But I’d been fucking up for three decades by the time I got my head out of my ass. Four years was nothing.
Right?
“Well, so far, you’re killing it,” Chloe said.
That meant a lot to me, and as such, I smiled at her.
When I did, I felt that frisson again and turned my head to see Dair scowling at me.
My smile died and I raised my brows at him.
He shook his head, for some reason visibly sighed, like I was annoying him, then he returned his attention to Katie, dazzling her with that rakish grin of his.
Whatever.
Alex and Rix were in the midst of their goodbyes.
This meant I had things to do to wind this party down and shift focus to the next items on the wedding to-do list.
So I put Dair out of my mind and I did them.
Chapter 2
For Now
Blake
* * *
Doesn’t this just cut it, I thought, sniveling and doing my all not to break down in tears.
I’d forgotten to tuck Kleenex in my bodice.
How could I forget to tuck tissues in my bodice in preparation for this very occasion?
Me blubbering like an idiot and ruining my makeup would just put the icing on the putrid cake that had been my sister’s wedding day so far.
It started out okay.
I woke refreshed and ready to roll. I had time to do my under-eye treatment, so my morning puffiness was gone. Topping that with my turmeric, ginger, mango, peach smoothie to assist with any other water retention I may face that day. Some stretches to get limber and a nice long hot shower with a deep condition of my hair.
Then nine thirty rolled around, time for the bridesmaids and women friends of the bride’s meeting, and Katie and Gal showed up an hour late.
This was Dair’s fault.
Katie, Gal, their men, Judge, Chloe, Josh, Hailey (Josh’s wife), Sasha, Matt, Sully, Gage, Dru, Dair and Davina had gone on a pub crawl after the rehearsal dinner. They stayed out late…and got totally smashed.
Well, Chloe and Judge had the good sense not to do that. They’d gone home early, not inebriated, and had a good night’s sleep. However, this might have something to do with the fact they were parents, and as such, had a child and needed to get him from the babysitter.
But Gal, Katie and Hailey were crazy hungover.
This necessitated Mika, Nora, Genny, Mags (Rix’s mom) and Elsa (a friend of the family, she was Alex and my age, but she wasn’t in the wedding party) running around making drinks with IV hydration, and passing around aspirin, Tylenol and ibuprofen like they were Tic Tacs.
Yes, you guessed it. Although Mum was invited to this meeting, she didn’t show as one of her many acts of passive aggressiveness sharing she was not at one with this casual, outdoor mountain wedding she had insisted, repeatedly, should be held at our country estate in England (when Rix hadn’t even been to that estate in England). And when that was not going to happen, she’d pushed for New York (Alex may have grown up in New York, but even when she lived there, she was about as New York as Dolly Parton).
And Gal let slip the pub crawl was Dair’s idea.
Because…
