Chapter 3

I got yelled at.

By Ashley.

Oh the humanity!

She said I scared the hell out of her when I accosted her at the door. Something about thinking someone was dead or hurt.

And they call me dramatic!

I explained the whole Glen coming/Aiden is also coming situation to her.

And right now, I'm waiting for her reaction.

"I'm not calling Aiden and telling him he's not invited anymore," Ashley announces, and she looks like she thinks I'm going to snap at her.

I nod my head to show her I'm not about to do anything remotely like that. "I'm not saying you should, but I don't know what to do. If the two of them are here-together-it could get ugly."

Not to mention I'm pretty sure the whole group of us will get roped into taking sides.

All I want is a fun, relaxing night with my friends and family.

Is that too much to ask for?

"Then call Glen," Ashley says like it's that simple.

It so isn't!

"Ash, I can't," I reply and it almost comes out as a whine. "He's my brother, and he's going to throw a hissy fit if I make that call."

That hissy fit will be so loud Sarah Palin will be able to hear it from her house!

"Well it's not fair to Aiden if we take back our invitation," Ashley counters. You know, even when we're disagreeing, I notice how beautiful she is. "He already feels like crap because of the break up, and he misses hanging out with everybody."

I'm going to smack Glen upside the head when I see him.

Hard!

"Besides, Glen's the one who told us he had plans. It's not fair for him to change his mind at the last minute," Ashley finishes, and I can't say I see any fault in her logic.

"You're right," I admit, but Ashley doesn't appear particularly happy because it's not the kind of right that makes a person feel good. I know she's really worried about Aiden. "I'll let Glen know he can come over another time."

Pray for me.

My eardrum might not survive the shrill response I will get from my brother.

"Thank you," Ashley pecks my lips before she pushes herself off the wall. "I know this isn't the greatest situation for you to be in either."

"Yeah, this basically sucks for both us," I attempt to get another kiss from Ashley but I'm denied.

What's up with that?

"Help me with the groceries, and then you can go change out of your pajamas and actually do some work this afternoon." Ashley is grinning widely, and I'm happy she's not letting my news bring her mood down.

"Bossy, bossy," I smirk in hopes of pushing her buttons.

You know which buttons I mean!

Then Ashley does the unthinkable.

She smacks my ass.

My ass!

Ok, ok, it's not really the unthinkable, but it's probably not appropriate to do with our front door open.

We do have neighbors.

And the paparazzi come by from time to time.

That picture is not something I want splashed across every tabloid in the country.

I'd rather save those for my private collection.

"Get moving, woman!" Ashley orders, and I must confess it turns me on a little bit.

Or a lot.

Yeah it does!

I jump out of the way of my next attack just in time to smack my head against the wall I didn't see coming.

Ow!

I hope that doesn't leave a mark.

Ashley apologies profusely and my minor injury is enough for her to offer to get all the groceries out of the car on her own.

Yay!

I knew my clumsiness would come in handy one day.

I feel my forehead to make sure no bump is forthcoming, and thankfully, I don't think there will be one.

Yay again!

Now if only I could convince Ashley to be the one who phones Glen then my lucky streak would be complete.

Speaking of a lucky streak, it seems Ashley is done bringing in the groceries.

Maybe she can come upstairs and "help" me pick out an outfit to wear today.

I'm just about to share my amazing suggestion with her when my mom calls to congratulate Ashley for her Grammy win.

Oh well.

I guess I'll have to go upstairs alone.

Hmmmm.

If we finish all the prep work early I'm sure I can convince Ashley to have a pre-party celebration with just me.

It's really hard being this brilliant sometimes.

Really hard!

Apparently I'm not as brilliant as I thought.

Shocking!

I forgot about Jessie arriving early and that threw a giant wrench into my seduce-Ashley-into-having-a-private-party-before-the-acutal-party plan.

Wow, that was a mouthful.

After the requisite squealing and hugging that accompanied Jessie's arrival, it was time for us to get down to some serious work.

No, really.

I'm not kidding.

Jessie's chopping up some salad, Ashley is getting the food prepped for barbequing and I'm sitting at the kitchen table trying to figure out the seating arrangements for tonight.

What?

That is hard work.

Whatever.

Glen hasn't answered one of my texts or messages and I'm thinking he's avoiding my calls.

Aiden is nowhere to be found either.

It would seem that a meeting between the two is inevitable

"Oh my god!" I exclaim when I'm hit with another moment of brilliance. Jessie and Ashley stop what they're doing to find out why I'm so excitable. "What if Aiden and Glen are together and that's why we can't reach them?"

I can't believe I didn't think of that before.

"They probably want to surprise us with the good news," I'm smiling, but Ashley and Jessie aren't.

I wonder why.

"I really don't think that's the case, Spence," Ashley says as she joins me at the table. "Aiden told me that Glen came by the other day when he wasn't home and took the rest of his stuff."

Oh.

There goes that theory.

