The Laws of Attraction (Love is a Destination Book 2) Page 12

  “Why Cee?” Birdy asked.

  Marcy looked up at the board before smacking Max on the head. “He used to call me Cee when we were kids.” She yanked on his hair playfully. “I thought you’d forgotten that.”

  “Never, my baby Cee-Cee.”

  Marcy yanked harder. “Don’t make me tell them my nickname for you.”

  “Oh, please do,” Dean said, falling to his knees, clasping his hands together so that it looked like he was begging.

  “Don’t do it, Marcy,” Max warned.

  “Oh, she has to do it,” Katie said, kissing Max on the cheek. “I have to know.”

  Max hung his head, blushing, but kept a smile plastered on his face. “Fine, if you must.”

  “Okay, but first you have to know that when Max was a kid, he had these green rainboots with frogs on the front of them. He wore them everywhere. In the bath. To school. When he played outside. Even to bed. It didn’t matter if it was raining or not. He loved them.

  “One day, a new member of the staff saw him. She was from somewhere in the UK and she said, ‘Oh, what cute wellies you have, Max.’ And it was like a lightbulb went off in my head. Because his full name is Maxwell. So, from then on, at least until I moved out of the Legend mansion, Max became Wellie to me.”

  “Wellie,” Dean said, falling to the floor and laughing. “That never gets old.”

  August clapped Max on the back. “Bro, you still look like a Wellie.”

  “Yeah, and once this episode of Birdy Knows Best is released, everyone will call you Wellie.” Dean swiped at the tears forming in his eyes from laughing so hard. “It’ll be the latest thing trending on social media. In fact—” he took out his phone. “I’m going to start it.”

  Katie sat on Max’s lap. “I promise never to call you Wellie…” She paused, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Except at certain times when the moment calls for it.” She kissed him.

  Birdy was laughing so hard she was crying too. “Don’t go any further. We’ve heard enough.”

  Max sat back and smiled. He didn’t seem at all worried about it, especially since he had Katie on his lap. She was all he could focus on. “I’m never going to live this down, am I?” he finally asked.

  “Probably not. But if anything, it’ll endear you to your fans even more,” Birdy said.

  “Birdy’s right. I don’t think you can do any wrong,” Ares said. “And I mean, Wellie isn’t as bad as I thought it would be.” Birdy and Ares exchanged a look.

  “Do you have a nickname?” Birdy asked Ares.

  “Growing up, my friends tried to call me Arrested, but it didn’t stick.”

  Birdy studied him. “How about Muscles.”

  Ares burst out laughing. “Blue Bird, if you want to call me Muscles, I won’t stop you.” He tapped her on the nose. It looked like he wanted to kiss her, but changed his mind.

  Birdy understood. This was Katie and Max’s thing. She didn’t want to do anything that would take away from them.

  “Sorry, Max,” Marcy said once Katie hopped out of his lap.

  “No worries, Cees.” He stood and hugged his stepsister.

  “Don’t forget to look for the pieces of paper,” Meredith interjected.

  That sent the group on a quest to find them. Birdy found the first one in the flowers. It said: Love me when I least deserve it. She liked that.

  It took a while to find them all, even though they were in a small area. Some were hidden under the bowling balls. August found his taped under his seat. But once they were all located, they started to bowl. They played three games. The first one, the girls beat the guys by twenty points. The second, the guys won, and the third was close until the very end, when Ares bowled a turkey.

  After bowling, they went to the roller skating rink where Meredith had outdone herself again. The whole place had been reserved for the ten of them. Just like the bowling alley, concrete half wall surrounding the skating floor had been decorated in flower arrangements to go along with the theme of Max and Katie’s wedding. The disco ball twirled and the DJ took requests. He played everything from Wilson Phillips to Journey to Def Leppard and even Max’s music, too. Since they had the place to themselves, the papers were hidden all over the rink, making it a lot harder to find them this time. Birdy didn’t find one, but Katie did. Hers said: Because that’s when I really need it.

  “Very poignant,” Birdy said.

