She stiffened in his arms. “Why?”
Chris glanced at Alyssa, who was definitely eavesdropping to the best of her abilities. She wasn’t even trying to hide it. Not surprising.
“Well, unless you want it to be obvious what we were doing before we got here, you should probably just do it.”
At that she whipped around. “Christian!”
“You asked. I answered.”
Alyssa was clearly enjoying the back and forth. Mallory? Not so much.
Alyssa had mercy on Mallory and changed the subject. “Mallory, would you like a drink? I can’t have one so you can drink for us both. Come with me.”
In the corner of the room stood a small bar with a single bartender. Chris stayed put while the two women made their way over, Alyssa engaging Mallory in conversation the entire way.
“Chris.” Michael’s greeting pulled his attention away.
Chris turned and gave him a nod. His expression was unreadable, so he decided it best to tread lightly. Before he could come up with any safe small-talk, Michael’s attention was on the two women talking at the bar. It had to be difficult for him. Between not seeing his sister for several years and the idea of him dating someone who had a pretty bad reputation with women, Chris knew he had to be struggling.
“They seem to be getting along,” Michael mumbled.
“I figured they would,” Chris responded. “So, does this mean we’re past where you tell me to leave your sister alone? Because that’s not going to happen, and I really don’t want to keep arguing about it.”
“Fair enough.”
Chris was surprised when he simply walked away and headed to the bar. He didn’t follow. He already knew Mallory well enough to know she wouldn’t want him to hover. This was something she needed to get through on her own. Being careful not to hover wasn’t the same as abandoning her. He’d be watching.
“Hey, man.” Brian walked over and clapped him on the back. “I’m glad you made it.”
“How was the wedding?” Chris asked, even though he already knew how it went.
With a deep sigh, Brian led him to the other side of the room. Chris welcomed the distraction. Across the room from the bar, there was a table with hors d’oeuvres and pre-poured glasses of champagne. Brian made his way over to the table and Chris followed.
“Well, it started off okay.” Brian’s answer was cryptic.
“Until?”
“Until my crazy ex showed up. We were married for less than a year. I haven’t even spoken to her in I don’t know how long. She showed up after the wedding and said we’re still married.”
“Well? Are you?” Chris already knew the answer, but he had to ask.
“Fuck no.”
Chris looked around to make sure there was no one around. He’d convinced Alyssa to talk Kerry out of cancelling the reception, and it would be his ass if he was the one to stir up drama. They were still fairly alone, and Mallory was still with Alyssa, while Michael watched from a distance. He’d investigate that later.
“So, she just showed up out of nowhere?” Chris snagged a small meat and cheese plate from the table. “Weird that she’d do that, but then ex-wives do weird things. So, is everything good now? Shouldn’t be hard to prove you aren’t still married.”
He’d barely finished speaking when Kerry walked past, shooting daggers at them both. He had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. The timing was too perfect. Brian had his lips rolled in and was shaking his head.
“I never mentioned having an ex-wife. It’s going over like a lead balloon.”
It all made sense now. He had been worried about telling Mallory about his own ex-wife because he felt like he hadn’t been up front. Kerry was probably livid, and with good reason. If he was honest, he’d be beyond pissed if he found out on hiswedding day that his new spouse had been married before and never mentioned it.
“Oh man. I see where that look came from, then. You’re lucky you’re still alive,” Chris said with a nervous chuckle.
Brian picked up a champagne flute and led them away from the table into the corner of the parlor, near the window. “It was really bad. It still is. I’m hoping tonight will help, but it’s not looking good. I didn’t intentionally keep it from her, I just didn’t think it was important. She hasn’t spoken to me since.”
Chris’s attention was drawn to the sound of laughter on the other side of the room. Kerry had joined Mallory and Alyssa, and the three women were having an animated conversation. Michael was still watching from a distance.
