It was the last night of Jana and Eddie's combined bachelor/bachelorette party and, much to no one's surprise, they wanted to spend it together with both groups. They all planned to meet up at seven for their fancy dinner on a boat, giving everyone time to shower and get ready. Chey and Kat, who were eager to gossip, joined Terry and Ruth in their room to get ready.

Ruth didn't really know what to tell them when they bombarded her with questions. She didn't know what she was doing, what was going on, and what she was going to tell Emily when she got back home. Kat argued there was nothing to tell, claiming she didn't see any cheating happening and insisted she was fine. Chey, being the voice of reason, even agreed to an extent, but mostly turned her focus on what their conversations were like.

She told them what he told her on the chairs that made her cry and all three girls swooned. Chey fell back on Ruth's bed and purred out a, "Hot damn, I knew that man was smoother than red wine."

Ruth wrinkled her nose at the reference. "I hate red wine."

"You're too young for it, babes. It's an acquired taste," Chey joked. "But fuck, if you don't want him, I'll gladly trade Dakota for him."

Kat gasped. "Get in line! Antonio's been asking for his ass to get kicked to the curb, which leaves plenty of room for Raffo."

"You guys wouldn't get very far," Terry chimed in, brushing her wet hair. "According to Johnny, the man only has eyes for Ruthie here. He's been pining for her ass for three years so if Ruth doesn't want him, homeboy's gonna basically be celibate."

Ruth's cheeks grew hot as the girls turned their attention to her. Though the end of Terry's statement was more than a stretch, she knew he only wanted her. So while he wouldn't be celibate, he was willing to do anything to be with Ruth again.

"Celibate? What a waste," Chey murmured. But her eyes shimmered in excitement at Ruth. "Damn, Ruth. You've got a keeper."

Ruth's phone alerted next to her thigh. She quickly grabbed it, her heart beating erratically in her chest at the possibility of Raffo messaging her. They'd only departed from each other an hour ago, but an hour was too long. She missed him, as foolish as that sounded.

"Is that Raffo? What did he say?" Kat asked, jumping up and down excitedly.

Ruth's heart plummeted to the bottom of her chest. "It's um—It's Emily."

"Ooooh," Kat murmured, wincing. "Not what we want to hear."

"What did she say?" Terry prompted.

"Hey, I haven't heard from you all day. You doing okay?" she read out. Her guilt squeezed at her chest and she pushed her fingers into her washed curls.

"Damn," Chey said, shaking her head. "What are you gonna say back?"

Ruth groaned and flopped back on the bed. "That I'm a cheater."

"I wouldn't go that far," Kat argued, flipping her black wavy hair over her slender shoulder. "You and Raffo have done nothing I count as cheating. You guys haven't fucked, sucked, or sexted. And y'all aren't even texting so to me, you aren't a cheater."

She looked over and made a face. "Having possible feelings for your ex and spending time with him even after he claims he wants you, doesn't count as cheating?"

"You guys didn't get closure, honey. You're gonna have unresolved feelings, and it's up to you to get to the bottom of them no matter how you go about it. Probably thought you were gonna hate his guts forever, poor baby. That's not how feelings work."

"And that Emily girl better understand," Chey added, rubbing lip gloss on her lips.

"I don't think she will. She'll see it as me keeping another secret from her, which I keep doing when it comes to anything involving Raff," Ruth huffed, shoving and arm over her face.

Terry rubbed her hand on Ruth's arm soothingly. "I'm sorry you're going through this, Ruth."

She moved her elbow, peeking at her cousin. "Do you think what I'm doing is wrong?"

Terry rubbed her lips together and moved back a fraction of an inch. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, her thoughts resting on the inside of them, before she finally let any of them in on her careful thoughts.

"I think . . . it's okay to hear him out and figure out where to go from there with that information. And until you know that information, it's okay to keep it to yourself. You know, just until you know what you're gonna do. And maybe the time you're spending with him is a good thing?" she worded, carefully. Ruth's mouth almost popped open at an answer that wouldn't have been as surprising if it were coming from Jana.

"See? You aren't a cheater in our eyes, Ruth. Not that we'd judge you if you were," Kat admitted, nudging her shoulder playfully. "That man is just—"

"Sexy as fuck," Chey finished, laughing at the blush sprawling across Ruth's cheeks. Kat glared at Chey, irritated she took her line from her. "What? Someone had to say it, bitch!"

"Anyways," Kat growled, cutting her eyes at her. "It's your job to get out there and enjoy your last night with his fine ass before y'all talk and shit hits the fan. It's your job to remind him what he lost and make him eat his heart out with that sexy dress you're putting on."

