There is judgment in her voice, and I sneer up at her before trying to focus my gaze. Changing the course of the conversation, I ask, “Don’t you want me to mess this up? Then you win the bet and can go back to having these weddings to yourself.”
“Of course I don’t want you to fail, Declan. I want you to be happy.”
“How benevolent of you. As a matter of fact, I want me to be happy too,” I reply with a sloppy grin.
She rolls her eyes and steals the whisky from my hand. I catch her taking a sip before setting it on the desk out of my reach.
“So?” she asks.
“So what?”
“So…who is it?” She’s wearing an excited smile, and it takes me a moment before I remember that Colin and Pierce are celebrities. And before today, no one knew who these mystery guests would be.
“Oh,” I reply lazily. “Pierce Michael, something.”
“Pierce Michael Hall?” my sister shrieks. She slaps her hand over her mouth with wide eyes while I grimace up at her like she’s lost her goddamn mind.
“Yeah, he’s not really that impressive,” I mumble before reaching for my drink. She’s so distracted by the celebrity at our house that she doesn’t bother keeping it away from me anymore. Instead, she’s scurrying over to the window to peek out in hopes of stealinga glimpse of the actor.
“Not that impressive?” she asks. “I don’t believe you. He’s so handsome. I had no idea he was even getting married!”
“I mean, honestly, Anna, who cares? You act like celebrities’ lives are any of our bloody business.”
She turns back toward me with a disgruntled expression. “What a miserable grump you are, Declan. I truly hope you are not rude to him or his groom just because they are celebrities. Oh, who is his groom? Is he an actor too?”
Biting her lip, she waits in anticipation. Meanwhile, I swallow down the rest of the amber liquid in my glass, relishing in the burn before I blow out a breath and quietly reply, “Colin Shelby.”
My sister is frozen. If anything, her eyes widen just a hair as she stares at me in shock.
“No,” she whispers.
“Yes,” I reply.
“Declan,” she says with a pleading, sympathetic tone.
“What a coincidence, right? My old mate from uni is getting married here this weekend.”
With a groan, I peel myself off the chair and stumble toward the bottle near the fireplace. My sister rushes after me, grabbing me by the arm before I can reach it.
“Declan, I had no idea. How are you—I mean, what happened…? Are you okay?”
I respond to her, stammering with a laugh, “Relax, Anna. It was a surprise to see him, that’s all. It was nice, actually. He’s my best friend. Or at least…he was.”
When I reach for the bottle, she puts herself between me and it. Then she takes my face in her hands and forces me to look in her eyes. “I think we both know it was more than that, Declan.”
Scowling, I brush her off. “Don’t be ridiculous. Of course it wasn’t.”
“Why don’t we call this bet off?” she asks, trying to tame mywild hair.
“No!” I bellow. “Killian won’t let me off that easily, and I am not going to roll over just because I happen to be friends with one of the grooms.”
“I don’t care what Killian says,” she replies. “I’m worried about you, Declan.”
“Well, stop it!” She flinches at the tone of my voice, and I turn away with a heavy sigh. Worrying is just what my sister does, but I can’t stand being the focus of it. Especially since there is nothing to worry about here. She thinks I’m drunk because I’m heartbroken or upset over my old mate getting married, but I’m not. I’m just a drunk.
As I turn back toward her, I’m immediately assaulted by guilt when I see the tears forming in her eyes. “I’m sorry, sis. I just don’t want you worrying about me.”
Taking her shoulders in my hands, it’s my turn to force her gaze to mine. Then, with as steady a voice as I can manage, I try to ease her concerns. “I promise you I do not have feelings for Colin, not anymore. That was a long time ago. If anything, I think this will make the wedding easier for me. I’m going to prove to you that I can do this. Then, maybe you’ll leave me the hell alone.”
