Lost in Time (Forever and Always #20) Read online

  She was putting dishes and pots in the kitchen, arranging everything. “I love it.”

  “Good.” I leaned against the counter and watched her. “So…are you staying somewhere tomorrow night? Or did you want me to go somewhere?”

  “Well, all my stuff is here…”

  I smiled. “I’ll stay with Sean and Scarlet then.”

  “Thank you.” She gave me a beautiful grin before she returned to her work. “Are we going anywhere for a honeymoon?”

  “You think I’d marry you at city hall and not have something else planned?”

  “No…” Her cheeks reddened.

  “How does Greece sound?”

  She dropped the silverware on the floor, in shock.

  That’s the reaction I was hoping for.

  “Greece!” She covered her face in surprise.

  “Yep.” I loved her reaction. “We’ll be staying in Athens and Croatia.”

  She jumped into my arms. “This is unbelievable.”

  “I’m glad you’re excited.”

  “You’re going to get so much sex out of me.”

  I laughed. “That’s what I was hoping.”

  She hooked her arms around my neck and pressed her face close to mine. “I love you so much.”

  “Because I take you on expensive trips?”

  She laughed. “No. But it does help.”

  “I’m just glad I can make you happy.”

  “You make me more than happy.”

  After an emotional goodbye to Monnique, I drove to Sean’s house then walked to the door. I couldn’t believe I was getting married the next day. She wouldn’t just be my girlfriend that I lived with. She would officially be mine. She’d have my last name. We would be together—forever.

  I knocked on the door and waited for a response.

  The door finally opened and Sean gave me a wicked grin. “Hey, man.”

  “Hey.”

  He opened the door wider. “Last night as a bachelor, huh?”

  “It appears so.”

  Sean grabbed my bag then placed it at the foot of the stairs. “And what should we do on your last night?”

  I shrugged. “I was just going to get to bed.”

  “Think again.” Ryan clapped me on the shoulder. “Friends never let friends skip their bachelor party.”

  I smirked when I realized everyone else was there. Flynn and Mike patted me on the shoulder, giving me knowing smiles. “Oh no. I smell trouble.”

  “Lots of trouble,” Ryan said.

  “Well, it can’t be too crazy,” I said as I looked at my watch. “Because I’m getting married in a little over twelve hours.”

  Flynn rubbed his palms together greedily. “We have a good plan.”

  Should I be worried? “What about the girls? You’re just going to leave them?”

  “They’re together,” Sean said. “They are upstairs, getting ready for bed.”

  “And there’s a fancy alarm system in place,” Mike said with dark eyes.

  Sean checked the time. “We need to leave to get to the helicopter on time.”

  Helicopter? “What?”

  “When you party with the Prestons, you party right,” Mike said with a wink.

  I had a feeling this was going to be a crazy night.

  We reached the top of the building then piled inside. I wasn’t afraid to fly in commercial airplanes, but a tiny helicopter was different. I buckled my safety belt and checked it twice before I finally sat still.

  Mike handed me his flask. “Take a drink. It’ll get the edge off.”

  I did as he asked then cringed at the burn of the liquid.

  When everyone was buckled inside, we were ready for take off.

  “I can’t believe we’re doing this,” I blurted.

  “Can we leave the door open?” Flynn asked. “Wouldn’t that be cool to hang out of it?”

  “I’m going to piss over the side, giving all the streetwalkers a treat,” Flynn said.

  “Let’s just leave the door closed,” I said immediately. I turned to Sean. “Does Monnique know about this?”

  “Nope.” Sean gave me a wide smile. “And she isn’t going to know. This is our guy secret.”

  I swallowed the lump in my throat.

  The pilot took off from the landing then rose into the air. All of Manhattan could be seen from the windows. It was cool, but shit, it was fucking scary.

  Mike turned in his seat and looked at the pilot. “Can you do flips and shit?”

  “Don’t give him any ideas,” I said immediately.

  “Oh,” Flynn said. “Can you do a steep nose dive then pull back up?”

