I press my forehead to his chest and barely keep my embarrassed tears at bay. “I’m so sorry she did this. And I’m so sorry that, had I not gotten to know you, I would have considered her actions just and fair.”
“What she does isn’t your fault, baby.” He pushes me back and leans in to press a kiss to my lips. “Other people’s actions are not our fault.”
“She was my best friend.”
He nods and places a second kiss on my lips. “I’m sorry she broke your heart. But if, when this blows over, you decide to do a girls’ night or whatever and make up, I’ll support you.”
This man surprises me.
“You would? You would be okay with me and her still being friends after this?”
“Of course.” His eyes dance with kindness. “I would never try to control your circles, Princess. I would never do anything to hurt you.”
“Unconditional love,” I whimper.
He lifts my hand, elongates the correct fingers. “Unconditional acceptance.” Then he opens my hand and presses a kiss to my palm. “Did you just tear her a new asshole on the phone?”
“Little bit,” I snicker. “I don’t think she heard a thing I said. Or, well, she heard it, but she won’t have absorbed it. In her head, I’ve become one of you guys. I’ve crossed over to the dark side.”
“Aw shit, look at you quoting Star Wars.” Laughing, he pulls me in tight and turns us back toward the church. “Come on, Turdsky, come back to the party. Evie doesn’t seem all that put-out about her dress, and Ben thinks he’s hit the lottery.”
“She’s self-conscious,” I whisper. “She knows everyone is looking, and there’s nothing she can do about it.”
“She’s strong enough to be fine with it. Trust me. If the wrong person looks for too long, she’ll knock them out and turn this into the wedding Jenna assumes you’re at.”
“Damn trailer trash,” I tease.
He snorts. “Can’t take us anywhere.”
Bry leads me into the wedding reception, which is being held in the same hotel where my art gala was hosted. It’s in a different room, smaller, but the interior shares the same sense of elegance.
Evie and Ben went for bold contrasts, red and white, so the sea of crisp black suits that move through the guests add that final flair. The ladies wear beautiful gowns in a rainbow of colors which will likely be repeated again next month at our event.
The event I’ve been piecing together in my spare time at work.
Things at the office are… tense. Despite the endorsement deal Monaco has with Stacked Deck, therefore making the event something I would normally create during work hours, my father has been burying me with unrelated tasks. He’s keeping me busy, and, worse, out of reach when it comes to his affection.
We’ve never been a truly affectionate family, unlike the Kincaids, so I’m used to a certain degree of distance. But ever since the meeting in my office, it’s been arctic. The cold greetings, the handshakes. The total silence at the dinner table on the nights I go home.
No one asks me how my day is, no one asks what’s new in my life. I’m being made to feel like an outsider, and the longer it goes on, the easier it seems to be for them.
I don’t know if knowing Bryan and his family makes me want more connection in my own home, or if I’ve always felt this way, but now the urge is stronger. I see the other side now. I’m the one who has changed, and knowing that, knowing who I used to be, has left me with a pit of anxiety in my stomach for weeks.
The only time I don’t feel that sickness is when Bryan is right in front of me, giving that mischievous grin and reminding me why I fell in love with the one and only man I was never supposed to love.
Damn him for enchanting me the way he did. The way that, legend has it, the original Bryan enchanted Nelly.
“Look at that cake,” he murmurs as we wander through the reception room’s doors.
It’s kind of refreshing for me to attend an event that I didn’t organize. I get to marvel at the chandeliers. At the table settings. At the seven-tiered cake that would have cost an easy grand or more to make.
Atop the highest layer stands a couple. The bride in white, the groom in black with a top hat. But where one might expect the ornamental couple to be dancing, or hugging, or simply holding hands, this couple is mid-brawl. The bride’s dress – without the massive boobs – sways in the imaginary breeze. Her veil swings with the momentum. Her fist rests right by the groom’s jaw. And him… well, he still has hearts for eyes and a wide smile.
“That cake topper is so messed up.”
Bry barks out a loud laugh and hugs me close against his side. “Yup. But we’re classy like that. Are we assigned seats?” He swings back to the door in search of instructions.
I tighten my hold on his arm and continue walking. “Yup. Table two. I already checked the list.”
“Table two? These motherfuckers have me at table two, like some kind of reject?”
Laughing, I rest against his arm and shake my head. “Table one is Evie and Ben. They get their own, because they don’t wanna talk to you. Table two is their nearest and dearest. Including–” I tap his chest, “you. So chill out, crazy.”
“Wanna go find an empty closet for a second?” He presses a kiss to my temple. “My dick could do with a little love.”
“You’re horrible.” Then I laugh when I consider this could be the rest of my life. “And sure. Later. I don’t wanna ruin my lipstick yet. I’m sick of reapplying.”
“Reapplying what?”
I gasp when Bry’s grandmother follows us to table two and slides into a chair. She looks stunning in a forest green gown that stops just below her knees.
“Um…” I flounder wide-eyed, and my heart stops in my throat. “Er…”
“Her lipstick, Grandma.” Bry releases me and presses a noisy kiss to her cheek. “We were discussing naughty things.”
“Bryan!” I smack his arm so hard that my hand stings. Then I drop down in my seat and bury my burning face. “Why do you tell people this stuff?”
“It’s in the blood, honey.” Nelly reaches forward and pats my arm. “It’s in the blood. You look beautiful, by the way. I didn’t get a chance to tell you at the ceremony. We were… uh…”
“Distracted?” I groan. “And thank you. I love your dress. The green really makes your eyes pop.”
“Aw, thank you. I went shopping with the girls a couple weeks back.”
“Want a drink?” Bry leans forward and inserts his face between me and Nelly. “Wine, Princess?”
“Sure. White, thanks.”
“Gotcha. Grandma? You gonna get rip-roaring wasted with me tonight?”
She laughs. “Maybe. I’ll start with a single glass of wine, and see where the night leads us.”
“Got it. Back in a minute.” Bry slaps a noisy kiss on the back of my head and walks away, and every step he takes, Nelly follows him with her eyes.
Her lips curve up in a soft smile.
The second he leaves our sight, she sighs and looks back to me. “You love my grandson.”