I’m just glad Aiden’s wedding ceremony wasn’t ruined.
Aiden and Carly’s beach house is only a couple hundred feet from where they said their vows, but the rest of us are in the main hotel and that’s where the reception is happening, so we all head back in that direction. And likely just in time. Thunder claps loudly and the sky has gone dark.
It’s as if it held off for them, giving them their perfect sunset for their ceremony and some of the pictures.
Thankfully, the whole event wasn’t planned as being outside. Dinner is happening in a banquet room with both indoor and outdoor space and they planned it in case the weather didn’t cooperate.
I know Meryl is walking behind me toward the elevator; I hear Ally chatting her up. Most of us look like dressed-up drowned rats inside the swanky hotel and we’re drawing attention.
“I’ll be right back,” Meryl says with panic in her voice as the elevator doors open.
“Don’t be silly. Come,” Ally says, grabbing Meryl’s hand.
I see her wide eyes are on a huge guy standing by the doors to the resort. He’s drenched from the rain, looking pissed. He’s Filipino, I think.
The guy has arms like tree trunks and his face is like stone.
Is this guy Meryl’s fiancé? His eyes touch her and then they’re on me. And he looks like he wants to eat me for lunch and spit my bones on the marble floors.
Yep. That’s exactly what he wants to do.
“Oh boy,” she whispers. “Here we go.”
“Who is that?” Ally asks.
“That’s Nate,” Meryl says.
Ally’s body jerks back in surprise. “Is that angry hottie your hottie, Mer?” Ally asks. “That doesn’t sound like the guy you described.”
It sure as fuck doesn’t.
“Oh no,” Meryl repeats.
“Oh my,” Carly’s mother mutters.
The guy crooks his finger at Meryl.
She stares like a deer in the headlights a second and then blows out a breath. She looks absolutely terrified and this means my hackles rise.
I guess she doesn’t move fast enough because the guy drops his suitcase on the floor and is now on the move, erasing the space between them. Reflexively, I step directly in front of Meryl and this puts me and him nose to nose. Or, not quite nose to nose. I’ve probably got three inches on him. Despite that, he’s for sure got weight on me and it ain’t from fat. The guy is bulky and it’s all muscle.
I work out and it shows, but this guy probably has an eight pack to my six and his arms are almost twice the size of mine.
I give no fucks how big he is, what I want to know is why is Meryl looking like she’s scared of him?
“Yo,” I call out. “You afraid of this guy, Mer?”
She’s directly behind me.
“No, Austin, I’m, uh…”
“Wanna move?” the guy grunts and he’s pissed.
He’s really pissed. And I don’t like the energy coming off him at all.
“Nathaniel, please,” she requests. “Calm down.”
“You want me calm, woman, you come out from behind this guy right now,” he demands.
The way he says this, the way his eyes are on me, he knows. He knows about us.
“What’s happening here?” Ally asks, trying to get between me and this guy.
“Stay aside, Ally,” I say, now feeling like I’ve got to protect both of them from this meathead.
We’ve got lots of eyes on us now from the lobby filled with resort guests. My father and Carly’s father both flank me now.
“Is this guy bothering you, young lady?” Carly’s father asks.
“Everyone, it’s okay. He’s my fiancé. Let’s go talk, Nate.” Meryl steps around Carly’s father and reaches for the guy’s hand.
“This is him, isn’t it?” he asks her, chin jerking toward me.
“It is, but-”
And then a fist comes at me. Fucker sucker punches me with no warning.
My head snaps back with force and the pain is practically blinding.
“Shit!” Ally shouts and then my father gets in there, trying to play peacemaker, but he gets shoved and then as the guy comes at me again, I’m ready and my fist hits him square in the chin. He goes flying back.
“All right, let’s just simmer down here,” Darryl Adler suggests and then the guy is coming at me again.
Meryl jumps between us. “Stop, Nathaniel. It’s not what you think!”
“Step aside, mahal,” he says, touching her face.
I’m feeling a little dizzy, but I’m also pissed. And the sight of him touching her like that, sick rises in the back of my throat.
“Son, listen…” My father puts a hand on his shoulder.
“Not your son, back off man,” he shrugs my father off and Dad stumbles.
My nostrils flare and I lunge and punch the guy, getting him square in the chin. His head flies back. I hit him again.
“Stop!” Meryl pleads. “Austin, please!”
“Everyone, break it up,” a security guard is now in our space, pulling me and this guy apart.