For Better Or Worse: Take Two(CC,AU,Adult) AN, 2/4/06 [WIP]

[LittleHottie510]

Hey guys! I'm glad that a few of you are still with me!!! Thanks for the warm welcome back to the boards. It's good to be back!!!!

I know that I'm scaring a few of you into being like 'Fuck all this, I'm getting married at the courthouse!'... but honestly, all the stress and planning is totally worth it! It may not seem like it when its all going on, but once the big day arrives... trust me! It's worth it! And I promise that I'll make all of it worth it for Max and Liz!

I'm going to give you a warning ahead of time... there will be a chapter completely dedicated to the actual wedding ceremony. I already have it written in a non-POV way(it made more sense to do it like that). However, that chapter is very heavily religious. Liz and Max will be married in an Episcopal church(which is the kind of church I got married in.) There will be a warning the chapter before it's posted, and before the actual chapter, that if that isn't your thing, if your beliefs clash, that's fine, don't read it. I'm just letting you all know in advance.

Also...I’d just like to state, for the record, that as of the last part... I have no more outline. *lol* Well, I had this chapter outlined, but the outline got shot to shit... so starting now... I’m wingin the whole damn thing.

Wish me luck!!!!!!!!!

Here we go.. the next chapter(Which is really a bunch of nothing-ness... *LOL*). ENJOY!!!!

Chapter Nine

(Max POV)

“FOUR! FFOOUURR!!!” Michael screams at a group of about six older gentlemen as his golf ball comes within inches of their heads. They all duck, then glance around before sending a glare his direction. He notices the glare, and responds by flipping them the bird. “I yelled four, assholes!” He yells before turning back to me.

“You’re going to get us kicked out.” I laugh at him, climbing out of the golf cart and teeing up.

“Not a chance.” Michael scoffs at me. “Everyone knows who your dad is, they’re not going to kick us out.”

I don’t feel the need to answer him, I simply roll my eyes. It’d be a moot point to say that he’s right. It’s never a good idea to let Michael know that he’s done something right.

I line up with the ball, taking a minute to concentrate before bringing my golf club back over my shoulder and hitting the golf ball. I watch it as it flies in the general direction I wanted it to go.

“So Liz is finally gonna let you bring Fluffy back home, huh?” Michael asks, once we’re both in the golf cart and headed off in the direction our golf balls went. I hold onto the bar for dear life when he cuts a turn suddenly and I almost tumble out onto the fairway.

“Well, she hasn’t officially agreed yet, but I’m wearing her down.” I finally answer, once my heart begins beating again. Why on Earth I ever let Michael drive this damn golf cart, I’ll never know.

“Is she still afraid that the dogs gonna try to eat Sophia?” Michael chuckles, driving past his golf ball. He curses, then whips a U-ie, once again, almost throwing me off the cart.

“Alright, you’re officially fired as the driver.” I inform him once he’s circled back and found his ball. Luckily, the old guys have moved on.

“Yeah, whatever.” He mutters, getting out of the cart and going to the back to pull his club out of his golf bag.

“Anyway, though.” I bring the conversation back on topic. “I think Liz has finally come to terms with the fact that Fluffy isn’t going to eat Sophia. I don’t know why she’s still holding out. I mean, Fluffy’s been over at Kyle and Tess’ since right after Soph was born. I miss him.”
Michael shakes his head at me. “You go over and see him all the time. Besides, its just a dog, Max.”

Before I get to respond, my cell phone starts vibrating in my pocket, the ringtone soon following. My movements to get my phone out of my pocket are halted when I actually hear what that ringtone is. “I’m going to kill Isabel.” I mutter.

Michael hones in on this, and begins laughing his ass off. “You have Here Comes The Bride as your ringtone.” He manages before he literally keels over in a fit of laughter. I extend my foot to give him a kick in the ass before I finally get ahold of my phone.

“Yeah?” I growl into the phone.

“Ooh. Someone’s pissed.” Liz shoots back. “Is someone a crampy camper today?” She coos, only feeding my anger.

“No, I just don’t like people fucking with my cell phone!” I yell.

“Ok.” She starts. “First of all, that was Isabel, so if you are seriously thinking of taking it out on me right now, I’m going to beat the shit out of you. Secondly, I was just calling to make sure you followed through on the small things that I asked you to do for our wedding, but if you’re going to be like this, then forget it. I’ll just continue to do everything myself. It’s not like you’re getting married or anything.” She lays the guilt trip on thick.

It works. I feel like an ass. I inhale deeply, letting it out slowly as I pinch the bridge of my nose. “I’m sorry, baby.” I back-peddle. “You know I love you, and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. Forgive me?”

I hear a quick exhale over the phone, she’s still pissed. “I guess I’ll forgive you this time.” She says, not a hint of teasing in her voice.

I’m obviously not getting out of the doghouse for this one. “What’d you need, baby?”

“As previously stated, I was just making sure that you did those three little things I asked you to do today.”

I’m drawing a blank. I was supposed to do something today? Other than go golfing with Michael? I got nothing. “Of course I did.” I say, making it sound like I’m annoyed that she’d think I forgot.

“You did?” She prods. “You went to Michael’s and you got enough boxes of bubbles, enough things of tulle and enough ribbons for us girls to take the bubbles, wrap them in the tulle, tie them up all pretty with a ribbon, and then distribute them after the ceremony for people to blow bubbles when we walk out of the church?”

My God. That was A LOT of stuff that she just said! Now... I don’t remember her saying a damn thing about this. What the hell would boxes of bubbles be doing at Michael’s house? And I know what tools are, but I don’t think we’re talking about the same thing. Shit. “Yes, sweetie. I did.”

“And you called in and talked to the limo guy and got a limo?” She continues.

“Yes.” I obediently answer. No, I definitely didn’t do that. Add that to the list of shit I have to do the second I hang up the phone.

“And you made sure to tell them that I wanted a white, stretch limo?”

I’m going to yank my hair out. I swear to God. “Yes.”

“Thank you, baby.” She finally gives up her snotty tone. “I’m sorry that I even doubted you.”

“It’s alright, honey. I’ll forgive you this time.” I respond with her earlier comment.

“I went and picked out your wedding band with Tess earlier.” She blurts out. “It’s gorgeous, honey. I know you’ll love it.”

“I’m sure I will.” FUCK! I forgot all about the wedding band! Mental note: Go visit Christopher later.

“Ok, well... what are you doing?” She asks.

“Just hitting some golf balls with Michael.” I answer. I’m still desperately trying to remember any mention of bubbles or ribbons, and I’ve nothing. NOTHING.

“Well, have fun, ok? I know this is the only day you have off this week. I’ll see you when you get home.” She replies.

“Ok, I love you.”

“Love you, too. Bye.” The call ends, and I shove my phone back in my pocket.

I take a deep breath. “Dude... we gotta go. I now have a list of shit we have to do today that I didn’t know I was supposed to do, but was apparently told to do.”

“You’re such an idiot.” He shakes his head at me as we pile into the golf cart and begin out journey back to the country club.

“Hey... do you have any boxes of bubbles at your house?” I ask, glancing over at him.

A look of total and utter confusion immediately appears on his face. “Excuse me?”

I sigh. “Never mind. I’ll just call Isabel.”
<center>****</center>

So, I called Isabel, right? Apparently... Michael’s is a craft store. Who’da thunk it? So, Michael and I went and bought enough bubbles, tulle... which I had to ask to find out what the hell that even was, and ribbons for seven weddings. We made sure to keep the receipt though. That way, the girls can return anything that we’re not going to use.