Jessie takes a seat as well and she looks less than pleased. "Glen had a date the other night."

What?

A date?

And he didn't tell me?

"He says it went really well and he's seeing the guy again," Jessie finishes with no enthusiasm in her voice whatsoever.

"Glen is full of shit." Honestly! Who the hell is he kidding? He's in so much denial he's drowning in it.

Did that even make sense?

I don't know if that was the correct analogy.

Damn!

The stress of everything is making me go in all different directions.

Ashley smiles half heartedly. "He is but there's nothing we can do if he won't even talk to Aiden."

I nod in agreement, but I'm not that sure I actually agree with her.

Hold up.

My brain might have come up with its best idea to date!

I'm practically beaming when I'm ready to share said idea with Ashley and Jessie. "Hey guys, you know what we should do…"

"No!" They both say before I even finish my sentence.

That's not going to stop me though.

I ignore the looks I'm getting from my co-conspirators and continue. "We should figure out a way to get Aiden and Glen…"

"No!" They cut in again.

"You won't even listen to my idea," I pout.

Ashley lifts my hand up to give it a soft kiss. "I know you think we should interfere on this one, but it's not our place."

That's funny coming from her.

Who knows where we'd be without the launch of Operation Spashley?

It worked for us.

It only makes sense that it would work for Glen and Aiden.

Right?

Who's with me?

Viva La Resistance!

I even have the perfect name for our mission.

I know you're on the edge of your seat waiting to hear what it is.

Wait no more!

Operation True Love!

Aw!

It's doesn't have the same ring to it as Operation Spashley. But then again, what would?

Jessie is not buying into my campaign to save Glen and Aiden either. "If we try this, Spence, it won't work. You only run the risk of pushing Glen even farther away from where he needs to be than he already is." Damn her and her logical arguments. "I'm the first one to interfere if I think it will do any good." True that. "But I honestly believe it's best to stay out of it this time."

Ugh.

She's right.

Ashley's right.

I get that.

The thing is, I want everyone around me to be happy. When two people are meant to be together like my brother and Aiden, and they aren't, it makes me sad.

Is it possible that I'm turning into a softy as I get older?

Inconceivable!

Ok, ok, we all know I'm a hopeless romantic, but that doesn't mean I'm giving up hope here.

I'll just have to think of a way to get those two back together without anybody knowing what I'm doing.

I won't be intervening as much as influencing.

That sounds good.

Right?

At least that's the excuse I'll use if I get caught.

"Fine." I give in. "No more talk of Operation True Love."

My plan probably wouldn't have worked anyway. Not with a stupid name like that. I have no idea what I was thinking!

I should have called it Operation Fairy Dust.

No offense to my gay brothers-in-arms or anything.

But I'm sure if I pitched that name, Ashley and Jessie would have agreed with me.

I'm so busy with my thoughts that I don't notice Ashley get up from her chair. She walks over, places her hands on my shoulders and then she kisses the top of my head. "You guys finish getting all caught up. I'll handle everything on my own."

Aw!

You'd think I'd have gotten used to how sweet Ashley is.

I haven't.

Not even close.

The right thing for me to do here is not let Ashley do all the work.

But you know what she does?

She silences my protest with yet another kiss and then leaves Jessie and me on our own.

I watch her walk away, and I'm fairly certain I look like some love sick puppy.

The reason being Jessie is making gagging noises as I continue to gawk at Ashley.

I throw a dishtowel at her, and I'm happy to report it hits her right in the face.

Suck on that, Jessie!

"What time's Melissa getting here?" I ask in order to find out how long Jessie and I have to spend on our own.

I don't want that to come across the wrong way.

I adore Melissa.

She's a sweetheart, and it's very amusing to see my friend all mushy around her.

It's an interesting side to Jessie that I didn't know existed.

But we haven't had a lot of alone time recently, especially with her honeymoon and wedding, so I'd like to enjoy whatever time we have now.

Jessie checks her watch, and it doesn't escape my watchful eye that now she's the one looking love sick, not me. "A couple of hours."

"Excellent!" I exclaim, as I drag her with me into the living room. "Can I ask you a question?"

Jessie nods before plopping down on the couch beside me. "Go right ahead."

I tuck my feet under my legs as we both settle in for a long gab session. "Does it feel different being married?"

I can only imagine what you're thinking.

You've been engaged to the hot-as-hot-can-be Ashley Davies for two years without getting married.

Are you insane?

I ask myself that same question almost daily.

More like weekly.

Ok, ok, it pops into my head every once in awhile.

Before anyone has some crazy notion that Ashley is having commitment issues, I assure you, she's not.

Nor am I.

If Ashley had her way actually, we'd have been married a long time ago.

I'm the one that's held us up.

I know! I know! It sounds like I've lost my mind. I haven't, though; the reason I've delayed our wedding plans is because of the absolute whirlwind our life has been the last two years.

As soon as Ashley would finish one project, another one would crop up, or there'd be new tour she wanted to go out on. I supported her decisions, all of them, and when I didn't, I let her know that whatever the idea was, it wouldn't be good for her career.

