Closing Time

by E. L. Todd

  I loved how protective Sean was, but I knew he was dreading being a father to a sexually active daughter. When that time came, I would have to deal with the birds and bees because he clearly couldn’t handle it. At all.

  “Bachelor party is this weekend,” he said. “But it’s going to be lame.”

  “Why would it be lame?”

  “Because I’m not going,” he said with a laugh. “And you know I’m the life of the party.”

  I narrowed my eyes in hatred. “Sean, you are going.”

  “I’m not leaving you here by yourself.”

  “It’s just for a few days. I can manage.”

  “If Mike doesn’t have to go, I don’t have to go.”

  “I’m sure Mike will go. Cassandra will probably kick him out of the house. She’s perfectly capable of taking care of their daughter by herself.”

  “Then I’m definitely not going.” His eyes carried his determination. He wasn’t backing down.

  “Sean, this is my brother. You need to be there.”

  “I do want to be there. Honestly, I really want to be there. But my wife comes first. Ryan will have to deal with it.”

  I wanted to slap him right now. “If I were about to go into labor, that would be a different story, but I’m clearly not.”

  “Well, you scared the shit out of me the other day!”

  “And everything worked out fine.”

  “Forget it. I’m not leaving you. You can be pissed all you want. I really don’t give a damn.”

  This argument was going to take a while. “Sean, please.”

  He didn’t look at me.

  “I’m the best man and I can’t be there. You need to go in my stead. One of us needs to be there.”

  “He’ll understand, Scarlet.”

  “I’m not letting my brother have a bachelor party with just Cortland and Flynn, who he’s only known for a few months. He needs you, Sean. You’ve known him for ten years and he’s your brother too.”

  “Scarlet—”

  “Please.” I’d beg if I had to. “My brother has been through a lot. He’s always taken care of me and put me first. This is such an important day for him. If I can’t be there, then you need to be there for me. Please. It’s really, really important to me.” I felt the tears in my eyes because I was so emotional about this.

  He sighed then finally looked at me. “Damn it.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I’ll only go if Mike stays here. I need to know that he’s only a minute away from you.”

  That was the best deal I was going to get. “Okay.”

  He leaned back against the couch and sighed. “God, you’re stubborn.”

  “God, you’re overprotective.”

  “There’s no such thing as overprotective for a husband and father.”

  “No, believe me, there is,” I said sarcastically.

  “Shut your mouth and let’s have sex.”

  Wait…what? Did he just say that? “Sorry?”

  He pulled my legs down then lifted up my dress. “I’m really annoyed with you and sex always fixes it, so we’re going to have sex.”

  That sounded good to me. My husband was hot and amazing in bed. The combination of the two made him perfect. Lately, he’d been blowing his load early, but I knew it would pass. The best thing to do was to pretend it wasn’t happening. But the time we were together, it was still wonderful. And like always, he never left me hanging.

  Mike came by the house after work, wearing a satchel that held Trinity across his chest.

  Sean stared at him then burst out laughing.

  “What?” Mike asked, annoyed.

  Trinity leaned her head back on the support beam, watching us with a giggle. She was fascinated by everything around her. Her eyes moved back and forth between me and Sean.

  “You just…” Sean laughed again. “You look ridiculous.”

  “What?” Mike looked down at Trinity. “This let’s me move around hands free.”

  “Like a Bluetooth?” Sean asked, unable to stop laughing.

  Mike glared at him. “It’s just easier this way. Now she can see everything rather than lying in her car seat or the crib. And I can keep an eye on her.” He ran his fingers through her barely visible blonde hair.

  Sean stopped laughing but he had a wide smirk on his face. “Whatever.”

  I elbowed him in the stomach, feeling the hardness of his abs. “Stop making fun of him.”

  “You were laughing too,” Sean said.

  “Because it’s cute.”

  “You don’t laugh when something’s cute,” Sean jabbed.

  “Just leave him alone.” I gave him a firm look. “You’re going to wear one too.”

