Carlotta
“I’m just glad that Pippa finally put my brother out of his misery. He’s not so surly, and the songs are incredible.” Derek raised his glass in one hand, the microphone in the other, a wide superstar smile on his face. “Friends, family, other loved ones and business associates, raise your glasses with me to toast Mr. and Mrs. Gregory! To the happy couple.” Derek smiled at the crowd and then at me as I made my way to him.
“Great job, Best Man.” I reached for the microphone just as Pippa snagged it from her brother-in-law’s hand. “What are you doing?” She wasn’t supposed to be giving a speech. “Everything is all timed out, Pip.”
She turned to me with a defiant glint in her eyes, a devilish smile on her face. “It’s my wedding and I can do what I want, and right now, what I want is to give a speech. Is that all right with you?”
The bride is almost always right, I reminded myself and took a step back. “Perfectly all right.”
“First, I would like to thank each and every one of you for showing up to celebrate this special day with me and Ryan. Our story took a lot longer to play out than I thought it would, but here we are. Happy and in love with each other and our beautiful little girl, Ryanna.” She waved to her baby, happily cradled in her grandfather’s arms. “Thank you Valona and Derek for being part of this circus with us. You both have always had a front row seat, so it was only right that you stood up with us today. I love you both.”
“What about me?” Roman called the question from his seat a few feet away, drawing laughs from everyone in attendance.
“I love you too Roman, almost as much as my husband.” She giggled. “My husband. I love you with every particle of my being, babe.”
“And I love you with all that I am, Pip, and I’m working hard every day to be the man you and Ryanna deserve and need.” His words didn’t project as much without the microphone, but I heard enough to bring tears to my eyes. They were perfect together, and I couldn’t be happier for my friend on this day, even if my own heart felt tattered and shredded.
Pippa looked at me with a smile and then she turned to the table in front where Chase sat with Lacey and Levi, Roman and Trey along with their three girls. One spot, my chair, was noticeably vacant and I knew the moment Pippa spotted it, because a small frown marred her beautiful features. “And there are two more people who deserve more thanks than Derek and I can possibly give. My brother Chase and our fabulous wedding planner, Carlotta. You two stepped in to help plan this wonderful day when we couldn’t. Your help allowed me the time to learn how to be a mom while Ryan was off being a rockstar to support our family. Without the two of you, I’m not sure how this day would have happened and to show our appreciation we have a special gift for you both.” She waved us both up and I shook my head.
No. She wouldn’t.
The mischievous look on her face told me that yes, she would. “Come on up guys, don’t be shy.” She laughed and egged on the shouts and cheers from the crowd.
Reluctantly Chase and I both made our way to where Pippa stood, all smiles as she wrapped an arm around me. “What are you up to?” Chase asked, the skepticism in his tone matched the look on my face I was sure.
Pippa produced a red envelope and handed it to me. “I want you to open it up when the time is right, which only you two will know. But for now, I’d like to share our first dance with the two people who made this day happen. She stepped back and went to the bridal table where Ryan stood with heat in his eyes.
I took a step back, determined to get out of this dance however I could. It was bad event planner karma to wish for a disaster, but even that didn’t stop me from straining my ears to listen for a dropped plate or something, anything to take me away from here.
Away from Chase.
He held a hand out, a sad smile on his face. “There’s no getting out of this Car.”
He was right and I knew it, but I didn’t have to like it. With a heavy sigh, I put my hand in his and ignored the zip of attraction that served as a reminder of what I couldn’t have, of what we would never be.
“Fine. Let’s just do this.”
Chase pulled back, surprise flashed on his face. “Is dancing with me really so terrible?”
“Yes, and no. I don’t want to keep coming back to this point Chase, remembering how good we are together and why we can’t be together. It hurts.”
He led me a few feet away onto the dance floor and pulled me close. “I’m hurting too, Carlotta. I hurt with the ache of missing you, of knowing that the hurt I see in your eyes is because of me. That kills me.”
I knew that much was true. “That’s because you’re a nice guy, Chase.”
“I don’t feel like a nice guy right now, I feel like a coward.”
I shrugged in his arms. “You want what you want Chase. It doesn’t make you bad, it just makes us incompatible.” Knowing that and believing it were two separate things, so I kept my eyes close and danced with him, cheek to cheek, savoring these last moments in his arms. When the song ended, I pulled back with a sad smile that was about fifteen seconds from becoming watery, and I walked away.
After the world’s most awkward wedding dance, I buried myself in the tasks of a proper wedding planner. The official speeches were done, Pippa and Ryan enjoyed their first dance as a married couple, and they’d danced with their respective parents before the dance floor opened up to all the partygoers.
Finally, dinner was served and I stayed busy through the meal with orders to the servers to keep my plate warm for later. Anything to avoid another painful conversation with the man who didn’t think that I, or we, were worth fighting for. I didn’t want to share a table with him or sit beside him, not because I hated him, but because it hurt too damn much.
Instead I watched from the sidelines, keeping an eye on the appetizers that Pippa insisted be served buffet style. “Hey, what’s the liquor stock looking like?”
Grady looked up from where he was crouched behind the bar, a knowing smile. “Shouldn’t you be sitting down to eat?”
I shrugged. “I’ll eat later.”