Someone to Hold

What The Drummer Thor

Johnny closed his mouth around the shrimp with a snap of his teeth. Yeah, he'd caught it and K-Wack had made the shot even if her aim was off, that's how good he was.

"Thanks K-Wack," he grinned.

"Johnny I left my kids at home, which means I thought my chances of seeing someone chewing with their mouth open were little to none. Guess I was wrong." Kelly bitched at him.

He swallowed hard. "Jeez K-Wack, chill. I guess this means you're not going to peel any more shrimp for me?" he asked ever hopeful.

"No I'm not and I'm pretty sure that when Lacey said she was going to find someone to refresh the finger bowls it was just an excuse so she didn't have to either." Kelly pointed to Lacey who was laughing with Steph and Brian and chugging pink gin. Definitely not talking to the caterers.

"Well that sucks." He shrugged and took a swig of his drink. The line between Kelly's eyebrows didn't ease up. "You seem upset by more than my table manners, what's wrong?"

"The stress is killing me," she glanced around and focused on where Brooks stood glaring at them as he chatted with Zacky and K-Wow. "I think Brooks is getting suspicious."

"Well just act natural, in a couple of days all will be revealed and you won't have to stress anymore," Johnny reasoned not letting on his own concerns. Shit. Why had he never noticed before how much Brooks saw? He saw everything. The guy was fucking omniscient. Well then he'd just have to engage stealth mode because he and K-Wack had a plan and it did not involve going down in a screaming ball of relationship flames.

"Relax and have another drink, this pink shit is good by the way, I see a couple of guys I need to go congratulate." With a wave of his glass Johnny ambled off in the direction of Matt's and Caitie's dads who were fondly watching their offspring dance.

"Yo, G-Squared! So those crazy kids have finally tied the knot huh?" He lifted his glass in salute to the couple who were swaying beneath the softly illuminated frangipani tree.

"G-Squared?" Gary Sanders raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, yeah. Gary to the power of two? I may have dropped out of high school but I'm not an idiot!"

"I'm sure that there's more to you than anyone ever suspects Johnny," Gary Cooper tilted his beer bottle in Johnny's direction. "I don't know that I'd describe this wedding as finally tying the knot though. One minute I was looking up flights to attend an engagement party and the next I was being told that they were getting married here. If I didn't know better I'd have assumed she was pregnant."

Johnny snorted, "Nah, that's your other daughter."

Gary Sanders reached out a hand and lightly clipped him behind the ear. Johnny gave him side-eye but knew better than to say anything.

Gary C laughed, "I can't deny that's true but then I'm used to Kelly doing things her own way." The daughter in question was leaning back against the man Johnny gleefully called her baby-daddy as he reached around and cradled her belly through her shimmering, toffee-apple red spangled dress. Kelly wasn't exactly the type to suddenly turn low key just because she had a bun in the oven. Still her dress was an exact match for the shimmering red ballet flats worn by the bride so there was some method to the madness.

The Mr Big song finished and Johnny expected another sappy love song to start, after all the entire evening so far had been dripping with romance, but instead an insanely catchy guitar riff burst forth from the speakers like a siren.

"Well then," Gary C said, "it looks like it's time for the party to really get started. Gary my man, it's time for you to find out how Aaron and I kicked it at the Playroom back in the day. Johnny, watch and learn." He trotted up the stairs to the deck where Steph in the literal definition of 'hold my drink' passed her cocktail to Brian and kicked off her jewelled flip flops. One landed in the pool with a splash. Completely unconcerned Steph danced her way over to her father and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Kelly shrugged off Zacky's hands and shimmied up beside her friend, the spangles on her dress sparkling in the candle light.