I Blame Wattpad for My High Expectations of Men

Chapter 79 - Want to hear a joke?

~Ace Rivers's Point of View~

"Eddie?" Lola calls out to the senior citizen sitting on the bench next to us, and I can only imagine him being the former Summer Olympic swimmer and her good old friend from way back when she used to work at the bakery.

        She'd always tell me all these incredible stories about him, but due to our vigorous schedules at the time, we never quite got around to actually meeting each other.

        I guess now's as good a time as any. 

"Well, I'll be damned," Eddie pipes. "And here I thought that my eyesight was starting to play tricks on me."

"Same ol' Eddie," Lola chuckles with a headshake as we make our way over to him. I smile when he brings my girlfriend in for a grandfatherly hug, as it seems to make her as happy as it does him, if not even more. "I think it's about time you started sharing that skin routine with me, by the way," she tells him when they pull away, "you still don't look a day over sixty."

"Nah, you don't need it. From what I can see, you've still got both beauty and brains," he winks at her, causing the both of us to chuckle this time. That's when he looks up at me. "And you must be her lucky person."

        Immediately catching on to the meaning behind his words, as I recall Lola telling me how he once told her that she would find her lucky person someday, I extend my hand for a long overdue introduction.

"That, I am," I say with a proud smile. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, sir."

"Oh, screw that," he dismisses my hand before spreading his arms wide open. "Anyone who was able to win this one's heart" -he playfully nods at Lola- "deserves a proper hug." My smile only growing, I abide by Eddie's request as I walk into my very own grandfatherly hug. "How have the two of you been?" He asks when we pull away, before shooting us a pointed finger. "And don't give me any of that diplomatic shit. I may be an old geezer, but I still know how technology works. I just hope three years were enough for the two of you to realize a few things," he says, mainly looking at Lola during that last sentence.

"Jeez, Eddie," Lola grimaces as she places her hands in her back pockets, a nervous habit of hers that I've noticed over the years. "Way to put me on the spot." 

"Well, it's the least you deserve," he continues to tease her. "You nearly let a keeper like him" -he places a hand on my shoulder- "end up with someone else. Do you realize how boring his life would've been had he truly ended up with some super model, rather than your crazy ass?" Neither Lola nor I can help the chuckles that escape us right then, causing Eddie to send a knowing smirk our way. He places his other hand on Lola's shoulder, this time looking at us with complete sincerity. "Jokes aside, you two, always make sure to really fight for what's yours. And remember this: you are currently ruling one hell of an empire. If people didn't feel threatened before, they sure as hell do now. That being said, sons of bitches will talk about you, but only because they have to; for when they talk about themselves, nobody listens. So, never give up," he emphasizes. "Because the moment you give up is the moment you let someone else win. Got it?"

"Loud and clear," Lola and I confirm together, my heart soaring high for God knows what time tonight.

"Good," Eddie smiles, letting go of our shoulders, "because I'll be expecting a wedding invitation soon."

        And just like that, the question that's been on my mind this entire weekend is answered once again.

***

"You grow any balls yet?!" Elena's and Luca's voices are the first to explode through my phone, followed by the muffled sounds of the rest of our family. Thank God, I'm wearing my AirPods.