He needs to stop being so overprotective of me. I’m not a kid anymore. “Can you just be happy for us?”
He gestures to Adam. “I like the guy. I just told him to take you seriously, which he did. Good job, Adam.”
Adam lifts his brows. “I have so many things I’d like to say to that, but let’s keep this civil.”
Wyatt smirks. “Come at me.”
“Wyatt!” Sydney exclaims. “The boat will tip, and I’m not taking a dive in the water. You guys can wrestle when we get back to shore.”
Wyatt points at his eyes and then points to Adam.
I smile at Adam, who’s doing beautifully ignoring my brother. “You look very handsome in your shirt.”
He looks down at it. “How many occasions do I need to wear it?” It’s a black T shirt that says Groom. I’m wearing a matching one that says Bride.
I squint for a moment, thinking. “Let’s see, every romantic occasion, of which I’m sure there’ll be many. Our engagement party at my mom’s house next weekend, rehearsal dinner, definitely on the honeymoon.” We’re getting married next June and living together in the meantime. I wanted time to plan a beautiful wedding. I helped Sydney plan hers and really got into it. Mine will be at this old estate I found nearby that’s used for formal functions. Our honeymoon will be in Hawaii, which I’ve always wanted to visit. Adam’s never been there either.
I hear some snickering and turn to glare at my future brothers-in-law Drew and Caleb. They’re pulling at their shirts, doing some kind of mocking sashay action over there, making fun of Adam’s groom shirt. “I can only hope one day you guys have a loving bride who gives you romantic gifts too.”
“I can only hope,” Caleb says with a straight face.
Drew busies himself getting another beer from the cooler, but I don’t miss his smirk.
“Force of nature,” Adam murmurs, leaning forward to kiss me. “I love that you care about stuff like our shirts.”
“Thank you. It’s nice to be appreciated.” I turn on our waterproof speaker to play some cheerful party music for everyone.
“Turn it up,” Wyatt calls.
I do, and he starts dancing in place, making Sydney laugh, who shakes her shoulders toward him. Everyone starts dancing in place, rocking their heads and shimmying. Except for Drew. He’s kind of a straight arrow. But he watches Audrey, who’s doing this funny head swing, making her long black hair fly all around. I believe he’s secretly in love with her, but holds back for some reason. Maybe he doesn’t know he’s in love. I told Adam about my theory, and he said to stay out of it because Drew wouldn’t respond well to being informed he’s in love. But Drew’s never been in love, so how would he know? I really want to give him a clue, but I respect the boundary Adam set.
A firework goes off in the distance, whistling through the air. Tank barks his oof sound, looking toward me for comfort. I shift to put an arm around his trembling shoulders. “It’s okay, just noise. Look how pretty.”
He leans against my leg. He’s scared of the oddest things. Adam says it’s because Tank’s not so smart. If you open a pizza box, he freaks because he thinks it’s giant jaws opening. Other dogs make him nervous too, but then he warms up. And thunder spooks him, and I guess fireworks too.
Adam shifts to sit next to me on the bench, wrapping an arm around me. We watch the fireworks display on the opposite shore with starbursts of yellow, red, and purple. I sigh happily. This is the perfect life for me. A lakeside community, family and friends close by, a fiancé I’m crazy about, and a cool job. It’s only been a month at my new job, but I’m very happy there. My boss is amazing. We get along so well. She says I remind her a lot of herself just starting out there.
After the fireworks, everyone packs up to go, rowing back to shore.
I linger behind on the shore, talking to Wyatt and Sydney while Adam puts the rowboat back on a trailer he hooked to the back of his car. I share the latest details I’ve firmed up for next weekend’s engagement party at my mom’s house. It’s an ocean theme with the idea that there’s two less fish in the sea now. (One day we’ll go fishing on the ocean at a reasonable hour, and I’ll be sure