To say I was floating on cloud nine was an understatement. And Colwyn noticed. He arched a brow at me as I whistled a low tune, relaxing back on the golf cart as I scanned the water. It wasn’t busy yet this morning, but with it already being hot, I knew it wasn’t going to be long before the beach was flooded with people.
“The hell has you so chipper?” Colwyn demanded to know.
I grinned at him. “I’m engaged.”
Colwyn grinned as well and leaned over, bumping his fist with mine. “Congrats, brother. Tawney, I’m assuming?”
I rolled my eyes at him and nodded. “I asked her last night. Alex, her son, kind of ruined it, but it worked out anyway.”
Colwyn arched a brow at me. “And how did he ruin it?”
I laughed softly as I remembered last night. It had been nerve-wracking, but it had worked out in the end. “He asked if I was finally asking Tawney to marry me.”
Colwyn barked out a laugh. “I seriously need to actually interact with this kid.” He’d met Alex and Tawney both before, but they were more his best friend’s friends than they were his. And that was complicated in itself. “But hey, seriously, congratulations. We should celebrate tonight. You up for it?”
I nodded. “Hell yes. Sizzle Time?” I asked.
Colwyn grinned. “You know it. Best drinks in Sizzle.”
* * *
Tawney
I presseda light kiss to Alex’s forehead before quietly leaving his room, shutting his door behind me. He’d spent the day with Mason, but instead of spending the night like he normally did, he requested to come home.
So, we’d had pizza for dinner, ice cream with a movie, and then we playedGo Fishuntil he was too tired to do anything more. He got a shower, and then I put him to bed where he promptly passed out before I was even finished reading him the first page of his book.
A light knock sounded on the back door. Frowning, I quickly moved to go open it. Slater and another guy I didn’t recognize were standing on my porch. Slater grinned when he saw me. “Hey, baby girl.”
I quickly stepped back to let them inside. “Everything okay?” I asked.
Slater nodded. “Bit drunk, but I’m okay.” He moaned. “On second thought, I need to throw up.”
I quickly pointed to where the bathroom was, and the older guy quickly led them there. A moment later, the older guy came out and I heard Slater throwing up into the toilet. I pushed my hand through my hair. “Is he okay?”
The guy laughed and nodded. “Yeah, he’s fine. He celebrated you two getting engaged a bit too hard; that’s all.” My cheeks warmed. “Congratulations, by the way.” He held his hand out to me. “I’m Colwyn. I work with Slater on the weekends. And you always spend time with Raleigh.”
Raleigh was the sweetest woman I’d ever known. I only ever saw her at the beach when she happened to be there. She had a tendency to regress a lot, but it never bothered me. She was seriously one of the best people I knew.
I placed my hand in his and shook it. “Tawney, though I’m assuming you already knew that.” I heard Slater throwing up again, and I frowned. “Should I be worried?”
Colwyn shook his head. “Nope. Just make sure he stays hydrated, and he should be good. He’ll probably just wake up with a raging hangover in the morning. But he has a shift starting at ten, so I’d make sure he gets there. Fire chief doesn’t like it when we’re late.”
I nodded. “I’ll make sure he gets there. Thank you for bringing him here.”
Colwyn nodded. “No problem. It was nice meeting you, Tawney.”
I smiled at him. “You, too.”
He let himself out, and I locked the door back before going to check on Slater. He was leaning against the side of the tub, his eyes closed, but he peeked one eye open when he heard me come in.
“Hey,” I said softly. “You okay?”
He nodded. “I think I’m done vomiting,” he muttered.
“Think you can come to bed?” I asked.
He heaved himself up from the floor. Then, he wrapped his arms around me, resting his chin on the top of my head. “Sorry you’re seeing me like this. I don’t normally drink.”