Taking the Leap (River Rain 3)

He was slipping this in now, but asking a different question.

I answered that different question.

“I was inseparable from a girl name Aderonke. Until we were forced, with a lot of teenage angst that was very real, to be separated. She’s Nigerian and her dad was a diplomat. My world ended when she had to go back to Nigeria. We’re still friends. We talk occasionally, and I saw her in New York at Christmas last year, and earlier, in the summer, when I was visiting Mum in England, she was in London, and we met for lunch that lasted through dinner.”

“Right,” he grunted.

“Aderonke was my bestest bestie from sixth through tenth grade. Our posse, though, also included Yael and Shelby, who remained my posse until I left New York. Yael’s now a systems engineer for Google and lives in California. Shelby’s in Austin. She restores old furniture.”

“Right,” he murmured.

“I’m still tight with those two too,” I assured him. “Though I had other friends, I didn’t keep in touch as much. But we do hook up when I’m back. I just didn’t think it was in the cards this time so I didn’t reach out.”

“Okay, honey,” he said.

“As for when I was at Columbia, none of my friends were local, but me. They all scattered to the winds after graduation. But a lot of them, I keep in touch with too.” I got closer and finished, “I wasn’t alone, honey.”

Mollified, he bent even closer and touched his mouth to mine.

“Alexandra!” Blake shouted. “If you don’t mind, we’re going again! Can it be about me for maybe a minute?”

Ulk.

“What did your dad say about being the better man?” I groused to Rix.

“Brian didn’t mean to blow up my life. Your sister fully understands her reason for being is to suck the joy out of everybody around her so they can be as miserable as she is. There’s a difference. Keep your joy. Let her have her misery.”

He was so smart.

And protective.

And funny.

Love you, I thought as I stared in his eyes.

They flared, then the caramel melted.

I said nothing.

But he heard me.

“Darling?” Dad called.

I turned and saw he was standing at the end of the pew, offering his arm.

I took it, and he walked me to the vestibule, where Blake and the rest of her attendants were waiting.

“Dad,” she snapped, taking his arm from my hold and marching him away.

I sighed.

“Again and…music!” Mum called.

Pachelbel’s Canon began.

I took my place in line.

And as I practiced the difficult maneuver of walking, Rix was sitting in the pew, smiling at me.

And…

Yes.

Joy.

Chapter 25

The “Wedding”

Alex

“The two sisters, maid of honor and our bride, closer…please get closer.”

The photographer was directing.

We were standing with lighting and screens around us, the bouquets arranged just so in the background, and I was pretending to inspect Blake’s veil.

I was also focusing on how fun it was to be at the Tea Room with Rix, Judge, Chloe, Dru and Jamie, the fact my feet had a couple of days respite, so my toes were only pinching a little and that tomorrow, by this time, we’d be on either my back deck, or Rix’s.

Last, I was mostly failing at focusing on these things because I was worried about my sister.

“Blake,” I called.

“Twitch it, make it look real, twitch,” she commanded under her breath.

I stopped fake inspecting Blake’s veil, walked to stand in front of her, took her hand and got close.

She looked disconcerted.

I ignored that.

“Today, this moment, your day, your moment, I’d like to ask that you give me the gift of listening to me.”

She hesitated, then she dipped her chin.

I let out a breath.

Then quietly, I told her, “I want you to be happy.”

To that, her jaw slid slightly to the side.

I kept going.

“I really do. I want you to find true happiness,” I reiterated. “And I want you to think really hard about if this is going to make you happy.”

Her nostrils flared, she looked over my shoulder, then back at me where she clipped, “I know what I’m doing, Alex.”

“I hope so. Because we’ve never been close. We don’t get along. We don’t share much in common. But you’re my sister. I love you. And I want what’s best for you. You deserve a good man who loves you for who you are. You’re beautiful. You have great style.” I wanted to find more, and I should have prepared better for this, but I didn’t have it handy right then, so I just concluded, “And you have your charms. So you deserve a lot, Blake.” More than Chad, I left unsaid.

She just stared at me, saying nothing.

“I’m at your side, no matter what,” I told her. “You marry him, I’m there for you. I respect your decision, and I’ll hope for the best for you, like always. If you make another decision, I’m there for you too, should you need me to secret you away, or walk out there and make an announcement. Whatever you need. I’m your sister, and on your special day, it would mean everything to me to have the honor of giving it to you.”