  “Shut up,” I hissed.

  Flynn laughed hysterically. “The bachelor is a fucking pussy.”

  “I just prefer to die as a married man.”

  “Calm down,” Mike said. “We’ll be fine.” He drank out of his flask again.

  The fear was still in my body. I snatched the flask and downed the entire thing.

  “We’re going to party so hard tonight!” Mike said as he watched me.

  “No strippers,” I said immediately.

  Sean shrugged. “We’ll see.”

  When we arrived, we landed on top of one of the hotels.

  “I’ll be here at six,” the pilot explained. “Don’t be late.”

  “We won’t,” Sean said.

  “How much did that cost?” I asked.

  “A few pennies,” Mike said with a shrug. “At least for the Prestons.”

  They’d already done so much for me. I didn’t want them to spend too much.

  “Let’s head to the hotel,” Flynn said. “It’s about to start.”

  “What?” I asked.

  “You’ll see,” Mike said.

  “You guys keeps saying that,” I snapped. “See what?”

  “We’re about to find out,” Ryan said.

  We headed to the lobby then saw a large line for one of the conference rooms.

  “Where are we going?” I asked. “A show?”

  “Kinda,” Ryan said.

  Seriously, what’s with all the secrecy?

  We reached the beginning of the line, where the security officer gave Sean an intimidating look. “The line is in the back.”

  Sean pulled out tickets from his pocket then handed them over. “We’re in the VIP section.”

  The security guard checked them. “You’re good.” He opened the door and let us walk in.

  The suspense was killing me.

  We walked into an arena that surrounded a boxing ring. People were in the crowd, drinking beer and holding up signs. After looking at the banners and t-shirts people wore, I realized we were at a UFC fight. “How the hell did you get tickets to this?”

  Sean shrugged. “I’m a Preston. I get what I want when I want it.”

  Mike fist bumped him. “Ditto.”

  We moved to our seats in the front row. I still couldn’t believe this was happening.

  A waitress came to us, busty and pretty, and took our drink orders. I assumed Sean arranged for her to wait on us all night.

  “Dude, I can’t believe this is happening,” I said to Ryan.

  Ryan nodded. “Fucking awesome, huh?”

  Now I knew I didn’t need to worry about strippers and girls. It was definitely going to be a guy’s night.

  The waitress returned with our drinks and I downed mine quickly. “Any bets?”

  “A hundred on Renner,” Ryan said.

  “I’ll take that bet,” Flynn said.

  “Me too,” I added.

  We threw our money down and waited for the show to begin. Once the fighters arrived to the ring and the crowd cheered, the fight began. I noticed Wayne Gretzky on the sidelines. He wore a sweater and sunglasses to hide his face, but I still recognized him. This night just got even better.

  We cheered while the two fighters went for each other. I spilled beer on my shirt a few times because I jumped up so unexpectedly. More laughs and cheers happened
, and as the game went on, we shared high-fives as our chosen players got the upper hand. I’d never been to a live match before, and it was an awesome experience.

  By the end of the fight, I’d had too much to drink and ate too many hotdogs. My player lost so I owed Flynn a hundred bucks. Since it was my bachelor party, he didn’t take it.

  “Let’s head to the casinos,” Mike said.

  I looked at my watch. It was already one in the morning. This was going to be a long night. And I was already a little drunk.

  We hit the floor then played a few rounds of blackjack. The guys wouldn’t let me pay for anything. Sean and Mike forked over most of the money, paying for my chips and my bets. As soon as I finished a beer, a waitress appeared out of nowhere and replaced the one in my hand. I quickly realized she was waiting on just me, probably because of Sean and Mike.

  I won just as much as I lost, breaking even. I gave the winnings back to Sean, but of course, he wouldn’t accept them. My mind started to get blurry and a headache thudded behind my eyes. When I looked over at Ryan, a group of girls were flirting with him. He managed to slip away and join me at the table.

  “Doing okay, buddy?” he asked.