I’m on my way to have a visit with Christopher. Not only do I have to buy Liz’s wedding band, but I also have to buy her a wedding gift to give to her at the rehearsal dinner. I officially hate weddings.

“Ok.” Michael snaps his cell phone shut, causing me to glance over at him. “I ordered the limo.”

“Thanks, man.” I give him a nod, pulling into a parking space in front of Christopher’s jewelry store.

“So, what are we here to get again?” Michael asks, slamming the car door shut behind him as he gets out.

I sigh. I’ve told him about thirty times, now. How many more before it finally sinks in?? “We’re here to get Liz’s wedding band, and to get her wedding present from me.” I explain.

“I still don’t understand why you’re getting her a wedding present.” He shoves his hands into his pockets as we walk down the sidewalk towards the door.

“Because that’s what you’re supposed to do.” I answer, opening the door to the store and walking in. I remove my sunglasses, and let my eyes adjust to the darker interior. It’s nice and cool in here, I like it.

“Mr. Evans.” Christopher recognizes me from the other side of the store, already making his way over. “How nice to see you again.” He extends his hand.

I extend mine and we shake hands. “Nice to see you, too.” I respond before shoving my hands back into my pockets.

“Let me guess... you’re in here for your beautiful wife’s wedding band.” He says, an unreadable sparkle in his eyes.

“How’d you know that?” I narrow my eyes at him.

“Your mother was in here a few hours ago with a beautiful young women who claims to be marrying you in about a months time, and another beautiful young women who says she’s going to be in the wedding.” He explains. “She picked out your wedding band. I can only assume that she mentioned something about it, and you suddenly remembered that you’d have to get one for her as well.”

“You get that a lot?” I self-consciously scratch behind my ear.

“All the time.” He nods. “I sometimes get guys coming in here on their way to the wedding rehearsal who are in a panic, having forgotten.” He laughs a little.

“Glad to know I’m not a total idiot.” I throw out.

“Not at all.” He motions behind him. “Would you like to start looking?”

“Yes, please.” I politely respond. I follow him over to a glass cabinet holding dozens of trays of wedding bands. He pulls a few trays out and sets them in front of me, letting me know that he can get more out when I’ve gone through all these, and to go ahead and take my time.

Wrong color, that band’s too thick, that band’s too thin, that ones ugly...

Damn it all to hell in a handbasket. I forgot how much this sucked! If, for some weird reason this marriage to Liz doesn’t work (Knock on wood that it does), I’m not getting married again. I will never go through all this crap again. I’ll get myself season tickets to football, a fishing cabin in the woods and be like the unibomber. I’ll never do this again!

“Find anything?” Michael suddenly asks, appearing at my side. I jump, not having expected him to just pop up like that. “Scare ya?” He laughs at me.

“Someone needs to put a little bell on you.” I mumble. “You can’t just sneak up on people like that.”

“I didn’t sneak up on you.” He rolls his eyes, then looks down at the tray of rings. After about five seconds... he grunts, turns around and leans against the glass case so he doesn’t have to actually look at the rings. “They all look the same to me. Just pull one out of there and let’s go.”

“Michael...” I begin, turning to face him. “They aren’t all the same and I can’t just grab one and go. You’re absolutely no help.” I throw my arms up in the air.

“Why can’t you just grab one?” He throws back. “It doesn’t matter. It’s just a little piece of metal!”

I shove my hands through my hair. Why the hell did I make him my best man?? I mean, I know that it was the right thing to do, Michael’s more of a brother to me than a best friend... but the best man has things that he’s supposed to do. There are duties that the title entails. Michael isn’t good at keeping up with details, and such.

“It matters to me.” I finally answer him. “Because I want Liz to have the best.”

He lolls his head back towards me, regarding me with a raised eyebrow. “You’re freakin hopeless, man.” He shakes his head, finally turning back to the ring display case and bending over to inspect the rings. “I don’t know how you function without Liz, being as in love with her as you are.”

“One might say that I’m... ass over teacups in love with her?” I say, then clamp my lips together to stop from laughing at him.

Ever since way back when Liz was pregnant with Sophia, and Michael said that, and Liz heard him over the baby monitor... she told everyone, and we make fun of him about it every chance we get. He really did leave himself open for it though. Honestly. Who the hell says something like that?

Ok, so I wasn’t much of a help. I could have checked the monitors to make sure that I had the right one in the right end of the apartment, but you can’t be responsible for everyone in the universe. It’s not like I made him say it.

He doesn’t respond back, instead he pretends that he just doesn’t hear me at all, and keeps looking at the rings in front of him.

I start looking as well, and after about five minute, I’m no closer to finding one. “Do you see anything that you think Liz would like?” I ask Michael, glancing over at him.

He rights himself, having been bent over the counter for the last five minutes. “I--” He points at the trays of rings. “You just--” He points towards the door to the shop. “There--” He throws his arms up in the air before crossing them over his chest and pouting. “I don’t wanna play anymore.”

“How’s it going over here?” Christopher slides in, right as I’m about to maim Michael for not only not being any help, but for being retarded to boot.

“It’s not.” I mutter, running my hand down my face. “Christopher... you saw the engagement ring, you’ve seen my wedding band... Can you please help me?” I all but beg.

He gives a little chuckle. “Give me a minute, and I’ll see what I can do.” He says before excusing himself and browsing through the cases.

I make my way to the other side of the store, bound and determined to find Liz’s wedding gift by myself. That’s the least I can do, right?

I only look through two cases before something catches my eye. “Excuse me.” I garner the attention of a girl standing off to the side behind the counter. “Can you show me this bracelet, please?”

She makes her way over and takes the bracelet out of the case before handing it to me. “Those bracelets are my personal favorite.” She gives me a little wink. “I’m sure your fiancee would love it.”

I look over the bracelet, casting a glance over my shoulder to make sure Michael’s not breaking something. The bracelet is beautiful. It’s a simple silver bracelet, nothing spectacular, but something I know Liz would like. It’s small, with little circular links interlocking and making up the band, a single circular charm hanging from it. I glance at the charm from both sides, finding them both empty. Shouldn’t it, like... I dunno, say something, or whatever?

As I open my mouth to ask about it, she speaks up. “We engrave initials on the charm.” She smiles at me. “So, if you wanted to give this to your girl as a wedding present, we could engrave her new initials on it.”

Excuse me? How freaking perfect is that?! “I’ll take it.” I hand her back the bracelet. She grabs a sheet of paper, filling out my information, as well as taking down Liz’s initials. In pretty cursive letters on the front of that little circular charm, it will soon say ‘ELE’.

I’m feeling pretty good about the whole thing when I go back to the other side of the room to check in with Christopher. He holds out two rings. “Either of these would be perfect.” He tells me.

I take them from him, pulling them in close to inspect. One of them is a platinum band, with seven diamonds in the band. The other is also platinum, but the diamonds go all the way around the band.

I hand them both back, informing him that I’m going with the one with diamonds all the way around it. He takes it off towards the back of the store to put it in a box. I turn to Michael, giving him a big smile. “And, one more thing accomplished.”

As we make our way out of the store, I suddenly turn to Michael. “You... ordered the limo, right?”

He lets out a long sigh, just so I know that he’s agitated. “Yes.” He finally clips out. “I already told you that.”

