Cancun: Bad Boys on the Beach: A Standalone Romance Novel (21 page)

After my long shower that leaves my fingers all pruney and my heart pounding, I meet up with the bride and other bridesmaids for breakfast. I sit down at the table with my banana, apple and yogurt.

Stephanie is with Aaron sitting at a table across the restaurant. She looks pissed.

“I can’t believe you’re getting married,” I say to Megan. “It still feels like I was cutting gum out of your hair in high school only yesterday.”

Megan laughs. Her bangs were uneven for months. “I know!” she says. “I’m so grown up. I’m freaking out!”

“It’s going to be great,” Cynthia says, placing her hand on Megan’s. “And if it isn’t you get a fake passport and move to Alaska.”

Megan shakes her head. “No. Too cold.”

“Okay, Fiji,” I say.

Megan nods. “Now you’re talking.”

“He is going to love your dress,” Julia says.

The girls gush over Megan’s looks for a bit while I zone out. I have other things on my mind. And that thing just walked by the restaurant to the pool. Ethan has his towel draped over his shoulder and he’s wearing the sunglasses that I like. A strong urge to run out and say hi tries to overtake me and I have to hold onto my chair to make sure that I don’t jump up. I watch him as he walks up to the pool, pulls off his tank top and tosses it onto an empty chair.

A woman nearby lowers her book then her sunglasses and watches him. Two young women walk by and gawk as he takes off his sunglasses. They stop walking and pretend to talk but they’re really only stopping to steal glances at Ethan every few seconds.

He’s so hot.

The women watch as he dives into the pool and swims the entire length before coming up for air. It’s weird to think that Ethan has a whole life in Chicago that I’m not a part of. He has a townhouse that I’ve never stepped into full of clothes that I’ve never seen him wear. He has two businesses that I’ve never been to and a motorcycle that I haven’t ridden on. I feel so connected to him and it feels weird knowing that tomorrow he’ll be going home to a different life that I’m not apart of. A life that is separated from mine by state lines.

He says that he’s interested in a long distance relationship but who knows? I’m hoping that he’ll want to continue this but it’s easy to fall into unrealistic, fantasy land expectations when you’re on vacation at the beach. It’s another matter entirely when you go back to the real world and get sucked back into the daily grind. I’ll just have to wait and see what happens.

Ethan climbs out of the pool and runs his hand through his wet hair. Drops of water cascade down his tanned, chiseled abs. The two young women have stopped pretending to talk and are outright staring at him now. The woman with the book is reaching for her camera.

I’ve never been with a man who had abs before. I like it. He struts back to his chair and lies down on his back with his eyes closed. The urge to walk over there comes back, but this time, I want to kiss him on the lips.

“What do you think, Tanya?” Megan asks.

“Huh?” I ask in confusion. I was completely blanked out there and have no idea what they’re talking about.

Cynthia grins as she bites down on her straw. “She’s looking at her Prince Charming over there.”

Julia turns her head. “Holy abs. You can wash your clothes on his stomach.”

“And hang them to dry on his cock,” I say. I think his crudeness is rubbing off on me.

“Tanya!” Megan says and we all burst out laughing.

I’m staring at him through the large open window when the laughing dies down. I can see Megan out of the corner of my eye watching me. “Is this just a fling?” she asks. “Or something more?”

I take a deep breath and bite my lip. “That’s the million-dollar question.”

And one that I’ll only find out in a few days.

We all get ready at Megan’s suite and by the time all of our hair is done up, our makeup is painstakingly applied and the four of us are dressed, the honeymoon suite is trashed. There are hair rollers and mascara and brushes everywhere. I feel sorry for the maid, or for Lucas, whoever comes in first I guess.

“Come here,” Julia says, fixing a strand of loose hair on my head. She spent an hour fixing it with hairpins, elastics, hairspray, and I think at one point she even had a glue gun working up there.

My mind drifts back to Ethan as Julia carefully fixes me up. I haven’t seen him since this morning and it makes me sad since this is our last full day together. I’m with my favorite girls and my best friend is getting married today. I should be thrilled and excited but I just can’t shake the tightness in my chest and the feeling like my heart is breaking. I hide it all for Megan’s sake and pretend to be happy but that’s just making it worse inside.

Megan comes out of the bathroom after changing into her dress and Julia squeals in delight. She looks stunning in a simple, strapless white dress that is tight around her torso and then flows freely by her legs. When I see her some of the excitement that I should be feeling comes back.

“Megan,” I say, “you look hot as fuck!”

The bride smiles. “Really?”

“Not as hot as your mom’s old dress we wore when we were eight but still good.”

She turns and smiles when she looks at herself in the mirror. “He’s going to like it.”

“He fucking better,” Cynthia says. “Or I’ll marry you.”

Megan gushes over our bridesmaids dresses and hair as I tuck a red flower, the same one that Ethan put in my hair on our first night, behind my ear. He tried to claim me that night by putting the flower in my hair and now I’m sending a subtle message back to him: I’m his.

Hopefully, he likes my dress. It’s a light pink breezy dress with a sweetheart neckline and a pleated front. I must say…I do look smoking hot in it.

I wonder if I’ll ever be the one in the wedding dress walking towards my groom. Of course, the groom standing in my fantasy is Ethan. I can’t see myself being happy to walk to anyone else.

When you’re young you think it is a given that you’ll meet the man of your dreams and get married but as the years pass and you jump from failed relationship to failed relationship you start to question the notion that you always thought was solid. And the answer can be pretty scary.

Will I ever meet my soul mate? Will I ever be the bride?

Little did I know that I would get a marriage proposal that very night.

Chapter Sixteen

Ethan

Day Six

The guests are all sitting on the folded chairs on the sand waiting for the bride to join us. It’s late afternoon but the sun is still going strong. It’s hot as shit.

