When he joined them, Kevin introduced himself to John from the crew and got the plans. He and Kathy would wait on the dock to greet everyone and make sure they didn’t leave anyone behind. Once the cruise started, they’d get out on the lake and within the hour, dinner would be served. Then there would be dancing with music provided by the DJ.
John left them and Kevin turned to Kathy. “You look amazing.”
“Thank you. Not so bad yourself.” She swiped at her hair that flung into her face. “I swear, I don’t know what I was thinking leaving this mess down.”
“It’s not a mess. I love your hair.”
“Trust me, by the time we actually get moving, it’ll probably look like a bird’s nest.”
“I doubt that.”
Maggie and Shane arrived, and Kathy let them know that Moira and Jimmy were already on board in separate rooms. The rest of the O’Learys came shortly after. His brothers, of course, were later. Friends and relatives started arriving in mass numbers, so he and Kathy couldn’t talk much. When the entertainment for the night came up to him, they caught Kathy’s attention.
“I thought you told Jimmy no strippers.”
“Jimmy said no strippers. I never agreed. Every man in this place might look for blood if I didn’t provide some entertainment.”
“Two women? That’s some entertainment?”
“Don’t underestimate me. That’s two women and one man. They perform together.”
He waited for his words to sink in. Kathy’s eyes widened. She stepped closer and lowered her voice. “They do threesome stuff?”
“They’re gonna do something.”
“Something that’ll probably give Jimmy a coronary. You might want to warn the guy not to touch Moira. Jimmy will break his arm.”
“They all know hands off. Jimmy’s not the only one with a protective streak.” Sean would definitely go off if a stripper touched Emma. Tommy wouldn’t be much better. Kevin thought briefly of what his reaction would be if it were Kathy being touched. Although he had no right to be jealous or protective, he was.
They waited outside in the warm summer air until the only people milling around were those enjoying a night at Navy Pier. Kevin looked up at the Ferris wheel and thought about taking a ride with Kathy. Too bad he didn’t know the operator so he could call in a favor and get them trapped at the top.
“I think that’s everyone,” Kathy said. “There are only a couple of people on my list who haven’t shown, but I told them all we would be leaving at eight.”
“Sounds good. I wasn’t keeping track, but off the top of my head, I think we’re good. All the important people are here anyway.”
Kathy bent and grabbed the tote bag at her feet.
“Hell of a purse.”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s not my purse. It’s supplies.”
“Everything is included in the cruise.”
“I have a bride-to-be sash for Moira to wear, and little gifts for the bridal party. Games to play. Stuff like that.”
“Shit. Was I supposed to come up with stuff? I thought my job ended with making sure the party was planned.”
“I’ve got you covered.”
“The least I can do is carry this then.” He took the bag from her shoulder, his fingers grazing the soft skin.
If he wasn’t imagining things, her breath hitched at his touch. “So, have you had time to think about us?”
Her stride caught and she blinked rapidly a few times. “Really? You want to talk now?”
“Now is perfect. I’ve got you captive for the next four hours.”
She laughed. “I’ve been doing nothing but thinking. But I don’t have an answer for you. My head is a mess. Just zipping back and forth. I don’t know if I should follow my heart or my head.”
“That’s easy. Follow whichever one says I should get another chance. We’ll get the other on board.”
“You’re impossible.”
“It’s one of my finer qualities.”
They walked aboard the ship and Maggie met them.
“I’m so sorry. We tried to keep it a secret, but you know Jimmy. He refused to stay in that room you put him in,” Maggie said.
Kathy’s shoulders sagged. “Oh, man. I really wanted to get pictures of their faces when they realized it was a joint party.”
“Don’t worry about that. As soon as I heard Jimmy coming, I had my phone out. They are immortalized.”
Kevin smiled. “How’d they take it?”
“Seemed okay to me, but they’re looking for you.”
The first thing Kevin did was grab a drink for him and Kathy. Kathy might’ve been disappointed at missing out on the surprise, but Kevin knew how little Jimmy enjoyed surprises. Then he went to find Jimmy and Moira. They had drinks in hand and Moira was already wearing the satin sash Kathy had brought. Jimmy wore a crown.
Kevin pointed at his brother. “That’s fitting. You’ve always acted like king of the world.”
“I’ll get you for this.”
“I had nothing to do with playing dress-up. That was all Kathy. Take it up with her.”
“I think it’s cute,” Moira said.
“Just what I’ve always wanted. To be cute.”
Moira turned to Kevin. “Kathy said this was all your idea. Thank you. It’s awesome. Having my fiancé here kind of ruins the whole last-night-of-being-single thing, but the rest is amazing.”
Kevin stared for a minute. “Is Mouthy Moira really paying me a compliment? No way. I think I’ve entered an alternate universe. Aunty Em, Aunty Em . . .”
Moira playfully smacked his arm while she laughed. Then she did the one thing he’d never thought possible: she hugged him. Willingly.
He awkwardly wrapped his arms around her to accept the hug.
“All jokes aside,” she said, “I appreciate you taking this seriously.”
“I’d do anything for him.”
“That’s good. So would I.”
Kathy came up and said, “Are you starting already?”
Moira stepped back and Kevin asked, “What?”
“You’re not even drunk yet and you’re bugging Moira?”
“Ha! Shows