“And you told them we wanted a white stretch limo, just like Liz asked for?” I prod a little further.

Out of my peripheral vision, I see Michael’s jaw tic, and I can hear his breathing get a little heavier. He mutters to himself before digging his cell phone out of his pocket to call the limo service back. There was one sentence in the mumbling that I managed to make out. “I fuckin hate weddings.”

<center>****</center>

I close the front door behind me once I finally make it home. I noticed Tess’ car in the driveway, so I’m assuming the girls are around here somewhere. After all, there are tons of wedding details and whatnots to plan... there’s always people in this house.

I kick my shoes off in the entryway, pushing them over to where they’re supposed to be. Out of the way of the doorway, and out of the way of anywhere people would be walking. I drop my keys onto the table and make my way into the house.

I walk past the entry of the livingroom, glancing in as I continue my walk through the house. Once it registers, I stop, then take a few steps backwards.

“What’re you doing?” I ask, a smile tugging at my lips.

Tess rips the blanket off her head, and she immediately looks at me with wide eyes. “When did you get here?”

“Just now.” I answer. “So... why did you have a blanket over your head?”

“I’m playing peek-a-boo with Sophia.” She answers. “She’s having a great time with her Aunt Tess.”

“Then... why is she standing in front of the TV, completely enthralled in Spongebob? And why do you still have your head under the blanket?”

Pink tinges her cheeks as she realizes that I have a point, Soph has given up on peek-a-boo. She calmly begins folding the blanket that had previously been on her head, opting to just forget about the whole thing.

I clamp my lips together to keep from laughing. I’m not sure why I find this so funny, but I do. I finally manage to calm down. “So, where’s Liz?”

“She’s in the laundry room folding towels, I think.” Tess answers, her embarrassment behind her. “Either that, or she’s throwing another load of laundry in.”

“Basically, she’s just doing laundry.” I deduce. “You could’a just said that.” I smirk at her before making my way towards the laundry room. I nudge the door open further and stick my head in, smiling at what I see.

I push the door open all the way and lean against the doorframe. Liz is bent over the hamper, half of her body literally inside it. The only thing I can assume is that she’s trying to get the clothes out of the bottom of it. There are piles of clothes on the floor, and I notice the washer is full, the dryer is going, and there is a basket of folded towels on the table between the washer and dryer that hold the laundry soap and fabric softener sheets.

Where the hell did all these clothes come from?? This is ridiculous. “Hey beautiful.” I finally say, letting her know I’m behind her.

After a few seconds, she glances back at me over her shoulder. “Hey handsome.” She smiles at me before digging back into the hamper. She reappears almost immediately, tossing a few socks into the washer before reaching over and closing the lid. It starts washing the whites as she steps over the piles and makes her way towards me. “How was the jewelry store?” She asks, her eyes sparkling at me.

“What do you mean?” I feign ignorance.

“You went with Michael to pick out my wedding ring after I called you.” She shrugs, stretching on her tip toes to give me a kiss on the cheek before she walks around me and makes her way down the hall towards the kitchen. “And before you even ask... No, Michael didn’t tell me anything.”

“Then why do you think I went to the jewelry store, then?”

“Because there’s no way you’d remember that you’re supposed to get me a wedding band.” She giggles, pulling stuff out of the refrigerator. “We’re having lemon-pepper chicken for dinner, I hope that’s ok.”

“Yeah, that’s fine...” I start.

“Kyle and Tess are going to eat with us, too.” She interrupts again. “He’s on his way over.”

“Ok, but back to what we were talking about...” I garner her attention again. “What makes you think I forgot?”

“Because the guys never remember.” She shrugs. “I also happen to know that you got my wedding gift, too.”

“How do you know that?” I plunk my hands on my hips. When the hell did this women develop ESP?!

“Well, you were already there. Two birds, one stone.” She dances around me to grab some spices out of the cabinet. “And just so you know... you also have to get the guys gifts.”

“Why?” I whine. I’M the one getting married! Shouldn’t I be getting presents?!

“It’s tradition that you get the guys something for being your groomsmen. I have to get the girls something for being my bridesmaids.”

“What are you getting them?” What the hell am I supposed to buy Michael, Kyle and Alex? I don’t even get them stuff for their birthdays. I mean, Liz does, and signs my name to the card, so that kinda counts... but I don’t know what to get them.

“I’m getting them all matching necklaces to wear in the wedding, and then they just get to keep them.” She says as she starts cutting the chicken. “So, that’s absolutely no help for you, honey.”

“What am I supposed to get them?” I hop up onto the counter top.

“I bought your gifts for them today, Max. Stop freaking out.” She reaches over and pinches one of the my cheeks. Why? I don’t know. She’s cute though, so I don’t care.

“What’d you get them?”

“I got each of them a flask. It’s so cute! It’s wrapped in black leather, and it has a little silver oval in the center of it, and I got their names engraved on it.” She smiles at me. “Be sure to tell them that the gift, in no way, make it ok for them to drink before the wedding. Because I won’t hesitate to kill them.”

I crack up laughing, knowing that the first thing the guys are going to think when I give them those flasks is something along the lines of “Alright! I can get smashed before the wedding, then hide this thing in my tux pocket!”. My friends are awesome.

“Thanks for doing that for me.” I slide off the counter and wrap my arms around her waist. I drop a kiss on her exposed shoulder, since she’s wearing a very sexy little tank top today.

“No problem.” She replied, turning her head to give me a proper kiss. “Now, go play with Soph before I make you help me cook.”

I quickly release my grip on her, giving her a little smack on the butt as I make my way back into the livingroom. Tess is lounging on the couch, her cell phone forever attached to the side of her head. Sophia is sitting in front of the TV, her mouth wide open as she stares up at the screen.

I walk up behind her, quickly picking her up and tossing her up in the air enough to flip her around to face me before bringing her back to my chest. I smack a kiss against her cheek when she starts giggling, and walk us over to the love seat and dropping down into the cushions. I sit her so she’s facing me and she leans forward to try to smack me in the face. “Thanks, sweetheart. Daddy appreciates that.”

I scrunch up my nose and stick my tongue out at her. I get the desired effect as she giggles loudly. I take a minute to look at her, I mean really look at her. She has Liz’s hair, that’s for sure. Looks like chocolate, but is soft like silk. Liz put it up in a high ponytail today, so its literally sticking straight up. She kinda looks like Cindy Lou Who with that little antennae. Soph also got Liz’s nose, and ears. Basically, my little girl is a miniature version of my girl, but with my eyes.

“You’re beautiful, pumpkin.” I tell her, leaning forward to smack more kisses on her cheeks. “Beautiful just like mommy.” She responds by squealing at me at the mention of her mom. “Yeah, daddy got lucky, huh? Say uh-huh.”

“Daa!” She replies.

I laugh. “Close enough.”

TBC...

[LittleHottie510]

Hey guys! I'm back with the next chapter(Which happens to be the chapter that Raychel has been ANXIOUSLY awaiting since I began writing this stupid fic. *lol*)

I'm glad you all are enjoying this... I'm never sure about these chapters... since I never like anything I write, so at least ya'll enjoy it!! That's all that matters to me!

Ok, I don't have much to say, other than... I hope you enjoy!!

Oh! Thought of something! *lol* Ellie mentioned that since Fluffy was MIA from this one, she thought she was wrong about Max having a dog. No, you're not wrong... I'm just an A*HOLE and completely forgot about him. *LOL* I suck. Sorry for the confusion

Also, the actual wedding won't be for quite a few chapters, just so ya'll know.