  “When have you ever called me that?” I said with a slur.

  He rolled his eyes. “Fine. You doing okay, man?”

  “No. I’m going to hurl.”

  He patted my back. “Now this is a real bachelor party.”

  “I’m getting married tomorrow and I’m going to be too drunk to open my eyes.”

  “Good,” he said. “That’s how it should be.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Tell Monnique that.”

  “Hey, after everything she did, she can be a little understanding.”

  “I was a jackass too.”

  “Impossible. You’re too much of a nice guy.”

  “Are you mad I’m getting married before you?” I rested my head in my hand and felt my eyes droop.

  “No,” he said with a laugh. “I’m not a girl.”

  “Good. Cuz, like, I totally love her.”

  He cocked an eyebrow. “You totally love her?”

  “Totally.” God, I was drunk.

  He laughed. “Cool.”

  “You remember how you felt the first time you went to Disneyland? How it was so awesome and you couldn’t wait to go back? Well, that’s how it is with Monnique. I never want to leave.”

  He tried not to laugh. “Well, for one, I’ve never been to Disneyland. And secondly—”

  “You’ve never been to Disneyland?” My head popped up and my eyes were wide. “The happiest place on earth?”

  “I’ve definitely been to the happiest place on earth.” He gave me a wink.

  “How is that possible?”

  “My mom is psycho, remember? She never did normal mom things.”

  Oh. I totally forgot about that. My mind was falling apart with every drink I took. I couldn’t think clearly. Words were flying out of my mouth, not having any meaning. “What happened with that, exactly? I mean, I know you aren’t close with your mom but what happened?” I never asked him any of this before. For some reason, I was being illogical and brave.

  He sipped his brandy then put down the glass. “She never loved Scarlet and I. Plain and simple.”

  “But that’s not possible,” I said. “Every parent loves their children. My mom loves me too much sometimes.”

  He smirked. “Yeah, she does. You’re lucky.”

  “I mean, how can your mom not be there for you? Not take you to Disneyland?”

  He shrugged. “My dad pressured her to have kids when she didn’t want any. When he was gone, she stopped putting on a show for him. She didn’t take care of us. If I was gone for a week at a time, she never wondered where I was. But I only stuck around for Scarlet.”

  “What did she do to you?”

  He eyed me. “You’re so drunk. You would never ask me this if you were sober.”

  “But I love you, man. You’re the most amazing, super cool, awesome, guy in the world. Like, how can someone look at you and not be proud of you. You’re like my brother. She has to love you.”

  He smirked slightly. “I love you too. You are my brother.”

  “I hate seeing you guys in pain…why do bad things happen to good people?”

  “I’ve seen you drunk before, but you’ve never been emotional before.”

  “Monnique’s parents were awesome and amazing. Why did they have to die? Why is yours still alive. It’s just not fair…”

  He took my drink and pushed it away. “I think you’ve had enough for the night.”

  I rubbed my temple and felt the headache far underneath.

  “You nervous about tomorrow?”

  “No,” I said with a laugh. Why did I laugh?

  “She’s the one?”

  “Fuck yeah. Have you seen dat ass?”

  Ryan laughed. “No. Tell me about it.”

  “I just want to bite it sometimes.”

  He laughed again. “How’s she in bed?”

  Why was I answering him? “So fucking good. Her pussy is like…dipping a strawberry in chocolate—warm, smooth, and sweet.”

  Ryan rubbed his chin while he laughed. “Damn, I could ask you anything and you’d answer. I’ve never seen you this drunk.”

  “You’re drunk,” I said like it was a comeback.

  “Sure.” He humored me. “Are you scared you’ll never sleep with anyone else for the rest of your life?”

  “Hell no. I hate dating. I hate finding the right one. I was with Elizabeth for years and I was never really happy. Monnique is the first girl that makes life worth living. Everyone else just…passed the time.”

  He nodded. “I understand that.”

  “She quit her job.” I raised a fist in the air, victorious.

  “She did?” he asked in surprise. “That’s good.”

