SAMMY

"I love that I can walk to see you now," Kennedy said with a big smile on her face as I opened the door and gestured for her to come inside Mitch's apartment.

"I know, I like that part too, but I miss being able to walk to work."

Kennedy slipped her sandals off and followed me into the kitchen. "How's Mitch handling that?"

I snorted. She knew exactly how he handled that after having Nash in his ear. "I mean, I'm not complaining about the car service..."

"Mm." There was a teasing glint in her bright blue eyes.

I rolled my eyes in response. "You know what I mean."

"Yeah."

She got serious and sat down on a stool at the kitchen island while I went into the fridge and took out two bottles of water and handed her one.

"Thanks. How are the wedding plans going? Is everything coming together? Anything you want me to do?"

We were getting close. It was only a few weeks away and despite keeping the wedding itself small, there was still a lot of stuff to get done.

"It's getting there," I told her. "Mitch has done most of it, so I can't complain."

She nodded and screwed the cap off the water bottle.

"I'm more worried about the backyard not getting done," I admitted.

"Why? What's happening with the backyard?"

"They just put sod down and it's been so dry for so long that Mitch is worried it's gonna die. I would hate to get married on dead grass."

"Hm, there's no sprinkler system?"

I shook my head and took a swallow from my bottle. "Not yet."

"Did Mitch call Howard?"

"I don't think so. He was talking about flying down again."

I was getting exhausted by the amount of times he'd been going back and forth and I hadn't even traveled.

"That's not very good timing, is it?" She cocked her head, but continued before I had time to answer. "Mitch can't really leave now since they have stepped up their workouts, and he has been seeing that physical therapist for his shoulder."

Well, that was a bit of news to me. I knew they'd increased their workouts, and that he had more meetings, but I didn't know he was seeing a doctor.

"Shit," Kennedy exclaimed. Her bright blue eyes were enormous when she continued a little more subdued, "you didn't know that, did you?"

"Nope."

"I didn't mean to cause you trouble. I'm sorry."

"It's ok, Ken. It's not that big of a deal. He's probably thinking he's saving me some stress by not telling me about it."

And that was exactly what I thought was happening, but that didn't stop it from stinging. He could tell his best friend that he was in pain, but he couldn't tell me? His soon to be wife.

"True. Nash is the same way, but it usually turns out with me worrying more."

I could totally see that. It was hard to deal with something you didn't know the extent of. "I'll ask him about it," I promised.

"Okay."

We were quiet for a few minutes and then I just realized that she was alone. "Where is Ethan?" I asked urgently while visions of him being left alone in his stroller in some store somewhere flashed through my mind.

Oh my god, had she forgotten him somewhere?

Kennedy just smiled. "With my mom."

"Oh, thank god." I exhaled loudly and slumped against the kitchen island.

I really needed to get a grip on all this worry.

She laughed and patted me on the arm. "So, have you decided what to do about your mom?"

That was a whole other stressor.

I had only talked to her once after she showed up at the apartment without invitation, and tried to get me to go to dinner with her and Diego. After making google eyes at my fiancé, I might add.

We never even touched that discussion.

My mom, however, told me all about this Diego guy. She seemed infatuated, which I guess was good, considering they'd been seeing each other for about a month. Maybe it would work out for her this time around. But, I also knew from experience what usually happened, and whose shoulder she came to cry on.

"Yeah. I'm not inviting her."

She reached for my hand and I could see the sympathy in her eyes. Having her support meant more to me than I had expected it would. I didn't want to be seen as selfish and ungrateful. Not that Kennedy would see me as that, but others might. Especially those who didn't really know my situation.

It hadn't been a straightforward or easy decision at all. Mitch and I had talked about it for several days. About both our families, in fact. He wanted to invite both his brother and his sister, which I supported whole heartedly. We assumed Marshall wouldn't come, but hoped Maria would, and felt we should give them the same choice.

I just couldn't imagine Liz and Cindy trying to hold a normal conversation with my mom. She'd be so overwhelmed by all the famous people that she'd make a complete fool out of herself, and it would embarrass me. Maybe that's a harsh thing for a daughter to say and feel about her mother, but I did.

