I don’t know the story, but I sure want to. It’s always fun when my brothers get slapped around by their girls. It brings me so much joy. And it’s fun to give them shit for it, too.
“That’s when I found my worth,” Cassidy continues. “I realized Logan treated me badly becauseItreated myself badly. That day our relationship took a turn. I realized my worth, and so did he.” She twirls away again, beaming. “I always wanted an amazing wedding, but seriously, you really think anything can overshadow me inthisdress? Do me a favor. Turn around and ask your girlfriend to dance.”
She pecks my cheek, then spins me around. My chest tightens and my heart contracts until it hurts. But it’s a satisfying pain.
I wish I could say it’s because Blair looks spellbinding in her navy dress, but it’s not that. It’s the fact my brothers went behind my back and brought her downstairs without me knowing. It’s because Ana, Rose, andMiastand beside her without an ounce of tension in the room.
How did I get so lucky?
“Thank you,” I tell Cass.
“Oh, stop it,” she whispers, holding back the tears welling in her eyes. “Don’t mind me. I’ve been like this since I got pregnant with Noah. Too emotional.” She pushes me forward a step. “Go before you ruin my makeup and Logan ruins your face.”
As I start walking, crossing the room toward Blair, the girls make themselves scarce.
“They wouldn’t take no for an answer,” Blair mutters, her cheeks pink. “Even Logan came upstairs.”
“I told you they wouldn’t mind.” I dip my head, pecking her lips. “You must be starving. Come on, you should eat something and then we’ll dance.”
She bites her cheek, looking up at me. “I can’t dance.”
“What do you mean you can’t dance? What about all those banquets and balls you went to?”
“I wasn’t there to dance,” she says, something dark marring her features before she blinks it away, shooting me a coy smile. “Can you teach me?”
She’s deflecting, pivoting my attention from the sadness in her eyes. While all I want is to drag her back upstairs to talk, I think we could both use a few hours of not thinking about the hard things.
“I’ll teach you.” After I stamp a kiss on her head, we knot our fingers together, and I take her to our table, where somebody’s added another chair between me and Ana.
I have the best family in the world.
THIRTY-SEVEN
Cody
IT’S ALMOST FIVE IN THE MORNING before I make my way upstairs after spending two hours answering my brothers’ questions about Blair. Their drilling skills would be an asset in the forces, for sure. Some of the questions they came up with tripped me over big time.
Together with Ana, B disappeared as soon as the band stopped playing.
As much as I wanted to follow, I had to relay the story to the older four like I had to Colt and Conor the night before. At least this time, I wasn’t on the verge of a mental breakdown and it was easier to talk, knowing she was asleep two floors up.
Colt was considerate enough to invite Abby into his room for the night so Ana could sleep in a bed rather than on the loveseat in our room.
I gently push the door open, careful not to wake B, but I step inside to find her sitting on the bed smiling at me, the night lamp bathing the room in a soft, orange glow.
“Why aren’t you sleeping?” I ask, pulling my tie off. “You didn’t have to wait.”
“I thought you’d want to talk, so I stayed up, organizing my head. Are you sober enough to listen?”
Stripping down to my boxers, I climb into bed, resting against the headboard, my heart picking up speed. “I barely had a drink all night, B.” I had more than my share last night and didn’t feel like waking up with another hangover. “I’m sober.”
She makes herself comfortable, sitting cross-legged as she pinches the comforter between her fingers. “Just please... don’t get all worked up, okay?”
“When has a line like that ever calmed someone down, baby?”
She nods solemnly, inhaling deeply as if bracing for something nasty. “That man...” she starts, looking up from picking her nails. “The one who was there when I smashed the glasses, the one I wore the red dresses for, the one who screamed at me... he’s my father.”
“Your father? But he’s... he looks really young.”
