Russian Roulette: Family secrets [2021 version]

Ch. 78: I'm not always right, Gareth. But I'm never wrong

It was an invasion.

Mackenzie could call it a housewarming all she wanted, Gareth was certain it was an invasion.

Everywhere he looked he saw people. If he did not know any better, he would have thought that half of Europe, parts of Asia, The States, and Africa had migrated to his house.

The city had been under siege with friends since his bachelor party, and more had arrived every day.

That bachelor party had been fucking awesome.

The food, drinks, and company in a perfect mix.

Yes, he had been more drunk than Dumbo, and though no pink elephants had appeared, he had had a blast. All the conversations with his friends in that relaxed setting had given him more than when he had talked with them in his office. The alcohol had made them loosen up enough to be honest with him rather than polite and humble. He had wanted to know what they desired most, and what he could do to give it to them.

It had been 5:30-ish in the morning when Rami and Vittoriohad dragged him into the honeymoon suite at the PamHotel to Mackenzie, who had helped him to bed. Luckily, Fabian had been the least drunk of the bunch and with the help of Indigo and Vittorio, who had taken second and third place in sobriety, they had escorted everybody safely to the hotel.

The brunch had turned into one massive whine fest, much to the amusement of the women, who had not kept a lid on their snide comments. Seriously, shots fired! They had, however, been nice and made sure greasy foods and coffee had been plentiful.

The hangover had been real.

Gareth smiled at the memories of that night. Not so much about the following day, but he had survived.

Barely.

He stood in the sunroom with his whiskey, trying to catch a moment alone. It was not really possible with the staggering number of people everywhere. Eating, drinking, talking, and enjoying the house. Children of all ages ran around everywhere, playing with each other.

Tutturo's staff and hired help had prepared since the day before. Huge barbecue grills, portable luxury kitchen facilities, and a truckload of beverages.

A party rental company had set up giant tents in the garden.

An enormous one for seating and the buffet, where all sorts of deliciousness magically appeared and vanished just as quickly because people did not hold back and seemed bottomless pits of hunger. There was no problem with that. Tutturo had served his masterpieces from lunch and would continue to keep the trays filled through dinner and until the midnight snacking buffet.

The food was next level and worth every cent.

There was an even larger tent for dancing and lounging. Mackenzie had made sure he had hired a band for that. And she had arranged for a smaller tent with a DJ for those who were more into the club scene and dance rhythms.

The kids, in particular, loved that tent, and the DJ loved them, playing both kiddie tunes and just good rhythms.

That, and the dessert buffet had drawn them throughout the day.

Most children were on an epic sugar high.

It was not as if Gareth could fault them. He did not have a sweet tooth like Mackenzie, but that had not stopped him from sampling more than his fair share.

There was, however, one tent he loved more than any of the others. And it was kid free too.

The smoker's tent.