I had been on my own for so long, and even growing up I was more of a caretaker to her than she ever was to me, and this was my wedding day. The one day that's supposed to be all about me, and Mitch, of course. I didn't want to have to worry about when the catastrophe was about to occur. Because it would be a what and when. Not an if.

"Do you feel like going over to that cute bar on the corner? We could get a glass of wine," Kennedy suggested, most likely feeling my anxiousness.

"Yeah. I'd like that."

"Good, grab your stuff. I just have to make a call."

"Okay."

She was laughing on the phone a few minutes later when I returned to the kitchen. I had changed into a flowery summer dress and put on a pair of flats.

"No," she said. "I don't think you have to go that far." She laughed again at whatever the other person said.

I grabbed my phone off the counter and studied Kennedy as she got to her feet. She was dressed in a pair of dark slacks and a sleeveless white blouse with a shawl collar that made her look like the business professional she was. 

"Thanks, Howard," she said into the phone. "We appreciate it." She waited for him to respond and then said, "love you, too. See you soon."

"What was that about?" I asked as she slipped her phone into her purse while trying to look all innocent.

"Howard is going to take care of the grass for you guys."

"Really?"

"Really."

Wow, that was awesome. That meant Mitch didn't have to fly down this weekend. It would actually give us time to finish getting my things situated in his apartment.

Kennedy put her sandals on. She smiled big as we left the apartment together.

"He said that he was going to have Liz stand in the backyard with a hose."

I laughed, and she joined in.

"God, I can picture her playing along and turning that hose on him the minute he turns around."

"That's probably what would happen. I think he knows that too. He was just teasing."

"Yeah, my bet would be on Liz any day of the week."

"Oh, yes," she agreed.

Kennedy and I found a small table near the back wall of the bar. It was a cute place, about a block from Mitch's apartment, and they did good business. Since it was a weekday, it wasn't overly crowded.

We were on our second glass of wine when Nash and Mitch walked in the door. They found us immediately and had matching grins as they walked towards us.

Mitch was about to become my husband. I knew that. Just as I knew that Nash and Kennedy were married and had a son. But dammmmnnn... Those boys were fine. Or I shouldn't even call them boys, because they were men, through-and-through. The testosterone just oozed from them.

I wasn't the only one that noticed them either. Quite a few other women, and a couple of guys, stopped what they were doing to look at the powerful duo as they made their way over to our table.

"What are you doing here?" Kennedy asked urgently. At the same time I said, "you'll need chairs."

Mitch grinned as he looked down at me, while Nash focused solely on his wife. "I talked to Cin," Nash explained. "Ethan's sleeping. She'll call us when he wakes up and I'll go get him."

"Oh," Kennedy visually relaxed. "Okay."

"And I'll find a couple of chairs," Mitch said with a big smile.

Nash ordered beers for him and Mitch, and after all of scooting around a little to fit the chairs Mitch found, we were all seated around the table that was just big enough to hold our drinks.

"I talked to coach Laughlin today," Mitch advised after he took a drink from his beer.

"Oh," Kennedy smiled. "He was such a nice man."

I nodded in agreement. I'd really liked Mitchell's high school coach, especially because he'd been such a positive support in Mitch's life.

"What did he have to say?" Nash asked, and took a drink from his beer.

"He said that the team has been working hard over the summer. Not just working out and stuff, but running fundraisers. They're planning to take a field trip to the first hockey game we play in Michigan."

"Get out?" Nash's eyes widened and the way he almost slammed the beer glass down onto the table in excitement made the entire table rattle. Kennedy scowled in his direction while I said, "that's so nice."

Mitch nodded, and I could tell talking about his coach made him emotional. I took his hand in mine. He looked up and met my eyes and gave my hand a gentle squeeze.

"Did you know," he asked and turned to Nash, "that Bryce has kept in touch with him?"

"No. I had no idea."

"I didn't either, but supposedly Bryce is really interested in coaching after he retires."

"Is he retiring?" Kennedy asked with a confused expression.

