How Forever Feels

by Laura Drewry

  Damn it!

  “Is that a yes?” he asked, sliding his hands down her back and cupping her butt. “ ’Cause I’m happy to stand here and keep persuading you if you like.”

  “Jaaaack.” How did her unwavering “no” suddenly switch to such a whiny moan? “Why can’t they go somewhere else?”

  “You’re the only florist in town.”

  “There’s a florist in Whistler—and that part of the highway is wide open.”

  “Stella tried them, but they couldn’t do it. Apparently Will and Stella aren’t the only ones getting married this weekend, so the Whistler place is a little tapped out.”

  “Shit.” Shaking her head, she stared up into his soft melty eyes and wished she didn’t love him so much. “Really? You’re going to make me do this? For them?”

  “No, of course I’m not going to make you.” He kissed her again, so soft it was more like a whisper against her lips. “I’m just going to ask nicely and offer my services to help.”

  “Help? It’s Friday night, Jack, and the wedding’s tomorrow! I’m not even stocked to do a wedding! Do you have any idea how much work goes into bridal bouquets? Do you know what her colors are? What type of bouquet she wanted? How many bridesmaids she’s going to have? What about boutonnieres? Centerpieces? What about a corsage for Genie? Or Skank’s mom? What time’s the ceremony?”

  “Okay, whoa. Whoa.” He hadn’t let go of her, but his eyes grew wider with every question she fired at him. “My tie’s pink, does that help?”

  “Jack!”

  “Okay.” He laughed. “Relax. At this point, they’ll take whatever they can get, but I was serious when I said my tie was pink. I think her girlfriends are wearing pink, too.”

  “Like carnation-pink? Fuchsia? Blush? Rose? How many?”

  “Two. There’s another guy besides me, too.”

  “And?!”

  “Oh, right, uh, what else was there?”

  “Corsages for the moms? Number of centerpieces?”

  She might as well have asked him to speak Swahili.

  “Hang on.” He pulled his phone out and dialed. “I’ll find out.”

  “You do that. And tell them I’m charging them double.”

  “Okay.” He laughed quietly.

  “No, triple!”

  “Fine.” He covered the mouthpiece for a second. “What am I asking again?”

  Maya snapped out all her questions a second time, with instructions for the skank to email or text pictures of the original plans and the dress, then rolled her eyes every time Jack relayed an answer. She didn’t know why he thought that was so funny, but he was still grinning at her when he hung up.

  “Will and Stella asked me to tell you they really appreciate this.”

  “Yeah, well, you can tell them I said they should go fu—”

  “Maya.”

  “Oh, right, they’ve already done that, haven’t they?” She tried to shove his arm away, but she might as well have been trying to lift Thor’s hammer, so instead she ducked under and headed for her bedroom to get changed. “And you didn’t tell them I was charging them quadruple the price.”

  “Quadruple?” He laughed. “I’ll tell them later.”

  Yeah, she knew what that meant. “You told them you’d pay for the flowers, didn’t you?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Jack!”

  “What?” He asked, still laughing. When she went to pull her hair out from the collar of her shirt, he brushed her hands away so he could do it instead. And as ticked off as she was, the touch of his fingers against the back of her neck still made her shiver. “You’re not going to go do this now, are you?”

  “Uh, yeah. When did you think I was going to do it? A noon wedding means they’ll need everything by ten or eleven for the pictures before the ceremony, and they’ll need to set up the tables with the centerpieces. Look out.”

  She pushed past him, grabbed her jacket and keys, and headed for the door, with him tripping after her.

  “How can I help?”

  “By staying out of the way and distracting me from the fact that I’m doing this for the two people I dislike most in the world.”

  “Okay.”

  Back at the store, Maya studied the scribbled list she’d brought with her, then the pictures Skank had sent to Jack.

  “Figures,” she muttered. “Her dress is gorgeous. Bitch. Simple, traditional, flowing…so why the hell would she pick tailflowers? God almighty.”

