Page 36 of While You're There
He gave it a few more minutes before he brushed a loose strand of hair off Tori’s face and gave in. He silently rolled to his side and got out of bed, grabbing his phone and pulling on a pair of joggers before hitting the stairs.
He meandered into the sunroom, not out of conscious thought exactly, but more out of habit. It sucked to feel this tired and out of it and still not be able to sleep. Maybe a change of scenery was all he needed for the grogginess to take hold.
The cool tiles of the sunroom floor sent a jolt of alertness through his body as he made his way around the built-in bar. He leaned against the edge of the polished wood, assuming the crossed-ankle position he usually stood in at Clinton’s as he assessed the regiment of bottles all lined up at attention. His parents kept a very well-stocked bar, organized by spirit and color.
He let out a frustrated breath and pulled his phone out of his sweatpants. There was nothing new on social or in his inbox since he had last looked about ten minutes ago, just like he knew there wouldn’t be. Who the hell did he expect to be up and posting at this hour?
He mindlessly opened the calendar app on his phone, glancing past the slew of conference calls and updates scheduled for the first half of the week. He felt a pang of guilt when he glanced at the end of the week. He was marked out of the office starting Thursday, all the way through the end of May. It was necessary time off for the wedding and the honeymoon. Then he needed the following weekend to move and get things set up in his new apartment in Virginia. He had to keep reminding himself that he didn’t officially start working at NorfolkStar Transport until June 1, so he had no reason to feel guilty for taking time off for his own wedding. But still.
He closed the calendar app, hitting the call log right next to it out of habit.
Chandler’s name appearing not once, but twice at the top of the list stirred up the same level of rage he had felt toward his father. He was done. He had no tolerance for anyone who thought they had a say in what happens next in his life. He wouldn’t let anything or anyone get in the way of what he wanted—what he was so close to having, finally.
He swiped on each individual call, deleting the visual reminder of all the time he had shamefully wasted over the last three years. He wasn’t trying to hide her calls. Tori had already made it clear that she trusted him, and that she knew he would handle any loose ends that needed to be handled. He just wasn’t interested in letting Chandler’s name linger on his device.
He repocketed his phone, feeling no sleepier than when he first came downstairs. If anything, he was more keyed up now. He was exhausted but wired and running out of ways to distract himself.
“Damnit,” he muttered, leaning forward and reaching for the container he’d been itching to pull for the last ten minutes. The neck of the emerald-green bottle was a comfort in his hand. He turned on his heel and blindly felt around for a glass under the mahogany bar.
He poured himself what would be considered a triple in most establishments, forgoing any ice or mixers. He circled around the bar, hoisted himself onto a stool, and settled in.
Rhett glanced down at the dark amber liquid for a few moments before lifting the glass to his lips. He was already going to be hungover tomorrow. What was one more drink to cap it all off? One more drink, then he’d head back upstairs. One more drink, then hopefully, finally, sleep would come.
Chapter sixteen
Tori
“Okay,forrealthough.Who gets to make the speech tomorrow?” Jake lowered his beer bottle and glared at Rhett from over the flames. Tori could barely hide her smirk as her fiancé stared ahead, giving nothing away.
Poor Jake. Rhett had been torturing him all week, skirting around asking him to be his best man, insisting they weren’t even having a traditional wedding party. While that was technically true, there was a midnight-blue suit perfectly tailored to Jake’s measurements hanging in a garment bag in the master bedroom of the cabin. But Jake still didn’t know that, and Rhett seemed determined to keep it that way for as long as possible.
Maddie spoke up before Rhett had a chance to reply. “I don’t care about the title all that much, but you should know something, Jakey. I talked to the DJ about my audio needs when he came to set up the stage earlier.” She lifted her White Claw and took a long swig, hiding her telltale smirk behind the aluminum can. Tori assumed she was just joking, but she also wouldn’t put it past the younger Wheeler to have planned ahead. Or to enjoy getting a rise out of Jake as much as her brother.
“I bet you did, Fourth Wheel,” Jake shot back, resurrecting the childhood nickname she hated.
“Jacob Whitely,” Tori warned. As Maddie’s babysitter and the other female of their four-person group, it had always been her job to put the boys in their places when they were younger. Jake knew the scolding was in jest. That didn’t stop him from turning his campaign on her.
“Tori. Baby. Please. I’m begging you. Just tell me what you know.”
She had to bury her hands in her face to stop herself from laughing. She leaned into Rhett as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. She inhaled the the scents of sandalwood, salt, bonfire smoke and fresh lake air, a combination that left her feeling heady with desire and nostalgia.
“Ev,” she pleaded in a whisper. “Put him out of his misery.”
They had finally settled around the firepit after a full day of setup and last-minute wedding prep. The Wheelers hired a local food truck to cater the casual rehearsal dinner for their friends. Rhett’s parents and his grandad had made a few speeches, welcoming Tori to the family and welcoming their friends to the cabin, then they all noshed on tacos and sliders. Tori had deliberately asked Rhett and Anne to try and keep the event small and intimate. This was exactly what she had had in mind.
Most of the guests had already made their way back to the inn. It was just their friends around the fire now. Everyone still here would be staying at the cabin with them tonight. Cory and Jake were set up to sleep downstairs, with Maddie and Aurelia bunking in the loft. Tomorrow Cory and Lia would stand with Tori during the ceremony, while Jake and Maddie would be at Rhett’s side. They had decided on the pairings a few weeks ago, but it had been all too easy to goad Jake about his role.
“Fine,” Rhett drawled out, weaving his hand through the hair at the base of her neck and pulling her in for a kiss. She expected a quick peck, but he took things further, running the tip of his tongue against the seam of her lips. She parted them and let him in, granting him access to deepen their connection as he worked his hand under the hem of her fitted white denim skirt. She barely had time to sink into his touch before someone spotted their PDA and started whooping. A cacophony of “get a room!” and “you’re not married yet!” rose up as their friends banded together to taunt them.
Tori smiled against Rhett’s mouth before pulling away. She blushed slightly as she took in the scene before her, as she looked from person to person and acknowledged how lucky she was that they were all here. They really did have the best friends. And the best boss for that matter, seeing as how Mike closed down the restaurant during a holiday weekend to allow half his staff to participate in their wedding. She sighed contentedly and leaned back into Rhett’s side, resting her head in the crook of his arm.
It was crazy what could happen in just a few weeks. Less than two months ago, she and Rhett hadn’t even been on speaking terms. Now they were here, hanging out with their friends on the eve of their nuptials, at her favorite place in the world, ready to face whatever came next, together.
She felt surprisingly calm for someone who was about to star in a seemingly shotgun wedding. A lot of that calm was thanks to Rhett. He and Anne had worked tirelessly to pull this all together in a short amount of time. She marveled at what they’d accomplished as she took in the ceremony floral arch by the lake and the stage and dance floor closer to the house. She knew they were both planners by nature, and that they threw a lot of money at this event to make it all happen on a holiday weekend. But it was still impressive.
She glanced over at her fiancé, waiting for him to finally admit to Jake that he was, in fact, his best man. He looked so handsome leaning forward on his knees: casual, steady, confident. He oozed happiness, and he seemed lighter today. She knew things were wearing on him lately, particularly after all her surgery consultations and the back and forth to Virginia.
Rhett hadn’t been in bed beside her when she woke up that morning. As expected, he snuck out early to go on a run, dragging Jake and Maddie along with him, except both his running partners came back to the cabin a full hour before he did, claiming that six miles was more than enough for them.