Chey and Terry voiced their agreement. They were all terrible influences and probably didn't make the least bit of sense, but it somehow cheered up Ruth's mood all the same, and her earlier confidence returned. Fuck was everyone just turning into Jana at that point?

Ruth finished getting ready within the next hour. She put hair product in her defused hair, grabbed her pick to fluff it out for more volume than usual, and finished putting on her make-up. Eyeliner illuminating the almond shape to her eyes, lips smoothed over in nude-brown lipstick, and black eyelashes popping against the shimmering shades of brown on her eyelids, she was practically glowing. Clad on her feet were tall black heels, followed by a sheer green dress that stopped at the middle of her moisturized thighs and stayed glued to her figure all the way up.

Though it was a terrible idea, operation make Raffo eat his heart out was a goal, a determination, and the plan of the night.

*****

Ruth fidgeted in her dress as she and all the girls squeezed into one elevator. Her excitement was accompanied by her nervousness, and she wanted to see him and get his reaction already. Her poor heart couldn't stop its rapid beating, and she knew it was going to stay like that until she saw him. The girls around her were yapping away, paying no mind to her distress.

Well, all the girls with the exception of one.

Her shaking was so bad, Chey had to reach over and grab her clammy hand in hers, giving it a sweet squeeze. Ruth shot her an apologetic smile, but Chey just waved her off, reassuring her that everything was going to be alright and she looked drop dead gorgeous. And if Raffo wasn't impressed, her and Dakota could use a third.

"I still have a girlfriend, Chey," Ruth laughed.

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her. What happens in Oklahoma, stays in Oklahoma," she winked back.

Ruth shook her head with a wide grin. Their elevator finally arrived at the top floor of the hotel where the fancy steakhouse Eddie booked was located. As soon as the doors opened, Ruth practically swayed on her feet in awe of the place. People dressed in thousands of dollars worth of clothes and jewelry were seated at candlelit tables with strung bulb lights strung above them for extra lighting. Servers had their hair slicked back tight wearing outfits without so much as a grease spot on their clothing.

But the best part of the restaurant? There was a live band playing soft music in the background to bring attention to the dance floor in the center of the restaurant. A few couples slow danced to the soft tunes of a woman in a sparkly dress singing a song Ruth didn't recognize. When the girls stumbled forward, they captured the attention of a group of handsome guys dressed in their finest button up dress shirts and slacks.

Johnny, being the dog that he was, wolf whistled as the guys painted the compliments thick. Ruth's gaze searched the boys for the face she was most eager to stumble across, and found herself frowning when she couldn't find him. The girls moved themselves towards their boyfriends, and before Ruth could ask Johnny where Raffo was, she glanced over at him talking to the host as he pulled up the reservation.

When Raffo turned to walk back over to the boys, he froze.

Ruth took the chance to take him in, her eyes greedily roaming over the fitted, white button-up shirt that did nothing to hide the bulge of his muscular arms and the black tie that made her want to do nothing but twist her hand in the silk fabric and draw him to her so she could inhale his intoxicating cologne. His black dress pants went extremely well with his dress shoes, and she just knew she had to ask him what the fuck he did for a living because he was always dressed nice. Not that he didn't before, but seeing him like that was something different.

Different as in she wondered if she should run upstairs and change her black thong as she squeezed her legs together.

A slow, enticing smile stretched across his perfect lips, the act oddly seductive as his sexy brown gaze twinkled and marveled over her trembling body. She shyly smiled back at him and twisted a stray curl behind her ear. His walk towards her was deliberate and slow, but Ruth couldn't stop her own feet from meeting him halfway because she was toxic and definitely missed being close to him.

They stopped about half a foot away from each other. Not once did they tear their eager gazes away and Ruth knew, by the beautiful smile full of white teeth, that she achieved her goal.

"Hi," Ruth whispered breathlessly, her voice stolen from her.

"Hi," he chuckled. "Ruth, you look beautiful."

Her heart squeezed. "Thank you. I wanted to dress up for you—or for our last night here, I mean!"

Raffo's smile widened and Ruth swore she was going to fall over. If she thought her heart was beating fast before, it was surely going to push out of her chest and find a nearby race track to run off the energy now. It made her giddy and excited and fuck, can she grab that tie and kiss him yet?

No, that would be cheating.

"I wanted to dress up for you too," he admitted, his cheeks glowing beneath the stars and fairy lights. "Fuck, I don't think just beautiful is gonna cut it. You look radiant, aiukli."

"You should see yourself. I think dashing's the only word coming to mind," Ruth said, laughing as he confidently adjusted his tie.

"Only for you, baby," he winked. Ruth clenched her legs together again and cursed at herself for having such an extra response to him.

He offered his arm to her, and she gladly took it, allowing him to whisk her away.

*****