"Maybe after the tenth, it'll taste like water." He turns to glare at me as Travis gets closer to the bar.
"Are we ready to party?" Travis says, and we both look over at him as he walks with his hands up in the air. Harlow throws her hands up, and all I can do is groan.
"What?" I ask, shocked and confused by this question. I watch as he pulls out the stool next to me and sits down.
"When my wedding was canceled, we partied," Travis says with a huge smile on his face as he bends and kisses Harlow's lips. "We danced and drank all night long."
"You also slept with your ex-girlfriend," Clarabella reminds him, pulling the stool out beside Ace and sitting down. She leans back and looks over at Harlow. "No offense."
"Can't take offense to the truth," Harlow says, smiling and looking up at Travis. "We definitely drank more than we should have." He bends and kisses her right before she moves away from him, making her way behind the bar and looking over at Bennett. "Is it time for a showdown?" she asks him, and he claps his hands.
"The last time we did this was at his first wedding." Bennett smirks and then looks at me. "You okay?" For as long as I can remember, he's been like a second brother to me. They've been best friends forever, and there is nothing he wouldn't do for me.
"Not even a little bit." The words come out of my mouth before I can stop them. Ace sits up straight next to me, and he puts his arm around my stool to give me his strength.
He looks over at Ace. "What about you?" All Ace does is shrug his shoulders, and I put my hand on his leg now. "I think we need a drink," Bennett says and looks over at Harlow. "What do you think?"
"I think," Presley says, sitting down, "I need a shot of whatever is the strongest shit you have back there." She closes her eyes and leans back. The satin champagne-colored gown flows around her legs when she sits. "Or some of that sweet tea."
"Well," Harlow drawls, ducking down, "I did have a couple of bottles brought here this morning." She picks up the bottles. "Because I knew it would be rough."
"As someone who had no idea what the fuck was going on”—Bennett grabs shot glasses—"I have to say I was having a heart attack and would not recommend that to anyone." He looks at us. "Although I will say I was hoping that your mom would stand up and rip him a new one."
"She was in shock," Harlow reports, laughing as she fills the shot glasses. "She leaned over to me and was like, what did she just say." She laughs at the memory. "I had to act shocked, which took a lot from me because I kept shaking my foot the whole time."
"Well, I thank you all for keeping my secret until the right moment," I say, leaning forward and grabbing a shot with my free hand. My hand is still on Ace's leg, and it feels like it weighs a thousand pounds. "This is so fucked up." I shake my head.
"As fucked up as inviting your ex-girlfriend to your wedding?" Harlow tries to cheer me up.
"I mean, in his defense, I did that." Presley smirks while she grabs her own shot glass.
"You can't take the credit for that," Travis retorts. "Mom snuck her on the list."
"I mailed out the invitations, dickhead," she argues, and he shrugs.
"Don't even care who sent what and how she got there." Travis picks up the shot. "I ended up with her in the end."
"Do you think we're cursed?" Clarabella asks. "Like the first wedding is going to fucking suck, and then you get your proper wedding?"
"You know what you should do," Bennett says. "Plan a fake wedding like that, and the next one will be good."
"You’re such an idiot," Presley scoffs, shaking her head. "If that's the case, we should pretend to get married." She looks at him, and he just smirks.
"I'm game," he teases, and her cheeks turn a bright pink, and I look over at Clarabella, who just rolls her lips. The two of them have had this connection since she turned eighteen, and they fight it every single time.
"Can we just toast?" Travis suggests. "To the second wedding."
I look over at Ace and laugh. "Not sure you can drink to that since you didn't have a first wedding." He hangs his head, and my heart stops when I think I hurt his feelings.
"Oh my God," Clarabella says. "I think it's too soon."
"I'm so sorry," I apologize, turning on my stool to face him, and I can see him hiding a smile. "Dick, how can you do that on my wedding day?" I sniffle at the end, and his eyes come up, and when he sees me smile, he just glares. "Two can play that game."