by Anna Durand
Jeez, had Mara never seen a drunk person before? Considering the snobby circles her family socialized in, maybe she really hadn't.
Damian tried to put an arm around me but missed and almost fell over.
I slapped a hand on his shoulder to steady him. "What are you doing? You two are wasted. At ten o'clock in the morning."
"Knew you were smart," he said, slapping his hand on top of mine on his shoulder. "You're so perty. Can we have sex now?"
Maybe I should've been more annoyed about their current state, but there wasn't any point in getting upset. Not until they sobered up. "Yeah, sure, let's go into your wagon of love and get it on. If you can crawl up the steps without vomiting."
He thrust out his free hand to me, turning it upside down. "Read my palm, hey? Tell me the foocher."
I assumed he meant "future," but it was hard to tell for sure. I patted his cheek. "That's easy. Your future involves a good long nap, lots of aspirin, and at least three days of groveling for forgiveness." I threw a sharp look at Ollie. "For both of you."
Mara was standing perfectly still, her gaze nailed to Ollie, her expression blank.
"You okay, Mara?" I asked.
She nodded. "I've never seen him like this. Why did you get drunk, Ollie? Don't you want to marry me?"
"Like crazy I do," he said, then he dropped to his knees and hugged hers. "I'm sorry, Mary—Mara. That's your name, right? I'm Awee. Sweet wittle pudgy-wudgy Awee."
Mara covered her face with her hands.
I thought she might be crying—until she lowered her hands.
Her lips were puckered, clearly because she was trying not to laugh.
"No, no, no," Damian said. "It's sweet wittle cuddly wuddly Awee, fuddly muddly...something."
I looked at Mara. "Why don't you take Ollie to your room so he can sleep it off?"
"Good idea." She peeled Ollie's hands away from her knees and convinced him to stand up. "Time for bed, honey."
He let her lead him away, leaning against her the whole time.
Damian latched his arms around my waist. "Is it my bedtime too?"
"Yes, it is." I half dragged him toward the guest house but changed my mind partway there and took him to the wagon. "Naughty little Damian needs some beddy-bye time."
"Oh yeah," he said, "lots and lots of that. Will you tuck me in, Heidi-hi-ho?"
"Uh-huh." After that, he'd have some serious explaining to do.
I managed to get him up the steps and into the wagon, but he careened toward the bench and fell onto it face-first—and promptly passed out. I pushed him onto his side, then grabbed a blanket and draped it over him. By then, he was snoring. What else could I do? I stretched out on the pillows on the floor and waited for him to wake up. Luckily, he had a laptop computer that was hooked into the resort's wi-fi, so I streamed movies while he snored.
Three hours later, he woke up.
Damian yawned loudly, stretched without moving much at all, and groaned. He squinted at me. "On a scale of one to ten, how mad are you?"
"Zero."
His brows rose, but then he winced as if that little action hurt. "Guess I should explain."
I shut the laptop and sat up, holding the computer on my lap. "Yeah, that might be a good idea."
"You see, Ollie was stressed out. And I couldn't think of a way to help him relax and stop worrying so much." He wriggled around until he was lying on his back and rubbed his forehead. "Admittedly, this wasn't my best idea ever."
"No kidding? Huh." I splayed my palms on the computer, tapping my fingertips on it. "So tell me, Your Ludar Highness, what exactly did you hope to accomplish by getting the two of you hammered? I'm assuming that was the plan."
"Yeah, it was." He shrugged. "I wasn't doing much thinking at the time. My best friend needed help, so I, uh…helped." Damian glanced at me sideways, looking almost sheepish. "Ollie was a lot happier after we pigged out and got smashed."
"Of course he was happier. Ollie was high as a kite." I leaned forward, my face a foot from his. "You were too."
"I'm sorry. Trust me, I'm regretting it now. And by the way, I knew it was a bad idea, but I did it anyway. For my friend."
"Mara was stressed too, but I didn't hand her a keg of beer."
"It's different for women. Guys don't do the whole heart-to-heart, let's-share-our-innermost-feelings bullshit."
