12. Brett

Brett

"Oh my God , Fal, he brought lattes!"

The blonde girl from last night squeals again and takes one of the drink holders from my hand. I stopped at Dunkin' and ordered one of each specialty latte, one of each donut, and one of each breakfast sandwich. The tall, scary roommate and the short, scary roommate each appear and relieve me of the bags and remaining drinks.

"Brett," Fallon says, appearing at the bottom of the stairs. "What are you wearing?"

I'm more preoccupied with what she's wearing right now—a pair of high-waisted jeans that hug her hips and a tight, cropped sweater. She looks amazing. I'm not used to seeing her out of scrubs.

Last night, Fallon looked like she had just showered. Her hair was still damp and she was dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a ratty T-shirt. My hands kept itching to touch her hair every time I smelled her shampoo, but the closest I got was her shoulder.

"What am I wearing?" I manage, amidst the shock of seeing her again, the chaos and delight of being in her house. The baby was kept overnight at the hospital for monitoring, and her roommates convinced her to come home for a few hours of sleep.

I glance down at myself. Before stopping at Dunkin', I went to Target, searching through a clearance rack until I found what I was looking for.

"That is hilarious !" the blonde one squeals, clapping her hands. I should really learn their names, but there are so many of them, and Fallon introduced them so quickly the night before.

"Fal, you have to wear something better," She giggles.

"Cas, he's wearing a T-shirt!" Fallon huffs.

A T-shirt with a tux printed on the front. I thought it was so cringey it would be hilarious, and it turns out I was right. Even Joey is cracking a half-smile, and I'm pretty sure the guy hates my guts.

"Don't you have a white dress from last year?"

"That was a Halloween costume!"

"Come on, come on!" the blonde one—Cas—and Chloe—I recognize her from the physical therapy clinic—usher Fallon upstairs, even as she complains that dressing up is a waste of time. I'm left in the kitchen with the short scary one and Joey, who's eyeing one of the breakfast sandwiches with disdain.

"If you're a vegetarian, too—" I start, but he shakes his head, dropping the sandwich back into the bag.

"Nah." He claps his hands together like he's brushing something off. "I just—well, I should have whipped something up for breakfast, huh?"

I stare after him as he leaves the room.

"Don't mind him," the short, black-haired girl says. "Two years of culinary school, and all of a sudden he's Gordon fucking Ramsey."

" Three years!" Joey hollers, distantly, before a door slams down the hall.

"How long does culinary school take?" I whisper, glancing at the girl in the kitchen with me.

"I heard that!" he hollers, before slamming the door again.

"I have no idea," the girl mutters before taking another bite of her sandwich. I blink down the hallway, wondering how I'm going to get him to like me. If he was a hockey guy, it would be easy—I could get him some season tickets and call it a day. But I get the feeling that none of the people in this house like hockey—or even sports in general. If they did, surely they would have recognized me by now.

I tap my fingers on the counter, trying to figure out how I can win Joey over, but my attention is grabbed by the sudden commotion of the girls coming back down the stairs.

"Ta-da!" Cas sings, throwing her hands in the air. She moves to the left a moment later, revealing Fallon behind her.

She's gorgeous. I can't tear my eyes away as she shyly steps forward, allowing Chloe to slip out behind her. All the girls are wearing dresses now, and Cas is holding a little bouquet of fake flowers.

But Fallon is breathtaking. She's wearing a white flapper dress that sparkles in the light, paired with go-go boots. Her hair is down in soft curls, and she's wearing makeup—which she never has on at the clinic.

It feels like seeing a teacher outside of school. All the intimate things about her life are here for me to see and take. I'm in her house, watching her friends fawn over her.

We're going to the courthouse to get married.

I know that it's just an arrangement. Just a way to get Fallon the money she needs for the baby, but there's something in my chest that must mimic what a man would feel on his real wedding day. I'm nervous, excited. I want to reach out and take her hand.

"Well?" Cas asks, wiggling her eyebrows at me. "What do you think?"

"I think the other people at the courthouse are going to be hella jealous," I say, not missing the way it makes Fallon flush down to her toes.