  Rolling her eyes, she returned the phone to Jack, who was grinning back at her.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.” He chuckled. “You’re funny, that’s all.”

  “Hilarious.” Another eye roll as she pointed toward her computer. “Email those to me here and print them off.”

  “Okay, but remember none of this has to be big and fancy, Snip, just whatever you can throw together.”

  Maya dragged her gaze up from her list and stared back at him for a long moment.

  “Throw together? The Stalk Market doesn’t just ‘throw things together,’ Jack. We take pride in what we do—regardless of who it’s for—and if Skank’s going to have her bouquet designed by me, it’s going to be the best damn bouquet she’s ever seen—and there’s no way in hell it’s going to have even one of those tailflowers in it.”

  His grin widened as she ranted. “Attagirl.”

  “Whatever,” she huffed. “Just print off the pictures.”

  Apron on, hair clipped back, she pulled out her binder of ideas and flipped through it, holding the picture of Skank’s dress next to each bouquet until she hit on the one that would complement it best. Classic teardrop shape in soft pinks and creams with just enough green to break it up. Perfect.

  With Jack’s help, she gathered the buckets of flowers and fillers and set everything up on and around her work table, then set out small spaces for the other arrangements. As usual when she was building bouquets like these, it took her a little while to get a good feel for it, to move away from the design she started with and turn it into something personal, something original; and the great thing was, the more she relaxed, the easier the bouquet came together.

  And the more Jack talked, the more she relaxed; there was just something about his voice that soothed her, lightened her frown and made her laugh, even if he was talking about Dickhead’s bachelor party.

  “I had no idea you had so many friends in this town,” he said. “I’m pretty sure that waitress down at the pub—”

  “Shelley.”

  “Yeah, her. I’m pretty sure I saw her spit in one of Will’s drinks.”

  Maya grinned, making a mental note to up Shelley’s tip next week. “She’s good people, that Shelley.”

  “Oh, and your friend Delilah was there.”

  “Of course she was.” Maya grunted. “Did she give you all lap dances?”

  “No!” It was cute how indignant he sounded. “But she did offer.”

  He told her about Keith, how he had every intention of being back at work full time by Monday and how he had a thing for his physical therapist—a woman who apparently looked like an angel but who’d refused to even go out for coffee with Keith so far.

  Three hours in, Jack came around the table and stood behind her as she worked on one of the centerpieces. She thought—hoped—he might go in for a feel, but he didn’t, instead he set his hands on her shoulders and started to knead them gently, slowly, using his thumbs to ease out the knots that had started in the base of her neck.

  He never said a word the whole time, until Maya sighed and leaned back against his chest.

  “Better?”

  “Much, thank you.”

  “Is that one ready for the cooler, too?”

  “Mm-hmm. You don’t have to stay, Jack. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow, and there’s nothing you can really do here, so why don’t you go home and get some rest? I’m going to be another couple hours here.”

  “Nope.” Shaking his head, he resumed
his position on the stool across from her. “You stay, I stay.”

  And he did, right up until she’d stuck a straight pin through the last boutonniere.

  “Thank God,” she groaned. “What time is it?”

  “Two-thirty.”

  It didn’t matter how many times she blinked, she was too tired to see straight, never mind move, so with the shop locked up, Jack piggybacked her to the apartment and carried her upstairs.

  “Jack,” she murmured. “Where’s Pete?”

  “He’s having a sleepover with his buddy, Duke; he’s fine.”

  “Mmm. Okay.”

  “Hey, Snip.”

  “Hmm?” She’d let Jack undress her, then stretched out on top of him when he finally got into bed, too.

  He wrapped his arms around her and tugged her up tighter. “What would you say if I told you I loved you?”

  “Mmm.” Smiling, she breathed a kiss against his neck and sighed. “I’d say thank you, I love you too, and if I weren’t so freakin’ tired, you’d be getting so lucky right now.”

  “I’m already lucky,” he murmured. “Go to sleep.”

  “Okay, but tomorrow…” She could barely form the words she was so tired. “Tomorrow you get lucky.”

