Love After All
Page 17

He knew the old adage that opposites attract. It sure as hell fit for Logan and Des. He’d never seen two people who were so completely different, and yet so much in love.
He pulled his truck in front of the main house at the ranch and put it in park.
Yeah, maybe that love thing did work after all.
For some people. Sure as hell hadn’t worked for him and Cathy. He’d tried to be the man she wanted, but in the end, he hadn’t been, and it had ended in disaster. The relationship had lasted for a painful two years, and the parting had been ugly. He could still remember the look of disappointment on her face when she’d left him. God knows he’d felt it, too, but it had been directed inward.
He took responsibility for the failure of their marriage, because he hadn’t been able to adapt. Cathy had always had big dreams about the guy she was going to spend the rest of her life with—and that guy hadn’t been him.
He swore then he’d never get married again. He’d never do to another woman what he’d done to Cathy. He’d never bring that kind of unhappiness into a relationship. Nope. Never again.
Figuring he’d traveled down the road of unpleasant-memory lane long enough, he pushed open the door of the truck and headed up the stairs into the McCormack house, where laughter always greeted him.
“Well, hello, Bash.”
Martha came and greeted him as she always did, her arms open wide for a hug.
“Hey, Martha. How’s it goin’?”
“It’s wonderful. So glad you could make it. The tuxes just arrived, and everyone’s in the main room for the final fitting.”
Some kind of designer tux thing. Whatever. So not Bash’s idea of a good time, but for Logan—and for Des—he’d do it.
“Okay. And how’s Miss Martha doing?”
“Are you serious? It’s wedding time, and I couldn’t be happier.”
“Of course you are.” He kissed her on the cheek, happy for her. She and her husband, Ben, the ranch foreman, never had kids of their own, but they’d unofficially adopted the McCormack boys after their mother left and their father died. To Logan, Luke, and Reid, Martha and Ben were parents. Damn good ones, too.
“You go on in there,” Martha said, patting him on the back.
“Thanks.”
He walked into the living room. Logan was in there, and so were Logan’s brother Luke, Carter Richards, and Martha’s husband, Ben.
“’Bout time you showed up,” Logan said. “Can’t do this monkey suit party without you.”
“Hey. Some of us work for a living. We don’t all lie around on the front porch drinking beer all day.”
“Screw you, Bash.”
Bash laughed. “Where are Reid and Will?”
“You just missed Will. He had to do something with one of the kids, so he’ll meet us at the bar later. Reid is finishing up a job in … I don’t know,” Logan said. “Wherever the hell he is. He’ll fly in on Thursday. He’s having his tux fitted in Boston. Des is taking care of all those details. Her dad’s and her brother’s tuxes were done a month ago. Colt is getting his tux done in LA because he’s got a final shoot there, so he and Tony will be here midweek. Other than that, we’re all here.”
Bash was introduced to Daniel, someone from one of the local tux shops, who was taking care of making sure hems and sleeve lengths and all those details were dealt with. Since they were custom tuxes, they’d already been measured once, but they had to make sure everything was perfect.
He’d never owned a tux before. He supposed he was going to now—a gift from Des and Logan.
The tux fit him like—well, he guessed like it had been made for him.
“We’re going to look damn good, aren’t we?” he asked Logan as they stood side by side looking into the mirror the tailor had brought.
“I guess. This is all for Des. I’m just happy she agreed to marry me. I’d wear a clown suit if that’s what she wanted.”
“I’d like to see that,” Carter said. “The red nose would look good on you. And you definitely have the big feet, Logan.”
Logan smirked. “They go with my big dick.”
Bash rolled his eyes. “I need a beer.”
The tailor’s head shot up. “Not until you change out of these tuxes, gentlemen.”
“Then let’s hurry and get out of these things,” Luke said. “Because it’s beer time.”
The tailor got through his final fittings, and they changed clothes and headed outside where there was a cooler waiting.
They all stuck their hands in and grabbed cans of beer.
“You ready for this, Logan?” Luke asked.
Logan popped the top off his beer. “You mean the wedding, or you all trying your best to get me drunk tonight?”
Luke slapped him on the back. “There is no trying about it. You just think you’re a hot cowboy who can hold his liquor. We’re taking you down tonight.”
“Evan already volunteered to be designated driver, since he said he’s on police patrol duty tomorrow morning, and I’m shutting the bar down for the party,” Bash said. “It’s going to be epic. Hard liquor epic.”
Logan rolled his eyes. “I’ll make sure you all don’t cry when you’re puking your guts up in the parking lot.”
Luke slid a smirk Bash’s way. “He thinks we’re amateurs, when we know he doesn’t drink all that much.”