Page 44 of Consummation (The Josh & Kat Trilogy #3)

Louise giggles and waves him off. “Oh, you’ll benefit later, old man, so hush up.” She puts her hand on my forearm. “We couldn’t be more thrilled, Josh.”

“Thank you,” I manage to say, my heart leaping.

Louise flashes me a truly lovely smile. “No, thank you. You obviously make our Kitty Kat very happy . ”

Speak of the she-devil, Kat sidles up to our table, a bottle of water in her hand, her face covered in a light sheen of perspiration. “You guys look like you’re plotting the invasion of a small country,” she says. “What’s shakin’, bacon? ”

I leap up and give Kat a kiss on her rosy cheek and guide her to the seat next to mine. “Hey, babe. I was just giving your dad a taste of my uncle’s Glenfarclas 1955.”

Kat shoots me a look of chastisement. “You just couldn’t resist, could you, Playboy?

” She looks at her parents. “Josh always says I’m the blabbermouth who can’t keep a secret but look who’s the blabbermouth now.

Ha!” She snorts and swigs her water. “I told him it was too extravagant, but I guess the Playboy just couldn’t control himself. ”

Kat’s mom and dad look utterly confused.

“What are you talking about?” Thomas asks.

There’s a beat as Kat realizes she’s just blabbed yet another secret. “Oh. You... didn’t give my dad the bottle?” she asks.

I shake my head.

“Damn,” Kat says. “Whoops.” She grins sheepishly. “Well, Dad, surprise! Josh is giving you that bottle of that Glenfarkity-fuckity-fuck-whatever. Do you like it?”

I shake my head again. “Kat, no. My uncle brought his own bottle of Glenfarclas tonight—he has several bottles of it in his collection. I just brought your dad a glass to taste from my uncle’s bottle.

I’ve still got your dad’s bottle— which I didn’t tell him about and was still planning to give him later as a surprise . ”

Kat’s face turns bright red. “Oh. Well, oops again.” She snorts. “Well, Dad, Josh got a bottle of the stuff for you but I wouldn’t let him give it to you because I said it was too extravagant a gift.”

“Oh, wow,” Thomas says. “Really? Thank you, Josh. But Kat’s right, that really is too extravagant.”

“Can I get all the single ladies onto the dance floor?” the lead singer of the band calls over the microphone on the far side of the restaurant. “It’s time for the bouquet toss!”

“No, Thomas, I insist,” I say. “I’ll have the bottle delivered to your house this week.” I shoot Kat a scolding look. “There’s no sense in waiting now, is there?”

Thomas looks elated, but he nonetheless says the polite thing. “No, I really can’t accept.”

“Too late. It’s yours. If you feel too weird about it, then open it for a special occasion—maybe when the baby’s born?”

Thomas beams a wide smile at me. “All right. Thank you. I accept, but only if we’re gonna open it together to celebrate the birth of my grandbaby.”

“Deal,” I say.

“And, Mom, don’t feel left out,” Kat says. “Josh got some fancy Cabernet for you, too. Some hoity-toity vintage.”

“Oh, Josh. You’re so sweet,” Louise says. “But I really wouldn’t know the difference. I’m happy with a twelve-dollar bottle of merlot.”

Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” starts blaring over the sound system.

“Last call for all the single ladies to try to catch Sarah’s bouquet!” the bandleader calls out.

“Too late,” I say. “I already got it for you, Lou. I guess you’ll have to grin and bear it.”

“Well, thank you, Josh. You’re so sweet.” Louise glances at the commotion happening on the dance floor. “Honey, aren’t you gonna get over there?” she says to Kat.

Thomas touches Louise’s forearm, obviously signaling his wife to shut the fuck up and she clamps her lips together, apparently realizing she’s treading into dangerous territory.

“Mom, please ,” Kat says, her tone suddenly indignant. “Like I told you guys last week, Josh and I aren’t gonna get married. Deal with it. We’ve talked about it like adults and made our decision. Please respect that.”

“Oh, we do, honey,” Thomas says, pacifying his little stick of dynamite. “We completely respect that.”

“Here we go!” the bandleader says behind us on the dance floor. “Are you ready, Sarah?”

Kat looks longingly toward the dance floor for a beat and then back at us, setting her jaw.

“I can understand how being at this wedding has probably made you guys dream about watching me walk down the aisle in a white dress. Dad, seeing as how I’m your only daughter, I’m sure you can’t help imagining yourself walking me down the aisle on your arm.

But it’s just not gonna happen, okay? You’ve got to let it go. I certainly have. One hundred percent.”

Thomas, Louise, and I trade a long, skeptical look, all of us nonverbally acknowledging this girl’s full of shit.

Louise throws up her hands. “Well, jeez. I’m sorry I mentioned it. I certainly didn’t know I was opening a big ol’ bottle of whoop-ass on myself. ”

Kat laughs. “It’s a big ol’ can of whoop-ass, Mom—not a bottle.”

“Well, you know what I meant—I’m just saying I didn’t mean to make you mad.

Your father and I will never bring up the topic of marriage ever again.

I swear. You two kids do whatever’s right for you and we’ll support you.

Our lips are sealed. In fact, please don’t get married.

Blech. Marriage. Ew. Horrible idea.” She mock-shudders.

Thomas touches his wife’s arm again, glaring at her.

“Sorry,” Lou says, giggling. “I’ve had a little bit to drink. I won’t bring up marriage again—that’s all I’m saying.” She locks her mouth and throws away the key.

Thomas glares at his wife for a long beat. “As your mother said, we support you kids, whatever you decide.”

Kat nods. “Thank you. Josh and I really appreciate that.” Kat smiles at me and my heart aches at the blatant expression of longing reflected in her eyes.

How, before tonight, did I not understand how much Kat wants the fairytale? And how the fuck did I not want to give it to her?

There’s a loud cheer from the dance floor.

“Let’s hear it for Hannah !” the bandleader shouts into her microphone, and everyone on the dance floor cheers.

Kat glances over her shoulder toward the commotion behind us, and when she sees Hannah triumphantly holding up Sarah’s bouquet, her face falls for the briefest moment. “Like I said, all this hoopla just isn’t for us,” she says, her jaw setting with resignation.

Kat’s parents and I share another look.

“We completely understand,” Thomas says evenly.

Louise nods like a bobble head doll. “We sure do. We all know how much you hate hoopla , Kitty Kat.” She snorts.

“ Louise .”

Kat’s mom laughs like a dude and clamps her hand over her mouth again. “Sorry.”

I put my arm around Kat’s shoulder, demonstrating my faux solidarity with her. “Thanks for understanding,” I say to Kat’s parents. “As Kat said, we’ve talked about it and marriage just isn’t for us.”

“We understand,” Thomas says.

“Good,” Kat says, jutting her chin. “Now enough about that. Let’s celebrate Jonas and Sarah’s happy day—and never speak of the whole marriage-thing again.”