  “Agreed,” Katie said. “I can’t believe she did so much. Meredith deserves something special as a thank you.”

  Birdy nodded. “Yeah, I mean, she’ll get plenty of accolades from the network if the show’s ratings increase, but she did go the extra mile with the hidden quotes. Want to go in on a gift together?”

  “Definitely. What does she like?”

  Birdy shrugged. “I’ll have to think about it because I have no idea.”

  By the time they reached the Elvis diner, Birdy was starving. “I’m going to have one of everything,” she said to Katie while they perused the menu.

  “Me too,” Katie said. “What about you, Max?”

  “One of everything, for sure,” he said.

  “Who knew roller skating and bowling could be such a workout,” Ares said, looking over Birdy’s shoulder. “What are you thinking?”

  “Definitely a burger and fries. And a piece of blueberry pie with ice cream.” She paused. “I might also try the nachos, the boneless chicken wings, and get a side of mashed potatoes and gravy.”

  “Oh, is that all?” Ares asked, laughing.

  Birdy stuck her nose in the air. “Maybe. We’ll see.”

  They gave their orders to the waitress behind the counter. The diner was busy so it took a while for their food to arrive. A juke box filled with Elvis songs stood off to one corner, and they took turns choosing songs while they waited. Birdy was surprised to hear that Ares knew all of the words.

  “You an Elvis fan?” she asked.

  His expression turned bittersweet. “My mom was. She used to listen to his music all the time. She even had his movies. I had to be a fan or I would’ve gone in sane, but it’s been a long while since I listened to him.” He paused. “What do you think of these decorations? Far out. Or, too far?”

  Birdy laughed as she studied the diner. The walls were covered in Elvis posters and paraphernalia as well as guitars, clothes, leis, sunglasses, and more. Their waitress wore an Elvis-inspired costume as did the cook and the bussers. “Totally far out,” she said. “The place has good vibes.”

  Their food arrived. “It looks like the clue was brought to us,” Birdy said, picking hers up. Everyone got a clue with their plate, except Max and Katie.

  Ares showed Birdy his. It read: In marriage, there are no winners or losers.

  “Here’s mine,” she said. You are a team and win or lose together.

  “I think ours go together,” Ares said.

  “You aren’t supposed to show each other. Remember?” Meredith said, giving them a crusty look.

  “Oh, sorry,” Birdy said.

  “Sorry,” Ares added.

  Birdy noticed that the number at the top of her yellow card was a ten. Ares’ had a ten at the top of his too. “You’re right.” She ate a fry before tucking her paper in her pocket.

  Chapter Seventeen

  After dinner, the whole group piled into the limo and headed to the yacht. They raised anchor at six thirty. The sun hadn’t set, but was on its way down. Birdy stood on the deck and watched the sun go down. It was chilly out on the water and she had her arms crossed around her.

  “You cold?” Ares asked, standing beside her.

  “A little.” Birdy noticed he wore a navy-blue rain jacket. “Where’d you get that jacket?”

  He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her to him. “One of the staff was passing them out.” He looked back. “There she is. Hang on.” He went over and got her one.

  It was too big, but she didn’t care, happy for the warmth. “Thank you,” she said, as he zipped it u
p.

  He smiled at her. “Anytime.”

  They watched the sun go down together, neither one saying anything. It was too beautiful to mar the moment with words.

  When the sun had sunk, Ares turned to her. “Now we’ve seen the sun rise and set together. I’d say we should count ourselves an official couple, don’t you?”

  The lights on the yacht came on, flooding the deck with light. She studied his face. His eyes danced with amusement, but there was seriousness in them as well. Her heart raced. She’d known him for eighteen months but they’d only really started getting to know each other a few days ago. She didn’t think she was ready to be considered a couple. At that thought, her heart dropped. The idea of not being a couple made her sad. It was confusing.

  “Are you trying to label us?” she quipped, still trying to untangle her racing thoughts. “Should we be the next Biras? Or how about Ardy?”

  He shook his head, confused. “What are you talking about?”

  “You know how the entertainment industry likes to take couples and combine their first names? You and I would be either Biras or Ardy. Which do you prefer?”

