She gave him a wink and waved us off.
A heaviness settled over me as we walked to the limo and Bryce let me in. Glamma was right. This was all part of growing old, a gift and a struggle I’d never have with my own mother. When Bryce got in, he sat beside me and squeezed my hand.
“Ready for tonight?” he asked.
I nodded, looking up at him. His eyes were so dazzling, even in the dim light. “I love you,” I breathed. I hadn’t said it yet, not outright, but I wanted him to know. Because if life had taught me anything, it could all be taken away at any moment.
Bryce traced his thumb over my chin, whispering, “I love you too,” before sealing the words with a heart-melting kiss.
60.Bryce
The limo dooropened to a red carpet surrounded by paparazzi.
I got out of the limo first and waited by the door to help Jada out. Her eyes were wide and overwhelmed as she took it all in, so I folded her hand over the crook of my arm and whispered in her ear, “Breathe.”
She gave me an embarrassed smile, but her chest lifted with a deep breath taken through her nose.
After giving her a kiss on the cheek, we walked together down the carpet, slowly. I wouldn’t want her to trip in her heels. I could just imagine how we looked together—she was so gorgeous in her gown, people would probably wonder what she was doing with me. I probably appeared plain next to her, her curly hair adorned with a gorgeous sapphire comb passed down from her mother. Her dark skin smooth and glowing next to my winter pallor. Her eyes glittering with hidden depths, mine a shallow blue. Even her height stood out.
I posed proudly next to her, grinning while paparazzi shouted for us to look at them and give a smile. There were a few asked questions about our upcoming wedding, how we met, and I fielded them naturally.
When we were finally inside and out of the flashing lights, I could see Jada’s shoulders sag with relief. “Please tell me it gets easier from here,” she murmured as guests entered the building and moved past us into the expansive ballroom where music was spilling through the massive open doors.
“It gets better,” I said.
She narrowed her gaze. “Now tell me you’re telling the truth.”
I brushed my fingers over my lips, making her shake her head.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be with you the entire time. Plus, you have to try these filet mignon bites they have. I look forward to them every year.”
Arching a brow, she asked, “Are you telling me you’re here for the food?”
“You weren’t here before, so I can’t say the company,” I teased.
Another couple brushed past us, and when I recognized them, we said hello.
“We should go in,” she said softly. “I want to see your world. Meet your people. I still haven’t met Jude yet.”
I nodded, despite the sour feeling in my stomach. Before, I was most eager for her to meet him, but now I couldn’t know if he would treat her with the respect she deserved. Though I couldn’t tell her that without explaining the way Jude had violated her privacy. It was best if we left that nightmare in the past where it belonged.
Inside the ballroom, several people danced in front of a string orchestra with a musician crooning softly into a microphone. Servers dressed sharply in black-and-white uniforms carried gleaming trays of food and drinks amongst the guests while candlelit centerpieces beckoned from tables draped with crisp white linens.
“Glamma needs to come next year,” Jada said in awe. “She’d love this.” The mention of her had my stomach swirling with nerves.
“Should we call and check in on her?” I asked.
Jada nodded. “I’ll take it to the bathroom.”
“You can do it in here,” I offered with a smile. “So she can see it for herself this year.”
The idea seemed to cheer her up. For the next few minutes, we talked on a video call with Glamma—or rather, her forehead and the tops of her reading glasses. She oohed and ahhed and asked Jada if there was enough room to stuff a centerpiece in her purse.
Jada pursed her lips and said, “Glamma, I’m not stealing a centerpiece. Now, tell me, how’s your knee?”
She muttered something about it being swollen. “But everything’s swollen these days. It’ll go down soon.”
Jada and I exchanged a nervous look, but I said, “Thanks for letting us know. Have a great night!”
