(((July 4, 2016)))
Nicole's POV
"Alright, guys! Let's party!" Parker yelled as he was walking out from the kitchen towards where all of us were outside.
"Yeah!" Everyone cheered and held their beers up. Except for me, of course. I was boiling crab.
Parker dumped the case of beers he was carrying into the cooler before slamming it close. He walked over to where I was, standing over the boiling crab.
"It's been a while since I've not went to the beach on the fourth of July." I told him as I felt his arm wrap around my waist.
"We'll go play in the water." Parker said. "Hell, we'll go get the jet skis and go. They might work crappy, but it's fun."
I smiled. "It's only 70°."
"That's hot enough." Parker said. "Now me and Rick are going to get the jet skis. We're bout to have some fun."
"Parker." I called as he walked away.
"We're going to have fun!" Parker called.
I laughed and turned the heat on the pot down.
"Come on, Nicole!" Parker called from by the pond. "You gonna ride with me!"
I rolled my eyes and laughed as I saw all the men over by the water with two jet skis. Ten men plus five cases of beer and some crazy ideas. This is going to end well.
"Come on." Parker said as he sat on the jet ski in the water.
I kicked my flip flops off and walked into the water. I squealed at the coldness on my feet before getting behind Parker, wrapping my arms around his waist.
"Hold on." Parker ordered as he cranked the jet ski. We took off.
I yelled excitedly as we rode on the water. I saw Parker smiling from ear to ear. I laughed and buried my head against his back as we rode.
He was right. That was fun.
"I'm wet." I said once we had gotten on dry land again and two other people were riding the jet skis.
"Me too." Parker said as he ran his hand through his wet hair and put on his hat.
"But that was fun." I smiled.
"Told ya." Parker smiled before kissing me.
"The food should be done now." I said.
"Awesome. Let's go eat." Parker said before taking off towards the picnic table and the crab.
"Thanks for waiting for me!" I yelled at him.
He was already taking a crab out of the pot. He smiled at me and waved. He's crazy sometimes.
***
"Of course it will work." Parker said as we were all standing around a loader bucket and Rick was lighting a fire under it. "We've done it before."
The men had this idea to make a "bush hot tub". Fill a loader bucket with water and light a fire under it. Apparently, they've done it before.
"Alright." I smirked. "If you say so."
Once it was hot, Parker and Rick jumped in it immediately. They coaxed me into getting in, and Jordan and Tyler got in with us.
"I have to admit, it's pretty nice for a dirty loader bucket." I smiled as I was sitting in Parker's lap.
"Yeah, it's nice for a bush hot tub." Rick smiled as he took a sip of his beer.
"Only thing that's missing is you in that little bathing suit of yours." Parker whispered in my ear.
Just his breath hitting my skin and feeling the little hair on his face was enough to make me go weak in the knees.
"It won't be long, baby." I whispered back.
He wrapped his arms around my waist and set his hands on my stomach.
"It can't get much better than this." I sighed as I leaned back on him.
"Fourth of July is a success, huh?" Rick said.
"It's not over yet." I smiled. "We still have a buttload of fireworks to set off."
"I say Tyler sets off the fireworks." Parker said.
"Second it." Rick said quickly.
"Third it." Jordan said even more quickly.
"I'm not setting off all those fireworks! You bought over a hundred!" Tyler protested.
"And that's why you're doing it." Parker said.
"I am not!" Tyler said.
"Okay, how about this?" Rick suggested. "Whoever loses in a beer chugging contest, shoots off all the fireworks."
"You'll have no problem winning that, Rick." I teased.
"Alright, so the last one left after everyone else finishes their beer loses." Parker said.
"Mitch!" Rick called over to the bonfire where the rest of them were at. "Bring us some more beers!"
***
"Alright, Jordan." Parker said as we were about to sit down in our fold up chairs to watch the fireworks. "You lost. Go set off the fireworks. And do it right, too."
"Alright, alright." Jordan mumbled as he grabbed a beer and the lighter. "This is messed up."
"You're the one that dropped your beer in the hot tub!" Parker said as he sat in between me and Rick.
And that was how we ended up getting out of the hot tub.
"Ruined it for all of us!" Rick added.
Jordan flipped them both off as he went to get the fireworks.
Mitch brought a stereo out and turned on the radio before grabbing another beer out of the cooler.
"You guys are going to be so wasted." I laughed. "I'm pretty sure Rick has drank a whole case by himself."
The four of us laughed, and the rest of them made their way over with their chairs.
"Well, they gotta work in the morning. They better have some pills and some Gatorade." Parker said.
I laughed as I watched the first firework of the night shoot up into the air.
Around midnight, the last firework faded into the night sky.
"Alright." Parker said as he drank the last of the beer in his can. "Rick, I'm leaving you in charge of making sure this shit gets cleaned up. And make sure they all get to working at least by lunchtime tomorrow. Me and Nick gotta get on the road."
"Babe, you're wasted." I said as I set my hand on his. "There's no way you can drive. I'll drive or we can wait till the morning."
"I'm fine, honey." Parker chuckled as he went to stand up.
He immediately got dizzy and stumbled back into the chair.
"You're fine, huh?" I raised an eyebrow. "You're not driving."
"Really, I'm fine." Parker chuckled again as he stood up. He went right back into that chair.
"Yeah, um, no." I said to him. "We're getting in the bed. We'll get up and get driving."
"You want to get me in the bed, huh?" Parker smirked.
I scoffed and stifled a laugh. "Yes, baby. Now come on." I grabbed his arm and helped him keep his balance.
As he leaned on me while we walked and the rest of the men staggered to their trailers, I knew they all looked like zombies. I chuckled to myself and thought, "It's like taking care of a bunch of kids that can drink."
Of course, I'd be drunk too if I wasn't pregnant.
Parker and I walked into our bedroom, and he immediately fell on the bed. I shook my head at him and went in the bathroom.
And when I came back out, Parker was snoring. I laughed and snuggled up to his side before falling asleep myself.
He might be a handful at times, but he's my handful.