Ok, I'm shutting up now. Enjoy!

Also... *YAY* for today, cause my hubby was born 22 years ago today. *hehe*

Chapter Ten

(Liz POV)

I do a triple check to make sure that I have everything that I’ll need to leave the house. You know, you never quite realize just how much crap it’s required that you take with you for a simple trip to the airport.

I check through Sophia’s diaper bag and make sure that I have any supplies I’ll need. It’s not like I’m going to be gone that long, but you have to anticipate for any possible situation.

Although packing all this stuff up, lugging it out to the car and then trying to fit myself, Sophia and everyone else, plus their luggage into the car is going to be quite a chore, I’m excited!

Once I finally manage to get my shit together, I’m heading to the airport to pick up Steven, Matt, Brad and Johnny. The wedding is two weeks from tomorrow, but the guys wanted to come early so they could be sure to be here for the joint bacholer/bacholerette party that’s going on tomorrow night. Max and Michael finally talked me into it, so it’s happening. Well, it’s more that they pestered me enough and I got sick of them and agreed, but whatever. So, everyone’s flying in today, we’re going out for dinner, letting them get settled, and them tomorrow: we party!

I’m going to be meeting Steven’s girlfriend Raychel for the first time today. I’m actually a little nervous about it. I’ve talked to her on the phone a few times, and she seems like the sweetest thing in the world, but I’m still nervous. She’s really quiet, and me and my friends are just… not. I hope we don’t damage the poor thing.

Just as I’m convincing myself that I have everything that I’m going to need, Sophia tottles by full speed. I catch a hold of her arm just as she trips over her foot and almost face plants into the corner of the coffee table. I have a mild heart attack, and then swing her up onto my hip to ensure that she doesn’t have a close call like that again. I grab the strap of the diaper bag and secure it on my shoulder as I scoop up my purse off the table and simultaneously head for the front door.

As I’m trying to keep a good grip on Soph, who is trying her hardest to wiggle out of my grasp and lock the front door, my cell phone rings. I somehow manage to lock the door, clamp my key ring between my teeth, rummage through my purse for the cell and walk to the car at the same time.

“Hello?” I manage when I’ve finally answered the phone.

“Hey babe.” Max greets me. “What are you doing?”

“I’m trying to get to the airport sometime today. I don’t think I’m going to make it, though.” I grumble. I unlock the Denali, which Max let me borrow to accommodate all the people and luggage, but then drop my cell phone when I try to put Sophia in her car seat. “Hold on!” I yell in the direction the phone landed when it bounced against the driveway.

Once I’ve gotten Soph in the car seat and gotten her secured, I drop the diaper bag on the backseat floorboard, and then close the door. I scoop up the cell phone as I round the front of the SUV. “Sorry, baby. I dropped the phone trying to get Sophia in her car seat.”

“You haven’t even left yet?” Max asks. “You’re going to be late.”

“Well, thank you Captain Obvious.” I retort. “Thank you for that breaking new report. I had no idea.” I hop up into the driver’s seat and let out a scoff. “I can’t believe you’re making me drive this thing.”

“There’s absolutely nothing wrong with my Denali.” He immediately goes on the defense. He knows that I don’t particularly like it, and he’s slightly sensitive about it.

“It’s too freakin big.” I whine, trying to maneuver out of the driveway, put on my seatbelt, talk to Max, and change the radio station all at the same time.

“That’s just what you think.” He brushes off my insult. “What time are you going to be home? Do you know?”

“No, I don’t.” I sigh. He’s been driving me crazy lately. “I suspect that I’ll be home sometime after I manage to actually get to the airport and pick everyone up.”

“Don’t get all mad.” He says, then after a second, he chimes in with another thought. “Are you changing my radio station?!”

“No, of course not.” I reply in my sweetest voice.

“Bullshit.” He counters.

I gasp at him. “Language, Maxwell.” I chide. “What would your mother say if she heard you talking in such a way?”

“Yeah, whatever.” He mumbles. “I gotta get back to work. I don’t know what Michael did to that Nissan he was supposed to be working on, but he just shoved past me covered in oil, mumbling and cussing about something. Whatever it is that he broke, I gotta go fix it.”

I can’t help but laugh. There’s never a dull moment with this crowd, I’ll tell you what. “Ok, sweetie. I’ll call you after I pick everyone up, ok?”

“Ok. Hey, we’re all going out for dinner tonight, right? I mean, that’s the plan?”

“Yeah, we are. Isabel reserved the back room over at that pizza place we love so much. I think our reservations are for 6:45.”

“That’s quite a random time to eat, but whatever. I’ll talk to you later, Angel. I love you.” He says, making me smile like always.

“I love you, too. Bye.” I say, hanging up the phone and tossing it into the passenger seat by my purse. Once I’ve found something suitable on the radio, I glance at Sophia via the rearview mirror. “What are you doing?” I ask her.

She goes off on a tangent of gibberish that I couldn’t figure out no matter how hard I tried. I just let her talk, since that seems to be something she enjoys doing. She’s gonna drive her daddy crazy when she gets older.

It only takes me about twenty minutes to make it out to the airport. I grab my purse, the diaper bag, and my child as fast as I can and make my way across the parking lot. Once I’ve made it into the airport, I head to baggage claim where I told everyone that I’d meet them.

I see all of them standing near the luggage carousel watching the bags go by as soon as I round the corner. They’ve picked up a few of their bags by the time I finally make it over there.

“Well, well. Fancy seein you all here!” I say, flashing them a huge smile when they all turn around at the sound of my voice.

“BETH!” The boys all yell, moving to grab me up in a huge hug when they all notice Sophia on my hip and take a step backwards.

I give them all a strange look. “What? Do babies scare you?” I can’t help but ask.

“No.” Brad shakes his head, regarding Soph with scrutiny. “It’s just weird to see her.” He points at Sophia, who is happily sucking on a pacifier and tugging on my hair. “She looks like a miniature you.”

“Well, I had a little bit to do with making her, so I’d hope she’d look like me.” I laugh.

“I’ll take her.” Steven almost automatically offers, holding out his arms for her.

I pass her to Steven, who she stares at for a minute before deciding that he must be ok if mommy handed her over to him.

Once my hands are free, Brad grabs me in a big hug, then Matt and Johnny follow suit. “I’m so excited that you guys are here!” I beam at them. I slide my gaze over to Raychel, who is clutching onto one of her suitcases with a death grip, and a slight look of fear on her face. Huh. I guess my reputation precedes me. I never doubted that she’d hear stories about me; I just never stopped to think of what those stories might be. Oh Lord, I can only imagine. “You gonna introduce me, or what?” I give Steven a dirty look.

“Oh! I’m sorry!” He turns to his girlfriend, putting his hand on the small of her back and scooting her a bit closer to me. She seems to resist a little, but finally gives in. “Elizabeth Parker, I’d like you to meet my girlfriend, Raychel Evans.”

Just as my hand is encasing hers, I hear what Steven said. “Wait a minute. Your last name is Evans?”

“Yes.” She nods, giving me a small smile.

I can’t help but laugh at the irony. “That’s just funny.” I shake my head a little. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Likewise.” She nods, taking her hand back and returning her death grip on her suitcase.

