Home > The Addendum (The Contract #3)(9)

The Addendum (The Contract #3)(9)
Author: Melanie Moreland

She closed her Kindle with a grin. “You’re upright.”

I grunted, taking a sip of coffee. “Barely.”

“You had a good time last night.”

I sat back. “I did. Great party.”

She hummed in agreement. “It was. You danced a lot.”

I nodded. “You were my favorite partner.”

She chuckled. “I don’t know. You and Maddox made a lovely pair.”

I threw back my head in laughter. Mad Dog and I had taken to the floor, making everyone laugh. So had Reid and Aiden, which had been hilarious to witness as they tried to recreate the first dance lesson. The four of us tried to outdo one another on the floor, silliness in abundance. Bentley had rolled his eyes at our antics, but even he couldn’t hold in his amusement.

Katy nudged my leg. “I never imagined the man I married all those years ago would be so entertaining.”

I grabbed her foot, placing it on my lap and rubbing at the arch absently. “The man you married was an ass. I much prefer the Richard I am now. The Richard I became after you entered my life.”

“You’re a completely changed man,” she agreed. Then she winked, lightening the subject. “I like you better now, too.”

“Good thing, because you’re stuck with me.” I drained my coffee mug and leaned back in my chair.

“Did I tread on anyone’s feet?”

“No. You danced with lots of people and not a sore foot in sight. You were lovely with Sandy. So gentle—all of you were with her. She enjoyed the dancing.”

“Yes, she did.”

“Your speech was very, ah, heartfelt. You made Gracie and Heather cry. I thought Maddox might weep as well.”

I recalled some of my words. Talking about my family and friends.

“I need to stop drinking and talking. I get sentimental,” I said with a grimace.

“You were just open and honest. It was a great speech.”

“Did you cry?”

“Only once.”

“Really? I must be losing my touch.”

She stood, leaned over, and picked up our mugs. She pressed a kiss to my mouth.

“I wept from the moment you started until you were done. Your touch, Richard, is perfect.”

 

 

The warmth of the sun and the peacefulness of the day soothed away the last of the fogginess and aches from the night before. Katy brought out more coffee and bagels, and we sipped and munched in quiet.

“Your tux is back from the cleaners.”

“Great.”

“Reed called earlier to remind you that tee off is at ten tomorrow. The cars leave at nine.”

“I’m looking forward to it.” I smiled at her. “Excited about your spa day?”

All the guys were playing golf, and the women were having a day of pampering.

“I always am.” She leaned over, excitement making her eyes dance. “I think Gracie might be pregnant again.”

I finished chewing my bagel. “Did she tell you that?”

“No. But I noticed she didn’t drink anything last night, and Jaxson was even more protective than normal. He never took his eyes off her.”

“That would be awesome. A baby sibling for Kylie.”

“She probably doesn’t want to take away from the wedding. I’m sure she’ll tell us next week if she is.”

Gavin had shared the news his wife Amanda was pregnant last night. He was excited about being a dad. I was excited about being a grandpa again.

I nodded, feeling pleased at Katy’s words. My family was still growing.

“Luc looked happy last night,” Katy mused.

I pushed away my plate. “What, ah, did you think of his new girlfriend?”

“She seemed lovely. I only spoke to her briefly, but Luc appears to be smitten.”

“Have we met her before?” I asked.

“No, I don’t think so. Why?”

In the bright light of the day, the sudden strange looks and animosity I’d felt from Ashley after we were introduced seemed overly dramatic. I had to be mistaken. I had no memory of meeting her before. No recollection of business dealings or anything with her, so there would be no reason for any of it.

I shrugged. “She looked vaguely familiar, but I don’t recall meeting her.”

“She’s an event planner, so perhaps you saw her at one of your dinners or something.”

That made sense. I did meet a lot of people, although I usually had a good memory for faces and names. It was part of the business I was in.

“Maybe. I, ah, got the feeling she didn’t like me.”

Katy frowned. “From a hello and a handshake? I think she was simply overwhelmed. This lot is intimidating if you get thrown into the deep end. Remember the look on poor Hunter’s face the first time he came to a family gathering?”

I chuckled, thinking about it. Hunter was Ava’s husband. The first time he’d arrived at a family barbecue, he’d looked as if he wanted to turn around and run. But he had found his place among us, and he was part of the family now.

“I suppose.”

“Even when he was younger and we were a smaller group, Luc took a while to fit in,” Katy pointed out. “I’m sure he’s forgotten, but for poor Ashley last night, it was a feetfirst into the fire thing. So many faces and names to remember.”

Katy was right, and what she said made perfect sense. I had probably mistaken nerves and anxiety for animosity.

If I had never met the woman, what reason would she have to dislike me?

I sat back and finished my coffee. Thank God for Katy. She made everything better.

 

 

I dug around in the garage, finding my golf bag. I should have done it the day before, but Katy and I spent the day relaxing, recovering from the party, and with Kylie.

I found it, grateful when I remembered cleaning my clubs before I put them away last fall. From outside, I could hear Katy’s laughter and the booming sound of Aiden’s voice.

I pushed the automatic door opener and stepped outside, stopping in shock at the sight before me.

“What the hell are you wearing?”

Maddox grinned, striking a pose. “Old-fashioned golfing attire.”

I shook my head. He wore an argyle vest overtop a collared white shirt. The shirt was tucked into golf knickers—pants that ended at the knee. Covering his calves were a pair of jaunty matching argyle socks. There were fringes on his shoes. A cap on his head.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, Aiden was dressed to match.

Maddox, with his long, lean build, carried it off. Aiden looked like a sausage stuffed into a tight casing. His massive arms and chest stretched the argyle, distorting the pattern. The pants looked as if they were painted on, and his socks barely reached the bottom of his pants, his knees half exposed.

I started to laugh.

“You two are fucking ridiculous.”

Maddox grinned, holding out a bag. “I got you one too.”

“Not on your life,” I replied.

“We’re all wearing them. Reed keeps calling us the old guys, so we’re dressing the part.”

Aiden cracked his knuckles. “Then we’ll kick his ass. Show him who’s old.”

“You cannot tell me that Bentley agreed to wear that getup.”

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