“Food is excellent. Beer is tasty. I appreciate the help tonight.”

“It’s always a pleasure to have a bunch of pretty women in here. Not like that’s a chore.” He winked. As he was nearing eighty, it wasn’t like his flirting was serious. “When will we be hosting your bachelorette party?”

She laughed. “I’m enjoying the living-in-sin part right now. We’ll get there though.”

Pete came around, and they walked back to the kitchen to get the cake from the walk-in.

“How’s Joe’s daddy?”

Joe’s father had been struggling with mental illness for some time, and over the last few months had finally found a medication combo that was working. Rather than respond or act in a way that continued to stigmatize the issue, Beth wanted to treat it like any other health issue. It was, of course, up to Joe’s father, and she was careful about what she shared. But when she did talk about it, she did in a very straightforward way. Joe seemed to prefer it and that’s what mattered most to her.

“He’s better. Working on it.”

“You tell him I said hello. My Missy said she ran into Joe’s momma the other day at the library, and I’ve been meaning to ask after him. But it’s hard. I don’t know what to say.”

She nodded. “I understand.” Joe’s father could be at turns grateful and resentful when people asked after him. But she knew he appreciated that people thought about him, and it really helped his wife, who was trying her damndest to understand his illness and do what was right and best.

Pete looked down at the cake and blushed. “Well lookie here. Who’d have thought they’d make a cake like this?”

She waggled her brows. “There’s a novelty cake shop in Riverton.”

“Novelty huh?” He laughed as she took the cake from his arms. “I’ll have to take a pass on the part where you cut into it.” He winced and they headed separate ways.

“I understand. Thanks, Pete.”

She came back in and when everyone looked up and saw what she had, snickers and guffaws broke out.

“Oh my lands! Girl, you have pricks on the brain.” Lily laughed.

The cake was actually a bunch of small cakes. Little jumping penises. Some had tennis shoes on the balls. Some were floppy. Some had little caps. Sure, she could have gone with something serious, but Lily had a lot of serious trying to keep her brother in line and hoping her mother would come home from sober living in time for the wedding. A little dick humor was just the thing.

And seeing Lily blush and giggle as she blew out all those candles and sliced up all the little dick cakes, Beth was very glad she’d done it.

“I think I’m going to have to eat an entire packet of Tums after all these wings.” Nathan patted his belly.

“Wait until you get in your late thirties. Just looking at something deep fried gives you heartburn.”

“Bummer. I’m gonna hate being as old as you, William. Then again, you’ll always be older than me. So there’s that.”

William reached over and socked Nathan’s arm. “Asshole.”

Their waitress had kept the beer and the food coming as they all hung out, told lies and insulted each other. In other words, a pretty fun night out with his friends.

Joe seemed to find it hilarious that Nathan’s ex-fiancé—more like a psycho who announced in the newspaper that they were engaged without talking to Nathan first—kept staring over at their table.

“Steffie can’t take her eyes off you.” Joe laughed and laughed.

“Quiet or I’ll send some beers over to Dolly’s table, and then you’ll have to deal with my sister. I heard her threaten you about, what did she say…”

“Big-haired, mammoth-hootered skanks I believe was the phrase she used. My romantic, fragile flower.”

“I believe she said hoochie instead of skank. My sister does have a way with words.” William snorted. “Also, she’s scary. Oh sure, she’s wise cracking and has a big heart, they all do. But she would take any of those women down if they ever really tried to get in between you.”

“I know. It’s hot. Not that I’d want her to get into it with anyone. But I can imagine it all I want and if you say anything I’ll deny it. Anyway, Jacob and Trey are single. They can run interference.”

Jacob, the youngest Murphy brother shook his head and put his hands up. “No thank you. I’m single but I don’t have a death wish. I’m not jumping in front of that crazytrain if it barrels over here.”

“I might forgive the way Trey put his hands on Beth if he took one for the team.” Joe raised a brow, still thinking about the big old slap in the face with the reality that his woman could and would move on if he didn’t get his shit straight.

“You should thank me for that. If she’d asked some dude who didn’t care about her as much as I do, he might have really made a move.”

“He’s got a point.” Jacob raised a beer.

Joe muttered something but no one got punched so it was all right.

“When are you asking Beth to marry you?”

“You’re mean when your crazy ex is staring at you with those googly eyes of hers.”

Nathan cracked up. He had a damned good life. Surrounded by his friends and family, celebrating the fact that he would be marrying the love of his life in a few weeks. Growing up in that shitty little trailer, he wasn’t always sure he’d make it to the next week, much less end up a schoolteacher and marrying a woman like Lily.

“Hush you. I’m gonna marry the prettiest woman in town, and we’re gonna have pretty, dark-haired babies who love their daddy best. My sister may treat your damned dog like a person and act like a loon, but she’s a good woman and you’d be lucky to have her as your wife.”

Joe nodded. “She’s the best. But we’re moving at our own pace. There will be a wedding, but we’ll get there when we’re ready. You think Beth would put up with anything less than exactly what she wanted?”

Everyone laughed at the very idea.

“Exactly. I surely do love that woman and she will be my missus when the time comes. Right now, we’re enjoying living in sin and being an aunt and uncle who are able to give y’all’s kids back at the end of the day.”

“A toast then, to Nathan and Lily.” William raised his glass. “You’re a lucky guy she’s willing to overlook your tragic appearance and marry you. I hope your babies take after her.”

“Hear, hear!” Nathan raised his glass as well. “And a toast to the lovely, feisty women of Petal, who make us pancakes, tolerate our bullshit and fill our lives with nice smells, boobs and a warm body to snuggle with in the morning.”

More raised glasses. “Hell yes!”

“Hey, where’s Royal?” Matt looked around as if he’d just realized their friend wasn’t with them.

Joe shrugged. “He and Anne broke off. For real this time. He’s spending a week in Los Angeles with his brother.”

William sighed. “I think it’s for the best. Annie doesn’t want to get married. I don’t know that she ever will. He wants to settle down. She can’t give it to him, and so it’s the fairest thing she can do to finally break things off for real. She’s too good a person to string him along. They’ll be friends, I think. They have been since they were bitty kids. But it’s going to take a while for him to truly let go and move on.”

“I get it. You can be with someone you like but they’re just not the one. There’s no need to settle. Liv moved on and found Marc. I found Tate. The right person is out there. I hope they both find that.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“We need a round of shots, I think.” Kyle hailed their server.

Nathan wanted his sister to be happy. As happy as he was. But each of them found happiness on their own terms, and he had every confidence Anne would too.

But that night he was celebrating his own happily ever after with Lily, and all was right with his world. Crazy, googly-eyed ex-whatevers notwithstanding.