Kate and I had been dating for two years and engaged for the last ten months. With just under three weeks left until the wedding I, like most twenty-four year old prospective grooms, was nervous. Although Kate and I had been sexually active since about two weeks after we met we had resisted the temptation to live together. I was in love with the idea of having Kate for my wife but the idea of living together made me a little nervous. It was the adjustments we would have to make that worried me.
Kate shared a two bedroom apartment in a section of Los Angeles called Korea Town with Tracy; a girl she had gone to school with. I had a large one bedroom apartment in Hollywood on Franklin Street just off Highland. Our plan was for Kate to move in with me after the wedding and she had already started to move some of her things into my apartment.
Now when I say we didn't live together I don't me that we didn't spend a lot of nights together. I often stayed over at her apartment but more often Kate spent nights at mine. My apartment was just more convenient for us and gave us more privacy.
It was Tuesday evening and like I said earlier it was less than three weeks before our wedding and I had just arrived at Kate's apartment to pick her up and take her out to her parent's house for another meeting about the wedding. Actually, I wasn't a participating member of these meetings I was just told what to do and when to do it by Kate and her mother. Kate's father and I usually ended up watching whatever sporting event was on ESPN while the two women plotted against me and spent his money.
When I arrived at Kate's apartment Tracy let me in and I headed back to Kate's room. As I approached her door I heard her on the phone with Sherry, a friend of Kate's and one of her bridesmaids for our wedding. Sherry is one of those individuals that talks loud enough that you can hear them on the phone from quite a distance so I was able to hear both sides of their conversation from outside Kate's door.
"I don't know, Las Vegas?" Kate said. "I'm not sure John would approve."
"Hey, it's your bachelorette party not his and we're paying for the rooms so what's your problem?" Sherry said.
"It does sound like fun and don't they say "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas?" Kate said.
"That's right girl. So are we on then?" Sherry said.
"I think yes, let's do it. What's the plan?" Kate asked.
"We'll leave here at one o'clock on Friday. I'll pick you up at work and then we'll pick up Brenda and Pam and hit the road. I reserved two adjoining rooms for us at the Monte Carlo."
"I can't believe you guys are doing this for me. This is great. We'll have a blast. I'm already excited," Kate said. "I have to go now; I think John is here to pick me up. We're going out to my parents for dinner and to talk about the wedding."
"Okay, see ya Friday. Bye."
"Bye."
As soon as Kate put the phone down I walked into her room.
"Was that Sherry?" I asked.
"Yes and guess where the girls are talking me for my bachelorette party?"
"I don't know. Maybe Las Vegas?" I said.
"You brat, you were listening weren't you? So, what do you think?"
"I guess it's okay. Am I invited?"
"No. It's just for the girls. You don't mind do you?" She asked.
I wanted to be a good sport about it even though I wasn't crazy about the idea of her going to Vegas without me.
"No, I don't mind. It sounds like fun. Just remember that I'll be back here waiting for you so don't go falling in love with someone else," I said.
"That could never happen. No one could ever replace you in my heart," Kate said and then kissed me.
*****
The next night I stopped for drinks with Ted Gibson, my best friend and my best man, and a couple of friends from work. After a couple of drinks I mentioned that Kate was going to Vegas Friday night for her bachelorette party.
"How do you feel about that?" Ted asked.
"I don't mind."
"Bull shit. I bet it's driving you crazy," he said.
"Well, I guess it bothers me a little. Maybe I'm just jealous that she gets to go there for her party," I said.
"Hey, we can go there for yours if you want. We can go next weekend so we won't run into Kate while we are out partying."
"I like that idea. We can head over Friday after work. Can I leave it up to you to find out who wants to go and reserve rooms somewhere?" I said.
"Great, we're going to Vegas. Does that make you feel any better?" Ted asked.
"A little."
"I would never let my girlfriend go there without me," said George MacDonald, one of my friends from work. "You just never know what might happen in Vegas."
"Thanks. That makes me feel much better."
"Sorry man, just busting your ass. Kate will be fine. Relax," George said.
"Yea man, relax," Ted said. "Sunday night she'll be back and everything will be back to normal."
"I guess you're right," I said.