  “Ah, no.” He shook his head. “I’ll carry Skye.”

  “Skye?” Mike cocked an eyebrow. “Is that what you decided to name your daughter?”

  “Yep,” I said, smiling just from thinking about it.

  “That’s a cool name,” he said. “I like it.”

  “Thanks,” Sean said. “But we better have a boy next.”

  “I want another girl,” I said.

  Sean glared at me. “We haven’t even had the first one yet.”

  “I know,” I said. “But I want two girls.”

  “I’ll have a heart attack before I’m forty,” Sean said.

  Mike looked down at Trinity. “Girls aren’t so bad. They’re really cute.”

  I smiled while I watched him. “No, not all babies are cute. Trinity is exceptionally pretty.”

  “She really is,” Mike said fondly.

  “Wait until she hits puberty,” Sean said darkly. “We’ll both be regulars at the hospital.”

  Mike groaned. “I’m not looking forward to that.”

  I rolled my eyes. Men could be so damn annoying. “Sex is a normal part of life. Our daughter will have sex and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

  “But I don’t want some jerk using my daughter,” Sean snapped. “You do?”

  “Of course not,” I said quickly. “But her decisions are her own. You need to stop thinking about it.”

  “I’ll never stop thinking about it,” Mike said. “Anyway, we just stopped by to say hi.”

  “You took her to work today?” Sean asked.

  “Yep. Cassandra and I are switching off. I don’t want her to get burned out. Besides, I love having my alone time with Trinity. We eat lunch together in my office, and we just stare at each other. It’s the coolest thing in the world.”

  “Awe, that’s so cute.” My heart was melting. “It makes me want to scream because it’s so adorable.”

  Mike smirked. “Well, I am pretty cute.”

  “Don’t let it go to your head,” Sean warned.

  “I guess I’ll see you later.” Mike picked up Trinity’s hand and helped her wave at us. “Bye, Uncle Sean and Aunt Scarlet.”

  Trinity giggled.

  “Holy shit!” Mike froze. “Did you see that? She laughed.”

  My grin was wide. “We did.”

  Mike’s eyes were wide. “Wow. That was the cutest damn thing in the world.”

  “Mike, watch the language,” I said.

  “Oh yeah. Sorry,” he said quickly. “I’ll have to work on that.”

  It was something Sean would have to work on too.

  “I’m going to go home and tell Cassandra what she did.” He opened the door.

  “Hold on,” I said. “We need you to do us a favor.”

  He looked at me like I was crazy. “My hands are a little full right now.” “Actually, your hands are totally free,” Sean jabbed, eyeing the satchel.

  Mike glared at him. “I’m going to tease you so much in a few months.”

  I intervened before the brothers started throwing punches at each other. “We need you to stay home for Ryan’s bachelor party.”

  “Obviously,” he snapped. “I’m not leaving my wife and newborn baby alone. You crazy?”

  “Actually, Cassandra will be per
fectly fine on her own, but that’s not the point,” I said quickly. “I really want Sean to go, but he only agreed if you stay here to keep an eye on me.”

  “Oh,” Mike said. “Of course, man. She can stay with us.”

  “No.” That wasn’t a good idea. “You guys should spend time with Trinity. I don’t want to ruin this time for you.”

  Sean gave his brother a firm look. “Just check on my wife every day and come by the house.”

  “You don’t even need to ask me,” Mike said. “I’ll be here in a heartbeat if she needs me and I’ll stop by after work.”

  “Thank you.” Sean extended his hand and shook Mike’s.

  “Now, I’m off. My wife is waiting for me and her baby.” Mike waved then walked back to his car. He put Trinity in the car seat then took off, driving ten miles below the speed limit.

  I laughed while I watched him go. “Mike is so cute.”

  Sean’s eyes narrowed in anger. “Excuse me?”

  Seriously? “We’ve been married for a year and you think I have a thing for your married brother?” Sean could jump the gun sometimes.

