“Our asses aren’t sorry,” Aiden chuckled. “We’re here to support Bent.”
Jen pursed his lips, ignoring Aiden. “And soon you’ll all be crying about whose turn it is next. Wailing about the lost years.” He sighed. “I’ve seen it before.” He focused his gaze on me.
“Brayden and Addi are perfect for each other. You should be thrilled your daughter fell in love with such an upstanding young man. Have your little sulk and be done with it.” He grabbed the second bottle of scotch. “One is enough. My god, for such brilliant businessmen, you’re all such idiots at times. We’d be pouring you all into the limos.”
He left, and we all stared at his retreating back.
“That was uncalled-for. We can handle our liquor.” Aiden frowned.
“Some of us better than others.” Maddox smirked.
“Shut up all of you,” I grumbled, leaning forward and snagging a cigar. “It’s not your daughter who got married.” I cut off the end and lit it, letting the smoke escape. I rarely indulged, but I decided today I deserved it. “And I am happy. Brayden is an amazing partner for Addi. I just don’t have to like it. Not right this minute. Right this minute, I get my goddamn wallow. My baby girl is all grown up, and I feel old.”
Maddox blew out a perfect smoke ring. “So do I. Wasn’t it just yesterday they were babies and Reid here still dressed like a homeless bum?”
Aiden chuckled. “Remember the day he sat in his office with no pants on because he needed to do laundry?”
Reid laughed. “That was a long time ago. Before Becca.”
“Thank god for Sandy,” we all said in unison.
“Remember Friday afternoon meetings?” I mused. “Us and the babies.”
“I loved those,” Maddox mused.
“The baby circle of truth,” Reid sighed.
Richard laughed. “You guys are a sorry lot. We have awesome kids. They have to grow up—it’s part of life.”
“I’ll remind you of that when Gracie drags some schmuck home to meet you.”
He chuckled. “I didn’t kill Reed.”
Van laughed. “He said you tried.”
Richard sniffed. “If I had really tried, I would have succeeded.”
We all laughed, knowing he was full of it. Richard got along well with Reed and had been surprisingly relaxed over their relationship.
“I found it hard when Heather first moved here,” Richard admitted. “I worried constantly. Was she safe? Lonely? Was she eating? Would she tell me if she wanted to come home? Knowing she had Reed and the way he cared for her was, and is, actually very comforting.”
That made sense in an odd sort of way.
“Gracie will be different,” I warned. “The firstborn thing.” I eyed Richard through a haze of smoke. “What’s with her boss? He’s pretty intense.”
Hal snorted. “Pot meet kettle.”
I flipped him the bird, ignoring the laughter from the rest of them.
Richard shrugged. “He helped her get here. Apparently with all the problems with weather and broken-down planes, they got as far as Calgary, and it looked like they were stuck. He rented a four-wheel-drive SUV and drove like a madman to get her to the wedding. I had a good conversation with him. He’s a little uptight, but decent. He thinks Gracie is a brilliant intern and will be a great lawyer. I know she says he is hard to work for, but they must get along all right. She said he asked to come today. I think he wanted to see the winery.”
“Is that all?” Reid asked dryly.
“What else could there be?” Richard asked. “He’s her boss and mentor. He’s older than her. I think he was just curious.”
I met Maddox’s gaze, and he lifted an eyebrow. I was sure I had noticed a few glances between the two of them that were not boss/intern-like. I was certain Richard was in denial, but I wasn’t about to argue with him. I could be wrong—my head was a little mixed up today, and it seemed to be getting worse.
The table was silent for a moment, the music from inside muted. I looked at the bottom of my glass, wondering who drank my scotch. The glass was full only a minute ago.
Wasn’t it?
“She’s leaving,” I groaned, peering through the patio glass. “She isn’t coming to say goodbye.”
Everyone laughed. “Because she’ll be five minutes away and you’ll see her in two days, Bent,” Aiden pointed out. “Two days.”
“Still.” I stood and headed to the doors. Someone yelled about a cigar, but I kept going until I found Addi.
I made sure she knew I was happy for her and I would see her in a couple of days. I didn’t want her to think I was too busy checking that all her uncles were okay not to say goodbye. She would be upset, and I couldn’t have my baby girl upset on her wedding day. I welcomed Brayden to the family. It was the least I could do. Emmy pulled me in for a kiss as I went by, and I was pretty certain she propositioned me, but for some reason, none of the conversations were sticking in my head. Words floated by, but they were hard to grasp.