“What’s this?” a deep voice strums from behind, and we turn to find Rush and Trixie looking dapper and downright gorgeous. Rush is a preppy by nature, so he pulls off the dapper thing far more often than necessary, and Trixie is always a beauty, but tonight she turned up the volume in her bright blue off the shoulder dress. I’m a bridesmaid, so Misty chose a rose gold sequin gown that makes me feel like an awards statue. It’s above the knee, long sleeve, square neck, and it looks both elegant and chic. She swears I’ll be able to wear this again and again, but I doubt I’ll find another rose gold-worthy event to attend. After that whole Eli Gates vaginal debacle, I’ve sworn off parties unless there’s a nuptial agreement attached toit.
“Rushford.” Seth slaps him five and nods to Trixie. “You both look great. What’s up with that long shot arm? You feelingokay?”
The last game before Christmas break Rush pulled a muscle in his shoulder. Trixie confided in me that it wasn’t exactly sports-related, or at least not a commercial sport. It turns out their bedroom shenanigans involved some acrobat-worthy stunts that I assured her I wanted zero knowledgeof.
“I’m great.” He winces at me because he’s unsure whether or not I’m apprised of the truth. Trixie made me swear I wouldn’t let on. That’s the pickle she’s in. She can’t divulge any dirty details my way because they happen to pertain to my brother.Disgusting. And just like that, my stomach does another unexpected toxicspin.
Hey, that’s two for two. My mind does a quick roll call of all the unsavory food I’ve put in my mouth in the last twenty-four hours. It couldn’t be food poisoning. All I’ve eaten for God’s sake is a steady diet of those chocolate balls filled with fudge that Trixie’s mother sent home with her by the crateful. I was, however, in the Student Union this morning filling out paperwork on some last-minute classroom assignments. And everyone knows that place is a hotbed for bacteria, what with all the freshmen suckling off the free wifi while secretly drooling over one another, spreading their germs from sofa to sofa. If I get the flu, I’ll shoot a video from my deathbed, and as soon as the school’s legal team gets wind of it, I’m sure the janitorial staff will be forced to pressure wash the campus with bleach. God forbid I get another bout of norovirus like I did in tenth grade. I had it coming out of both ends like a corn littered fountain. I’ve never in my life clung to a toilet while fighting the urge to drownmyself.
Trixie pulls me aside while the boys talk b-ball. “What’s with the green face? You look as if you just licked the bottom of a shoe that just steppedin—”
“Please stop.” I hold up a hand. “My stomach is upset, that’s all. Probably just nerves.” I glance back and spot Nolan at the altar speaking with the minister, looking so handsome my heart melts through the floor, and just like that, it stops because that’s no minister. It’s myfather.
“Daddy’s here!” I chirp to Rush as we speed on over. I’m the first to wrap my arms around my father. Even though he’s pretty much persona non-grata, it doesn’t mean I love him any less. My mother died when I was young, so he’s been the only DNA-bearing parent I’ve got left on this planet. “I’ve missedyou.”
“I’ve missed you.” He pulls back, and I can’t help but think he looks young enough to be another brother. He shares Nolan’s and Rush’s caramel-colored hair and has the same smiling eyes as my brothers. For some reason, whenever he’s around, it feels as if we’re a family again. It sounds absurd, I know, but with him gone so much of the time, we’ve never quite felt like a family. But Lex stepped in early on and made sure we were just that, a family ofsorts.
“My God, who gave this girl permission to grow up? Would you turn down the beauty already?” He dots the top of my head with a kiss, and the scent of his pickled cologne sets off nausea roll number three inme.
This cannot be happening. My brothers and father engage in chitchat while I do my best to gauge an exit strategy. There’s an opened door to the left that looks as if it leads to the parking lot, and for a fleeting moment I entertain heading that way for some fresh air. But a frantic wedding planner corrals me and the other bridesmaids to the back. I recognize the other bridesmaid from the Black Bear, Izzy Edwards, one of the owners’ wives. She and Misty have been longtime friends, so I’m not surprised to see her taking the coveted position. What I am surprised to see is that bulge in the front of her dress. Izzy isexpecting.
“Wow, I hope Holt knows about the new development.” I give a little chuckle as I pat her belly, then quickly withdraw my hand as if it were in a fire. “Sorry. I bet you hate that—strangers touching your body all thetime.”
“I don’t mind at all.” She grins down at her baby bump lovingly. “We just told our friends and family at Christmas, and no sooner did we announce it than my stomach popped out the next day. I guess we had good timing. I’m only four months along, but I couldn’t even fit into my jeans at six weeks. Can you believe it? I’m going to be the size of a house by the time Ipop.”
“I’m sure you won’t. And how exciting! You’re going to have a baby in just a few short months.Hey”—a brilliant thought comes to mind, and I take a minute to do a little happy dance—“I’m doing a bunch of new tutorials for my beauty vlog, and I’d love to feature you. Your skin really glows, and I know all of my viewers would love to coo over your upcoming bundle of joy. How about a freemakeover?”