"Well, at least you didn't hire a hooker." I shimmied closer. "What was Ollie so stressed about? I know why Mara's anxious, but what has Ollie got to be worried about?"
"He's scared he won't be a good father or husband. And he feels guilty for not knowing how to make Mara feel better."
"Do you know about her, um, condition?"
He stared at me for a moment. "Do you know?"
"Yes."
"So do I, if we're talking about the same thing."
We were both trying not to divulge a secret that we each thought the other knew, but we didn't want to betray a confidence from a friend. Mara told me, so Ollie must have told Damian. They'd been best friends since childhood.
"Mara's pregnant," I said. "That's what Ollie told you, right?"
Damian nodded.
I sighed. "She's got her hormones going crazy, but what's Ollie's excuse? He can't honestly believe he'll be a bad father. He'll be great at it."
"They'll both be great parents. We know that, but they're too anxious to realize it. They are getting married in five days."
"And they just found out they're having a baby. That is a lot of stress piled on them. Wish I could do more to help."
Damian raised a hand to cup my cheek. "You've done more than anybody to help Mara. Taking care of all the wedding details must've been a huge weight off her shoulders. You've done way more to help them than I have."
"Getting Ollie drunk might not have been the smartest idea ever, but you did it because you love your best friend."
"Ollie might be my best friend, but you're the best everything to me."
I wasn't sure that statement made sense, but I understood what he meant. If we hadn't said we loved each other last night, maybe I wouldn't have gotten it. But we had, and I did.
"You're my best everything too," I said, turning my face into his palm to kiss it.
He pulled his hand away and grimaced. "Need some water."
"Let's get you into bed first."
I helped him sit up, then hooked an arm around his waist while he laid his arm across my shoulders. We got him into bed without too much trouble, and I tucked him in.
"Be back in a few minutes," I said, kissing his forehead. "You rest. I'll bring water and some saltines."
"Thanks, baby. You're the best."
When I came back ten minutes later, he was still awake and sitting up. I'd brought him water but also a sports drink, for the electrolytes. He sipped that while I opened the box of saltines. I'd brought aspirin too, which he swallowed with the sports drink.
"Nibble on this," I said as I offered him a cracker.
After a few minutes of sipping and nibbling, he waved away any more. "My head's pounding. Think I need another nap."
"Lie on your back. I'll give you my patented headache relief massage."
"You patented it?"
"Not literally. I mean it's guaranteed to work."
He stretched out on his back, his head on the pillow.
I sat beside him, near his head, and began to massage his scalp with my fingertips.
"Mm," he moaned, "that feels so good."
For a few minutes, I massaged his scalp and his temples while humming softly. Then he drifted off, his lips curled up in the sweetest little smile. While he slept, I wandered outside to check on Mara and Ollie, but I ran into Eve first while she was exiting the guest house.
"Ollie's fine," she said when I reached her. "Mara is taking care of him, and she's not even upset about it."
"Mara's a lot stronger than even she knows."
"That's for sure. How's Damian?"
I couldn't help laughing a little. "Wishing he'd come up with a better plan to help Ollie relax."
Eve laughed a bit too. "Val thought it was a great idea. Men. They all think the answer to any problem is booze or sex."
"Good thing they have us to straighten them out, or they'd kill every brain cell they've got."
"So true." Eve tipped her head to the side like she was considering me. "Mara told me how you stepped up to take care of the wedding stuff. Sounds like you've done an amazing job in a short time."
"I owed Mara. After my stupid behavior when we first met."
"You aren't still feeling guilty about that, are you? We all understand what you were going through back then."
"No, I'm not feeling guilty." I shoved my hands into the pockets of my shorts. "But Mara has been such a good friend to me, and I want her to have the wedding of her dreams."
"She told me what you've done. The wedding will be perfect." Eve gave me that head-tipped look again. "Have you ever considered doing that sort of thing for a living?"
"I wanted to be an event coordinator, but my parents thought I should be a doctor. So I became a pharmacy technician instead. Thought that might make them happy, but it didn't."
