Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem

09:45

Chapter 76

She was telling him that she would stake her life on every word she said, claiming responsibility with the utmost sincerity.

Could it be that he had misunderstood her all along?

But how could he explain away the accusations of bullying a young lady? Who else had he bullied, if not her?

Tarquin’s expression darkened as he contemplated. He hadn’t mistreated her. He had his reasons for detaining her, and he conducted himself with integrity.

“What’s on your mind now?” Keaton nudged him.

Tarquin snapped out of his reverie, took a hard drag on his cigarette, and fell silent.

“Keaton, where did you and Tarquin run off to? Come on back, everyone’s here. We’re just waiting on you two,” Booker called out to summon them.

“Okay,” Keaton replied, “we’ll be there in a sec.”

“Let’s go. Stop overthinking for now. The birthday boy is

his cigarette in the ashtray, and followed Keaton

discreet, or my sister will make a scene. She won’t confront you directly, but she’ll take it out on me, and then I’ll be forced to draw a line between us.

smirked. “That’s all the guts you

You don’t have a sister. You have no idea how devastating an older sister can be

his eyes and continued back to

Now that we’re all here, as today’s birthday guy, let me just

have a toast.”

raised their glasses to honor Booker’s birthday.

up. He simply clinked

supposed to be a sip

downing of glasses.

with lively conversation. As someone moved to toast with Tarquin, Keaton, knowing his friend was not in the best of spirits, intercepted, “Why aim for Tarquin? Go toast with Booker. It’s his birthday, and you guys should be getting him hammered and throwing him into the arms of a lovely lady

others, sensing Keaton’s intent to shield Tarquin from more drinks and noting his sour

rowdy, insisting that they would see Booker’s bachelorhood ended that night, accompanied by raucous laughter and