  He nodded his understanding, glancing out at the dark ocean. “Technically your name is Pamela so it would be Pamar or Armela.” He winked. “I personally prefer Armela.”

  “Do you now?” Birdy grimaced. “I think if we’re going to be Armela, you should know I really, really do not like the name Pamela. Honestly, I’d rather be called Armela than Pamela.”

  “I’ll take that into consideration when I’m getting us matching…” He paused, looking away again.

  “Matching what?” she asked, curious about where his mind had gone. Her heart sped up again. The poor thing was getting quite a workout.

  “Anything,” he said with a shrug. “Towels, socks, shirts, you name it.”

  It was Birdy’s turn to look away. “I thought military men, especially special forces type men, were supposed to keep things to themselves.”

  “I’ve scared you,” Ares said.

  “It’s just that we’ve only been spending time together just the two of us for a few days. I mean, it seems kind of sudden to say we’re a couple, don’t you think?” Birdy wasn’t sure what to think. Part of her wanted to run away in terror. Another part of her liked the idea of them being a couple.

  Ares rested his hands on her shoulders, his thumbs caressing her neck. “Here’s the thing. My parents died too soon, but they showed me what real, strong, enduring love should look like. They also taught me that life is too short to wait for exactly the right time. Because, really, when would that be?” He leaned down and kissed her.

  Birdy responded this his needy lips in kind, hungry for him, for everything he had to offer. When he finally pulled away, she opened her eyes and saw him studying her.

  “I care about you more than I’ve ever cared about another person, Birdy, but I get that you need more time. That’s okay. Take as long as you need.”

  Birdy’s breath hitched. He hadn’t said he loved her, but his confession might as well have been. “Ares, I have really strong feelings for you too, but I need to catch up. I’m just…” She trailed off, unsure how to say what she was feeling. “I don’t want to lead you on.”

  Ares stepped back, releasing her. “I definitely don’t want that either.”

  Dean stepped out on the deck and shouted, “Everyone inside. We’re playing the game Meredith made up. Let’s go.”

  Birdy and Ares ignored him. Their conversation needed to be finished.

  “If you don’t feel the same way I do, let me know. I’ll back off.” Ares caressed her cheek and then followed Dean inside.

  Birdy blew out her breath. A sob racked her throat as she stared out at the night sky. “What should I do, God?” she whispered. “What are these feelings?” Before now, the most love she’d ever felt was from Katie. Her friend had loved her unconditionally through all of her ups and downs. But those feelings were sweet family bonds of love. The feelings she had for Ares were different. And they were strong. But was it love? Better yet, what did love even feel like? She knew she felt excited around him. Special. Adored. When he touched her, her body responded like a bee to honey and she craved more. But was that love? She didn’t know.

  Katie poked her head outside. “Bird, you coming?”

  “Yep.”

  ***

  Ares and the other guys sat on one side of the room while the girls sat on the other. Ares forced himself not to look at Birdy. He’d believed she felt for him the way he felt for her, and he’d laid his heart out for her. But while she hadn’t trampled on it, she hadn’t seemed thrilled either. That he’d got it so wrong shocked him. Usually his gut was right on.

  “Here are the rules,” Meredith said, pointing at an easel holding two large pads of paper, one on each side. “One person will do the drawing and acting while the others on your team will guess. Each piece of paper you collected this evening has a number on it, so start with the number one. You’re going to either draw or act out the advice written on that piece of paper. When the timer runs out, each team will read their card and then we will discuss. If your team guesses it right, you get two points. If they don’t get it, you get zero points. Then we’ll move on to card number two, etcetera. The team with the most points at the end wins either tickets to a Giants game or a spa treatment.”

  Ares liked football and the Giants were his team, but he had to force himself to get in on the excitement. Fortunately, the other guys weren’t having the same trouble.

  “What’d you think of the draft?” Dean asked, rubbing his neck.

  “Man, that was crazy. But I think it’ll be good,” Max responded.

  “Next season is going to be awesome, especially if the coach keeps his head out of his—”

  “Settle down, guys,” Katie said, cutting Dean off and pointing at Meredith who was still trying to talk.