“I doubt most of the stuff they’ve told you is true.” I roll my eyes, and then turn my attention to Steven. “You know, I’m sure one of the guys wouldn’t die if you handed her to them for five seconds so you could give me a hug.”

“Well, sorry.” He sighs, moving to hand her to Johnny, who backs away. “Dude, she’s a baby. Not a bomb. Just hold her.”

“I don’t know how!” Johnny spits out, but takes Sophia anyway. It takes a little work on Steven’s part, but he finally gets Johnny to hold her properly. I barely have time to think before his arms are around me and he’s lifting me up off the floor.

“I missed you!” He announces, setting me back on the floor, but not releasing me.

“I missed you!” I agree with him. We stand there for a few more seconds before we finally release each other. “I’m so excited that you guys are here!” I gush. “Do you have all of your luggage?” I ask them.

“Yeah.” Steven nods as I take Sophia from Johnny. “We’re ready whenever you are.”

“Well, I’m ready, so let’s get going.” We begin making our way towards the exit.

“We’re not all gonna fit in the Grand Am, are we?” Matt asks, squinting into the bright sun as the sliding doors open and the New Mexico sun hits them. “Fuck me, it’s hot up here!”

“Hey!” I immediately respond. “A- New Mexico is DOWN, not UP from New York. B- Don’t talk like that in front of Sophia. She may not be able to really talk yet, but she picks up on things and I don’t want you talking like that around her, ok?”

Matt looks properly disciplined as the others giggle at him. “Sorry.” He mutters.

“It’s ok.” I give him a little smile. “And to answer your question… no, we wouldn’t all fit in the Grand Am. That’s why I have Max’s Denali. He has the Grand Am today.”

They all nod and we make small talk the rest of the way to the car. I open the back and let them get all their luggage in as I strap Sophia into her car seat and let everyone hops in.

“You guys get to see the house finally.” I smile.

“Finally.” Johnny chimes in. “We need to visit more often.”

“Hear, hear.” The rest of the boys agree, making me giggle.

“So, what’s on the agenda for tonight?” Brad asks.

“Well, we’re going to go back to the house and I’m going to get you guys all situated in your rooms, and then you have about an hour to get ready, and then we’re all going out to dinner.” I tell them. “Shoot, I told Max I’d call him after I picked you guys up.” I mumble, digging through my purse.

“Not even married yet…” Steven drawls out, shaking his head at me. He shoots me a wink so I know he was joking.

“Yeah, sure. Tease all you want, honey. Just wait until you get married.” I laugh a little. “You’ll be even worse.” I promise darkly.

“Whatever you say, sweetie.” He rolls his eyes at me.

I can’t help but mentally laugh. Here are four guys, only one with a girlfriend, who are walking into a group of people where three of the four couples are married, one of the couples has a kid, and one has a baby on the way. I hope they realize that they’re staring straight into their futures, so they better prepare themselves, and take lots of notes.

<center>****</center>

“SPIT!” I scream, slapping my hand down on the table top.

“Damn it!” Steven yells, tossing the deck of cards onto the kitchen table. He gives me a mock glare. “You cheated.”

“You’re just mad because you got beat.” I beam at him. “You feel like getting your ass kicked again, or you wanna let me beat someone else?”

“I’m out.” Steven pushes his chair back, grabbing his beer as he moves to vacate his seat. “Someone else can get their asses handed to them.”

“I wanna play!” Johnny instantly slides into Steven’s chair and begins shuffling the cards.

I watch as Steven moves down the table and sits down next to Raychel. He gives her a kiss on her cheek and whispers something in her ear that makes her laugh. I can’t help but smile at the two of them. They make one of the cutest couples I’ve ever seen. They’re absolutely perfect for each other. I can tell that Raychel is totally in love with him. Just the way she looks at him… it’s really something to watch.

I glance through the screen door that leads out to the patio where Max went to go talk to Brad while he has a cigarette. A smile instantly tugs at my lips when Max turns around and his eyes meet mine. I send him a wink before looking back down and I start organizing the cards that Johnny dealt.

Max cracks me up. He thinks he’s being so damn stealthy… but he’s not fooling me. I know that he started smoking again. I’ve known it for almost two weeks now. It’s really not all that hard to figure out. He claims that when he comes home smelling like smoke that it’s because Michael smokes at work. Well, unless Max is on top of Michael while he’s smoking, it’s not a plausible story. Besides, Max tastes like cigarettes, and if that’s because of Michael too… I think we got more problems than just the smoking.

I’m not gonna hound Max like Maria does Michael, because that’s just not my style. I will, however, go outside in a few minutes and drop the bomb that I do know, so he can stop trying to hide it. The way I see it… Max is gonna do what he wants. He’s a big boy, and I’m not his mommy. I’m not going to tell him what to do, because I see Maria trying that with Michael and I see her failing.

Max used to smoke back in high school. He went through this whole rebel phase right before we got married the first time, and he thought that by smoking he was sticking it to Diane and Philip. Sure, they almost shit Frisbees when they found out, but that’s about all that happened. It’s not like they could do too much, he was eighteen.

Even back then though… there was something about watching Max smoke that I thought was so damn sexy. I know, I’m weird, we don’t need to go any further with that. I guess it’s the fact that it lends a little bit of bad boy-ness to him.

I sneak a glance back at the door from under my lashes. I looked up just in time to see a steady stream of smoke pass through Max’s lips. I set my cards down and quickly slip from my seat. I get to the door before anyone inside can say anything about me moving and open the patio door just as Max is taking a drag.

“So, what’re ya doin?” I ask.

He freezes, and turns to face me, not bothering to drop the cigarette from his lips. His eyes are wide, like I’m going to beat the shit out of him with my shoe for his sins. “Hey baby.” He gives me an apologetic smile as he exhales his smoke.

“I’m just gonna…” Brad slips by me and runs in the house.

I come completely outside, leaning against the siding of the house as I watch Max. He’s squirming because he knows he’s totally busted. “You can’t kill me.” He finally manages. “You’ve put too much effort into the wedding to kill me two weeks before the actual event.” He looks happy with himself, and then he tacks on another thought. “OH! And Sophia needs a daddy!”

I literally just start laughing at him. He looks slightly hurt that that was the reaction he got out of me. “I’m not mad at you.” I finally tell him.

“You’re… not mad at me?” He repeats, seeming to not understand what I’m saying.

“No.” I shake my head. “I wish you would have just told me instead of trying to hide it though.”

“You’re not mad?”

“No, sweetie.” I push off of the house and walk over to him. I lean up on my tip toes, pressing my lips to his. “If you ever become delusional enough to think I’m gonna allow you to smoke in the house though…” I trail off.

“Don’t finish that sentence.” He shakes his head at me. “I got off pretty easy with this whole thing, let’s not talk about how many ways you’d dismember me.”

“Ok.” I give him another kiss. “I gotta go kick Johnny’s ass in Spit. You coming?”

“After this.” He holds up the remainder of his cigarette.

“Ok, see you in a few.” I cast him a smile over my shoulder as I go back inside.

“Is he dead already?” Matt asks as I take my seat at the table again.

“No, he’s still alive. He’ll be in when he’s done smoking.”

“Aren’t you mad at him?” Raychel voices as she comes back into the dining room with two wine coolers in her hand. She sets one down in front of me before sitting down between Steven and I.

“Thanks.” I reach forward, twisting the top off of my beverage and taking a sip. “No, I’m not mad at him. I’ve known for like two weeks.” I shrug.

