Three Little Words by Maggie Wells Page A

another glance in the mirror to know he looked a wreck. Men his age didn’t wear hangovers as well as they did in their twenties. Greg ran his hand over his face. “I must have gotten some bad ice in my drinks.”
    Thankfully, Ben accepted the lame joke. “As long is it wasn’t the shrimp.” He cast a glance at the empty corridor. “I wanted to tell you thanks.”
    “For what?”
    Ben’s eyebrows rose. “Well, the honeymoon. The rehearsal dinner. For not killing Mom….”
    “Your mother was fine.”
    His son’s lips curved. It was the same self-deprecating smile toddler Ben used to flash. The one that accompanied home runs, ace report cards, and even the ceremonial handing over of the car keys. The small grin told Greg no matter how independent Ben became, his old dad’s opinion still mattered. Seeing it was enough to convince Greg all the monkey suit wearing, ex-wife nagging, and crazed tequila shooting had been worthwhile, but Ben’s next words floored him.
    “For everything,” he said quietly. “Thanks for everything, Dad.”
    Greg took his boy’s proffered hand and pulled him into a fierce embrace. “My pleasure,” he murmured, too choked up to say anything more. “My pleasure, son.”
    A few manly back slaps and much clearing of throats followed. Rocking back on his heels, Greg shoved his hands in his pants pockets to keep from reaching for Ben again. “Uh, you’re all ready for the trip?”
    Ben nodded and pushed his hand through his hair. The familiar fidget made Greg’s heart stutter step. “Don’t suppose you’re up for brunch before we take off?”
    Greg glanced at the clock then back to his son’s hopeful face. He didn’t have enough time to find Josie and see his kid off on his honeymoon. As much as he hated to let her slip away, there was no choice. Ben had him first.
    Besides, he had sources for getting information on her. One was standing in front of him, another hiding in his bathroom. “Let me grab a quick shower. I’ll be in the lobby before you leave.”
    His son’s quick grin told him he’d made the right decision. “Okay. See you in a few.” Ben favored him with a smart-ass grin as he backpedaled the length of the corridor. “Oh, and, Dad? Drink some water. You need to hydrate.”
    The only rebuttal he could give was to let the door slam shut between them. Crossing the room, he opened the bathroom door to find Will sitting on the lid of the toilet reading the back of a can of shaving cream.
    “You should leave a magazine or something in here for guests,” he said as he tossed the can into Greg’s open shaving kit.
    “I wasn’t expecting guests.”
    Will raised both eyebrows but remained silent.
    Sighing his defeat, Greg slumped against the doorframe. “You need to go find her.”
    “I do?”
    “I can’t, and she has no coat and no money. Only one shoe.” He ran his hand through his hair. “How the hell is she going to get anywhere?”
    “Bus?”
    Greg snarled. “Did you miss the no money part?”
    “Maybe she had some stuffed in her bra. Women do, you know.”
    “There was no money in her bra.”
    Will smiled, clearly pleased to have extracted a little information. “Ah, so you made second base. Good for you.”
    Greg took in his best friend’s rumpled suit and creased shirt. The tail of the tie he wore the previous night trailed from one pocket. “Why the hell are you still here, anyway? You didn’t go home?”
    Pushing to his feet, Will shrugged. “Scored a bridesmaid.”
    Will had been working the same expression of blank innocence since the summer after their fifteenth birthdays. Greg averted his eyes. He didn’t need to know the guy was seducing girls young enough to be his daughter.
    “You’re a sick bastard.”
    Will’s snort snagged his attention. “Kidding. Jesus, you should have seen your face.” He threw his head back and guffawed. “No kiddie porn for me, Greggie-boy, just a willing divorcee. Over forty and into yoga.”
    It took a