"No." Nash shook his head. "He has a year left on his contract with the Empires, but he hasn't really said what he wants to do after that."

"From what coach Laughlin was saying, he's considering college level coaching."

"Wow. Good for him."

"Oh, by the way, Mitch," Kennedy said. "You don't have to go to Florida this week. We got the lawn covered."

"What?" Both Nash and Mitch asked at the same time, and looked from her to each other.

"Girl power." I winked and flicked my hair.

Kenny raised her hand with a giggle, and I slapped it.

Mitch's one eyebrow was near his hairline as he turned to me. "What's going on exactly? I feel like I've missed something very important."

"It's all taken care of. Now we don't have to go down until two weeks before the wedding."

"My dad?" Nash guessed.

Kennedy nodded. Mitchell's eyes softened a bit. "I told you I was handling everything," he said and looked at me.

"I know, but Kenny and I handled this one. Howard didn't mind. He said he was going to have Liz do it."

Nash snorted out a laugh that was so loud that several of the other bar patrons turned around and looked our way.

"That'll never happen," he continued. "It will be my dad over there rigging something up."

"He has done so much for us already," Mitch said. "I feel bad, which was why I was planning on going down again."

"This is not a one man show, Mitch," I began. "It's a partnership now. I know you have been on your own for most of your adult life and that you are perfectly capable of handling anything that's thrown your way, but you don't have to anymore. Actually," I cocked my head and stared at him, hoping I looked at least a little bit intimidating, "you can't keep things to yourself anymore. We are about to become a team."

Mitch reached a hand out, and with a gentle touch, traced along my face. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"But you know the reason I didn't tell you was because I knew you were stressing about things and I said I'd handle the wedding."

"Mitch," I groaned and slapped my hand against his shoulder. I was about to lecture him about how stubborn he was, but I caught the wince and the quick flicker of pain through his eyes, and all of a sudden we had a much bigger thing to deal with.

"What's going on with your shoulder?"

"It's okay," he answered a little too fast.

"Ohhh, look at that," Nash said and thrust his phone into Kennedy's face. They exchanged a look and got to their feet at the same time. Kennedy still had half a glass of wine left.

"We're getting Ethan," Kennedy explained.

"See you later, guys," Nash said, halfway to the door.

"They think they're so subtle," Mitch said when the door closed behind our best friends as they left us so we could have the conversation alone.

"Uh huh, just like somebody else I know." I bored my eyes into his. "What's going on?"

"I had a cortisone injection today. My shoulder has been acting up again."

The team, and he and Nash especially, had been working hard at the gym, I knew that. It wasn't unusual that Mitch and Nash stayed an extra hour or added one more practice a week. All that extra work must've aggravated his shoulder.

"What's wrong with it?" I asked.

He sighed and ran his hand through his blond hair. "Partial rotator cuff tear with some impingement and tendinitis."

"Oh..." I wasn't really sure what that meant. Actually, I had no idea what that meant.

"There are some tears in the muscles around the shoulder joint," Mitch explained. "Some swelling and inflammation and it puts pressure on one of the nerves."

"Well, that doesn't sound great."

He shrugged his shoulders casually. "It's not that big of a deal. It's being handled with injections and some intense physical therapy. You just happened to hit right on the injection site."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"You didn't know."

"Exactly," I said and narrowed my eyes at him. "How come I had to hear about it from Kennedy?"

"Oh, um... shit. That's another thing I shouldn't have kept from you, right?"

"Uh huh, you think?"

He chuckled. "You're right."

"Don't you dare add 'dear' to that sentence," I warned him teasingly.

He caught on right away. "Isn't that what a husband is supposed to say to his wife, 'yes, dear'? 'You are right, dear'? Happy wife, happy life, right?"

I was about to smack his shoulder again, but caught myself. "Just talk to me, okay Mitch? If you can tell Nash things, you can certainly tell me the same."

"Yes, dea...."

I narrowed my eyes into thin slits.

Mitch laughed but turned serious after a couple of seconds. He leaned close to me and pressed his lips to mine. "I love you, Sammy. Are you ready to go home?"

"Yeah. I think I am."