Page 24 of Don't Look Down
“Am I the one being selfish in not wanting Andrew to parachute smack into the middle of our wedding ceremony? It’s part of his career, and part of who he is. It makes him so happy. Why wouldn’t I want that? Why would I hold him back? And I have always wanted to visit New Zealand and Dubai equally. Either one will tick a destination off my bucket list. So why do I have an issue with this?”
Reaching over the table, I squeeze his hand. “First, you’re not being selfish. Your wedding day is one of the biggest moments of your life. You’ll remember that day forever. It’s not wrong to want things to be special for you or for you to want things a certain way.”
He nods his head slowly in acknowledgement of the point I made. Tick.
“Have you told him how you feel, boo?”
“Yeah, and I’m even more convinced I’m being irrational. It’s not a big deal how he arrives. I just want my man at the head of that aisle, pledging to be my husband. All of the other little details and arrangements will be dream worthy. Exactly how we want them. We’ve picked coral, burgundy, and rose gold for our colors. It’s going to be beautiful.” Cayden looks back up at me, his soft smile returning.
Smiling halfheartedly in return, I meet his eyes. It takes every single iota of self-control I have not to push any further. It’s not that cut and dry. But Cayden, although bubbly and soft spoken, can be stubborn as hell. He’s talked himself out of being upset with Andrew, and if I push, he’ll double down and turn that anger on me. It does need a target, after all. Yes. I’ve learned this the hard way.
Mentally, I visualize zipping my lips.
Right on time, Anita returns with our food. Cayden steers the conversation to safer topics like work and hockey, and I let him as we dig right in.
6
Landon
I’ve just finished showering at the Florida Frenzy, our training facility, after weight training. No practice skate today since tomorrow is game day. We’ll skate at the arena in the morning, then we have a rare one o’clock game against Ottawa scheduled immediately after. I’m pulling on my boxer briefs when the low hum of a vibrating cell reaches my ears. Seems like it’s mine. I reach into my duffel, and sure enough, my phone has numerous notifications from Sky.
Six, to be exact. A smile overtakes my face. Sometimes, there’s a few days of radio silence, mostly on my end, because hockey season is brutal. But mostly, my notifications look just like this.
Skysthelimit: Kayaking and margs are the cure for whatever ails you.
Skysthelimit: How do I know?
Skysthelimit: I have paddled the kayak and partaken of the nectar of the agave gods. And voila! My ailments are cured. Poof. Gone. Goodbye.
His messages are generously seasoned with emojis. Some would even say overflowing. I’ve never seen anyone use as many as he does. It’s a talent of his.
Skysthelimit: Next time you’re in need of a pick-me-up, I highly recommend this particular treatment.
Skysthelimit: You’re welcome for the top tier medical advice????
The emojis make me laugh.
Skysthelimit: COD?
His status shows active, so I quickly send him a reply.
LandonTheBull: Margaritas aren’t usually my drink of choice. I’m more of a beer kind of guy.
Skysthelimit: Blasphemy!
Here we go. Let the hilarity commence. I’m very sure most of what comes next is going to be ridiculous. Just that one word reply alone drags a laugh out of me.
Skysthelimit: You take that back right now!
Skysthelimit: You’re a blasphemer, LTB. You probably haven’t tried the right margaritas. You have to make sure it’s legit tequila, not the cheap shit. And get the tequila to lime ratio just right. Watermelon margs are my favorite. They’re so refreshing. Tartness of the lime, sweetness of the melon, and the earthy, slightly sweet flavor of agave. I prefer sugar on my glass, but salt complements the flavors very nicely as well. Have you had one before?
Slightly ridiculous. Mostly logical. Thinking back, I can’t say that I remember trying one. Or ever having any desire to.
LandonTheBull: Nope, definitely not, but I am intrigued now. You made it sound delicious.
Skysthelimit: Of course. Because they are. Duh.
LandonTheBull: LOL. Savannah loves margaritas, though.