“Yeah, three of Mark’s cousins recognized Adam, and in the way only teen boys could, made a fuss. He stole the bartender’s pens, took selfies, and signed napkins. I think it’s probably better if we leave before someone notices he’s getting a lot of attention.”
She smirked. “I agree. Okay. We have to meet with the priest in the morning, but you’re ready for the rehearsal dinner, right?”
“Six-thirty, right here,” I said.
“Okay.” She hugged me, and I darted out of the ballroom before my mother saw me and tried to stop me.
Adam was waiting for me. “Did you manage to escape the mothership?”
I bit back a laugh and nodded. “Like a ninja.”
“Quick. Let’s go before anyone else recognizes me today.” He grabbed my hand and gave it a tug.
“Whoa, careful. I can’t run in these heels. And no, that isn’t an invitation for you to haul me off like a caveman.”
“Take them off, then. I’m on borrowed time. All it takes is one more crazy hockey fan from your family to up and leave that party, and I’m screwed. And if I’m screwed…” He raised one eyebrow.
I took off my shoes. “Where are we going?” I asked when he dragged me into the elevator and pressed the down button.
“To the beach. It’s quiet out there.”
“It’s also quiet in our room.”
“I know. But if I take you up there right now, it won’t be quiet for long.” He shot me a gaze. “And after what happened earlier, I think we probably need to get to know each other a little more.”
Well, there was a logic I couldn’t deny. There was no doubt that my mom would start her bombardment of questions the second she had a minute and found us alone. If I had another deer-in-headlights moment like I had tonight, I was done for.
“That’s a very good idea.”
The elevator doors pinged open, and luckily for us, the lobby was deserted. Mostly because everyone was still at my sister’s pre-wedding reception, but still. We made our way out to the front of the hotel and down the path that led to the private beach.
“There’s nobody here,” Adam said as we stepped into the sand. “Did your sister hire out the entire resort or something?”
“Actually, she did,” I confirmed, shaking my head. “Mark’s family is filthy rich, and mine isn’t exactly poor. Not to mention that Mark himself makes a fuck ton of money.”
“What does your sister do?”
“She looks pretty,” I muttered. “She says she’s going back to school to do a business and marketing course, but we’ve been waiting for that for two years.”
“In other words, she’s getting married, will claim she’s going to school, and miraculously get pregnant again.”
I pointed at him as we sat down. “We have a pool going about when she goes back to school, and that was my answer.”
“Can I get in on that?” He undid a button of his shirt and leaned back on his hands.
“No. I need that five hundred bucks more than you do.” I paused. “Also, I don’t think I actually have a hundred bucks spare to pay my share, so, come on Mark’s sperm.” I crossed my fingers.
He laughed. “I’ll lend my support to Mark’s sperm, so you don’t have to pay a hundred bucks. But, hey—since it’s also my vote, if it happens, I’ll pay your share.”
I rolled my eyes. “Thanks. Charity is so hot.”
Another laugh. “Think of it as we’re a team in our choice.”
“That sounds better.”
“So, I have a question.” Adam rolled his head to the side and looked at me. “If your family has money, why don’t you have a spare hundred dollars?”
I sighed and leaned back on my elbows. “Because,” I said, looking at him, “I’m a waitress at the Cheesecake Factory.”
His lips pulled right up.
“What are you smiling about?”
“I just really like cheesecake.” He fought a laugh. “So, my next question. If they have money, why are you a waitress at the Cheesecake Factory?”
“Because I did one year studying law and decided that being lorded over by my mother in both my personal and professional life would drive me to jump off a cliff by my twenty-fifth birthday. As you can see, I passed that without my death,” I said. “My dad is a hotshot lawyer, and my mom is a paralegal. That’s the family business. Until they snuff it, I’m serving cheesecake to people who probably shouldn’t be eating a whole lot of it.”
“I want to say that sucks, but you made that choice, so…good for you.”
“It’s not all bad. Sometimes, I get to take the leftover cheesecake home. Which was why I had to lose ten pounds before this wedding,” I muttered.
“Really? You had to lose ten pounds? Where did you lose them?”
“Somewhere in the middle of DisneyWorld. Although, if that were the case, they’d have found me again.”
Adam chuckled. “True story. I have to stay away during the season, or that place messes up my entire diet.”
“You go to DisneyWorld?”
“Four sisters. One is married, one engaged long-term, and two nieces and a nephew. I take the kids. They go for the magic, I go for the food, and I get major uncle and brother points. Everyone wins.”
“I really need to steal Rory more often.”
“Does your family live in Orlando?”
I shook my head. “My parents split their time between Miami, where the law firm is based, and Key West. They’re old enough now that they can work part-time for the most part. And Rosie and Mark live in Fort Lauderdale.”
“Where were you born?”
“Hey, you’re asking an awful lot of questions for someone who wasn’t embarrassed earlier today.”
His eyes sparkled. “Fine. You go. Ask me whatever you want. I’m an open book.”
“Okay.” I pretended to think. “Why didn’t you tell me you were an uber-famous hockey player?”
“I told you that already.”
“I know. I just wanted you to know that I’ll never let you live that down.”
He nodded slowly. “Point taken. I’ll do better next time.”
“Damn right you will. Okay, where were you born?”
“In Orlando,” he said, eyes still on mine.
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-eight. Twenty-nine in October.”
“What made you want to play hockey?”
“Ooh.” He tilted his head to the side. “I don’t really know. My family has always been big lovers of it, and both my grandad and my dad played it in school, but my dad kind of petered it out in college when he realized he wasn’t really good enough to make the major leagues.”
“But you knew you were?”
“I got on the ice when I was four for the first time. It was an easy thing to become obsessed with, you know? My dad would take me to all the home games for the Storms, and I guess I just felt at home on the ice. I was the worst teenager ever. I didn’t party or go wild. I had great grades and it meant I could get a scholarship to college for hockey.”
“Woah.”
“That sounded like a shocked whoa.”
“Kinda. Remember that I know nothing about any sport. Not a single one. Except that baseball pants are God’s gift to women.”
He laughed, dropping his head back.
“I’m just saying,” I fought my own laughter, “That it’s crazy. My sister said you were a star forward, but I don’t know what that is.”
“Uhh…”
“Wait, do you know what that is?” I teased.
He reached over and nudged me. “I’m trying to explain it in a way you’ll understand.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” He winked. “I’m an attacking player. So, it’s my job to score, pretty much.”
“Oh. How the hell was that hard to explain?”
“You think baseball pants are God’s gift to women. First, that’s me. And second, they have to wear cups, so that impedes access.”
“I’m gonna skip over the bit where you think you’re God’s gift to women and agree with you on the cup thing,” I said. “So, this might sound stupid, but have you won anything?”
“In hockey?”
“No, in football.”
He side-eyed me. “I wouldn’t take that sarcasm if you weren’t so cute.”
“Great. I went from being hot earlier to now being lumped in with newborn kittens and bunny rabbits.”
He laughed again, and goosebumps dotted my arms. “Yes, I’ve won things. How can you live in Orlando and know nothing about any kind of sport?”