“I’m in. But you might regret it. My face has been breaking out nonstop, and half the time I’m so sick I’m actually emerald green in the face. I hope you have a magic wand that can cure the Wicked Witch of the West look I’m stuckwith.”
Green. That word rings out like a buzzword in my mind. Trixie thought I looked green, and just the mention of the word makes mequeasy.
An instrumental melody begins, and Izzy heads down the aisle first with Rush by her side and then me with Seth. I can’t help but wrinkle my nose at Serena as we pass her looking every bit the regal couple. I know what she’s thinking—that our wedding will be next. We hit the end of the aisle, and suddenly it feels as if the world is swaying in these sky-high heels I’ve pressed myself into. The room feels far too stuffy. And, my God, why did Nolan and Misty cram the room with enough people to populate a small island nation? There is clearly a fire code violation happeninghere.
The music stops then restarts with a bit of drama as the entire lot of us turn to the double door entry where Misty arrives looking every bit the princess in white. She is so stunningly beautiful my eyes tear up in an instant. Her hair is swept up, and, of course, her makeup is on point. Misty has never needed any tips from me, although I know firsthand a professional was on site today. Not that she needs it. Misty has that fresh scrubbed, girl next-door appeal. Nolan told me that’s what first attracted him to her. I can’t believe how lucky my brother is. I only wish my mother could be here to witness the event. I’d like to think she isanyway.
Misty makes her way down with her father. Mr. Baker, Phillip, looks like an older version of Seth, handsome to a fault—much like his son—and yet refined—unlike Seth—and his womanizing days are far behind him. I take a moment to frown over at Seth himself. Fine, he’s not a womanizer to the extent Eli is or even my brother used to be, but he has a fairly-riddled reputation nonetheless, and for whatever reason it irritates the hell out of me. Come to think of it, this entire night is irritating the hell out of me. It’s eight o’clock, a perfectly indecent time for a wedding if you ask me, but Nolan and Misty swear the hours will fly by and we’ll all be chiming in the new yeartogether.
It’s probably worth it to note that Mrs. Baker, Seth’s mother’s, name is Elizabeth. So, in fact, when Elizabeth and Phillip reference themselves as the royalwe, they would be correct in just about every sense. She’s a Pilates fanatic who likes to bake and keeps an immaculate house. I don’t know why, but I’ve always felt as if the Bakers have turned their noses up at the unruly motley crew the Knights have unraveled to. Mr. Baker is a retired electrical engineer who once worked for the aerospace industry. And even though collectively they have far less in the way of finances, they’ve made up for it with their refined snobbery, something it appears that money cannot buy. My father doesn’t care about them one way or another. After this wedding, I’m sure he’ll be back on his jet on the way to his penthouse with who knows how many women warming his bed for him. You could say the promiscuous apple didn’t fall far from the tree where my brother Rush is concerned, not that Rush is still employing those naughty bedroomtactics.
Misty hits the front of the altar, and the ceremony gets underway. It feels as if someone just put a lid on the Dutch oven this shrinking room just morphed into. My God, it’s sweltering. Can it get any hotter in here? And wait just a minute—what in the heck is that disgusting odor? My nose bounces as I sniff the air. Holy crap. Is that garlic? What in the hell are they doing with that stinking root? Bathing the staff in it?Ugh.
My stomach does a hard roll, and I can’t help but give a littlemoan.
Seth shoots me a look, his brows bouncing with curiosity, and I take a moment to scowl at him. There. The simple act of gifting Seth a dirty look has made me feelbetter.
The minister’s voice suddenly sounds like gibberish as the room takes a solid spin. My stomach pinches with heat before twisting into an undeniable knot the size of a dinnerplate.
“Oh,” I groan, and the room breaks out into titters because obviously I’ve timed my bodily malfunction to something cute Nolan just said to Misty. My brother turns to me and gives a slight wink before his eyes growwide.
I’m quick to wave him off until he turns back around. I just need a little air, that’s all. I shove the bouquet of blood red roses into my nose as if I were slapping myself in the face, and I try my hardest to take in their fragrant beauty, but—oh myshit. Who the hell doused this poor red pompom in a vat of raw onions? And why does the entire world suddenly smell likefeet?
Rush looks my way and shakes his head just enough to let me know he wants me to knock it off. Nolan turns around once again, and I open my mouth to say something—say anything in order to excuse myself, but all I manage is a long, horrid belch that sounds as if I’ve channeled my inner cruise ship and I’m honking my way intoharbor.
The bride turns around and gasps, as does the crowd behindme.
Dear God. Killme.
That horrific feeling deep within me takes over, and my body bucks with a revolution as I projectile vomit a river of what was once a bucket full of chocolate balls between Seth and me, and at least twelve different people scream as if I’ve just unloaded an AK-47 on thecrowd.