Beach weddings always look beautiful from the future when you’re looking at the photos but in reality, some fucking shade would be nice.

Still, it’s beautiful enough that it’s worth it. My little cousin, Lucas, is standing at the alter all by himself. He’s got a nervous, excited energy radiating off him. He’s going to do just fine.

Stephanie is sitting in the back row, looking pissed. I stifle a laugh as she pulls out her phone. My horrible, spoiled cousin has finally met her match it seems. I can’t feel bad for her. She’s had it coming for a long time.

The music starts and Aaron walks up the sandy aisle with Julia on his arm.
How the hell did he ever get a girl as amazing as Tanya?

How did I?

And how can I possibly let her go?

So many questions flow through my head as Cynthia walks up next with two of Lucas’ friends from childhood. She has one on each arm.

It’s more than just sex with Tanya. I love her energy and she’s funny, smart, kind and sweet. She’d make a great mother and an amazing wife. I’d be lying if I said that I haven’t been thinking about these things.

But why the fuck does she have to live so far?

It would be hard to move from Chicago with my two businesses but there’s always a way. I can sell them. I’m getting a bit too old for the bar anyway. I don’t need it for the girls anymore. Not if I’m with Tanya. I’d be happy to pass it on to some fresh blood. I’d miss the tattoo shop, however. I do love spending my days making art.

Cynthia passes and the maid of honor is up next. My breath freezes in my rigid chest when I see her. She looks like an angel. I knew she was beautiful but goddamn! Her hair is up with the same red flower that I slipped behind her ear once upon a time. Her pink dress hugs her body and then flows out at her feet giving her the illusion that she’s gliding over the sand. I lock eyes on her, losing awareness of all my surroundings as she approaches the aisle.

One day you’ll be walking towards me dressed in white. I promise that.
It’s like she heard because she looks away shyly and smiles.

My heart is pounding like a fucking jackhammer as she approaches.

“Ahh,” the crowd cheers as everyone stands up. The bride must be there but I can’t take my eyes off of the maid of honor. Everyone is facing the back of the beach except me. I don’t turn around until Tanya reaches her spot at the alter.

“Look,” she mouths, pointing behind me with a fake, angry look. I wink and do as she commands.

My cousin’s bride looks beautiful but still pales in comparison to the woman she’s going to be standing next too. Everyone is staring at her, except for Stephanie who is still looking down at her phone.

Megan’s parents are smiling proudly and her dad wipes a tear away as he gives his daughter over to her new groom. She’s a good one and I know that she’s going to make my cousin happy.

Lucas is crying as he shakes his new father-in-law’s hand. He was always a big softy growing up. I had to warn more than a few kids that he was off limits for teasing and bullying. I even had to smash a few stubborn faces to really get my point across. After that, nobody touched him.

Megan steps up and takes his hand and they both giggle like a bunch of dorks. He’s so happy and I couldn’t be happier for them. They go so great together.

Tanya is beside Megan wiping a tear away from her cheek. She catches my eye and her chin trembles before she catches herself and turns it into a smile. She focuses on the bride and groom but something about that look sticks with me and makes my stomach roll. That look felt like sadness.

I recognize it because I’m feeling the same thing.

Chapter Seventeen

Tanya

Day Six

We take pictures for hours. Well, not literally hours but it feels like it. In three years they’ll probably have one picture up of just the bride and groom in their hallway and all of this sweat and fake smiling will be worthless. Just collecting dust in a box somewhere under the stairs in the basement.

But honestly, it is pretty fun. I feel like a model for the first time in my life.

The photographer makes the groomsman lift up the groom and the bridesmaids lift up the bride. The bride doesn’t get past our shoulders while Lucas is high in the air. Julia falls into the sand and Megan is laughing so hard that she almost pees her dress.

“Just the bride and groom now,” the photographer says, waving us away.

“Finally,” I gasp. I need some shade. And a drink.

Julia reads my mind. “Let’s get a drink!”

Cynthia hooks her arm around Julia’s. “Coming, Tanya?” Cynthia asks.

Julia is looking at the tall, sexy man leaning against a palm tree who’s staring at me. “What do you think?” she asks.

Cynthia giggles. “Oh, she’s going to get a tall drink of a muscular bad boy.” They shuffle off to the bar giggling as they go.

Ethan watches me as I walk up to him. “Your friends laughing at me?” he asks with a smile.

“You seem to have that effect on girls,” I answer. “Maybe instead of Mr. Trampoline they should call you Mr. Laughing Gas.”

He rubs his chin and looks up. “Doesn’t have the same ring to it.”

I give him a long hug and he kisses the top of my head, breathing in the smell of my hair. “I’ve missed you,” he whispers.

“Me too.”

Neither of us wants to say what we’re both thinking. If we can’t go a few hours without missing each other how can we go days or weeks?

He pushes me away and hold me at arm’s length. “Oh,” he says, his face in panic. “You look phenomenal.”

“Really?” I ask, feeling shy all of a sudden.

“As gorgeous as an angel and as tempting as the devil,” he says.

I smile. “Where did you get that cheesy line?”

“The book, remember?” he asks. “All Angels Fall.”

I hug him again. He’s perfect.

We hold hands and watch Megan and Lucas as they pose for the pictures. “They look so happy don’t they?” I ask.

Ethan pulls me in and wraps his arms around me. “I wonder if that will ever be us.”

“Really?” I ask, my body going rigid. “I didn’t think that you were the marrying type.”

“I wasn’t,” he says. “Until I met you. Now I can see myself with it all. The house, the kids, the minivan, the food fights.”

I smile as his words sink in. “I could see you with kids.” And I could. I would like to see a little girl with auburn hair sitting on his shoulders.