Page 53 of Faking Time (The Steel City #2)

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

carter

This is so stupid.

We spent a whole weekend on this shit, and it’s still fucking stupid.

I groan, shaking out my legs. The material from the blow-up dog costume that I’m wearing makes a scratchy, awful sound. I don’t want to do this, but I know Red was onto something. This is the kind of shit Lowesy and his boys from home would do. It’ll change the tide in my favour.

I still don’t want to do it.

I glare behind me, to where Arden is hiding behind the wall of the garage with a portable speaker. She nods, pointing to the front door. Her brown eyes are full of amusement, that sexy ass smile on those cherry lips.

I roll my eyes and shuffle forward toward the door like a fucking penguin. I knock loudly, praying that they’re not home and that we can pretend this never happened. There is no way I’m putting on this stupid costume twice.

The dogs start barking from inside. I suck in a breath, swearing to myself .

It’s now or fucking never, I guess.

The door swings open and the karaoke version of some sad love song starts playing from behind me. I open my mouth as I come face to face with the future Mrs. Declan Lowes.

Penny blinks, confusion washing over her face. She leans forward, her brows pinching together, peering through the small screen that the costume gives my face. When she realizes that it’s me, the biggest, brightest smile explodes across her mouth. She tilts her head back and cackles.

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me!” She laughs, bending forward to smack her hand to her knee. “Hold on, hold on! Start the song over. I’ll go get him.”

She turns and slams the door shut without another word. The music stops abruptly, the dogs still barking incessantly inside the house. I glance over my shoulder at Red, who is smiling like an angel. She gives me an encouraging thumbs up.

The door opens again. She curses, fumbling with the speaker. Seconds later, the music begins to play for a second time.

I turn to face Lowesy. He’s holding that little runt in his hands, Penny behind him on the steps with her hand clasped over her mouth. His eyes widen to the size of planets when he realizes it’s me in this stupid costume. A look of sheer terror washes over him.

I clear my throat.

Here goes nothing.

“To my Darling Lowesy,” I begin, loud and proud.

Penny explodes into a fit of laughter. I haven’t even started yet.

Declan’s face morphs into disgust, staring at me like I’ve grown a tail. Technically, I do have one right now.

“What I did really blow…sied,” I continue, and when that horrified frown grows, I stifle a sigh. “I missed your po ker game and that was rude. Especially because you’re such a stand-up dude.”

Declan cracks then. His eyes shut in a wince, shaking his head to make sure he’s seeing this right.

I’m reading him a poem, dressed in a costume that looks like the dog he’s holding, on his front doorstep. With my tail between my legs.

He runs his free hand over his bottom jaw and leans against the doorframe.

“I know that I have lost your trust, and I’ll do anything to rectify it for…us. Like talk about your dreamy hazel eyes, your hot little dimples, or your tattooed thigh.”

Penny is now in hysterics. She’s laughing so hard that she’s frantically wiping her face free of tears so that she doesn’t have to miss a second of this show.

I shift in my costume, wanting to die.

Declan’s glaring at me still, horrified.

“You’re a gift to the game, and you know it’s true. You have the nastiest hands in the league. You’re a beaut.”

“Dear god.” He cringes, his shoulders shaking with disgust. He mutters under his breath. “That didn’t even rhyme.”

“I love all of the things that you do. I am…the biggest fan…” My eyes slide up to his from their position of shame on the floor. “...of you.”

His grin breaks behind his hand. He continues to stare at me, appalled. “That’s great.”

“I’m not fucking done,” I snap.

He holds up his free hand. “Sorry. Continue.”

“You’ve been blessed to find the love of your life.” Declan’s face warms a bit at the mention of Sweets. “You’re lucky that Lucky agreed to be your wife.”

“Woo!” Penny chants from the foyer, throwing up her arms .

“Isn’t this supposed to be a poem praising me ?” Declan asks the little mutt in his hand in a baby voice that is absolutely repulsive.