  “Now I can keep her in the house and she’ll never leave.” I gave a maniacal laugh.

  “That’s not creepy at all.”

  “You know what I mean.” I laughed at myself and felt the room spin. “Now I’ll have a nice housewife. Dinner will be ready when I get home and she’ll take care of the kids. I win!”

  “You win?” Judging the smile on his face he loved my drunken state.

  “I totally win.”

  “But didn’t she quit her job on her own?”

  “Yeah…but still.” I reached out for a half finished beer on the table and pulled it toward me.

  “That’s not yours.”

  I drank it anyway.

  “So gross…”

  “Um, that was mine.” A woman next to me stared at me with an amused expression.

  “I’m getting married tomorrow,” I blurted.

  “Oh.” She nodded her head slowly. “Congratulations.”

  “I don’t want to have sex with you.”

  “Okay.” She laughed. “That makes two of us.”

  “My fiancé is hot.” My vision was blurry. “She has a really nice body.”

  Ryan covered his face and laughed.

  “Well, good for you,” she said. “Have a good night.” She turned back to her friend.

  “No offense, but you aren’t my type,” I said. “My fiancé has skin like chocolate milk and brown eyes. She’s fucking hot.”

  Ryan grabbed my shoulder and turned me back to him. “Okay. That’s enough.”

  “What?” I said, offended. “She wouldn’t stop hitting on me.”

  Ryan kept laughing. “You were talking to a dude.”

  “What?” I turned my head back and squinted my eyes. Sure enough, it was a guy with a ponytail. How did I miss that…?

  “So leave the nice man alone,” Ryan said.

  “Whoops…” I shrugged my shoulders then laughed again.

  The rest of the guys came back and looked at me.

  “Is he doing okay?” Mike asked.

  “Hey!” I gave them each a high-five but missed each time. “It’s nice to se
e you.”

  Mike smirked. “So, he’s totally wasted.”

  “I just realized something!” I stood up but wobbled on my feet. Ryan pulled me back into the chair. “We’re like the three musketeers.”

  “Yeah…except there are five of us.” Flynn cocked an eyebrow.

  “There is?” I started counting, but when I reached the number ten, I knew something wasn’t right.

  Mike looked at his Rolex. “It’s almost six. We need to make sure Cortland has time to sleep this off.”

  “Man, I want to have sex,” I blurted. “I wish Monnique was here.”

  “Has he ever been this drunk?” Sean asked.

  Ryan shook his head. “Never. He was just telling some dude he didn’t want to have sex with him because he thought the guy was a girl.”

  “Damn, we missed that?” Flynn asked.

  The waitress came back with another drink then handed it to me.

  Ryan snatched it away. “That’s enough for him.”

  I stared at her chest, seeing how big her boobs were. “Do you have fake tits?”

  Ryan knocked over the glass because he laughed so hard.

  Mike covered his face and snickered.

  The waitress gave me a hard look, not looking happy.

  “I don’t like them,” I said as I raised my hand. “My fiancé has a nice rack—and they’re real.”

  The waitress grabbed my beer then poured it on top of me.

  “Why is it so cold all of a sudden?” I held up my hands, seeing the amber liquid drip off my hands. “How did I get in the shower…?”

  Sean handed the waitress a wad of cash. “My apologies for tonight.”

  She stuffed it into her bra then walked off.

  “I’ve seen better!” I shouted after her.

  “Man, drunk Cortland is fun,” Mike said. “We need to drink with him more often.”

  “I wish Monnique was pregnant,” I blurted.

  “Really?” Ryan asked, amused.

  “Yeah, you guys are all having kids and shit,” I said. “I feel left out. I’m going to knock her up.” I suddenly felt confused. “How do you get a girl pregnant?”

  Sean shook his head. “We need to get this guy home. His brain cells are dying.”

  “Scarlet and I never would have worked out if we got together,” I mumbled. “She’s too classy for me.”

  “Good to know,” Sean said with a sour voice.