Tied - Part Four (The Tied Series) (3 page)

“Yeah, well. I do what I can. Hate to see any of my fighters go down like you did.” He shook his head. “Bad for business.” He looked me up and down. “Don’t stop coming just ‘cause your leg’s fucked. You might have to let that one go but you can keep the rest of your parts from turning into pudding. Do I see a gut already?”

I patted my stomach. “No,” I muttered, but it wasn’t completely true. I’d been sedentary for way too long, now, and my diet of coffee, beer, and bagels wasn’t doing me any favors.

I knew that Katherine wouldn’t care either way. But I still did.

“Membership’s good until the end of the year,” Lee said, “Don’t waste it.”

“Okay, Dad, I won’t let myself get fat, if that’s what you’re getting at. Wouldn’t want to bring embarrassment to the name of the gym.”

We flipped each other off as I left. Lee meant well, gruff as the old man was. I certainly felt a lot better now than I had before walking in. Sometimes you just need someone to curse at.

Braddock was respectful enough to ignore me but Cara chased me down on my way out the front door.

“Oh honey, I’m so sorry!” She nearly bowled me over as she flung her arms around my waist. Her generous breasts pressed against my chest. Gently, I took her by her shoulders and pushed her off.

“Don’t sweat it,” I said, “Go on back to work.”

“We can’t spend that money, you know.” She placed her hands on her hips. “Whitney’s got it in an account, just sitting there doing nothing. You’re a damn idiot for not cashing that check.”

“I tore that shit up.”

She sighed. “Yeah, we thought so. Money’s still there, though. We’re not returning it and we’re not spending it. Seems silly to just ignore it.”

“Not my problem.” I walked out.

She held the door open and shouted after me, “We just wanted to help! People do care, you know!”

That could care all they wanted, I didn’t need anyone’s charity.

I just needed a job. And I needed my girl back.

CHAPTER 3

Four of us sat on the train - only two of us were actually invited to the wedding.

“I still don’t know how my ass got dragged into this,” Surly said. We were seated next to each other, facing Mallet and his brother, Tony.
He’d
gotten an invitation. But not me.

“You love weddings,” Mal said, grinning. “Open bar, drunk girls in pretty dresses. Line dances.”

Surly cursed. “You two are out of your minds. I never really liked those Riley sisters.”

“Uh, that’s my girlfriend you’re talking about, man,” Mal said, the smile slowly fading.

“Sorry,” he shrugged, “Spoiled suburban girls aren’t my thing.”

“You know nothing about them,” I said, stretching my leg out into the aisle. It ached all the damn time. “Just because they had it better than you doesn’t mean they’re spoiled and it doesn’t mean they’ve had it easy.”

“I still can’t believe you knocked her up,” Surly said.

“You and me both.”

“You know what will cure your attitude?” Mal asked his friend. Surly grunted. “A pretty bridesmaid.”

“Just as long as it isn’t another sister,” he said, smirking.

“Is there a third?” Tony asked, “I’ll take her!”

Mal elbowed him. “No.”

I listened to them banter with half an ear. Every mile we passed was bringing me closer to Katherine - I hadn’t seen her in how long? A month? It was crazy to think that I’d let so much time pass.
She let it pass, too
.

What if this trip was a mistake?

“So the apartment might open up soon.” The word “apartment” brought me back to the conversation. It must have been an instinctual New Yorker thing - “apartment” “job” “subway” “bar crawl” - all words that commanded attention.

“What apartment?” I asked.

“Our father’s,” Tony said. “We’re gonna have to move to the old man out before winter.”

“Nursing homes are super fucking expensive,” Mal said, looking down at his hands. I sure as hell didn’t envy their position. Mallet had learned back around Christmas that their father had Alzheimer’s. I was nowhere near ready to start thinking about my own parents’ mortality.

“Why don’t you rent his place out,” Surly said, “Pay for it that way.”

“It won’t even come close,” Mal said, shaking his head. “Not for someplace decent. And sure as hell not anywhere near the city.”

“He doesn’t have any money for it?” I asked.

“Some,” Tony said, “Still.”

Damn
. That was a real problem if I’d ever heard one. It seemed like none of us had it easy at the moment. Even Surly - though he rarely shared his personal problems with me, at least. I knew his sister caused him a lot of heartache.
And he’s still stuck on some girl from last year, poor bastard.

Someone had to do something to lighten the mood. We couldn’t show up at a wedding wearing our woes on our faces.

“Guys,” I said, “This is pretty much the only vacation any of us are gonna take this year. Let’s try not to mope through it.”

“He has a point,” Tony said.

“Seafood, an open bar, the beach isn’t far from the hotel,” I went on. “Might as well try to have fun.” Not that I could appreciate the beach much - my ankle was still bandaged up. But the other two things on the list? Absolutely.

“Yeah, sure,” Mal scoffed, “It’ll be a real spring break sort of party.”

At least Tony was on board. He put his fists in the air and chanted, “Spring break, spring break!” He elbowed, shoved, and kicked all three of us until we finally joined in.

At least until the conductor gave us the evil eye. But the dark mood had lifted.
For now
.

○●○●○●○●○

The trip was more expensive than I’d originally thought - but for Katherine it was worth it. We took a cab to the cheap motel where we’d made reservations, dropped off our bags, changed into our suits, and took another cab to the wedding.

