Page 101 of How to Break My Heart 1
Everleigh
You’re all the way in the city.
Me
Yes, I am. It takes me exactly two hours and five minutes to get to you.
Everleigh
I’ll remember that… after the wedding.
I reread her text, releasing a drawn-out sigh. Every part of me is desperate to touch Everleigh and lose myself in her again. The thought of not being inside her until this wedding is over will drive me to the brink of insanity.
My fingers type before my brain can think clearly.
Me
For you, I’ll wait.
The three dots appear forever.What the hell is she typing?As I wait, I shut down my computer to head back to my apartment for a quick rest so I can drive back to Cinnamon Springs early in the morning to meet Roland. The bachelor party is tomorrow night, but thankfully, I’ll be done with all my urgent business before it starts.
My computer makes the shutdown noise, and at the same time, my phone pings.
Everleigh
Thank you.
Two words that make me stop my movements.
I’m not sure what the hell is going on, wondering why my chest is rising and falling at a rapid rate and why my stomach flips, leaving me queasy.
I contemplate texting back but decide some things are better left unsaid.
When you have money, planning a bachelor party is a walk in the park. The sky is the damn limit.
A business buddy of mine, Eli, owns a houseboat bordering Cinnamon Springs and Cherry Tree Creek. When I pitched theidea to Myles, I explained it wasn’t an ordinary houseboat. This one is a crossover between a private yacht and an apartment, moored next to a private sandbar with its own pier. The space is around 4,350 square feet and comprises four en suite bedrooms, a terrace, and a swimming platform. Not that I expect anyone to jump in the freezing-cold water, but then again, bachelor parties always have a way of getting out of control.
It’s decked out like a luxury apartment and offers unparalleled waterfront views of Peppermint Lake and the mountains surrounding it.
I have a yacht moored at Safe Harbor, but it’s nothing compared to this vessel—there’s no way it could fit everyone on board. Eli made a fortune from cryptocurrency, and this is just one of his many toys scattered across the globe.
Myles’s guest list comprises thirty guys. Most are college buddies, a bunch from work, and some family acquaintances. Unfortunately, my father insisted on joining when he found out Roland would be there.
Unlike Everleigh and her bachelorette planning, I delegated most of this task to my assistant. She planned the catering and liquor, and organized a poker table. As for the other entertainment, I called for reinforcement. Will’s father has connections in the industry. I didn’t ask why or how but simply paid the invoice to ensure the girls would be there on time and entertain the men.
Madelina had already warned me to keep it somewhat clean.
I’ve been to several bachelor parties, all ending in pandemonium. The worst ones are those in Vegas. Sin City never ends well, not when rules are made to be broken.
The night starts relatively relaxed. The boys throw back a few shots, urging Myles to drink away his second-to-last night of freedom. Most of the guys are already married, leaving only five still single.
It’s always the married ones who party the loudest.
Gino, Myles’s buddy from college, cranks up the soundsystem and dances out on the terrace without a care in the world. I take a few shots myself, trying to ease the tension in my shoulders and arms from the golf session with Roland. I don’t mind the guy, but golf isn’t a sport I’m fond of. It’s a sport used to talk business, something my father taught me earlier in my career.
Give me a football any day over a club and golf ball.
“Hey, Beaumont, come out here and smoke with us,” Gino yells over the music.