  He didn’t say anything, still looking pissed.

  “I meant he’s cute with his daughter. He loves her so much.”

  Sean calmed down. “Sorry.”

  “Yeah, you should be.”

  He rolled his eyes. “I’m just very possessive of you. This isn’t brand new information.”

  “You’re right. But I wish it would be old information.”

  “Well, I guess I’ll go to this damn bachelor party.”

  “And you will have a good time.” I poked his chest. “You will get drunk and do horrible things.”

  “Horrible things? Like what?”

  “I don’t know. Just be crazy.”

  “We’re going fishing,” he said sarcastically.

  “You can still have a great time.”

  “It’s fishing…”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “You need to call Mike if you need anything,” he said firmly. “Don’t worry about bugging him. I mean it.”

  “I know.”

  “And call me if you need anything. I’ll high-tail it out of there in a heartbeat.”

  “Yeah, I know that too,” I said sarcastically.

  “I mean it.”

  “I get it.” Talk about overkill.

  “I’ll call you every hour to make sure you’re okay.”

  “I sincerely hope you don’t have reception up there.”

  He glared at me. “I want to take care of my wife. Wow, I’m such a jerk.”

  “I know, but sometimes you go overboard.”

  “Well, you knew that when you married me, so I don’t feel bad about it.”

  Of course he didn’t.

  He grabbed my hips and pressed his chest into my shoulder, staying clear of my stomach. “I just love you, okay? I’m sorry it’s annoying, but it’s my job to take care of you. You have no idea how hard it is to let you go, even for a weekend. Our baby girl is almost here and I want to make sure nothing gets in the way of that.”

  How could I be annoyed with him when he was so sweet? I rested my head against his chest. “I know.”

  “You forgive me?”

  ‘There’s nothing to forgive.”

  He kissed my forehead. “Good. Because I’ll be this way for the rest of our lives.”

  “I expected nothing less.”

  12

  Ryan

  Janice and I were back to normal despite my cowardice attempt at doing the right thing, or at least what I thought was the right thing at the time. Now I realize how stupid it was. My fiancé was right; I let my insecurities affect me when they shouldn’t.

  “Looks like everything is ready,” she said. “Now we just have to get married.”

  I sat beside her on the couch and patted her thigh. “Which I’m looking forward to.” I waited for a snide remark for my behavior but it never came.

  “Where are we going on our honeymoon?” she asked in excitement.

  “It’s a surprise.”

  She growled. “How will I know what to pack?”

  “Don’t pack anything. You’ll be naked most of the time anywhere.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Are we going to a beach?”

  “We might be…”

  “I’ll just ask Scarlet.”

  “She won’t tell you a damn thing.”

  “We’ll see about that.” She cuddled into me on the couch and watched TV.

  I couldn’t pay attention. The guilt was welling up inside me. “Baby, I’m so sorry…”

  She sighed. “Ryan, let’s just move on.”

  “But it was such a shitty thing to do.”

  “It was shitty,” she snapped. “But I know you would have come back on your knees anyway.”

  Yeah, I probably would. “That doesn’t make my actions right.”

  “Ryan, let it go. I’m over it.”

  “I’m still sorry anyway.”

  “And I’ve forgiven you. Just don’t be a dumbass again.”

  I chuckled. “Okay.” A commercial came on. “Why did you want me to pack a bag? Are we going somewhere?”

  “I want to go hiking tomorrow.” She didn’t look at me.

  “Hiking?” I asked incredulously. “You don’t strike me as a hiking type of girl.”

  “Well, I am,” she snapped.

  “Where are we going to hike at? The Statue of Liberty is the closest thing we’ll find.”

  “Just shut up and watch TV.”

  I didn’t argue with her.

  A knock on the door interrupted our quiet evening at home.

  “Who the hell is that?” I asked.

  She shrugged. “I’m not expecting anyone.”

  I looked through the peephole but no one was there. I opened the door and looked at the ground, expecting a package from Amazon.