  But by the time she woke up the next morning there was no time for any kind of luckiness.

  “I never sleep past seven!” she cried, racing for the shower. “Go—you need to get to Will’s, and I need to get to the store. Tell Skank I’ll have the flowers there by ten.”

  Sitting on the edge of the bed and muttering under his breath, Jack fumbled into his clothes, but grabbed hold of Maya as she made a run for the bathroom and pulled her back so she stood between his knees.

  “Not so fast.” God, his kiss almost melted her right there on the bedroom floor. “What I said last night—I meant it.”

  “Not sure what you mean,” she said, batting her eyelashes. “I was pretty groggy.”

  “Groggy my ass.” Even through his big grin, his eyes still warmed her. “I love you, Snip.”

  “Oh that.” She slid her fingers through his mussed-up hair and leaned in so her lips brushed his when she spoke. “I love you too. Now go do your thing before we’re both late.”

  “Okay.” He nodded. “But tonight…”

  “Definitely tonight.”

  She made it to the store—late—but instead of opening, she put a sign in the window saying she’d be opening a little late and then ran around cleaning up the mess from the night before. Then she took the flowers out to her car.

  She was about to deliver flowers to Dickhead’s wedding—so not what she ever thought she’d be doing, but the flowers did look damn good even if she did say so herself. With everything set tight, she took a deep breath and drove to the hotel they’d booked for the reception.

  Will’s sister, Tammy, and a guy with a nose ring were already there setting up.

  “Oh my God—Maya!”

  “Hey Tam, how are you?” Maya set the flat box of boutonnieres and corsages on the nearest table and smiled as Tammy stepped awkwardly toward her. “Oh come on, can I at least have a hug?”

  And just like that, Tammy hugged her so tight it was hard to breathe.

  “I miss you,” Tam whispered. “So much.”

  “Yeah, me too.”

  The guy with the nose ring cleared his throat, making Tammy pull back. “Sorry, Maya, this is my boyfriend, Cliff. Cliff, this is Maya, Will’s—”

  She froze, her eyes wide.

  “Maya McKay.” Maya smiled as she shook Cliff’s hand. “Will’s ex-wife.”

  “Oh! Nice to meet you.”

  “You too.” She turned to Tammy and exhaled. “I’m not really keen on running into anyone else, so can you guys help me bring in the rest?”

  “Sure.”

  It took them a couple trips, but it was much quicker with them helping, and as soon as everything was set on the nearest table, Maya turned to Tammy.

  “Will you please let her know it’s all here?”

  “Yeah, no problem. It’s so good to see you.”

  “You too.” Another hug, then Maya stepped back. “I should go. It was nice to meet—”

  “Maya.” Genie’s voice froze everything around Maya until she couldn’t breathe.

  Now was not the time or place to tell Genie what she thought of her, or of what she did to Jack. No, now was the time for Maya to smile politely and leave, which is exactly what she started to do.

  “Tammy,” Genie said. “I need a minute with Maya please.”

  “Oh no,” Maya said. “I’m leaving.”

  But Tammy and Cliff had all but run from the room, leaving Maya alone with her.

  “Jack told you, didn’t he?” Genie’s mouth pinched a little as Maya nodded. “He did. You have to understand how desperate I was; you were what Will needed, and I knew if you found out you’d call the wedding off.”

  An icy chill pooled deep in Maya’s belly. “If I found out what?”

  “About the woman at the bachelor party.” Genie’s hands twisted at her waist. “I was so scared Jack was going to tell you, and the only way I knew to stop him was to use his own weakness against him. God, Burt would’ve killed me if he knew. Jack didn’t deserve that—and neither did you.”

  Maya’s heart was crashing so hard in her chest, she had to grip one of the chairs for support. No. She must’ve misunderstood. Deep breath. Good.

  “What woman at the bachelor party?”

  “You know…” Genie said, waving the tissue clutched in her hand. “That woman. The stripper. The one Will…”

  “The one Will what?” Maya didn’t know how she kept her voice so steady when the rest of her body was in a full-on quake.