It was taking place at a restaurant right along the water - a new-looking place called Benny’s Crab Shack. It was nicer than the name made it sound.

The upstairs event space had a really overdone seashell thing going on - all over the round tables, all up and over the arch where I assumed the actual ceremony would happen, all up and down the bar at the end of the long room - the candles were nice, though.

Mal and his brother had been assigned seats, so while they found their table, Surly and I settled on the stools at the bar. “Think anyone will notice us?” I asked him.

“Naw,” he said, “The bride’s name is Bev, we know her daughters, we know Mal - that’s enough details to cover us.”

I chuckled. “You’ve done this before, haven’t you?”

“Crashed a wedding?” he asked, flagging down the bartender. “Sure. Mal and I used to all the time. Hotels, mostly.”

“Damn, I wish I’d known you guys when I was younger.” My brothers were fun but not
that
much fun.

We were into our second beers when the tables were finally full and the lights dimmed.

Alexa entered first, right at the music fired up - some classical track I should have known the name of. Her punk-style hair mismatched with her flowing peach-colored dress, but she looked great, anyway.

She stopped next to the overdone seashell arch. Katherine followed a moment later.

Involuntarily, I slid from my stool so I could stand. I didn’t even have the words for how she looked.
Beautiful? Radiant? Fucking gorgeous?
Nothing fit.

Her light brown hair was teased up into some elaborate mass of curls and braids on the top of her head, and while she was definitely wearing makeup, it wasn’t like they’d painted on a whole new face. She looked like herself, just… glowing. I’d never seen her like that. Her dress matched her sister’s, but it really fit them both well, different as their figures were. It stopped just above her knee, flashing more leg than I knew she normally liked. But I sure as fuck liked it.

I hoped to catch her eye but I was too far back behind some of the tables, and the room was dim, though a light shone on her and on the arch. I probably looked like nothing more than a shadow lurking back by the bar.

Later
. I climbed back onto the stool. Maybe it was good that she didn’t know I was there yet. As for myself, I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

I didn’t even watch her mother walk in. I didn’t even notice the groom, except to note how big of a guy he was.

Instead I watched Katherine’s face. She exchanged amused looks with Riley throughout the ceremony. They probably assumed no one was watching them. She covered her mouth to hide a giggle; she squeezed her bouquet of delicate flowers too tight as she suppressed laughter at something Riley said, causing a few petals to fall free.

I was glad to see her happy. At least until the vows - then a sort of distant sadness settled over her face. Why? Did she think this thing between her mother and this big dude wouldn’t last? Or was she thinking of something else - thinking of me? There they were talking about love, and she’d admitted that she was falling in love with me.
Was. Was!
Could she be so sad because it was all gone?

“This was a bad idea,” I said to Surly, sliding from my stool again. I had to get out of there. She looked downright fucking heartbroken and I couldn’t do that to her again.

I wasn’t counting on my fucking boot to hit the floor so heavily. I landed with a thud. It didn’t exactly echo through the room, but it sure as fuck wasn’t a quiet sound. A few people nearby turned to glare.

And Katherine herself squinted into the darkness, right toward me. Then her eyes went wide and her face went pale.

“Too late now,” Surly whispered, clapping a hand on my shoulder.

“No shit.”

CHAPTER 4

The ceremony ended with a big sloppy kiss and the reception began with little segue, the couple starting their first dance right there under the arch.

I couldn’t approach her yet - nobody was getting up, everybody was watching the dance. Waiters circled the room with little appetizers and trays with glasses of champagne. For the toast, I assumed. I crossed my fingers that I’d get to see Katherine before then. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could sit still.

Surly and I ate shrimp and crabcakes and tried to keep from looking too awkward sticking around at the bar. A few of the waiters gave us dirty looks, but I caught Alexa nodding to one of them a moment later, looking in our direction.
I guess this isn’t quite “crashing a wedding” if we get permission from a bridesmaid
.

At least I was able to relax a little more after that. I wasn’t afraid of getting kicked out. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d been removed from a place, though it had been a while. But getting pushed out the door before I could talk to Katherine? That would be unacceptable.

“Dude, you’re gonna creep her out if you keep staring across the room like that,” Surly said. The first dance had finished but everyone remained in their seats for the moment as salads were delivered. Katherine was talking to people who I assumed were family at her table.

“I know, but goddamn, this is a slow-ass wedding,” I said. Waiting was killing me. The candles weren’t “romantic,” they were too hot and they cast foreboding shadows. The view of the ocean wasn’t “pretty,” it was a vast reminder of our tiny size and insignificance in the universe. And my leg fucking hurt.

“I’m going outside for a few,” I said.

“Want company?” Surly asked, but I shook my head. I didn’t want to talk, I wanted to get out and away.

I stood beneath the awning just outside the front entrance of the restaurant. It had been sunny out when we’d arrived, but now the sun was setting and the sky was filling with clouds.
Rainy weddings are supposed to be good luck right? Shame none of that luck is rubbing off.

Staring out across the parking lot, watching the clouds roll in, I didn’t even hear anybody step through the doors and stand behind me.

“Lockett?”

I turned so fast I nearly tripped over my boot. “Katherine.” I looked her up and down, almost not believing she was there. “You look amazing.”