Behind me, Johnny says, “’Sup, Hannah?”
I can picture him giving her a single chin nod to drive home his point of not giving a shit whether this is appropriate or not. Chad clears his throat and says simply, “Hannah.”
“Boys.”
Next to her, her pussy of a now-husband finally speaks up. “What are y’all doing here, Brody?”
Really? That’s all he has to ask? Nothing like ‘Get the fuck out of here.’? If it were me sitting there, not with Hannah, of course, because I could give a shit less about that past, but if it were someone else, someone like… my eyes trail to my left and I make contact with her. I shake my head to clear that particular thought from my mind.
Not the time, Brody.
Not.
The.
Time.
Anyway, if it were me getting married and some punk ex-boyfriend showed up obviously drunk off his ass with his friends in tow at our wedding? I’d usher his ass out, none too gently, I might add.
I turn around and look to Johnny who crosses his arms then stumbles a bit because we’re fucking trashed but quickly recovers and rights himself, nodding to let me know he’s good. I do my best not to laugh at him, because it’s a miracle I’m standing on two feet and not slurring.
Then I catch the eyes of Hannah’s parents. They always loved me; were heartbroken when we broke up, actually. Her daddy came to my house and begged me to give her another chance. But, she had made it clear I wasn’t good enough and there was no way I was letting her sink her claws back into me. Life is way too short to spend it with someone who thinks my tax bracket means more about me than who I am as a person. I’m a working-class man and proud of it. Blue-collar man to my very core and wouldn’t have it any other way. Being a mechanic is honorable work and anyone who thinks I’m beneath them simply because I don’t spend my time sitting at a desk or behind a computer screen can fuck right off.
Giving her parents a little wave, they return the gesture with a smile. I’m a little surprised that they aren’t going to stop me from being here. It’s their daughter’s wedding day, after all. However, maybe they just really don’t like her husband, Cameron. He’s the exact opposite of me and one of those who thinks someone like me is beneath him because I’m a grease monkey who has calloused, dirty hands. Hannah’s daddy may have spent his working life in an office doing something with investments for people, but he never once looked at me as though I wasn’t on the same level as him. He always seemed genuinely interested in my career and appreciated the work I do. In fact, he would often ask me if he could help or if I could teach him things like how to change the oil in his vehicles.
I turn back around and face the happy couple, spreading my arms out beside me, grinning widely.
“My invitation got lost in the mail. Thought I’d congratulate y’all.”
Someone coughs a laugh and murmurs happen all around us. Johnny and Chad chuckle.
“Congratulate us?” Hannah asks, skeptically. As she should. I didn’t exactly handle the news that she slept with her co-worker all that well. Cameron is a douchebag with a capital D and I always hated him. Hannah knew it, too. When she slept with him, it was worse than just cheating. It was stabbing me in the back over and over again. A thousand lashes. If she wanted me to end it, fucking Cameron was definitely the way to make me walk away.
“Right.”
“’Gratulations, Han Han!” Johnny shouts, using his nickname for her that she absolutely hates. “Super happy for you!”
“Uh huh. Thanks, John.”
“It’s Johnny!” Unlike Hannah who let the nickname slide, Johnny corrects her. More than likely just to be a shit.
“Whatever!” she snaps. “Just… leave,” she whispers, lowering her head. I’m sure she’s determined not to make a scene but that’s not really my style and she knows it. That’s why she keeps eyeing her guests, hoping that they aren’t paying attention. Too bad for her, they are. Why wouldn’t they be? This is their entertainment.
Reaching a hand behind me, I feel the object Johnny swiped on his way over here land in the palm of my hand and I bring it around, smirking at Hannah’s now horrified expression.
I lift the microphone to my mouth, tap it once to make sure it’s on, and spin around.
“Evening, everyone! I see a lot of familiar faces out there. Some new to me. I assume you’re on Cameron’s side, though, so I won’t ask for introductions. The rest of you, hope you’re doing well. Missed some of y’all.” I put my hand over my eyes even though there’s no sun or anything blocking me from seeing the person I’m looking for. “Uncle Zeb, where are ya?”
“Here, boy!” Uncle Zeb shouts. I look in the corner and there he sits, arm in the air waving away. “Come see me after you’re done here!” he yells as he stands up, points at me then, hands cupping his mouth, he shouts again, “Damn, it’s good to see you!” His wife is sitting next to him, shaking her head but laughing. Like I said, Hannah’s family loved me. Zeb is Hannah’s dad’s brother and the two together were fun as shit. How Hannah got such a princess complex is beyond my understanding. Her family might have had a lot of wealth, but they never acted like it. They don’t live in a fancy, expensive house. They drove cars until the wheels basically fell off.
“Will do,” I respond, pointing at him. I might not miss Hannah but damn, her family was fun. They really knew how to let loose on the weekends, but it wasn’t just about that. We would spend hours around a campfire cracking up over their antics as kids.
Johnny and Chad both chuckle and I flash a smile at Katie when I turn back around. She tips her bottle of beer in my direction and I tip my imaginary hat back to her. She returns a bright smile, her lips coated in deep red and her blonde hair pulled up into something fancy. She looks gorgeous. I always thought she was pretty. Beautiful, even. But now that the blinders are gone, I can’t understand for a second how I could have missed just how pretty she is.
“Can we please get on with this? You’re kind of interrupting my wedding reception, in case you hadn’t noticed, you as…tronaut,” she says, catching herself before cursing in front of her wedding guests.
“What’s wrong? You can’t just say the word asshole in front of all these people? Don’t think they cuss themselves? Forget to wear the mask for a good long second, did ya?” I tease, though it’s the truth. She might have left me because she thought she was too good for me, but I don’t forget for one second where it is she came from. May be why I got along so well with her family. Her daddy was a white-collar guy but didn’t act like it. Damn, that sounded judgmental even in my own head but I don’t know how else to explain it.
“Just get on with it. If you’re here to try to win me back, it’s obviously too late.” She places a hand on Cameron’s shoulder and then kisses him, keeping her eyes on me. I don’t miss her smirk as if kissing her husband in front of me will hurt me in some way.
I raise my eyebrows and hear Johnny whisper, “gross,” behind me. I chuckle at his truth. I might be here to be a shithead and interrupt their wedding reception, but it’s not because I want her in my life. I just couldn’t help myself. Like I said, she totally stabbed me in the back when she went after Cameron. She knew how I felt about him. My gut feeling? The marriage won’t last more than a few years and he’ll have cheated on her. It’s just the type of guy he is.