We endured watching the ceremony, and it was a nice service. Lily’s dress was gorgeous, and I even laughed when the baby cried during the ‘if anyone has any reason these two shouldn’t be wedded’ part. The baby was really cute, and I wondered if Seth had changed. Maybe becoming a father had changed his priorities. That made the knife twist in my heart again because I thought we were going to have that together.
What was so wrong with me that everyone left?
Blaise threaded his hand through my smaller one again while I choked back my tears. It didn’t matter if I really liked him; ending this after tonight was a good idea. It kept me from getting hurt again. I wanted a family and a happily ever after, but I didn’t want it more than my desire to protect my fragile heart.
I let Blaise take me to the cocktail hour, where I downed two vodka cranberries in a row. People kept coming up to Blaise to ask him about being a hockey player and to tell him he needed to block the puck more. Like he didn’t know he needed to do that. I barely understood hockey, and even I knew that. He wore a bright smile, but I could tell it was annoying him. His jaw ticked, and he gripped his beer, but he was charming with everyone who came up to him.
I was thankful when we got ushered to our tables for dinner. Somehow we got seated at a table with Seth’s sister, Molly.
She hugged me. “I can’t believe you actually came.”
“I think I did it out of spite,” I admitted bitterly.
Molly laughed, but others at the table gave me uneasy looks. I drank my third drink of the night. Blaise ran his hand over the back of my neck, massaging me lightly. He leaned over and pressed a kiss below my ear. “Behave,” he whispered.
Molly smiled at me. “You look fantastic, Roni. Everything happens for a reason.”
Blaise took my hand and kissed the back of it. He was great at this fake boyfriend shit. “That’s true, sweets. We wouldn’t have met if he hadn’t left.”
Maybe it was all the alcohol, but I practically melted at that.
Molly fanned herself. “Damn, girl. You leveled up.”
I smiled at Blaise. “Yeah, I guess I did.”
I felt eyes on me, so I finished my drink and made a trip to the bathroom. When I was washing my hands, I heard a baby crying. I turned and saw Lily sitting on one of the couches with the baby against her chest. The baby was crying her little heart out while her mama struggled to get her dress sleeve down.
I walked over to her. “Do you need help?”
“Please.”
I sat beside her and pulled at the zipper on the back of her dress, and helped her pull down one of her sleeves. She put her baby on her exposed boob. “Come on, Rosie, just latch on, please,” she begged the tiny thing in her arms who continued wailing.
“Why aren’t your bridesmaids helping you?” I asked.
She sighed. “Because they are all a bunch of selfish B-I-T-C-H-E-S. Thanks. I figured you’d be the last person to help me.”
“Are you okay?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No. This little stinker doesn’t want to latch on. It makes me feel like I’m not a good mother. Like she knows I don’t know what the F-U-C-K I am doing.”
I laughed at her spelling out the curse words. The baby finally started to feed, and I stroked her little blonde head. “I don’t think that’s true. She’s really cute.”
Lily beamed. “And she knows it! Thanks, I appreciate it. Seth’s zero help with the baby. I have to beg him to change diapers just so I can get a shower.”
I bit my tongue. That wasn’t a surprise, and the selfish part of me felt like I had dodged a bullet. Then I felt like an asshole because this was supposed to be her happy day, and I was giddy I wasn’t stuck with her husband.
A tug on my scalp pulled me out of my thoughts. “Ow!” I yelped.
“Rosie!” Lily scolded, and I found a tiny hand pulling on my long hair. Lily gestured to her short blonde hair. “Why I went for the ‘mom-bob.’ I love your hair. It’s so cute that Blaise matched it with his tie. You two seem happy.”
I nodded, afraid if I said anything, I’d tell her the truth.
“Honestly, I only think Seth asked you to come because of your hockey player boyfriend.”
I laughed. “Yeah, I kind of figured. Blaise is a good sport.”
I unclenched my hair from the baby’s tight grip, and Lily pulled the baby off her boob. Lily burped the baby, and we laughed at how loud it was. I helped her pull her sleeve back up and zipped her up.
“Thanks, Veronica. I guess I found out who my real friends were when I got pregnant.”
“You looked like you needed help.”
“Can I ask you a favor?”
“Sure.”
“Can you watch the baby for me for like ten minutes? I have to get pictures done, but I had to feed her first.”
I took the baby out of her arms and held her to my chest. “It’s Rosie, right?”
“Rose, but we call her Rosie.”
“Hi, little Rosie,” I cooed at the tiny baby in my arms, and she immediately pulled at my hair again. “Yup, knew that one was happening.”
“You don’t mind?” Lily asked. This poor woman. All her friends were useless, and she needed the help.
“I love babies,” I said, and I tickled the baby’s tiny belly. Rosie closed her eyes, and I held her tightly against my chest. “And she’s so cute. Go get your pictures done, okay?”
Lily smiled and kissed the top of Rosie’s head. “I owe you one.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
BLAISE
My eyes widened when I saw Veronica returning from the bathroom with a baby in her arms. What the fuck? Also, wow, she looked like a natural at it. Was it weird that it got me excited? Probably. I took the diaper bag from her and helped her back into her seat without jostling the baby. She was sleeping against Veronica’s chest and looked so cute.
“Who gave you a baby?” I asked, amused.
“My sister-in-law,” the brunette Molly, who had been sitting next to us, answered.
“You want her?” Veronica asked.
The other woman laughed. “Nah, if you got her to sleep, keep her. She hates me. She always cries when I try to hold her.”
I stroked the baby’s head. She was really cute. Veronica had this smile on her face that I’d never seen before.
“Do you want kids?” I blurted out and then wanted to kick myself for asking.
“I did,” she muttered, and then her smile faded as she stared down at the little baby in her arms.
“You don’t anymore?” I asked. I wanted kids and a family, but after Astrid broke up with me, I wasn’t planning that anytime soon.
Veronica looked around at the strangers at the table cautiously. “I thought I was going to marry my high school sweetheart, but then a week before my wedding, he left. What do you think?”
The baby woke to Veronica's loud outburst and fussed. Veronica’s face crumbled, and I knew she felt like an asshole for waking the baby. I held out my hands, and she passed her over.
“Hi, sweetheart,” I cooed.
I was good with babies—being one of six helped with that. I bounced the little girl in my arms, and she seemed to settle down.