I keep pushing. I need to get this over with.

“I fucked up and I’m sorry, but I promise to do all I can.” I inhale a big breath and drop my puffed-up, costume-covered arms. “If you allow me the honour of being a groomsman.”

There. I’m done.

We stare at each other.

Declan’s face is full of bewilderment. The little dog stares at me like I’m offending her by dressing like her after reciting that bullshit. Penny is fighting to catch her breath inside, and eventually, Arden turns the volume down on the sad melody.

Lowesy still says nothing.

Someone take me out back and shoot me.

After a long, long moment, his eyes flicker behind me. “Is it Arden or Boston hiding in the driveway?”

I hear the shuffle of footsteps and see her wave from my peripheral, but I don’t look away from him.

“Arden.”

Declan dips his chin. He looks back at me. “How much did the costume cost you?”

“Seventy bucks,” I grumble.

He nods again, considering this. “Did you write that yourself?”

“I had help,” I admit.

His eyes flicker back to Arden. “How’s your pride feeling?”

“Fucking tragic, man.”

Declan breaks into a grin, reaches forward, and smacks me on the inflatable shoulder. “I’ll consider it.”

My heart sinks. “ What ?”

He turns back toward the house, waving us both in. “Come in and have a coffee. There are cinnamon rolls from Hunny Buns in the oven.”

“ Please . I’m starving,” Arden slides between me and the open door. I glance at her, disappointed and embarrassed. She offers a tight smile and pats the arm of this stupid costume. “You did good, Bub. Let’s get this off you.”

I still haven’t said a word when Penny places a cinnamon roll in front of me.

It looks great, but I don’t particularly feel hungry.

Arden was certain that would work. Hell, I was, too.

I’m not a poet, but that was pretty good writing for an idiot who doesn’t know much beyond skates and a headset. It was funny. That’s what mattered.

Lowesy vanished a few minutes after I got that costume off, so I’ve been sitting here, listening to Penny and Arden talk, all on my own. Not about my performance, either. It’s like it never happened.

My pride is currently in a blender.

After a few sips of my cappuccino, Declan saunters back down the stairs. He slaps his hand on my back and slides an elegant, black box in front of me.

Arden sucks in a little, shocked breath.

I drag my eyes to Lowesy as he rounds the other side of the table.

This better not be a joke.

He smirks, shrugging. “Open it.”

I glance beside me. Penny is digging her fork into her cinnamon roll, a knowing smile on her face. I think she’s exceptionally satisfied that I grovelled for her man’s forgiveness.

I flip open the box and almost die of relief .

Thank god .

My name stares up at me, etched into the side of an expensive flask. There is a wrapped cigar on one side of the box. Gold cufflinks, cologne, a bottle of Jager, and a new pair of Raybans. But I don’t care about any of that. I lift up the small, black card and slip it from its envelope.

Suit Up, Fork.

I let out a breath and drop my head between my shoulders. “I’m a groomsman?”

“If you want to be,” Declan says.

“Of course, I fucking want to be,” I mutter. I stand from the table and beeline right for him. He has a smug but pleased look on his face. He’s happy he taught me a lesson, even happier than I begged him in a dog costume. “It’ll be an honour, man.”

I smack my hand into his and pull him to my chest.

“Anything for my biggest fan.”

I groan. I’m never living this down. “Can’t we just have a nice moment?”

When I pull away, he squeezes me tighter, not letting me go. He looks me right in the eye. “You know that you were always going to be up there with me, right?”

I swallow. I hoped, but I wasn’t sure for a second there.

“You also know that we have a camera out front, and that performance is going to live on for eternity,” Penny chimes in.

Arden breaks into the most beautiful, melodic laughter in the world, and I can’t even muster up a morsel of anger when Penny brings up the video and we all gather around her phone to watch me humiliate myself.

I’m a fucking groomsman.