  “Sorry,” Dean said.

  “Yes, please continue,” August added.

  “We’re done,” Matt finished.

  “I’m glad you’re excited. Remember to go in order, so the person from each team with a one on their paper needs to go first. And when it’s your turn, no talking. If you talk, your team is disqualified for that round. Now, pull out your papers and get ready. The timer will start in twenty seconds.”

  Max was chosen to go first on his team. Marcy on hers.

  “On your mark. Get set. Go!” Meredith went over to stand near the guys while Josh stayed next to the girls. Ares figured they were acting as judges.

  The guys did really well. Ares went twice and the final time was him against Birdy. It was the one they’d showed each other at the diner.

  Ares drew nine lines at the top of the paper.

  “Lines,” Matt guessed.

  Ares shook his head, then pretended to catch a ball and run with it.

  “Football,” Max said.

  Ares shook his head, pretending to shake hands with imaginary people.

  “Team,” Max guessed again.

  Ares touched his nose and wrote TEAM on top of the fourth line. Then he pointed at Dean.

  “Dean,” Dean said.

  “Good job knowing your name.” Matt shoved him.

  Ares shook his head. Then pointed to himself, then back at Dean.

  “You,” August said.

  Ares touched his nose and wrote YOU on the first line. Then he started jumping up and down.

  “Dance. Jumping jacks. Winner,” Max said.

  Ares touched his nose and then wrote WINNER on the paper, then crossed out all but WIN.

  “Win,” Matt said.

  “You’re such a smarty pants,” August said, punching his brother.

  “Got it,” Birdy shouted.

  “Okay, that’s it,” Meredith said, standing. “Let me add up the points.”

  While they waited, Ares looked at Birdy. She smiled at him. “Sorry,” she mouthed.

  He shook his head, feeling much better by now.
He knew how to be patient and Birdy was worth waiting for. “Don’t be. It’s fine.”

  “The guys win by two points,” Meredith declared.

  “Woohoo,” Dean said.

  Max high-fived Ares and his brothers. “You guys are awesome!”

  “All right, let’s discuss. Ares, why don’t you and Birdy go first since you have your papers handy.

  “‘In marriage, there are no winners or losers,’” Birdy read.

  “You are a team and win or lose together,” Ares finished.

  “I like that,” Katie said.

  Ares’ phone rang. He was going to ignore it, but saw it was Jonathon Bird calling. “I have to take this. Excuse me.” He walked out of the galley and onto the deck. “Hello?”

  “Ares. Good. I’m glad I caught you.” Mr. Bird’s voice was brisk.

  “What can I do for you, sir?” Ares asked, a feeling of foreboding coming over him.

  “Listen, I know you’ve been having your team delve into why I want to buy the sock company, not that it’s any of your business. Still, that’s why I keep you around. You’re thorough.”

  Ares began to pace. “Yes, sir. I figured it would help me draw up a better contract.”

  “Sure. Sure,” Jonathon said. “But I want this wrapped up immediately, so let me just fill you in.”

  “I’m all ears, sir.”

  “The reason is simple. Jane Whitaker and I had an affair a long time ago and to make a long story short, Pamela is Jane’s daughter.”

  “I see.” Ares was too shocked to say more. Did Birdy know? He had a feeling she didn’t.

  “Jane and I are barely cordial. The woman gave up all rights to her daughter on the day she was born. By law, Pamela is mine and my wife’s. Under the terms of our agreement, Jane would have nothing to do with Pamela, but then she went and named her company after her. The woman is a flake. She doesn’t deserve Pamela and she definitely doesn’t deserve to have a company named after my daughter. I won’t tolerate it.”

  At first, Ares believed a small part of the man really did care about his daughter, but by the time he finished speaking, Ares realized Jonathon Bird just didn’t want to be made a fool of, even if no one but he and Jane knew the truth. The man was that prideful. Ares had a feeling Jane had probably been coerced into giving up rights, maybe even paid off. Mr. Bird never did oblige anyone’s interests but his own.