Dane guided me a short distance away, his hand cupping my elbow. “What’s that all about?”
I sighed. “They’re just having one of their mini fights.”
“Will they need to be escorted out at some point?”
I waved that away. “Oh no, not at all. They’ll be fine in a few minutes. They just need to argue it out.”
“Hmm.” Dane drew me close. “You should know that your father and Wyatt are in the photo-booth rental doing crazy shit with props. They tried to drag me in there.”
I smiled, able to imagine it. “I’m looking forward to seeing those pictures.” My smile faltered when Jen teetered to our side, her eyes glazed over.
“Hey, Dane,” she said sweetly, a slight slur in her voice. “Aren’t you going to dance with me?”
He sighed. “Go sit down, Jen.”
She pouted. “But I want to dance. Now. With you.” She put her hand on his arm and leaned a little too close. “Please, Dane?”
He moved his arm, making her hand slip away. “Go. Sit. Down.”
She frowned. “Why are you being mean? You used to be so nice to me. Very, very nice.” There was a wicked glint in her eyes. “Do you remember those times? Remember how good we were together?”
Skank. My nostrils flared. If he didn’t deal with this bitch, I was going to wipe the floor with her face.
“You’re drunk,” spat Dane, “and you’re embarrassing yourself.”
Jen drew in a breath and straightened, her cheeks heating. “Asshole.” She flounced off, a little unsteady on her feet.
“Not awkward at all,” I muttered, seething but refusing to rant about some heifer at my wedding reception. I’d do that later. A lot.
Dane sighed again. “She’ll hate herself for that in the morning.”
Well, I was close to hating her right now. “At least Kent didn’t hear her. He’d have been upset.”
“Upset? He’d have been pissed. If I heard you talking like that to any man, I’d lose my shit. You know, I’m glad we eloped, because at least no one got to do stupid things at the ceremony itself.”
“Aside from the officiant belching like crazy, you mean?”
Dane’s jaw tightened. “All I could smell was the fucking onions he’d eaten.”
I chuckled. “Same here. I don’t care what you say, the whole thing was funny as hell.”
“It wasn’t in the least bit funny.”
“How would you know? You don’t ‘get’ humor.”
Chris appeared, a fancy knife in hand. “It’s time.”
I moaned. “I can’t do it.”
“You can,” he said, patting my arm. “Come on, it’ll be over in seconds.”
“I don’t have it in me to ruin something so perfect.”
Dane rolled his eyes and took the knife. “I’m quite sure your guilt will melt away once you have a piece of the cake in your mouth. Chris, lead the way.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Dane’s prediction proved correct. It hurt my insides to slice into the beautiful wedding cake, but the taste did ease the pain. It was absolutely delicious with the frosting, butter cream, and jam. Dane seemed to enjoy his piece just as much.
Soon after that, trays of hot and cold finger foods were placed on a long table, providing late-night snacks for the guests. People practically descended on it, piling plates with rolls, shrimp cocktail, barbecue wings, dainty tea sandwiches, and mini quiche. The dessert table, cookie bar, and Trick or Treat buffet were also topped up, ensuring there were enough snacks for all ages.
I’d barely finished my food when Hanna and Melinda appeared, flushed and grinning. Each of them grabbed one of my hands.
“You have to come dance with us,” insisted Hanna.
“I need to let my food digest first,” I protested.
Melinda tugged on my hand. “It’s your wedding reception. Get your ass on the dance floor where it belongs.”
And so I ended up dancing again. I told myself I’d go rest after one song but, yeah, it didn’t work out that way. I got caught up in having fun with my friends and family—hell, even Wyatt hit the dance floor. That did not happen often.
Dane didn’t join me until another slow song came on. It was halfway through said song that the urge to pee hit me hard. Thankfully, my gown wasn’t so long that I’d need someone to hold it while I did my business. I quickly excused myself, promising I wouldn’t be long; happily accepting the kiss that Dane landed on me.
There were no restrooms in the venue, so I had to exit the building, cross the lawn, and use the restrooms inside the hotel. That done, I retraced my steps and headed back to the botanical garden. I’d almost reached it when a figure stepped out from behind a tree and blocked my path. It was dark out, but there was enough lighting for me to see their face clear enough. I could tell from their sour expression that this would be far from a pleasant conversation.
“I’d give you a round of applause, but then I might drop my glass,” said Jen.
I felt my brow crease. “A round of applause?”
She took a sip from her champagne flute. “I’ve seen women pull all kinds of crap to try manipulating Dane into putting a ring on their finger. He never did it. Nope.”
Ugh. “You really want to do this?”
“He always saw through their bullshit,” she went on … so, yeah, she must really want to do this. “But you, Vienna? You fooled him good. You made him walk down a fucking aisle. How? I’ve got to know how you did it.”
“Do you really believe I manipulated him into marrying me? Honestly? Because if so, you don’t truly know him. Dane isn’t someone who can be played.”
“There’s a first time for everything.”
“You can’t quite accept that he cares for me, can you?”
She snorted. “There isn’t a single soul on this Earth he cares for. Not one.”
“Just because he doesn’t care for you doesn’t mean he can’t care for anyone.”
Pain flashed across her face. “If you truly think that, I’d have to say that it’s you who doesn’t know him. But then, I don’t suppose gold diggers give much of a shit if their marks care. That’s all Dane is to you. A mark. People like you disgust me, selling yourselves for cash.”
“Not just cash. I’ll gladly take checks. Stocks. Shares.”
She sneered. “He can do far better than you.”
“I guess he felt like slumming it. Now if you’re done making piss-poor attempts to insult me, Jenny—”
“Is it weird being married to a guy who won’t sleep beside you at night?”
“No idea. Haven’t found myself in that situation.”
“Bullshit,” she spat. “You know what’s not fair?”
“That you’re depriving a village of its prized idiot?”
Her lips thinned. “Think you’re smart, don’t you?”
“I do, actually. I also think—much like Dane, as it happens—that your opinions are irrelevant, so …” I went to step around her, but she planted herself in front of me again.