Back to Square One - Benny Rodriguez - Book 2

Wedding Bells

We do this really extra high five that makes the bones in our hands vibrate and the skin of our palms sting a bit making the both of us suck in a breath of air at the pain.

"Alright, let's go." Ivy tells us, laughing slightly as we follow the crowd and head to the reception

"You're moving tomorrow, right?" Benny asks Kenny.

They wanted to wait to move in til after the wedding.

"Yeah. Everything's ready to go it's just a matter of actually moving." Kenny answers.

"You don't expect me to help, do you?" Ivy asks us.

"Honey, you can barely stand up by yourself." I point out. "No. We don't."

"I might be able to lift the really light boxes that are handed to me." she says.

"Don't worry. I don't expect you to do anything expect sit down and look pretty." Kenny tells her.

Me and Benny stop walking as the other couple continues to walk to the table with our names on it. 

"Do we actually sound like that?" I ask him.

"Not in front of people." he reassures me, wearing the same slightly discussed look I am. "We're touchy but not cheesy."

"I didn't think so." I say.

We both look at each other before bursting out laughing and walking over to the table.

"Where's Ivy?" I ask, noticing her suddenly missing as I sit next to Kenny.

"She went to change her shoes." he informs me.

"Ah." I say, understanding.

"What's wrong with the ones she was wearing?" Benny asks me.

"She's pregnant with swelling ankles." I say. "Those strapies weren't doing her any good."

"She gonna have to change her dress too?" Kenny asks me with a smile indicating that he's trying to joke around but I take it personally.

"I made it. She best not." I tell him.

"Hey, guys!" we hear Taliya's voice coming up behind us.

I don't have time to turn around before I feel her arm wrap around my shoulders as she puts her chin on my right shoulder. I stretch my arms behind me and wrap them around her torso.

"Hey to you too, mom." Kenny interrupts our moment with unnecessary sass as dad stands next to him laughing quietly.

"Oh, shut up and let me hug my daughter." she scolds him.

I just might cry at that. I'm not kidding.

I can feel my tear ducts about to release tears but I just let out a breathy laugh while trying to suspend it so my mascara won't make me look like a member of KISS.

We release each other and I can regain a comfortable sitting position.

"Where's Ivy?" dad asks me as he pulls me up to hug him.

"That's an explanation you don't have time for." Benny answers for me.

"Fair enough."

"We'll talk to you guys later but we got a lot more tables to greet." Taliya says.

"Have fun." I say as I sit down and they walk away

"You okay?" Benny asks.

Of course he noticed.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

He gives me a 'really?' look.

"I'll be fine." I tell him.

"You should raise your standards if your goal is "fine"." he says and I nod in agreement.

"I'll tell you later." I try to brush this off til then.

"Your staying at mine, right?" he checks.

"Yeah." I confirm. "I don't wanna be around for what happens after all this."

I turn to look at Kenny since he's been relatively silent and find a tense pissed off look molded onto his face.

I glance back at Benny and we look at each other with slightly widened eyes.

"You good, man?" he asks.

Kenny gestures to the other side of the room so we both look that way to find Ivy and Tory standing at he drink table together. 

Me, Ivy, and Benny have all come to like him over these past few months. Kenny couldn't exactly say the same.

I was planning on addressing this with a gentle tone and cushy-sounding words but I've been doing that for months and it's gotten us nowhere.

"Look." I start. "I get you kinda hate the dude, just about anyone in your position would, but if you actually want to be apart of Ivy's and that kid's life then you're gonna have to find a way to at least tolerate his existence cause it will be there almost all the time."

"I know. I just don't like the way he handled it when he found out Ivy was pregnant." he says. "I would never do what he did."

"Then you're just a better guy but I don't think anyone questioned that." Benny tells him.

"Do you guys like him?" Kenny asks, looking at us for the first time.

I shrug my shoulders. I don't really have any type of strong feelings about the guy. 

"We get along." Benny answers for the both of us.

"Do you trust him?" Kenny asks.

"No, but it's not like we need to." I say.

"But-"

"No." I cut him off. "No buts. You don't need to trust the guy, you just need to act civil."

Kenny nods and lets out a semi-long sigh.

"Yeah, alright." he agrees to try. "Does she like him?"

"Not the way she likes you."