Page 18 of Shameless With Him

I smiled then, imagining Lacey running around John with a binder full of wedding plans. That sounded about right. “Is Zoey her best woman? No, maid of honor, right?”

“I think you should call her the best woman. She’d probably like that.”

“Probably.”

“Yes, she is. And I’m glad that you know her pretty well. Because I think Lacey wants the two of you guys to work together often.”

There wasn’t a tone of matchmaking or sly innuendo in that, simply serious wedding planning. Which was good. Because I wanted nothing to do with matchmaking. Or relationships. Or anything.

“Yeah, she’s a good girl.”

“Actually, she’s a woman, so I wouldn’t call her a girl, or she might get snappy about that.”

“That is true,” I said, thinking of the way she usually growled when I was around. I said things like that, mostly because I liked to needle her. It was either that or remember the night I almost hadn’t been there in time. But I wasn’t going to think about that now.

“Anyway, other than the stag party, what else do I have to do?”

“I don’t know yet.” John winced. “Lacey will give me a list. Or Lacey will give Zoey a list to give to you. Either way, I have a feeling you will be working together closely in the future.”

My brows shot up. “Zoey has a full-time job and owns her own business. And I work full-time, too. How much time are we actually talking about?”

John shook his head. “Not too much. I hope not. It really just depends on how things go. You know?”

“I have no idea how to help you with this. But I’ll make sure that you get to your wedding on time, and I’ll hold the rings and your speech or whatever else you need. I’ll be there for you. Promise.”

“Thanks. I’m glad to know that I’ll have you in my corner.”

“Of course, I am. It’s not like you can have your three sisters up there as your best man.”

“You know, I asked, and they got all affronted. They’re going to be in the wedding party, though. So, they’ll be part of it. However, they refused to stand by my side. It’s not like they’re my sisters or anything. Blood, you know. Blood.”

I laughed. “I’m glad that you’re going to be part of this. And the rest of the guys.”

“We have time. Not that much because you know I’m moving and, therefore, we don’t have as much time as Lacey would like to revisit matters. But she’s going to be my wife. And that’s all that matters.”

“Yeah, that’s all that matters.”

“It’s like a future, you know? A real one. With the love of my life. I can’t wait.”

I sipped my coffee and nodded, trying to smile. A future. That would be nice. To know exactly where you were going and what would happen. I just didn’t know. And I hated that I didn’t. I rubbed my temple, realized I was doing it, and let my hands fall. My head didn’t hurt, and I should be grateful for that. My palms weren’t sweaty, and I didn’t have to throw up. I didn’t see things that I shouldn’t.

I just didn’t know what was coming next.

It was fine. I could still have a future. This didn’t have to be the end.

“Anyway, I need to head back into work. Are you off for the afternoon?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I’m doing four tens for the next quarter or so to see how I like it.”

“I’ve always wanted to do that, but I end up working five tens as it is.”

I grinned. “Oh, I know exactly how that is. Now, though, I get overtime.”

“That you do. I just get pain in my back. And probably an ulcer.”

I rolled my eyes and said goodbye as John headed back to work. I sat there and finished my coffee, wondering what exactly it meant to be a best man. And what it would mean to work with Zoey day in and day out. Zoey, the one person who had been a constant in my life other than my family. And the one who seemed to haunt my dreams, even though she really shouldn’t. In the end, it wouldn’t matter, though. Because I wasn’t going to make a move, I wasn’t going to do anything about it.

Because I didn’t have that type of future.

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