We all climb into various cars together, and I have to fold myself in to fit into Chloe's car.

Cas looks me up and down. "You barely fit! What kind of car do you drive?"

"I—uh, I have a few," I say, watching as they all glance at me. I thought I'd gotten this out of the way with the "my parents are rich" thing, but it's clear that having multiple cars isn't something these guys relate to. "I have a Ford Bronco and a Firebird, but that's harder for me to fit into."

"Oh my god," Cas says, twisting in the passenger seat and looking back at me. "What year?"

"The Bronco or the Firebird?"

"Uh, both?'

"Well, the Bronco is new, this year," I say, coughing into my hand when Fallon gives me a curious look. I can feel every part of her pressed against the left side of my body, and it's making it difficult to concentrate. "And the Firebird is a 1977. Trans Am."

"Holy shit , that is so cool!" she gasps. "You have to let me drive it!"

"Cas," Chloe says, putting her hand on the other girl's arm. "Face front! Your seatbelt won't work like that!"

Cassidy twists around, but grabs the rear-view mirror and turns it to focus it on me. I laugh when our eyes connect through the glass for a moment before Chloe angrily yanks it back, mumbling about road safety.

"You're welcome to drive it any time," I offer, and when I glance at Fallon again, she has a strange look on her face. I swallow and listen to Cas list her top ten favorite classic cars as we make our way into town.

The clerks at the courthouse are not nearly as excited as we are about the impromptu wedding, but they smile tersely and allow Chloe and Cassidy to take about a million photos as we sign the papers and become officially married.

Chloe runs the show, arranging us into different groups—me and Fallon, me and Joey and Randall, even though I don't know them, then just the girls, then only the roommates, then me, Fallon, Chloe and Randall. When Cassidy grabs Ainsley's hand and tugs her into a photo, I meet Fallon's eyes, and she makes a face at me like, see?

"I wish Spunky was here, he would love this," Cassidy says, when we're walking along the street together. Other than being with the team, this is the first time in a long time that I've been part of a group. Fallon keeps glancing up at me nervously, like she's not sure how to talk to me now that I'm her husband.

Husband .

I turn the word over and over in my mind, even mouthing it to myself when I think nobody is looking. The ring on my hand is simple but obvious, and I keep running my finger over it, surprised to find it there.

"Here," Gerald had said, just before we signed the papers at the courthouse. "I know you've got a particular situation, here, but I figure every couple should have a set of rings."

" Gerald ," Chloe had cooed, moving closer to look at the rings. "That is so generous!"

"Yeah, too generous," Fallon had said, shaking her head. "Seriously, you've done so much, with the baby supplies and—"

"I just had them sitting around," Gerald said with a shrug, thrusting the rings forward and placing them in our hands. "Please, put them to good use."

"Spunky is a lizard," Ainsley deadpans, which jolts me out of the memory. The rest of the group carries on, acknowledging her but not letting it bring down the vibe. There's a very particular dynamic at play here, and I have the strangest desperation to fit into it as best I can.

"What does one do after a courthouse wedding?" Randall asks, and I glance over at him. He's loping along on the outskirts of the group, clearly a loner and a bit weird, but meshing with the rest of them seamlessly.

"Cry?" Ainsley suggests.

"Good thing we're not one , then," Joey says, looping his arms over Chloe and Fallon. "Let's get Byte-Sized!"

" Fuck yeah!" Cas cheers, running ahead and throwing her arms in the air. "I'm getting the sushi pizza and nobody can stop me!"

" What ?" I ask, as Fallon bumps into my arm, having been released by Joey who's walking with Chloe under his arm. I look at the two of them, and decide— Fuck it —I can throw my arm over Fallon.

When I do, pulling her in, but not too close, she looks up at me, her eyes shining in the light.

"It's, like, our favorite place," she explains, touching my wrist quickly. I watch her cheeks turn pink and it makes my mouth go dry.

I nod. "Alright. I'll go, but I get to try this sushi pizza, too."

From up ahead, Cas shouts, " Fuck yeah!" again, and the rest of them jostle around. For the first time in a long time, I realize I don't feel quite so alone.