Page 9 of Should've Been Us
Chapter Three
Lulu was actually having fun.Everything was so much more fun when she had a drink in her hand. And so far tonight, her best bud Howie had come through for her. She’d never found the bottom of her wine glass. Not even once. And he’d cut out all the flirting he’d been doing earlier. She wasn’t sure why he’d finally gotten the hint but she kind of loved him forthat.
She covered her mouth as a giggle worked its way up her throat. Hell, she loved everyone right now. Even the girls that usually got on her last nerve had become her best friends in the span of the last few blurryhours.
Dinner had gotten off to a rough start. She’d been quiet and bitter. She’d glared at Connor when he kept her from sitting near Derek and ignored him when he’d tried to talk to her. She’d listened as Dean and Nikki flirted and felt nothing but emptiness. She’d watched as first Aubrey’s parents and then Derek’s parents had toasted their children and held hands and gave secretive smiles and she’d longed for that kind of connection tosomeone.
But Howie had brought her a drink, and then another and thenanother.
As it turned out, white wine could drown even the giant hole of loneliness inside of her. Drown out the longing and the sadness. Drown out everything but the ability to just relax and enjoyherself.
They’d had a nice dinner and then the older couples had said their goodnights. That was when it had turned into a party. They were all young, mostly unattached, happy and carefree and in one of the most beautiful beachside resorts in the world. So they’d celebrated with toasts and stories and dancing and more drinks than Lulu couldcount.
So many that she’d somehow ended up inside with the girls at the table while the boys went out to have a cigar on the patio. She never stayed behind with the girls. She wasn’t the type to enjoy girl-talk and she’d never fit in with these women. But everyone had been drinking and she’d found herself in the middle of the merriment and actually enjoyingherself.
Aubrey wasn’t half bad after a couple glasses of wine. Not that they were going to braid each other’s hair and sing Kumbaya anytime soon, but she wasn’t a total bitch either. Lulu could admit that much to herself, at least while she was drunk, and maybe just maybe this was what they’d always needed for her to be able to accept this woman into her life, into Derek’s life, and moveon.
If Derek was going to marry someone else, he could have done a lotworse.
Aubrey’s friend from Montana, Sierra, was pretty much the coolest person Lulu had ever met. She was an absolute laugh riot. There was no telling what was going to come out of her mouth at any given moment. Plus, she’d told so many ridiculous stories that couldn’t possibly be true that Lulu’s stomach muscles hurt fromlaughing.
Sweet little Anna had opened up a bit and joined in the fun. Sierra seemed to take great pleasure in making the younger girl blush and stammer but it had worked. She’d joined in on the fun right along with the rest ofthem.
Even Anna’s older sister, Amber, whose voice was normally like nails on a chalkboard to Lulu, was bearable with enough alcohol coursing through her system. Of course she thought it was ridiculous the way the girl all but threw herself at Connor every chance she had, but it was also funny. Watching him try to fend off her clearly unwanted advances was pretty damn funny and if Lulu wanted to snatch the girl aside and tell her to take a damn hint that was only because she looked so ridiculouslydesperate.
She was having fun. Something she’d never expected to have tonight. And just so long as she focused on the celebrating and not on what the celebration was for, Lulu could maintain her aura of fun anddrunkenness.
“Wait, wait, wait…” Anna gasped, eyes wide and mouth agape, her voice drawing Lulu back to the conversation at the table, “Are you seriously telling us that your husband gives you a monthly allowance for sextoys?”
“Yep.” Sierragrinned.
“Oh. My. God.” Anna shook her head indisbelief.
“It’s perfectlynormal.”
“I don’t know that I’d call anything you do normal.” Aubrey giggled and Sierra smacked her arm playfully, “But it’s alwaysfun.”
Sierra pointed a manicured finger at the younger girl across from her, “Look, I love my husband. He’s hot and sexy as fuck and makes me wet just walking into aroom…”
“Sierra!” Aubrey admonished but her friend ignored her and Lulu couldn’t help but giggle along with the othergirls.
“But sometimes you’ve gotta spice things up a little. Trust me. It’s a good thing. Keeps things interesting.” Sierra wagged her eyebrows, “You never know what you might like until you tryit.”
“I’m not sure of anything except that I’ve got a lot to learn.” Anna admitted with a shy giggle before hiding behind herglass.
“You’re young and you’re fucking gorgeous. You’ve got time and plenty of future suitors to figure out if you like it kinky.” Aubrey blew her a kiss with awink.
“Speaking of kinky…” Amber leaned over the table, lowering her voice as if she were about to spill a secret. “I’m just going to throw it out there that a certain best man is all kinds of bossy in thebedroom.”
Aubrey gasped, “Connor?Really?”
“Mhmm.” Amber nodded proudly and Lulu had to fight not togag.
Of course Connor had slept with Amber. She should have known. The airhead blonde was totally histype.
Lulu had known him forever and she’d never once seen him with an actual girlfriend. He stuck to one-night stands, quick and done hookups or friends with benefits. Almost every single time, the girl ended up attached to him anyway despite his dickhead personality so Lulu had always assumed he must be a goodfuck.
Not that she gave it much thought. She didn’t. Except when it was paraded blatantly in front of her like rightnow.