When we did come home or have a break, we'd be so tired that there was no time to plan a wedding.

I'm not going to lie; I've fantasized about my wedding to Ashley a lot. And in all those fantasies the day is perfect, the décor out of this world and I'm wearing a beautiful wedding gown as I walk down the aisle.

I haven't figured out what Ashley's going to wear yet, but those are just details.

I don't want to rush it.

I don't want to look back on that day and regret not doing something.

And now with the huge break Ashley and I are just beginning, I can get the dream wedding that I've always wanted.

Minor commitments aside, Ashley is officially work free for the next six months.

Six months!

And that means I am too.

So with all that time on our hands we can both plan our wedding without worrying about anything else but making the day truly special.

I already have the most amazing person to marry.

The rest is just icing on the cake.

That's not to say I don't want to be married to Ashley already.

I do.

Oh wow, that was totally unintentional.

I'm witty without even trying.

But I'm willing to wait a few more months because marrying Ashley is worth waiting for.

And while I might pretend to be upset that we're not hitched yet, I'm grateful that I'm with someone who doesn't mind waiting either.

So there you have it; wedding mystery solved.

The only downside of our decision to have a longer engagement is the articles people write about there being trouble in paradise.

Please!

Not to sound full of myself, but I've been told that all you have to do look at Ashley and me together to see how in love we are.

We've been hounded quite a bit as of late, but, as always, we've shrugged those questions off. It doesn't matter to me or Ashley if the world thinks something is up with us.

It only matters what we think.

I've already explained where I stand on the whole issue.

And there you have it.

While I've been silently presenting arguments to make my case, Jessie has been pondering the question I asked of her. "Well, it's not really that different." She glances down at the ring on her left finger and smiles. "But there is a greater sense of security, at least for me, knowing that we've taken those vows."

That does make sense.

I can't wait to be married.

Now that I have my best friend back, and she's not distracted by her own nuptials, she can get busy helping me with mine.

"You're gonna love it, Spence," Jessie remarks with a soft smile that leaves me in no doubt that I will.

My day is coming soon.

And don't even get me started on the honeymoon I'm planning to surprise Ashley with.

Oh!

Yeah!

Melissa and Jessie are not so discretely making out in our back yard. She got here about fifteen minutes ago, and Jessie made a beeline for her.

Obvious much?

I'm only teasing.

It gave Ashley and me a great opportunity to get our own canoodling time in while we wait for our guests to arrive.

Neither one of us has been able to reach Glen or Aiden.

But Ashley's lips on my neck are making me forget all about the impending drama.

"Let's cancel the barbeque," Ashley murmurs in between kisses. "No one will get mad."

Oh god!

Her hand just went under my shirt.

I'm about two seconds away from agreeing with her when the doorbell rings.

Dagnabit!

Ashley looks about as pleased as I am for getting interrupted.

I'd console her by saying we'll pick up where we started later, but there's no need.

She knows.

Trust me, she knows.

I straighten out my clothes and fix my hair before heading for the door to find out who was inconsiderate enough to pick that exact moment to arrive at our house. "Hey, mom," I say when I answer it.

I'll let her intrusion slide considering she gave me life.

I know!

I'm a saint!

My mom hugs me and then kisses me on the cheek. "Am I the first one to get here?"

I shake my head as I close the door. "No, Jessie and Melissa are in the backyard."

Oh no!

I have to figure out how to signal them so they aren't caught with their tongues down each others throats by my mom.

She's accepting and all, but I doubt she'd appreciate the free show.

I see Ashley jog over to the sliding door in our kitchen, and I'm able to breathe easier.

Our ESP connection has only gotten stronger the more time we've spent together.

I take the bowl of fruit salad that my mom brought over. "Where's dad?"

That's odd.

I assumed they'd come at the same time.

"He's working," My mom replies, and let me tell you that I wouldn't want to be my dad right now.

Her jaw is set.

Her eyes are narrowed.

And her body language is screaming that she's pissed off.

"On a Saturday?" escapes from my mouth, and I mentally kick myself because I don't think that was the smartest thing to say.

"I'm going to get a drink," My mom says while avoiding my eyes.

Uhm.

Ok.

That was weird.

I don't have time to inquire further about why she's acting so off because the doorbell rings again.

It's Aiden.

He seems nervous.

Oh crap!

I look behind Aiden and guess just pulled into our driveway?

If you guessed Glen, you're right.

I think about yanking Aiden inside, but it's too late.

His head turns when he hears a noise behind him.

Glen gets out of the car and his eyes immediately lock with Aiden's.

Uh oh.

He's fuming.

Aiden has this expression on his face that lets me know he'd rather be anywhere but here.

And I'm standing with my mom's fruit salad in my hand with nowhere to go.

Glen marches up towards the door like a bat out of hell.

Why do I have the feeling that I'm about to see the start of World War III?