  “Oh no,” Genie’s hand flew to her mouth as she backed up a step. “You said Jack told you!”

  “Genie,” Maya said. “You’ve got about two seconds to tell me what the hell you’re talking about before I bring this whole wedding crashing down around you.”

  “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I thought you knew. You said you knew.”

  Teeth clenched, Maya somehow managed to grind out the woman’s name. “Genie.”

  “He…at the bachelor party…the woman, she was a stripper and then after…after…” Hiccupping over a sob, she kept shaking her head. “She and Will…they…”

  So Will had sex with a stripper a week before he married Maya. Nice. Very classy. Very Will. She was neither shocked nor angry. Not at him, anyway.

  “Jack knew?”

  Very slowly, as if it hurt to do so, Genie nodded. “That’s why…at the rehearsal…I couldn’t let him tell you. I just—”

  Maya didn’t hear another word, because she was already stumbling back to her car. Jack had known all along and hadn’t said anything. He’d let her marry Will knowing what he’d done, surely knowing she was setting herself up for failure.

  Jack.

  Jack who just last night told her he loved her. Jack, who’d had her back through the divorce, even though he never said a word to her. Jack, who’d always been so loyal.

  Loyal to the Carsons.

  She had no idea how she managed to drive back to the store without crashing, but she did, and then sat staring out the windshield for a long time. Numb, that’s what she was.

  She’d done it again. She’d gone and trusted the wrong person.

  Chapter 16

  “Oh…my…God.”

  Janice, Friends, “The One with the Candy Hearts”

  All through the wedding ceremony, Jack twitched. Genie had been nervous and edgy around him, and it hadn’t gone unnoticed by Will.

  “What the hell’s going on?” he hissed while they stood watching Stella and her girlfriend sign the register.

  “Not now,” Jack said.

  With his mega-watt smile firmly in place, Will tipped his head toward Jack and spoke through gritted teeth. “Something’s going on and you’re going to tell me.”

  “I will. Later.”


  The day dragged on through photos, more photos, a sit-down lunch, the toasts, and finally the cake-cutting. The only good thing about the whole day was the flowers; it seemed like everyone commented on how perfect they were, and every single time, Jack made sure to tell them Maya down at The Stalk Market had done them.

  The food was good, Will and Stella looked perfectly happy, and even Genie seemed relaxed when she wasn’t looking at Jack. Seemed a shame to cause a blip in the happiness, but Jack had waited long enough, and apparently so had Will, because the second the cake had been cut, he headed straight for Jack.

  “Talk.”

  “You want to sit down first?”

  “Do I need to?”

  “I’d like it if you did,” Jack said. “It’ll make it harder for you to punch me that way.”

  “Fuck.” In a huff, Will pulled out his chair at the head table and motioned for Jack to do the same so they sat facing each other.

  “I’m not going to get into everything right here,” he said. “But there’s one thing you need to know and, uh, yeah, there’s no good way to tell you.”

  “So just say it.”

  Okay. He downed the rest of his beer, swallowed hard and nodded.

  “I’m in love with Maya.”

  For a long time Will didn’t blink, but his chest heaved with every breath and his color went from its usual tan to pale, red, then back to pale.

  “My Maya?” he choked. “You’re in love with my Maya?”

  “Technically she’s not…” Jack started, then nodded. “Yeah.”

  “Jesus Christ, Jack.” Will pressed his hands over his knees and leaned forward a little. “Since when?”

  Jack sat back in his chair and heaved out a breath. “Since forever. And your mom’s known all along.”

  “You told my mom?”

  “No, she just knew.”

  “Maya.” He must have muttered her name three or four times before finally shaking his head. “She was my wife, Jack. D’you want to know how many times I fucked her?”

  “No.” Every cell in Jack’s body hardened. He knew it would come to that with Will, just like it had in his yard that first night. “And trust me, you don’t want to go there with me right now.”