Beth brought me back from the memory to the nightclub with a teasing comment. “Can you at least tell us if the dresses will be 1990s ‘I hate my bridesmaids’ or twenty-first century ‘I want my girlies to look hot’?”
“You two would look hot in a bin bag and you know it.”
Lily shrugged. “You know I don’t care either way.”
Beth side-eyed her. “Make me look bad for caring, why don’t you?”
Lily grinned unapologetically, her dimples creasing her cheeks.
“You know I can’t stay even pretend mad at you when you pull out the dimples. No fair.” Beth flicked a cocktail stick at her.
“They’re lethal, aren’t they?” Sebastian dipped his head into our conversation. “I can never say no to her. It’s terrible. Dimple terrorism, I tell you.”
Lily chucked the cocktail stick at him in answer, and he chuckled and turned back to the guys’ conversation.
“I thought you were both coming to the store onThursday to pick dresses?” That’s what the so-called wedding planner had told me. I’d had all the bridal party options already shipped to my department.
“We are.” Beth nodded. “That doesn’t mean I’m not curious.”
“All the options are good. Trust me.”
“I trust you.” Lily shrugged. “You’re the chicest person I know.”
“You’re determined to make me look like the annoying bridesmaid, aren’t you, wee cuz?” Beth narrowed her eyes teasingly.
“It’s not my fault you’re so nosy.” She stuck her tongue out at Beth.
I’d just let out a laugh that froze in my throat when the familiar opening synth pop beat of “Kids” by MGMT flooded the mezzanine.
No.
Bloody hell.
Not again.
Why was this DJ so obsessed with this song?
The blood rushed in my ears, my cheeks flushing, and I was vaguely aware of an insistent nudge against my upper arm. Turning blindly, I barely processed Baird’s concerned face and him gently trying to get me out of the booth.
Like I was on autopilot, I slid out, my legs shaky as the memories flooded in like clockwork.
Mum standing in the kitchen, looking much healthier than the last memory I had of her, grinning as she spun me around, shouting the lyrics at the top of her voice. Her cupping my face in her palms to whisper them, bright tears in her eyes, like I meant something to her.
Like she did love me.
“My.” Baird tugged me toward the middle of the mezzanine where there was a little more room to maneuver.
I tried to pull my hand away. “I need to leave.”
He hauled me into his arms, a tight band around my waist as I tilted my head back to look at him in anger. What was he doing?
“She doesn’t get to do this to you,” he said, just loud enough to be heard over the music. “This song … it’s ours now. Okay?”
“Baird …”
“Whenever you hear it, you’ll think of this. Us.” He abruptly let me go and started jumping on the balls of his feet. “Control yourself …” He shouted at the top of his voice, grinning encouragingly at me.
My heart thumped in my chest.