“Are you serious?” Max says, coming back inside and sitting down next to me.

“You’re not as stealthy as you’d like to think you are, honey.” I lean over to give him a kiss on the cheek.

“I think I might have to kill you if you ever start smoking.” Raychel informs Steven.

I can’t stop myself from laughing. It’s been interesting to watch her since she got here. First, I’d only get one word out of her at a time, and then when we got to dinner, she went mute for awhile. I think it was just all the new people around, she seems really shy. Once she got comfortable with everyone though, she opened up. I can’t wait to see what happens tomorrow night at the club. I plan on getting her drunk. Hey, don’t look at me like that! I’m not gonna totally corrupt the girl, but I just think she’s going to be a really funny drunk. I’m a funny drunk, so I need friends to be funny and drunk with me.

Johnny and I begin our game, and everyone around us yells and laughs as we go. After a battle of epic proportions, I win the first round and Johnny lets out a few colorful expletives. He grabs up all his cards and puts them with the others he’s holding. “Does she kick your ass this bad, Max?” He asks as he starts laying his cards on the table to start a new round.

“Are you kidding?” Max laughs a little. “Like I’d play cards with this girl, she ALWAYS wins.”

“Well, thanks for telling us that.” Steven rolls his eyes at Max.

“You guys lived with her for awhile, how are you not aware of this?” Max volleys back.

“I think we blocked it out.” Johnny mutters glumly as we start a new round.

<center>****</center>

I sit up slightly, glancing over Max at the alarm clock on the night stand. It’s freakin 3:44 AM. Why the hell am I awake right now? And why the hell do I have so much energy? I should be tired. I should actually be sleeping, but I’m not. This sucks.

I glance at Max, who’s completely assed out. He’s lying on his back, both of his arms resting against his pillow over his head. I vaguely remember reading somewhere in a Cosmo magazine or something that the way boys sleep says something about them. I think that when they sleep with their arms over their head, it means something like… they’re open and trusting, or something like that.

I shake him awake, barely containing a giggle as his eyes half open and he regards me with a scowl. “What?” He half grumbles, half whines at me.

“I can’t fall back asleep.” I inform him, giving him a sweet smile.

“And you had to wake me up?” He growls. I respond by sticking out my bottom lip in a pout, causing him to sigh and pull me into his chest, running a hand up and down my spine. “Why can’t you sleep?” He relents; knowing that I’m not gonna let him sleep if I’m awake.

“I don’t know.” I shrug, taking a deep breath. I lift my head off his chest and press my nose against his skin. “You smell different.” I say, continuing to sniff around. I look back up to meet his eyes. “Did you get new deodorant?”

“Mm-hmm.” He manages through a yawn.

“You smell like a forest.” I scrunch my nose up at him.

“I do not smell like a forest.”

“Yeah, I beg to differ. You definitely smell like a forest.” I can’t help but smile at him.

“Stop saying forest.” He rolls over on his side so that he’s face to face with me, and he slings one of his legs over my waist. He only stays there for a minute before he starts battling with my hair, which is piled on top of my head in a Pebbles Flinstone-esque ponytail. “I hate your hair.” He groans, rolling back over onto his back.

“What’s wrong with my hair?” I pout. “Is it the color?”

“Liz.”

“The cut?” I continue to screw with him.

“Liz.” He whines.

“The cut/color combo?” I have to try my hardest not to smile.

“It’s frizzing in my face.” He groans. “That’s it. I love your hair.”

“So my hair is frizzy?!”

“Ohmygod.” He rolls completely over so that his back is to me. “I’m going back to sleep.”

I giggle a little, not really sure why I get such pleasure out of messing with him. “Love you, baby.” I snuggle into his back. Thankfully, it’s not long before sleep claims me.

TBC…

[LittleHottie510]

Hey guys! I'm finally back with the next part. I have no excuse... except that I'm a slacker. *shrug* I've had this part done for, like... ever, it was just sitting in my laptop. I'm not sure when I'll be back next to update, the next part isn't done yet... but I'll try to be back in a week. I hope you guys enjoy and I hope ya'll had a great holiday!!

Chapter Eleven

(Max POV)

My eyes pop open when I hear the front door close. I glance at the clock on the nightstand, big red numbers let me know that its 7:27 AM. Alarms start going off in my head. Someone is freakin breaking into my house!

I quietly slip from the bed, careful not to wake Liz as I begin making my way down the hallway. I stop in the hall closet that has all my random sports equipment in it and grab a baseball bat so I have something to beat the intruder with. Someone is sadly mistaken if they think they can break into my house.

I quickly peek into Sophia’s room to make sure she’s still there; you can never be too sure these days. Once I’m certain she’s asleep, I pad down the stairs, my back against the wall, and the bat poised against my shoulder.

I reach the bottom of the stairs and listen carefully for any more noises. My head whips in the direction of the kitchen when I hear more noises coming from in there. I stop just outside the doorway and listen as the footsteps start getting closer.

I mentally count to three before I jump into the doorway, ready to knock their head off with the bat.

I hear glass shattering and a high pitched female scream before I get the chance to swing the bat. Once my brain starts processing everything, I let the bat fall.

“Holy shit!” Raychel holds a hand over her heart. She takes a step forward and gives me a shove in the shoulder. “What the hell is your problem?! Do you always attempt to attack your guests with a bat first thing in the morning?!”

Before I can answer Liz and Steven come running into the room, stopping just short of stepping on the shattered glass on the floor. “What’s going on?!” Liz looks frantic. “I heard a scream.”

“Your husband tried attacking me.” Raychel informs her.

“Max!” Liz gasps at me. “Why would you do that?!”

“How the hell was I supposed to know that it was her!? I’m not used to other people being in the house. I heard the front door close and the first thing I thought was that someone was breaking in and that I had to protect my family.” I explain.

“Aww, honey.” Liz moves to wrap her arms around my waist. “That’s so sweet.”

Steven lets out a little laugh as he yawns and makes his way over to Raychel. “What are you doing up this early?” He asks her, placing a kiss at her temple.

“I went for a run. It’s not early, by the way.” She rolls her eyes at him.

“Anytime before eight AM is early.” Liz tells her, and then groans when we hear Sophia start bellowing. “I got her.”

“Yeah, I’d just like to clarify that by my internal clock, it’s like 9:30. It’s rebelling against the time difference between New York and New Mexico.” Raychel clarifies, and then looks down at the shattered glass of water at her feet. A blush tinges her cheeks as she looks up at me. “I’m so sorry…”

“Don’t even.” I wave her off, making my way to the closet to grab the broom and dustpan. “It’s totally my fault.” I start sweeping up the mess as Steven grabs the dustpan and squats to help me clean up the mess. “I mean, I was coming after you with a bat. Which I’m really sorry about, by the way. I didn’t even stop to think about the fact that you guys were all here.”

She waves me off and goes to get another glass of water as Steven and I finish cleaning up the mess. I thank him for his assistance and put away the cleaning supplies before I start making a pot of coffee. I can hear people moving around upstairs; no doubt Raychel screaming woke the whole house.

Liz comes back into the kitchen with Sophia, who is rubbing her eyes. “Hi Princess.” I coo, bending over to smack kisses against her cheek. She whines a little, then buries her head in Liz’s shoulder. I laugh a little; she’s too much like her mother.

Liz gives me a kiss before moving to make Sophia some breakfast. Just as I’m pouring out four cups of coffee, the remainder of the people in the house stumble into the kitchen. “Why are we all awake?” Johnny grumbles, dropping down into a chair at the kitchen table.

