I grab a bottle of beer from the mini-fridge Brody brought and sit. “I never saw Alyssa as the bridezilla type.”
“Me neither. Just nerves, probably. She put a lot of work into today.”
He’s still talking, I think about how much planning this all took, but my mind has already moved on to long red hair and that damn dandelion tattoo.
She liked my tattoo, even though she teased me about it. She’d tease me mercilessly if she knew about the tattoo I almost got one night two years ago. Copious amounts of vodka and a broken heart don’t mix well, and I almost had the permanentShmilyto prove it.
Thanks to Tripp, I amShmilyfree. Not completely, though. My heart bears the word.
“And that’s when the alien switched Mom’s head with a gerbil. It was too much weight for the gerbil to carry, so he was crushed and then—”
“Brody, what the fuck are you talking about?” His words sink in and I feel guilty. How long was he spinning that yarn?
He gives me a dirty side-eye. “I hope you listen better to Ember.”
I don’t answer. I just finish the beer. It’s like my brain has stepped out of my body, and my heart is doing all the deciding right now. Every move I’ve made since I saw her on the street yesterday was brainless, but damn if it doesn’t all feel really, really good.
“What’s up with you two anyway? Are you going to come back and start up again?”
The couch catches me with a nicethudas throw myself back. “Didn’t you already give me your opinion on that?”
“Yes. But I talked to Alyssa about it last night. She pointed out that maybe it’s the universe’s way of giving you a second chance. There was pretty much no hope for you guys before, but now…” He shrugs. “You’re back. And single. She’s still here. And single.”
“I haven’t officially moved back. I could still get a call.” Always on the hook. Always waiting for something that may never happen.
“How likely is that?”
I sigh and eye my empty beer, wishing I had another full one in my reach. “Not very. They should’ve called by now.”
Brody hooks an arm around my shoulder, and for a second, I think he’s going to rub his knuckles on my hair. Instead he pulls me in roughly. “I want whatever you want. Got it, little brother?”
I nod. “I want whatever Alyssa wants for you.”
He chuckles and lets me go. “Smart man.”
When the wedding planner pops her head in and tells us it’s go-time, I follow Brody into the sanctuary and take my place with the other groomsmen at the front. Dad comes up and hugs Brody first, then me. My stomach drops as I search the crowd for red hair. I scan the aisles, every pew, andnothing.
I pull my phone from my pocket to send her a message, and at that second one pops up on my screen.
Lose something?
Grinning, I look up to see Ember waving from the back of the church. She’s standing in front of the open doors. The breeze slips in from the outside, causing the lower half of her dress to swirl around her. She laughs, rolling her eyes, and pushes it down. She chooses a seat on the grooms side and sits gracefully. Shoulders pulled back, gaze on me, her lips are full and begging to be kissed.
I type out a quick response.Your lips look lonely without mine on them.
She pulls her phone from her purse, her eyes on the screen for only a moment. She grins, looks up at me, then back to her phone.
The response bubbles pop up on my screen, and her message comes through.
Interesting. My lips were doing okay until you showed up yesterday.
Just okay?
Okay is not a bad place to be.
Okay is not good.
Good isn’t always right.
