Page 23 of On the Rocks

“And your gardenia plant looks amazing,” Piper added.

“I’ve been informed by my fiancée that she’s now obsessed with the smell,” Vincent said.

“You take as many cuttings as you’d like,” Dee told them.

“Hey,” Vincent said, clapping me on the shoulder.

“Hey. So is that like a pregnancy thing?”

He shrugged. “Heightened sense of smell. Taste. It’s a wild time, dude.”

“That’s handy.” Vincent was in the fragrance business. Piper had helped him launch the company’s most recent perfume line, which was how they met. Well, they met when she hit his car, but working together was how theygottogether in the end.

He snorted. “As long as it’s a smell she approves of. If it’s not, well, then I get an earful about that too.” The words might sound like a complaint, but the grin on his face made it clear it was anything but. He was ridiculously in love.

Dominic returned from the house with Trent and Hailey, along with Paul and his wife, Chloe.

“Now it’s a party,” I said, giving Trent a quick hug. “Happy birthday, man.” I passed him his gift.

“What?” he said. “No card?”

My jaw dropped for a moment, then Dominic started snickering. “Shut the hell up.”

“I’m kidding.” He laughed. “Thank you. This is great.”

Nana Dee beamed at us, laying her hand against her chest.

“Ah, now what?” Trent asked, sounding like he was nineteen again.

“Nothing,” she said. “It just makes me happy to see all of you together.” She took Piper and Chloe by their arms, pulling them close. “And now two of my boys are settled down with women who are perfect for them.”

Trent rolled his eyes. “Here we go. Another year older. Another year wiser. Another year alone and unmarried. Is that right?”

“Glad we’re on the same page,” Dee said cheekily.

“Sure, sure.” Trent laughed, shaking his head.

Vincent hugged Piper from behind, resting his hands on her pregnant belly, while Paul pulled Chloe into his lap. The rest of us took our seats around the patio table.

“How is the wedding planning coming?” Dee asked Piper as the food was doled out.

“Basically all done,” she said. “Oh, actually, we need to coordinate the groomsmen’s fitting!” She nudged Vincent. “Remind me to do that while we’re here. It’ll be easier to nail down a time when you can all look at your calendars at once. Sorting things out with you lot on group chat is a nightmare.”

Chloe laughed. “Aren’t you glad we’ve already dealt with all the bridesmaid stuff?”

“Well, it helped that I could use you as a cheat sheet,” Piper replied with a grin.

Piper was Paul’s stepsister, and Piper had been a bridesmaid in Chloe and Paul’s wedding not so long ago. I could only assume Chloe—who was now one of Piper’s bridesmaids—had had plenty of useful “do this andabsolutelynot this” advice to share.

“A wedding and a baby!” Dee remarked, adding food to Hailey’s plate. “I’m going to need to get a bigger table for out here.” She caught Dominic’s eye. “And how is theyou know whatgoing?”

“Divorce,” Dominic said, lifting his shoulder. “I’m trying not to make it sound like a bad word.”

“Of course,” Dee said. “And it’s not. Sometimes it’s for the best.”

“It’s been a…struggle,” Dominic said, clearly searching for the right word to use with Hailey present.

Dee offered him a sympathetic smile. “Once you’re through this rough patch, things will settle down again. Then we’ll find you the right girl?—”

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