“You don’t have to be awake, ya know.” Raychel raises an eyebrow at him, and then thanks me for the coffee I set down in front of her. “You could just go back to bed.”

“Yeah, but then we might miss something.” Brad says, sounding like a little kid.

I let my gaze wander to him as an eyebrow rises. “What the hell are you going to miss at 7:30?” I ask.

“Well, we already missed something.” Matt crosses his arms on top of the table and rests his head against his forearms. He better not try to fall asleep at the kitchen table, cause that’s just not cool. I gave the guy a bed, for crying out loud. “What’s all this screaming about?” He mumbles, his words muffled against his arm.

“We’ll fill you in when you’re actually awake.” Liz tells him, brushing some hair off his forehead before kissing him on the cheek. She moves around the table, giving the rest of the guys a kiss on the cheek, bidding them all a good morning before she wanders over to where I’m finishing up with the coffee. “Good morning.” She whispers, pressing her lips against mine.

“Mmm.” I moan against her lips, resisting the urge to drag her back upstairs to bed as she rubs against me. God, she needs to stop doing that. “Good morning.” I give her a pat on the butt before grabbing as many coffee cups as I can hold and walking over to the table. Liz follows me with the remainder of the coffee, and soon, we’re all seated around the table, taking turns yawning and trying to actually wake up. “What’s on the agenda for today?” I ask no on in particular.

“Nothing, actually.” Liz shrugs. “We’re all going out to the club tonight, obviously, but other than that, we have the day free.”

“So a nap could happen later?” Johnny perks up.

“Very possibly.” Liz replies, trying not to laugh. “I was actually thinking that if Steven didn’t mind… I could borrow his girlfriend for the day.”

“Nah, you can take her.” Steven waves her off. “I’m getting kind of sick of her anyway.” He turns to Raychel and scrunches up his nose at her, an action she copies before they lean in and kiss each other. “Where are my two favorite girls gonna go?” He asks, shooting Liz a smile.

Now, I know what you all are thinking. You’re thinking that I’m letting my fiancé, my ex-wife, the mother of my child, go around and kiss other guys, and stand for other guys to flirt with her right in front of me. See, here’s the thing about that… I’m beyond being jealous. Well, I guess that’s not totally accurate because when some random guy on the streets wants to stare or try to hit on her, I still feel the need rip his head clean off.

Things with these guys are just different though. I know Steven, Johnny, Matt and Brad. I know that Steven doesn’t have feelings for her anymore, since he’s obviously so wrapped up in Raychel he doesn’t know which end is up; I know how that feels, Steven. I also know that Liz thinks of Matt, Johnny and Brad more as brothers than anything else, and the love they have for her is the sisterly kind.

I don’t feel intimidated or threatened by them, which is probably why I’m allowing all of them to crash at my house. They’re all stand-up guys, and I know that when I’m not around, they’ll look out for Liz the same way that Kyle, Alex or Michael would. So there that is.

“I was thinking about doing some shopping.” A smile instantly spreads across her face. Oh, God help my credit cards. “I was looking through my closet last night, and I can’t find anything that I want to wear tonight.”

“Thank GOD!” Raychel sighs in relief. “I have nothing to wear, either! I was going to suggest either going shopping, or hope against hope that I could borrow something from you.”

“You’re more than welcome to go through my closet and wear anything you find, but I definitely need to shop.” She blows the top of her coffee to cool it before taking a tiny sip and placing the cup back on the table. “I was also thinking that a manicure and pedicure didn’t sound like a bad idea…”

“Oh, fun!” Raychel smiles, her voice a little too perky for me to handle. Maybe I shouldn’t have given her that coffee, her endorphin high seems to be enough.

“Also, we don’t have to, but we could go in for my final dress fitting if you wouldn’t mind…” Liz trails off.

“I’d love to!”

“You guys are going to fit all that into one day?” Matt looks doubtful. Oh, Lord, this kid needs a girlfriend, or sister, or something. He’s clueless about women.

“Psh. That should take… what?” Liz glances at the ceiling in thought. “Dress fitting: half an hour, max. Mani/Pedi could vary, depending on how busy they are. Let’s say that’s an hour, max. And shopping… two hours or so.” She shrugs.

“That’s too much shit to do in one day.” Brad shakes his head. “No need to do everything at once.”

“That’s what you think because you’re lazy.” Liz sweetly smiles at him. He just kinda nods and shrugs. At least he knows and accepts the truth.

“So… we’re all awake.” Johnny states the obvious. “Can we do something about my stomach being empty?”

“Of course.” Liz reaches across the table and pats his head like he’s a little boy. “What do you guys want?”

Everyone starts listing off different breakfast foods as Liz’s eyebrows draw together. “So, everyone wants waffles that we have in the freezer so its really easy on me?” She smiles at them as she gets up. “You guys are so sweet.”

I laugh a little as I get up to help her. I still can’t believe I’m up this early. Sophia doesn’t even usually wake up for another hour. Today is going to be a long day.

<center>****</center>

“Wake up, sleepyhead.”

I hear someone whispering in my ear, and I feel their breath tickle against my neck. I reach up and rub my eyes as they try to adjust. Liz’s face swims into my vision and I give her a sleepy smile. “Hi.” I manage, still not awake.

“I see that Johnny’s suggestion of a nap was taken quite seriously by all of you.” She giggles, sitting down on the edge of the bed and intertwining her fingers with mine.

“Well, it was a good suggestion.” I smile at her.

“Did your mom already come over and get Sophia?” She asks.

“Yeah, she came over about half an hour after you and Raychel left.” I let go of her hand to stretch. “She apparently couldn’t wait to have her Soph time.”

“Who can blame her?” She gets up and walks over to a mountain of shopping bags that were set down by the walk-in closet.

“How was the mall?” I force myself to get out of the bed, even though I really don’t want to.

“It was fun.” She says, walking back out of the closet to get another armful of bags. I follow her into the closet with the rest of her bags, and watch as she starts putting stuff away. “Raychel went with me for my final dress fitting. After I was finished trying the dress on and everything, I went to pay for the dress, and all the other accessories I got there… and guess what?”

“You maxed out my credit card?” I smirk at her, leaning against the doorframe.

“No.” She rolls her eyes at me. “Your credit cards are safe because everything was already paid for.”

“Who paid for it?”

“Your mother.” She sighs. “I’ve specifically told her, multiple times, that I didn’t want her doing that. That woman is insufferable. She never, ever listens to me.”

“I’ll call and talk to her.” I assure Liz. There’s no way in hell I’m going to call and yell at he for saving me a lot of money, but I will politely ask her to refrain from going against Liz’s wishes again.

“So, I took all that stuff over to Isabel’s. She’s going to keep it there until the wedding.” She pulls three shirts out of a bag and goes to grab hangers for them. I note that they are all the exact same shirt in different colors. I don’t understand the point of that, but I decide not to comment on it. “After that, Raychel and I went to the mall and shopped for awhile before getting a mani/pedi, and then we stopped by the MAC counter in the mall and had our makeup done for tonight. Then we shopped some more, and now we’re back.” She wraps up her story.

“Sounds like you had a good time.” I comment, cringing as she pulls four pairs of shoes out of a bag. My poor, innocent credit cards must be worn to nothing.

