“We’re very much in love and we couldn’t wait.”
“Yes, she is wearing her grandmother’s dress.”
“It’s going to be something, isn’t it?”
“I’m ready to go home,” Avery muttered after we’d had several versions of the same conversation with various friends and relatives. We were the last people to grab plates. By then, my brother Remy was already tapping on his glass to start the speeches.
“Thank you all for coming today to celebrate the union of Blade and Avery. We are all very pleased to welcome Avery into our family. It’s always good when we have a woman to even out the odds! As the eldest, I always put family first. We may fight, but we’re always honest with each other, and we have each other’s backs. Avery seems like the type of woman who has those same small-town values.” Remy beamed at us.
The speech was making me feel slightly guilty, but then I gazed at Avery and thought,No, actually, I do want to spend the rest of my life with her.
Weston took the microphone.
“Blade, you are my Irish twin, my brother in corporate arms, my cofounder. I must admit, I was a little miffed when you brought Avery home as your future wife, but now I see how perfect you are for each other.”
“You are perfect for me,” I mouthed to her.
She leaned against me then stiffened when her father grabbed the microphone from Weston. He was clearly drunk and wavering slightly as he fumbled with the stand.
“Avery,” he said. Was he going to make amends and tell her how proud he was of her?
“I know you are lying to all of these people,” Chad continued. And apparently he was not.
Avery looked sick. Greg and Hunter were tense. Was this it? Was our fake relationship going to blow up?
“You have all of these people convinced that you’re some sort of hometown hero, that you’re quirky and funny. The reality is that you’re just like your mother. She was a liar, a cheat, and a drug addict. She trapped men and manipulated them. Blade is not the first love of your life you’ve brought around. In fact, at every single family event you have attended, you have brought a different man and claimed he was the love of your life. Avery, you are, dare I say, a slut.”
I stood up abruptly. “Shut up,” I said quietly.
Chad pointed a finger at me. “You don’t see it? None of you see that she’s manipulating you, just as her mother did to me. I’m trying to save you. What’s the expression, bros before hoes?”
“You are now disinvited from the wedding,” I told him coldly.
“Good,” he said, pushing over a chair in his haste to leave. “I never wanted to walk her down the aisle. I hope you two have a miserable life.”
Avery was shell-shocked when her father left. “I’m sorry he ruined the evening,” Avery told me. “He’s such an awful person.”
“Have a drink, dear,” her grandmother said. “You and your father have some issues, but deep down, he loves you.”
“Does he?”
“You have to let him walk you down the aisle!” Dottie cried.
“He clearly doesn’t want to,” I countered.
“Oh, but I’ve waited for this moment my whole life,” Dottie gushed. “I’ll talk to him. Chad had a bit too much to drink. He’s probably upset about losing his little girl.”
“That seems to be the part he’s excited about,” Avery said wryly.
“Nonsense,” her grandmother soothed.
While Avery chatted with her friends, I checked my email. I had a short but sweet honeymoon planned. I knew Avery would want to return to her new estate house as quickly as possible. Additionally, ThinkX had made it to the next round for the Honest Pet Company contract. I wanted to be in town just in case they scheduled a meeting.
I smiled at Avery. This was another example of how well we worked together. We were both driven, goal-oriented workaholics. I knew without a doubt that she would appreciate what I had planned for the honeymoon.
I went over and wrapped my arms around her. “I’m so happy you’re going to be my wife,” I said, tilting her head up and kissing her.
“We just have to make it through the wedding, then it’s smooth sailing,” she replied.
