Leif didn’t even bother with that much of a greeting. He tipped his head at Saylor then stepped back to complete our half circle.
I tried not to let his aloofness bother me. But I could tell it made Saylor feel even more awkward. She shifted next to me and clutched my arm in a tighter grip than before.
Danny stepped up and offered his hand to Saylor with a grin. “Is this the infamous wife?”
“Saylor, this is our manager, Danny Conlan,” I said with a barely concealed eyeroll. “Danny, this is the infamous wife, Saylor Holt.”
Saylor shook his hand with a smile. “Nice to meet you.”
“Christ, did you rob a high school, Mal?” Danny laughed. “She looks the same age as my daughter, Bette.”
“Not funny, fucker. Only way Saylor has been in a school recently was to teach. Try to treat my woman with some respect.”
Since Bette just finished eighth grade, it was a disgusting comparison.
“Oh, you teach?” Danny asked innocently like he hadn’t just insulted me and her.
Saylor lifted a shoulder. “Not anymore.”
“Ah, right.” Danny nodded sagely. “You married this lug so…”
His implication hung in the air between us.
Fucker.
I put a hand on Danny’s chest and shoved him away from my wife. “Back the fuck off. Saylor is going to go into fashion. She made the fucking amazing dress she’s wearing. She’s got talent and she wants to do something with it. Sound familiar?”
“Hey, hey, I’m sorry okay?” Danny lifted his palms in placation. “I heard about your quickie wedding and made a few assumptions. Clearly the wrong assumptions. You wouldn’t be stupid enough to get talked into marriage without a prenup and vetting your bride-to-be. I just heard all those reports about her runaway bride thing and assumed… I’m sorry, Saylor.”
She bit her lip and shrugged. But the fact that she didn’t immediately accept his half-assed apology made me so fucking proud of her.
Danny nodded back and took a spot in our little circle far away from us.
We stood there and talked for another ten minutes.
Twenty minutes.
At half an hour, I begged Ryker to text them again.
“Where the fuck are they?” I grumbled.
“Maybe we should start the service without them?” Ryker offered.
“It’s gonna be like ten minutes tops,” I replied. “If we start without them, there’s a good chance we’ll finish without them too.”
Almost like I spoke it into existence, the gate opened and a disgruntled Beau stomped into the cemetery, followed by his prancing wife who was wearing the hugest hat I’d ever seen.
“Beau! Finally!” Ryker crowed. “We were getting ready to start without you.”
“Sorry, guys.” Beau pushed a hand through his long brown hair. “You know how it is with women—can’t show up until you’re fashionably late.”
“No, can’t relate.” I gave him a blank stare. “We’ve been here for thirty minutes. My mom, my wife, and my assistant had no problem getting ready on time.”
Beau winced. “Sorry guys.”
“Let’s get this show on the road,” I muttered.
Holding Saylor’s hand, we made our way down the path and toward the tent set up on the vibrantly green grass.
