They are married!
I watch my friends walk down the aisle with beaming smiles on their faces. Now I let the tears that I’ve been holding in fall. They deserve all the happiness in the world.
“You did good, D,” Sienna says, hugging me before joining Evan and walking down the aisle. The rest of the bridal party says the same.
“Can I ask for the bride and groom to please come here for the first dance.” I call Vanessa and Christian to the ballroom, they settle themselves in the middle of the dancefloor. The opening strings of a guitar echo through the quiet room, the velvet curtain falls, and behind it are the Sons of Brooklyn together with Gypsy Sisters.
What’s going on?
“Congratulations, Christian and Vanessa,” Blake says into the microphone. “Christian wrote a song for you for today, and here it is. It’s called ‘Angel.’”
Oh my god. No way, that is so sweet. We watch as the two of them get lost in their own little world. It is utterly romantic. They sway to the strings of the music, it’s magical. This moment makes my single heart ache, to be that lost in your person must be beautiful.
33
DERRICK
ANew Year is upon us, and unlike midnight last year, when Chance surprised me in the darkness with a kiss, I’m all alone this year. And you know what, I think I am okay with that. New Year, new me. I feel it this year, everything in my professional life is going well, and I’m happy with that.
“Happy New Year, Axel,” I scream, seeing Axel beside me alone, strange. Where is Olivia?
“Happy New Year,” he mumbles.
Wait. Hang on a minute, I know the man is moody, but this isn’t him. “What’s the matter, and where’s the sexy princess? Shouldn’t she be trying to make your sad face happy again? If you know what I mean.” I wiggle my eyebrows, trying to make him laugh.
“I don’t fucking care where she is as long as it’s far, far away from me,” he says angrily, those whiskey-colored eyes flaring with what appears to be hurt.
I stop dancing to the music and stare at him. I’ve never heard him be vicious like that before. “Excuse me, what the hell did you say?”
“She’s a fucking liar, D. She played me and played me good.”
Axel is hurt. What did Olivia do? She hasn’t said anything to me. “What the fuck is going on?” His voice is tense.
“She has a fucking fiancé, D. A fiancé,” he yells, making the people around us stare. I grab his arm and haul him off the dance floor to somewhere private where we can talk. I assumed he knew, but he needs to know her engagement isn’t as black and white as he believes.
“No shit! The dude is a douchebag. He’s spent all holiday screwing his way around London. He’s been on holiday with her sister,her fucking sister,and we all know what probably happened there, don’t we?”
“You knew?” he asks, looking more hurt than before.
“Yes, we all did.”
“How long?” he asks through gritted teeth.
“Since Monaco.”
“That’s been over a month,” he yells at me.
Shit. I didn’t think he would care so much unless … “You weren’t supposed to fall for her.”
“Yeah, no fucking shit, D.” He growls, storming off from me.
“Ax,” I call after him, which he promptly ignores. He is truly pissed. Now I feel bad. Axel doesn’t let his guard down often, and it looks like he did with her. I grab his arm again and he almost takes a swing at me.
“You wanna have a fucking go, mate.”
Axel looks distraught. “No, I want you to leave me the fuck alone,” he yells, pushing me in the chest and making me stumble back. “I can’t believe you fucking lied to me, D.Youlied tome.” Hearing the pain in his voice breaks me.
“I’m sorry, Ax. I am so sorry,” I tell him. It wasn’t like we were hiding that she was engaged, we just didn’t acknowledge it because we hoped that she might change her mind, but I had no idea things between the two of them would end up with Axel looking this hurt. I thought it was just sex.
