Page 159 of Cloudy With a Chance of Bad Decisions

Alex gaped at the blue one with the little A like he had short-circuited. He stared at them, spreading them out on the table, long tan fingers tracing the lengths. “Are these…for us?” he asked, voice hoarse.

I didn’t know what to do. I hadn’t really meant to make them? Except, that I totally had. And his reaction was just—wow.

He looked floored.

Like he didn’t know what to do with himself.

As wrong-footed as I often was.

“Yes.” My pulse was skipping all over the place.

“I love them.” Alex blinked, still staring like the bracelets were something monumental and not a silly mess of string looped together. “Do you…wanna put mine on?” I made a sound in affirmation, too choked up to find words as I reached for the blue one. “No. Um. The other one.”

Right.

Of course he’d want the yellow one with the G. I should’ve expected that.

My hands trembled as I tied it around his wrist, making sure to double knot it so that it wouldn’t pop free. The charm made a clinking noise when it knocked against his watch, and Alex grinned. “Your turn.” He made an impatient waving gesture, and I offered him my wrist so he could tie the blue one on.

It carried a weight to it that neither of us was ready to acknowledge.

A weight that we lifted together as we finished up with the kiddos, cleaned up the mess, and watched as their parents took them to dinner.

We hadn’t had to discuss our schedules—or the fact that neither of us was willing to part with the other. “My plans” and “his plans” became “our plans.” Alex was right there when I helped my mom and siblings. And I was there when he needed help setting up the tandem bachelor and bachelorette parties.

He was simultaneously the “Man of Honor”, his words, and “Best Man” so he’d been given a lot of responsibility. I’d already known he planned the whole wedding too. I would’ve had to be an idiot not to notice how much effort he’d put into everything.

Dealing with vendors with kindness—though still delightfully firm.

I had a competency kink, and Alex hit every mark.

Joe helped us set up, because he was great that way. He and Alex hauled the loungers from the trucks down to the lake. They’d be set up for floating beer pong, with cups full of water taped to the plastic, and ping-pong balls made out of fish food.

I set up the picnic tables with the actual drinkable beers, sectioning off a portion so that the balls in cups on the water could coincide with cups on the table.

The James twins were nothing if not environmentally conscious.

Alex worried about my burned hand, but I assured him I was fine. Theblisters barely hurt anymore, and besides—as long as I didn’t have to get wet, I was happy. It wasn’t like I was going to keel over and die while lining up red Solo cups. Christ.

Roderick’s party was easy to prepare. The loungers and the picnic tables were the worst parts, aside from filling cups of beer. We had a few mishaps with the loungers spilling into the lake—but since the cups atop them were full of water—and simply needed to be taped again, it didn’t matter all that much.

Joe assured me everything would be fine.

And considering how much he loved animals, I believed him.

“You have got to be kidding,” I laughed, after we’d finished getting the lake area ready and Alex informed me that a pizza delivery man was coming by to bring food. He shook his head, obviously proud of himself.

“I’m really not. You’d be surprised what someone will do for the right price.”

“Jesus Christ.”

Alex shrugged. “Roddy wanted pizza from his favorite pizza place in Columbus—and I live to please.”

“The delivery guy isn’t a stripper, is he?” I teased.

Alex shook his head, expression one of mock offense. The friendship bracelet on his wrist caught the light as he crossed his arms over his chest. It looked good next to his watch. His broken watch—that I was dying to ask about but never had. Not after he closed up anytime things got remotely real.

“Absolutely not.” He arched a brow like I was the naughty one for suggesting it.

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