  “Let’s get this party started!” Cortland jumped in front of me and he wasn’t alone.

  “Grab your shit and let’s go,” Flynn said. “We got everything ready.”

  “What?” I asked.

  Sean patted my shoulder. “You heard them. Let’s head out.”

  We hadn’t discussed my bachelor party at all. I wasn’t even sure if I was having one. “Seriously, no liquor and no strippers. I already pissed Janice off and I don’t want to do it again.”

  “Just grab your bag and stop acting like a girl,” Sean said.

  Janice smiled while she came over to me. “You heard them. Now go.”

  Everything clicked. “That’s why you made me pack a bag?”

  “Bingo. Now have a good time.” She put the bag over my shoulder.

  “We’ll take care of him,” Sean said.

  “Just make sure he doesn’t take off again,” she said darkly.

  “Ooh,” Flynn said. “Burn.”

  I deserved it.

  “How long will I be gone for?” I asked.

  “The weekend,” Cortland answered.

  “What are we doing?” I asked.

  “Just shut up and let’s go,” Sean said.

  I turned to Janice and kissed her. “I guess I’ll see you when I get home.”

  “Have a good time.”

  “I love you.” I looked into her eyes while I said it.

  “I love you too.”

  “Please be here when I get back.”

  Her eyes softened. “I’ll always be here, Ryan.”

  “Okay.”

  Sean pulled me out the door then handed me his phone. “Your sister wants to talk to you.”

  I took it. “Yo.”

  “I’m sorry I can’t come, Ryan. But I really wanted to be there.”

  I was a little disappointed but I wouldn’t admit it. “I understand, Scarlet. I’m not sure where we’re going, but it’s probably not a good idea for you to come along.”

  “It’s not,” she said. “But we’ll do something—just the two of us.”

  “I’d like that.”


  “I love you.”

  “I love you too, sis. Take care of my niece.”

  “I will. I’m sitting on my ass and doing nothing just like my husband ordered.”

  I chuckled. “He’s a good guy, Scar. Listen to him.”

  “I know. Have fun.”

  “I will.”

  “Bye.”

  “Bye.” I ended the call then handed the phone back to Sean. “I’m surprised you’re coming.”

  He shook his head. “Don’t even get me started…”

  Cortland and I drove in his car while Sean and Flynn rode in his Ferrari. Flynn had never been in it so he insisted he ride with Sean, and Sean was insistent on taking his own car just in case he needed to get back to Scarlet.

  “So, now will you tell me where we’re going?” I asked.

  “Fishing,” Cortland answered, driving alongside a lake.

  “Fishing? Seriously?”

  “What? Scarlet said that’s what you wanted to do.”

  “I’m just surprised you actually listened to her,” I said with a laugh.

  “Do you want to do something else instead?” Cortland asked, panicked.

  “No,” I said quickly. “This is perfect, exactly what I want.”

  He breathed a sigh of relief and clenched the steering wheel.

  We pulled up to the lake house, which had it’s own dock with a small fishing boat. I rolled down the window and smelled the fresh air. I was used to the pollutants of New York City. It was nice to smell something else other than liquor and urine.

  “It’s nice,” I said.

  We got out and carried all our stuff into the lake house. The guys packed plenty of food and even more beer. There were two couches in the living room and two bedrooms, but only one shower.

  That might be a problem.

  “It’s the nicest thing they had out here,” Sean explained.

  “It’s great,” I said. “I love it.” I walked outside and saw all the fishing gear. It was perfect.

  “What are we going to eat for dinner?” Flynn asked.

  “Beer and burgers?” Cortland asked.

  “Sounds good,” I said.

  Sean flipped the burgers and prepared the dinner while we set up the poker table. I already had two beers because I didn’t drink much when I was at home. Sean passed us the plates and pretzels and we dug in while we started a round.

  “Mike couldn’t come?” I asked.

  “No,” Sean said. “He’s staying with Cassandra and looking after Scarlet for me.”