She was serious about what she told me earlier. She’s perfectly capable of handling everything else. Which makes me wonder if she had me deal with Parker because she was forcing us to talk more. It makes sense.
As soon as I turn around, I see Parker striding through the restaurant to the private room. Speak of the devil. He looks handsome in his dark denim jeans and button up shirt. Completely different from his laid-back look when he’s at the winery.
“Hello beautiful.” He places a kiss on my cheek before making the rounds to greet the rest of my family. I’m glad he’s respectful and does it without me having to remind him. Finally, he makes his way back to me. He lifts a small section of my hair. “I’m glad you didn’t go back to your original hair color because of your mom. It feels like forever since I’ve seen you.”
“I know. This week has been such a whirlwind. The set up for the wedding is gorgeous, though. You really outdid yourself.” I lean into him and wrap an arm around his waist.
“Only because I know it’ll make you and your sister happy.” He kisses the top of my head. “Wait until you see the canopy during the ceremony tomorrow.”
“Please tell me they are lit up.”
“If I did that, I’d ruin the surprise.” He laughs. “Where are we sitting?”
“My sister is going to lose her mind when she sees them.” I pull him to the other side of the table with my family. Adam is sitting on the other side of our seats. Thank goodness because I don’t think I could handle any of Dani’s single friends hitting on him throughout dinner. Not when I’ve realized just how much he means to me.
“That’s kind of the point.” He grins as we take our seats. “I figured she would love them.” He glances over the menu while the server takes our drink order. I’m surprised he doesn’t order an actual drink, but I’m sure he has his reasons. He probably doesn’t want to wake up with a headache. Thank goodness my sister seems to be taking the same approach when she orders a sweet tea.
The rest of her bridal party walks in, loud and obnoxious. Why can’t they seem to know when you should have some decorum. Honestly, I hope she finds better friends soon. Even my mom has a look of disgust on her face.
“Sorry we’re late.” Hailey says as they take the empty seats. “We wanted to freshen up before coming over.” I don’t miss the way she bats her eyelashes at Parker.
He looks away from her, and I could kiss him for it. She isn’t one to back down, but I know Parker can handle himself. I hear a buzzing sound and realize it’s coming from Parker.
He pulls the phone out of his pocket and rolls his eyes. “I need to take this. If the server comes around for food orders, can you order what I got last time?”
“Sure. I hope everything’s okay.”
“Me, too.”
I watch him walk away with his phone to his ear. He’s running his hand through his hair which I’ve noticed is something he does when he’s stressed.
“Hey, I need to go to the restroom.” My sister bends down next to me. “Come with?”
“Sure.” I scoot back my chair and follow her toward the front of the restaurant.
Parker is standing near the bar arguing with someone who looks like he could be his brother. I wonder if this is Phillip. My arm goes out to stop my sister and I wait to see what they are saying.
“You didn’t need to come fetch me like I’m a misguided child, Phillip. Piper told me about the canopy and she’s fixing it.” His arms are flailing about as if to prove his point. I wonder what happened to the canopy.
“Yes, I did. You don’t even need to be here. It’s not like any of this is real.” His brother throws his hands on his hips. “She is your fake girlfriend.”
I hear the sudden intake of breath from my sister and chase after her into the bathroom. Note to self, no more eavesdropping because it leads to secrets being spilled.
“You aren’t even dating?” She whirls on me as soon as I close the door behind me. “All of this, the hanging out, everything has been a lie.” She paces back and forth. I hate that I’m ruining this night for my sister. “Is his family in on it? Is that why we were welcomed with open arms? They knew we wouldn’t be around long.”
“No, Dani.” I run a hand down my face. “I didn’t know one of his brothers knew. And yes, it started out as fake. We were going to amicably break up after the wedding. No harm. No foul. But we blurred the lines. It’s not fake for me anymore. It hasn’t been for a long time.”
“You know, you could have told me.” She points a finger at me. “We’re supposed to be sisters. The one you share all your secrets with. Me and Jacob genuinely like Parker. To find out it was all fabricated hurts.”
This is the fallout I was scared of. For my baby sister to lose all respect for me. