Kingdom Come
“I hope this isn’t going to be weird?” she asked. “I mean, who knew Connor was Striker? I can’t believe he didn’t tell you.”
“It was partially my fault. The whole ‘let’s keep it casual and not tell each other our names’ thing.”
“Yeah, that was stupid. But still…” That was my bestie for you. She had my back even when I was partially to blame.
There was a knock at the door. It was time.
I hugged my best friend fiercely. “You deserve this more than anyone I know.”
“Don’t cry,” she said. “Then we’ll both ruin our makeup because I’ll cry too.”
When I took my spot in the church hall, I had to lock arms with the man I’d avoided for the last several months. It was worse because he looked fantastic in the black tux I’d drunkenly told him would make him look like an undertaker.
We didn’t look at each other. He didn’t say a word, and neither did I. We’d done the same the night before at the rehearsal.
But my damn heart fluttered as we walked down the aisle, all eyes on us. Who would have the last laugh if they knew our past? When he let go and we separated, I felt cold all over. He’d been the one to lie, even if by omission. How could I possibly still want him?
The wedding itself was a blur. As the vows were said, I did everything I could to not throw up. My heart ached something awful, and I felt a little faint. As soon as it was over, all the pictures taken, and we were at the reception, I did my best to self-medicate with as much alcohol as I could.
It didn’t help that every unattached woman there was fawning over Kalen’s baby brother. I was doing my level best to pretend I didn’t care. Last I saw, Striker or rather Connor had been cornered by a middle-aged woman.
Matt walked over to me. “What’s got you pissed off?”
I downed the scotch I’d gotten. “Nothing.”
He obviously didn’t believe me—probably the twin thing. I could never lie to him. “Is it that asshole who walked you down the aisle?”
I glared at him. “You make it sound like we were getting married. He escorted me.”
“Just let me know if I need to punch him.”
I sighed, seriously considering it. “No. I don’t want to ruin Bailey’s wedding.”
“Second wedding, you mean. The lucky bastard.”
“You were too late.”
“I know. Don’t remind me,” he said, eyeing the crowd. I saw him notice some girls from college who had begged for an invite. I’d talked Bailey into letting them come.
“Keep your dick out of my friends, Matty,” I said.
“I can’t make promises,” Matt said and strolled off.
I turned to order another scotch and came face to face with him.Twenty-SevenConner“Is it that asshole who walked you down the aisle?” I overheard her brother say.
“You make it sound like we were getting married. He escorted me.”
My brother had asked me to be in his wedding and I couldn’t refuse. I’d thought I’d be paired with his bride’s sister, but I was wrong. Fate had other plans. Lizzy and I were forced to endure one another’s company for a few hours at the rehearsal dinner and today, the wedding.
Her contempt and the way she’d seemed repulsed by my touch had pissed me off. If I had any chance in hell at making it through the night, I needed way more than one drink.
Though I tried to ignore them, and she apparently hadn’t noticed me, my ears perked up when she said to her twin, “Keep your dick out of my friends, Matty.”
“I can’t make promises,” Matt said and strolled off.
When she turned, I’d made the mistake of not turning away. “Hiding from me? Or are you waiting for Griff?”
Griffin had done his best to piss me off by staying way too close to her.
“Why would I do either? You mean nothing to me,” Lizzy said. “And Griff and I are just friends.”
Griffin had made a show of touching her any time he caught me looking. “That’s not how I saw it.”
“Saw what?” she asked.
Instead of saying Griffin and you, I said, “You and me.” I willed the words back, but it was too late.
“We fucked. So what?”
“I’m not used to women ghosting me.” Way to go, I chided myself because why had I admitted that?
She shrugged, and my eyes dropped down the long expanse of her neck. “You had my number. You didn’t use it.”
“I don’t chase women.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yet here you are.”
There I was, entertaining this conversation. Time I shook it up. “You look tense. I know exactly how to work that out of you.”
Her eyes looked like frozen pits when she said, “I don’t fuck liars.” The only problem with her statement was those pits of hers had dilated. She wasn’t as unaffected as she wanted to appear.