"You're happy here, aren't you? We certainly love you."
"And I love all you guys too. I love this resort. It feels like home to me."
Damian felt like home too. Even when he got wasted.
Eve set her hands on her hips. "How would you like to become the event coordinator for Au Naturel Naturist Resort? You could do freelance jobs on the side too, like Mara does with the apartment complexes she owns."
For a moment, I could do nothing except stare at her. Had Eve just offered me my dream job? Yeah, she had.
"Are you serious?" I asked. "Because if you are, my answer is yes, yes, yes."
"The job is yours."
I shrieked and leaped up and down, grinning like an idiot. I even clapped my hands and did a little celebration dance.
All the naturists on the lawn turned to look this way, and every one of them smiled and cheered, though they had no idea why I was so happy. I recognized every face. These people were like family to me.
Maybe that's what Damian and Monica had both been trying to tell me. Family was what you made it, and my family was here—with a bunch of naked people.
I hugged Eve. "Thank you so much. This is my dream come true, and I won't let you down."
"Never for a second thought you might."
"Damian will be so happy." I wrinkled my nose. "Unless his hangover is still in high gear."
"Go tell him, sweetie. And welcome to the family."
I raced back into the wagon and leaped onto the bed.
Damian opened his eyes. "What's going on? Is the room actually spinning?"
"No, it's not. Sorry I woke you up, but I have amazing news and I couldn't wait to share it with you."
He yawned and scrubbed his face with both hands, then sat up. "What's the news?"
"I'm the new event coordinator at Au Naturel Naturist Resort."
Damian grinned and kissed me.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Damian
Heidi must've loved me a lot if she could forgive me for getting drunk with Ollie. She understood why I did it, even if she disagreed with my methods. Once she found out she had a job here at the resort, she didn't care about my dumb idea anymore. Val and Eve did not fire me, though the next morning, they gave me and Ollie a speech about priorities and duties. We nodded at every point they made and promised never again to get drunk on a day when we were supposed to be working.
They weren't angry. But they ran a business, not a home for idiots who thought getting hammered was a reasonable solution for stress relief. Of course they had to give us both a talking-to. We deserved it.
Heidi and I spent the rest of that day lounging in bed while I nursed my hangover. Even after I recovered from my bender, we didn't feel like leaving the wagon except to get food. I wasn't up for sex, literally, so we watched movies and talked.
The next day, we teamed up to finish the wedding prep and keep the bride and groom from going nuts again. Val and Eve decided that was part of our jobs this week, so we didn't get in trouble for not doing our usual jobs. Well, my usual job. Heidi didn't officially start hers until after the wedding.
Two days before the big event, Ollie's family arrived, and an hour later, Mara's parents arrived. My family showed up too. The rest of the guests would be here in the afternoon, but we had lots to do today to get the three families settled in and prepared for the big day. Tonight would be the rehearsal dinner, but the bride and groom had decided against having a bachelor party or a bachelorette party. Instead, we would have one big celebration on the lawn.
Somehow, we survived those two days without any hitches. Mom and I offered free palm and tarot readings to everyone, and we put on a good show for the guests. I'd learned my flair for drama from my mother, so when the two of us collaborated on a show, it was the most fun anyone could have. Heidi was our sexy assistant. Though this wasn't a magic show, we included Heidi just because we wanted to. Mom had suggested it, and I loved having my girl with me while I did my Ludar prince shtick.
Afterward, she called me "the hottest gypsy on earth" and declared I was not a Dracula knockoff after all. I bit her neck just to prove her wrong, but it was only a love bite.
The party Friday night included music, both recorded songs and a live performance by Ollie. He played guitar and sang. Mara even joined him for one song, helping him croon "Bridge Over Troubled Water," which had become their song ever since the day Ollie had sung it to her when they had a private picnic not long after they met.
Heidi and I led a round of charades that resulted in plenty of raucous laughter.
Ollie spent the night in my room to keep up the tradition of the bride and groom not seeing each other until the ceremony.
