Mason throws his arm around his wife’s shoulders and shrugs. “There’s nothing wrong with being a fish. I hooked Mila and it was the best damn catch of my life.” He bends slightly and kisses her cheek.
“You mean I caught you,” she says playfully.
“Damn right, you did, and there was no throwing me back in.”
“You guys are so damn cheesy,” Anna says, rolling her eyes. “Please promise me you and my brother will never be as gross as they are.” She gives me a hug.
“Too late,” Chase says, walking over. “You should hear the noises coming from their room.” He fake gags, and my dad chokes on the drink he’s holding.
“Chase!” Georgia scolds. “Like you’re one to talk. All those women you’ve been sneaking into our place.” She makes a gagging sound.
“What women?” I ask, confused.
“The women you wouldn’t have noticed because you’ve been too busy in your little bubble with Alec,” Georgia says with a laugh. “But I know, because I can hear them through my wall. ‘Oh, Chase, right there, no, not there… right there!’” She mocks in a fake nasally voice.
Everyone cracks up laughing at her interpretation of Chase’s women. Well, everyone but Chase.
With a straight face, he leans in close to Georgia, so nobody but her can hear him—and the only reason I can hear him is because I’m standing so close to her—and whispers, “At least my women make noises. I don’t hear shit coming from your room, which tells me one thing…” He moves closer, so I can’t hear what he says, but based on the look on Georgia’s face, whatever he’s said upset her, because as soon as he’s done speaking, she’s running away from him toward the back of the studio, where the bathroom is.
“Nice going,” I tell him before I run after her.
When I get to the bathroom, I open the door and find Georgia sitting on the toilet seat, sniffling back tears.
“I forgot to lock it,” she mutters.
I sit on the decorative chair across from her. “What did he say?”
“The truth.” She smiles sadly. “That nothing is going on with Robert and me in the bedroom… Well, that, and if something is going on, he must not be satisfying me.”
“Which is it?”
“Nothing’s going on.”
“So, you told him you weren’t ready?”
“Yeah.” She nods. “He wasn’t thrilled, but he said he would wait until I am.”
“Good,” I tell her. “And fuck Chase. What you’re doing or not doing in the bedroom isn’t any of his business.”
“No, it’s not,” Chase says from the doorway. “But maybe Georgia shouldn’t play with the big dogs if she’s gonna pee like a puppy.”
“What?” I laugh.
“It’s an old saying,” Chase says. “You know… if you can’t take what’s being thrown at you, you shouldn’t be throwing it yourself.”
“Look here, mister.” I stand, about to rip him a new one, when Georgia stands as well and steps between us.
“He’s right. I shouldn’t have made fun of… your women’s sounds.”
I snort a laugh. “Are they using our bathroom? If so, you’re going to need to pitch in more. We shouldn’t have to clean up after your one-night stands.”
Chase rolls his eyes. “You don’t clean at all. You have a cleaning lady.” True… That was a great housewarming gift our parents got us when we moved in.
“We should go on a double date,” I tell Georgia. “Since our last one got ruined.” I glare at Chase, remembering how Alec and Chase crashed it.
“Damn right, we ruined that shit,” Alec says, joining the mini bathroom party. “Because you belong with me.” Alec pulls me into his side and kisses my temple. “Everything okay in here?”
“Yeah,” Georgia says. “Again, I’m sorry,” she says to Chase, who at least has the decency to look ashamed at the way he upset Georgia.
“Sorry for what?” Alec asks, looking at each of us confused.
“Nothing,” I tell him. “Let’s go celebrate our engagement.”
We exit the bathroom, and I notice Georgia and Chase stay back. I make it a point to glare at him, silently warning him that he better apologize to her.
We spend the rest of the evening celebrating with our friends and family. Once it’s late and people start making their exit, we thank everyone for coming and, after thanking our family for throwing us this party, go home.
“I looked up the Women’s International Surfing tour dates,” Alec says. “If you win the competition and snag a spot on the tour, the next tour date is in September.”
“That’s a big if,” I point out. There will easily be a couple hundred women competing for a slot.
“You will.”
We’re lying in bed, with my body wrapped around his, his fingers drawing circles along my back. After we got home, we hung out with Georgia and Robert for a little while and then retreated to our room. After participating in our own little engagement celebration—which involved both of us naked with Alec inside of me—we showered and then fell into bed, exhausted.