge Penelope, and she mumbles something but falls on the seat. In the end, Conor picks her up and puts her over his shoulder. The three of us walk through the luxurious hotel lobby, pretending to ignore the stares from the reception staff.

“I really hope I don’t end up in the gossip blogs for this,” he says as we enter the elevator. “One girl slung over my shoulder with another at my side in a bride-to-be sash going up to a hotel room isn’t a good look.”

“You? My upcoming marriage would be over.”

Right before the doors slide shut, a young girl pops into view, holding out her phone, and the flash goes off.

Three

Conor

“Oh my god!” Eloise turns to me, her mouth hanging open.

The doors slide shut, leaving the girl with the phone on the other side. I’m thankful she didn’t jump in and join us.

“That didn’t just happen.” She flings her body across me, her finger pressing the lobby button, but the elevator is already ascending. The tip of her finger turns white as she presses the button nonstop. “I have to get that phone.”

“Is your hubby a hockey guy?” I ask, repositioning Penelope on my shoulder. Damn, it’s been a long time since I’ve carried a woman over my shoulder. Especially one who’s not coming to my bed.

There’s no way Eloise would have been able to handle her friend. She’s completely dead weight.

“Football mostly, but he watches all those sports channels.” Her hands twist in front of her.

I can’t help but laugh, although I feel bad. Eloise looks so panicked she’s probably about to scale the wall and try to find her way through some vent to find that girl and destroy her phone. “I’m sure he’s not on the hockey blogs. That picture might be passed around to her friends and her social media followers, but I doubt your hubby will see it. And if you want me to talk to him?—”

“God, no. He’d never understand this whole situation.” She circles her finger between us. Why do I love the way she’s so animated?

“He wouldn’t understand a guy helping a girl out of a bad situation?” Sounds like her fiancé is a dick.

She stares at the wall, watching the floor numbers as we approach their floor. “You’re telling me you would be if I were your fiancée?”

“If I were ever to get married, I’d trust my fiancée. I would have hoped she’d called me?—”

“It is his bachelor party tonight,” she cuts me off, and I get the sense she’s used to making excuses for him.

“I wasn’t implying anything.”

“I would’ve called him. It’s just…” She doesn’t finish her sentence—either because she doesn’t want to or because the elevator stops, and the doors open on her floor.

It’s good she didn’t finish, because I don’t want to become more invested in the reason why she sat all alone in the VIP section and sipping water during her bachelorette party. It wasn’t my place to get involved, although I inserted myself because I pride myself on being a nice guy. Now that I know Jade is her maid of honor, I know I was right in helping her.

I deny the urge to ask more questions and instead follow her out of the elevator.

I noticed Eloise the minute I arrived at the club and entered the VIP section filled with my teammates. There’s no denying she’s hot as fuck. Her ass in her black leather pants is a sight all on its own. But when I saw the sash and the QR code, it stopped my mind from envisioning her topless and on her knees in front of me. I’m not the kind of guy who tries to steal another guy’s girl away. Even if she looks like Eloise. But that doesn’t mean I can’t admire a beautiful woman.

Eloise swipes her keycard and opens the hotel room door to reveal a suite. “If you don’t mind putting her in the bedroom…”

She walks through a door, and I follow, seeing one king bed. Eloise pulls back the covers, and I place Penelope on the bed, then she takes off her friend’s shoes and tucks her in, ensuring she’s positioned on her side with a pillow lodged behind her back so she doesn’t roll over.

The way Eloise takes care of her friend is admirable. I’ve always thought there was a correlation between how a friend treats a friend and how they treat their significant other. I bet she loves them with all her heart and cares for them more than herself. I just hope that her fiancé isn’t one of those douchebags who take advantage of her giving nature.

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