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.”

Stop overthinking for now. The birthday

out his cigarette in the ashtray, and followed Keaton to the private

doing anything to her in the future, you’d better be 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. That

the

you to say. You don’t have a sister. You have no idea how devastating an older

rolled his eyes and continued back to

sons return! Now that we’re all here, as today’s birthday guy, let me

have a toast.”

their glasses to honor Booker’s

head of the table, Tarquin didn’t stand up. He simply clinked his glass on the table and knocked back his drink in one

What was supposed to be a sip turned into a

downing of glasses.

aim for Tarquin? Go toast with Booker. It’s his birthday, and you guys should be getting him hammered and

from more drinks and noting his sour mood, turned

Booker’s bachelorhood ended that night, accompanied by