Page 2 of Willa’s Weddings

The rest of the wedding went pretty well. There were the usual tears and drunken outbursts, but nothing a cup of coffee and slice of cake couldn’t fix. The bride had a tiny meltdown over a stain on her dress, but after two spritzes of club soda, it was invisible for the rest of the party.

The DJ tried to sneak in one of the forbidden songs, but I shut that shit down before the first verse was over so all in all, it was a great event. If I ever got married—which I was pretty sure I wouldn’t—this venue wouldn’t be terrible. In fact, it was in my top five locations. Right after Poppy’s Place and a private beach.

Three more reminders popped up on my phone between before seven and I was grateful for each one. Deep breaths, protein time, and stand up & stretch all came just when I needed them. The only one I ignored and was seriously regretting when it was time to cut the cake was the reminder to go potty. I hated stopping what I was doing to go find a bathroom. Life was too short to be running to the toilet ten times a day.

When the last of the cake was boxed up and the guests had drifted away to their after parties, I stayed behind to supervise the teardown. The hotel crew moved in with a practiced efficiency, stacking chairs and stripping linens faster than could bark orders at them. And before I left, I took my checklist from corner to corner, collecting leftover centerpieces and making sure nobody left anything behind.

At exactly five after nine, I stepped out into the warm evening and slipped off my heels. I was officially off duty and that meant I could wear my flipflops.

I wanted to go home, take off my clothes, and not put them back on until Monday. My plan for the rest of the weekend was to crawl onto my oversized beanbag and watch cartoons with my stuffed elephant until I had to adult again. Eating cereal straight from the box was still eating and letting my body uncoil from all the pretending and holding it together was the only thing I could think about.

But home was a twenty-minute walk away, and the lights of the bar across the street were a dangerous lure.

I’d ignored my nine o’clock hydrate reminder so stopping for a quick cocktail was really just self-care. One drink would be enough to help knock me out for the night.

I went inside in my little black dress and flippys and immediately caught the attention of the bartender. He winked at me and was cute enough so I slid onto a stool in the corner and ordered a cosmo.

“Long day?” He pulled a bowl of pretzels out from behind the counter and put it in front of me.

“Way too long.” I sighed and popped a pretzel into my mouth. “Just need something to help me turn off my brain so I can fall asleep tonight.

He cocked an eyebrow as he pulled a bottle of Grey Goose off the shelf and started making my drink.

While he worked, I pulled out my phone and scrolled through the day’s reminders. There was a comfort in the repetition of those tiny acts of kindness I’d programmed for myself. Being perpetually single meant no one was around to remind me to wear something soft when I was gonna be in meetings all day or to not, under any circumstances, check my email after ten at night. My virtual Daddy was my pathetic attempt at a stand-in for someone who cared about me and would tell me I was a good girl now and then.

A drink appeared in front of me and my shoulders immediately dropped. It was pretty pink with a sugared rim and a maraschino cherry. Exactly what I needed.

The bar was nearly empty with just a few people spread out in the place. That’s why I was startled when I took my first sip and a man dropped onto the stool beside me. Right beside me. As if he didn’t notice the ten empty spaces that would allow a little breathing room.

“Uh, hi.” I tried to conjure my snark but I was too tired.

“Hello, beautiful. Mind if I sit here for a little while? I could use some company.” When he put it like that, I couldn’t really say no.

“Sure.” I shrugged and took a bigger drink. “I’m not gonna be here long.”

2

TROY

People sometimes joked that building inspectors came from a long line of narcs and judges, like I just popped out at thirty-two with a clipboard in one hand and a list of code violations in the other. Truth was, I just liked keeping people safe. It was my love language. Rules and requirements were meant to prevent accidents, and I took that responsibility very seriously.

It didn't always make me popular, but it did help me sleep at night. And sleep was all I could think about when Ben asked me to grab a beer with him because it was his birthday. Of course, I couldn’t say no, but damn did I want to.

I was halfway through my second beer and five minutes away from bidding my best work friend a happy birthday and good night when I saw a familiar face walk through the door.

From where Ben and I were perched on the second-floor catwalk at Palo, we had a perfect view of the main bar. They billed it as a VIP section for people who didn’t want to be crowded, but we liked to sit up there so we could check out the action. And by action, I was obviously referring to the cute girls coming in. From up there, we could see every table and get a feel for who might be interested in a drink or a dance or a night of fun.

When I first saw Willa Brandt walk in, my instinct was a lean away from the railing so she didn’t see me. But as usual, I couldn’t take my eyes off the firecracker who was wriggling on her stool at the end of the bar to the beat of some Taylor Swift song. She wore a little dress and sandals that looked like she was coming in from a beach party. She pulled her hair down from a high ponytail and shook it loose like she had been waiting to do that all day. Considering that Willa was a highly coveted wedding planner who was booked almost every day of the week, that was probably a safe guess.

She’d just ordered a drink when some douche sat down beside her. Maybe she was on a date.

Ben kicked my chair and then nodded down toward the bar where Willa and her dude were sitting. “Why the frown? You know her?”

“Yeah, one of Kiley’s friends.” Ben had met my ex a few times but I’d never brought him around her friends. He wasn’t part of the kink community and I wasn’t entirely sure what he’d think if he saw my girlfriend and her friends in diapers and pigtails. “She’s cool.”

Willa was more than cool. She was fucking awesome. Sassy and smart and not afraid of anything.

It hadn’t been that long since Kylie and I broke up, but those four months felt like a lifetime. So much of my free time had been spent with Kylie and her friends, especially when they wanted Little time. I was Daddy Troy to all the girls as a temporary caretaker and trusted friend, but I wasn’t anyone’s actual Daddy. Not anymore.