I slept in the wagon with Heidi. Yeah, we did more than just sleep. When I made love to Heidi that night, I realized I'd fallen even deeper in love with her. Watching this woman wrangle the families and wedding guests, not to mention making sure every last detail got taken care of so Mara and Ollie would have their dream wedding, proved to me what I'd known all along. Heidi Mackenzie was one hell of a woman.
Saturday came so fast. The big day was here.
I didn't see Heidi until we got to the church. Ollie and Mara had considered holding their wedding at the resort, but they decided to go the traditional route instead and have it at the same church where Eve and Val had tied the knot. It was a beautiful building, with stained-glass windows and classic architecture.
Heidi came running up to me in the vestibule. "Can I talk to you alone for a minute?"
"Sure. Is something wrong?"
"No. Just come with me."
I excused myself, telling my parents I'd see them after the ceremony, and followed Heidi into what turned out to be a supply closet.
"What are we doing here?" I asked. "Please don't tell me Mara's getting cold feet."
"No, she's fine. Feeling cold isn't the problem." She backed me up to the wall, pressing her body against me. "I'm having a weird reaction to being the maid of honor."
"Are you getting hives?"
"No, I'm getting hot." She hooked a finger inside my waistband and tugged. "Fuck me, Damian."
"We're in a church. Isn't it a sin or something?"
"Do you care?"
I thought about the question for a few seconds, then wondered why the hell I was thinking about it. Heidi wanted sex. I was a guy, so of course, I wanted that too. My dick was firming up, so it wanted that for sure. But I still had this weird feeling that I shouldn't desecrate a sacred place or something like that.
Maybe falling in love had softened my naughty side, because I found myself easing Heidi away from my body. "I'll fuck you at the reception, okay? Not here in the c
hurch. It's Mara and Ollie's big day, after all."
"You'll do it at the reception? Promise?"
I couldn't help laughing. "You have my solemn word. I will drag you into the nearest closet and make you scream—at the reception."
Heidi took a big breath and let it out slowly. "Wow. Who knew a wedding could make me so horny?"
"Everybody reacts differently to big life events." I cradled her face in my hands and kissed the tip of her nose. "Let's go do our wedding jobs. Can't leave Ollie without a best man or Mara without a maid of honor."
"I love you so much, Damian."
Smirking, I slapped her ass. "I kinda like you too, Heidi."
We left the closet hand in hand but said goodbye in the vestibule so we could attend to our duties as maid of honor and best man. Since Ollie and Mara didn't have a flower girl or ring bearer, just the bridesmaids and groomsmen, Ollie led us guys into the chapel and straight to the altar where we would wait for the ladies to do their thing. First, the guests had to file in and take their seats, with Sylvester Norris as the usher. Yeah, he seemed kind of old for the job, but Sly was like family to all of us. He had a great time executing his duties, though he did more than show people to their seats. He told jokes and made a grand, sweeping gesture with his arm to let the guests know where to sit. He also said, in a booming voice, "Please be seated here. It has the best view in the house."
Yeah, every guest got the best view. Amazing, right?
Sly was full of it, but at least he was enjoying himself.
I let my gaze wander over the decorations that had transformed this simple chapel into a dream venue for a wedding. Heidi was responsible for all of it. Garlands of fresh greenery and daisies draped over the backs of the pews and around the edges of the altar, not to mention the doorways and the vestibule. The garlands didn't just have flowers and leafy stuff, though. I also saw sprays of baby's breath and sprigs of fern leaves. Heidi had gone all out. It was the perfect backdrop for the wedding of two naturists who worked at a rural nudist resort.
Once everyone had taken their seats, a violin began to play. The bridesmaids ambled down the aisle toward us with Heidi in front, all of them wearing pale-green dresses that had small daisies sewn onto the neckline. Heidi wore her hair up in a loose style that let tendrils hang down to kiss her cheeks. Eve followed Heidi to the altar. She looked pretty too, but not as beautiful as the maid of honor.
