“Did you save this for me?” I ask, clutching her hand, giving it a squeeze.
“I want to say yes, because surely I’d get brownie points for that, but no. I hadn’t even noticed you were still floating around.”
“Gee, thanks, Mom. Aren’t moms supposed to be moms until they die?”
She laughs out loud while my stomach sinks. I shouldn’t be joking about that. Ever. And in her case, that reality is closer than I’d prefer to admit.
“I’m sorry, darling daughter. I should have been focused on you while attending the rehearsal dinner for my son’s wedding.” She raises an eyebrow and I finally smile.
“Thank you. I’m glad you’ve seen the error of your ways.”
Mom laughs again before her eyes bounce around the room. “You did an amazing job, Keeley. And in case that brother of yours fails to say thank you, you should know he appreciates it. Just ask your sister. He actually said ‘wow.’” She points to my sister, Addison, and I smile her way.
“That’s huge. And thank you. You know I’d ensure nothing but the best for my baby bro. Though I still can’t believe he’s getting married.”
“I can.” She glances his way, her eyes welling with so much pride that emotion swells in my chest. “From the first moment I saw him look at Paige, I knew she was it. I’d never seen him look at anyone else that way.”
Certainly not his ex. She was a piece of work. “He may drive me crazy, but God, I’m happy he found Paige.”
“Honestly, I think she found him.”
I follow Mom’s line of sight to watch Paige and Easton smiling with Isaac, and my stupid eyes start to water.
“You’re not getting emotional are you, little sister?” Addison calls out from across the table next to ours, drawing attention from a few people on our side of the room. She’s not the type to leave anything alone. In fact, I have no doubt that if she livedhere in San Francisco, she’d probably have sleuthed her way into outing me and Sal. She loves a good scoop.
“Never,” I lie, poking my tongue out. “I got some mascara in my eye. Excuse me.”
No one pays me any mind as I get up and sneak away, heading to the bathroom under the guise of a sore eye. In reality, I need a moment. Addie’s right to be shocked by my emotions. And I normally wouldn’t let them show except for the simple fact that my brother and best friend are getting married. Paige is going to be my sister, she’s going to officially adopt Isaac, and they’re going to have an amazing life together. They would’ve had a great life together whether they got married or not, but the adoption would have been more complicated, while next week’s little ceremony ties it up in a nice little bow.
I take a deep breath as I stare in the mirror, smiling away my impending tears. If I’m a mess now, how the hell am I going to get through the wedding without fucking up my makeup? I’ll be standing in front of the entire goddamn room.
And…dammit, Isaac’s going to be a ring bearer.
Gently wiping under my eyes, I brush a stray strand of hair behind my ear where it belongs and straighten out my perfectly straight dress, laughing at myself. I’m Keeley fucking Reynolds. I don’t get emotional at rehearsal dinners. I don’t get emotional in general. I’m fine.
Satisfied with my little pep talk, I open the door to find Sal pacing in the hallway, his perfectly tailored suit molding to what I now know to be a ripped body. A body I’ve yet to get out of my mind.
He stops when he sees me, his shoulders relaxing as he releases a sigh.
“What has you so tense?” I ask, walking over to greet him.
Instead of telling me how he feels, he grabs my hand and drags me back in the direction of the bathrooms, pulling me inside the family restroom and locking the door behind him.
“You.” He squeezes my hand. “I saw you upset and then you disappeared suddenly. Is everything okay?”
“God. Yes.” I release a soft laugh. “It’s stupid. I was getting emotional over Easton and Paige.”
Sal’s eyes widen before he chuckles. “You don’t like showing any kind of vulnerability, do you?”
“Not unless I’m naked. With you. Then I don’t mind it.”
“Keeley.”
“I know. Wrong place and definitely the wrong time.”
“When have we ever been in the right place?”
“Very true.” I jokingly grab the thin strap of my dress, and Sal rushes to stop me, his touch like fire when he brushes my hand away.
