Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 74298 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74298 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
“Nah, I say bring it on,” he said, a mischievous smile on his face. “I can take the pressure.”
“Ooh, la, la!” Nathan said. “You’ve got yourself a good one, Tris.”
“I definitely do,” I said.
“Well, Jack, I hope you love our son enough to help out with all of these moving boxes, because I’m getting older and I can’t haul shit like I used to,” Mom said. “I’m mostly here for moral support and the use of my van, to be honest.”
“And that is an incredible help, in itself,” I assured her. “But we don’t have to think about the moving tasks just yet. You guys just got here. Tonight is for celebrating, then the next couple of days are for loading the trucks and van.”
“Your mother told me you’re taking us to a party,” Dad said. “I know I came ready to let loose.”
“From what I saw in Colorado, you party better than any of us,” Jack told Dad.
“Damn right,” he said. “So when are we heading over?”
“Quit being impatient,” Mom said, giving him a little pat on the shoulder. “At least let me do my hair before we head to the party. And Tris, you’ve got to tell me which outfit looks better. I’ve got a pink one and a green one, and I have to make sure the green one doesn’t make me look like a sixty-year-old woman version of Gumby.”
As I walked back inside with Mom, I heard Dad catching Jack in a conversation about the finer points of crown molding, and Nathan and Shawn headed into the kitchen to start pregaming the evening with a beer. About an hour later, everyone was settled and ready to take off to the tavern, where Sam had been planning our little going away party for weeks on end.
We pulled up to the tavern in two different taxis, knowing that we were going to celebrate tonight and wouldn’t be driving home.
When I walked inside, hand in hand with Jack, I had to do a double take.
“Holy shit,” I said, looking around. The place had been decked out in mountain and forest-themed stuff. There were green glowing string lights shaped like little pine trees hung all over, little wooden log coasters in front of every seat, and green and gold balloons floating around the place. And when I looked over behind the bar, I saw that Sam must have convinced every worker to wear the same shirt: a dark green one that said “Gettin’ Lucky in Jade River.” The bar was already fairly populated with some familiar faces and some new ones scattered throughout the booths and dance floor, exactly the right amount of bustle I loved to see in the place.
Cam, Perry’s brother, was even here, with his outdoorsy, ex-military boyfriend Luke. I had only met them a couple of times, but they were in the Red’s Tavern group text, and they seemed every bit as hilarious and thoughtful as the rest of the guys. Sam’s younger cousin Logan and his football-star boyfriend had even driven back to town, and were sitting at the bar clearly deep in a conversation with Roman and Theo, who waved at me. I felt like my head was spinning.
How was there this much love under one roof? And all for a going-away party for me and Tristan?
“Welcome in!” Sam called out to us as we walked over, still marveling at everything. He slid skinny paper menus in front of each seat. “You’ll see that our tasting menu tonight is all themed, and trust me, I’ve been stealing enough samples from Perry to know that it’s all impossibly fucking delicious, too.”
I took a moment to introduce my family to Sam and Red and Mitch, and all of their partners, who were hanging out near the bar and sipping drinks, too.
“Well, I’d just about venture a guess that that thing in the middle of the room is a gigantic penis,” Dad said, standing with his hands on his hips as he looked over at the iconic Red’s Tavern sculpture.
“Oh! That is indeed the Big Rock Cock,” Sam said confidently, beaming. “It is a proud tavern tradition that if you close your eyes and touch it, you can make a wish that will certainly come true, in some way or another. Apparently the sculpture wasn’t meant to look like a big marble penis, but thankfully, it does. We love it.”
For a moment Dad furrowed his brow at it, and I wondered if he was starting to feel a little out of place here. But then he let out a little chuckle, walked over to the Big Rock Cock, and placed his hand on it.
“I wish for tonight to be… some damn good ol’ fun. And for my son and his boyfriend to have the best move to Colorado possible,” Dad declared in a bellowing voice.