“Stop obsessing about your beloved plastic.” She reads my expression. “Everything I bought was on sale, so I really saved money.”

“Yes, but it was stuff you didn’t need. Keep saving money like this and we’re gonna be broke.”

“Yeah, like that’s possible.” She scoffs at me. “The only way we’re gonna go broke is if I decide I want to buy a continent. Only then would you run out of money.” She kisses me on the cheek as she moves to walk out of the closet. “Get in the shower and start getting ready.”

“What? Why?”

“Well, because we’re going to have to be leaving soon.” She smiles at me. “You guys must have slept a little longer than you meant to, because it’s 5:15. We’re leaving here at six to go meet everyone at Isabel's, then we’re going to the clubs.”

My head swings over to the bedside clock. She’s right, I slept too long. “Dammit.” I mutter, heading for the bathroom.

“I’m going to go wake everyone up now, so try to speed shower.” She hollers as she makes her way down the hallway.

“How long is it going to take you and Raychel to get ready?” I call out of the bathroom as I whip my shirt over my head and drop it onto the floor before my boxers follow and I move to turn on the shower.

“Not that long.” She calls back. “We just need to pick out which outfit we want to wear and put it on.”

“Well, hurry up!” I yell as I turn on the shower. “Girls always take longer to get ready.”

<center>****</center>

Alright, so I was wrong. Don’t tell anyone I admitted it, or I’ll find you, and hurt you. However, if you want to get technical about it, I was wrong. Liz and Raychel were ready before I even got out of the shower, and I couldn’t decide what to wear so I held up the whole house and we ended up being late to show up at Isabel and Alex’s, where we were all meeting to go out tonight.

Don’t you dare go calling me girly about this, because I’ll beat your ass. I just wanted to look good tonight, no crime in that. Besides, if you could see what Liz is wearing right now, you’d know there was no way in hell I could have just thrown anything on and been fit to be seen in public with her.

She left her hair long and wavy, just the way I love it. It’s her outfit though that had me rethinking what I was wearing, and ultimately changing into the blue polo and the jeans with the pre-made rips that she bought me.

Have ya’ll seen ‘The Dukes Of Hazzard’? The new one they made into a movie with Jessica Simpson, Johnny Knoxville and Seann William Scott? Well, at the end of the movie, Jessica tries seducing the police force to… well, to be totally honest, I don’t know what she was trying to accomplish, because I wasn’t really paying attention what she was saying, if you get my drift. Anyway, she was wearing a tight brown leather tank top thing, a brown belt, and some vintage jeans, as I’m told they’re called. Well, somehow Liz got her hands on that exact outfit and that’s what she’s decided to wear tonight. It’s all I can do to stop myself from mauling her.

“Ready to go out and get seriously fucked up?” Kyle pops up next to me, a huge smile spread across his face. He breaks me from my thoughts and I turn to talk to him so I can’t see Liz in the other room with Isabel, discussing their outfits, or hair, or whatever it is that they’re talking about.

“I guess.” I shrug slightly, to which his jaw drops.

“You guess?!” He gawks at me. “What the hell kind of a response is that?! Dude, this is your make-shift bachelor party. It’s not going to work if you’re not in a party mood!” He crosses his arms over his chest, appearing deep in thought. “Michael!” Kyle beckons him over as he was making his way towards the kitchen. No one will tell me why we haven’t left yet. This is pissing me off.

“I know how to fix that.” I hear Michael reply as I zone back in. Kyle must have told him what’s going on, because they drag me back to the kitchen, and call for everyone else to come join. Oh geez, I can only imagine what they have in mind.

Once we’re all gathered, Kyle pulls a bottle of tequila from the freezer, holding it up and smiling. “Now, ladies and gentlemen.” He begins. “We have a problem. Max here tells me that he ‘guesses’ he’s in the mood to get fucked up. That’s not working for me because we’re going out to do just that. Which means that we all need to do a shot to get in the mood.”

Alex takes the hint and grabs as many shot glasses as he can find. Most people say absolutely not to the shot, not many are tequila fans, and opt to just drink a beer. I’m forced into doing a shot, however.

Once we’ve all done a shot, or chugged a beer, whichever was our preference, I finally have to ask why we’re still here. “Are we going to leave anytime today?”

“Quite impatient for someone who doesn’t even want to party.” Kyle observes.

“Well, if we’re gonna do this, let’s just do it.” I all but beg.

“Relax.” Isabel says, coming back into the room since she took no part in the drinking, and will continue to not drink. She *is* pregnant, after all. That wouldn’t be smart. “Our transportation is here.”

She motions for us to follow her, and we all obediently follow her outside to see a huge stretch Hummer limo waiting for us.

We all pile in, and soon, we’re on our way to the clubs. “You really went all out.” Liz exclaims, looking around the huge limo at all the gadgets and stuff that are in here.

“Well, yeah.” She shrugs slightly. “Gotta do it up right.” She giggles as she turns on the radio and dance music starts flowing through the speakers.

Between the music, everyone dancing in their seats, and the drinks we take from the bar, I’m in full party mode by the time we finally roll up to the club. Everyone standing in line turns to stare as we all pile out of the limo, I’m sure we look pretty important riding in something like this.

As usual, Isabel has everything handled. We don’t have to wait in line, her friend Jesse quickly ushers us inside and back to the VIP section, which Isabel has reserved specifically for us.

It doesn’t take long for all of us to get drinks and most of the girls to migrate to the dance floor. I’m bouncing my head along with the music as Kyle drops down next to me. “Dude, there are some FINE ass girls in here tonight!” He announces, glancing back out onto the dance floor.

“Tess is a lucky woman.” I roll my eyes at him.

“Hey, it’s alright to window shop.” He takes a sip of his beer. “Window shopping is allowed. Buying something is what’s completely out of the question.”

I regard him with a look of amazement. “How it’s possible that you managed to not only get a woman, but get her to stay with you is totally beyond me.”

“I have a new respect for Tess after listening to you right now.” Johnny laughs a little. “She must be a special kind of in love with you to put up with you sayin shit like that.”

“You should hear some of the other shit that comes out of his mouth.” Michael laughs, and then begins launching into a laundry list of the stupidest stuff Kyle’s ever said.

“As fun as this is,” I interrupt. “I’m gonna go dance with my woman.”

“Me too.” Steven sets his drink down and then stands, rethinking what he just said. “But with my woman. Not yours.” He clarifies.

I begin making my way down the stairs that lead to the VIP section and onto the main dance floor where all the girls are dancing. My eyes focus in on Liz as I walk around the edge of the dance floor, trying to figure out the best way to get to where they are. She glances over and catches my eye, hooking a finger at me, telling me to come join her.

I nod and send her a smile as I go to make my way through the crowd. I’m startled, to say the very least, when two hands plant firmly against my chest and my back comes in contact with the wall. I look down at the hands, and then at the tall, slender blonde who belongs to the hands.

She presses her body against mine, her lips dangerously close to mine. “Hi.” She breathes, a coy smile playing on her lips as her gaze flickers to mine before returning to my eyes.

I manage a glance around her and see Liz get the other girls attention, hitching her head in my direction. Collectively, their jaws all drop, and their eyes go wide as Liz begins pushing her way through the crowd in my direction.

Oh. Shit.

TBC…

[LittleHottie510]

Hey guys.

Just letting everyone know that there is a very important authors note on my writers page. If you click the link in my sig, it'll take you to my thread... the note is on the last page.

Thanks.

*Sarah*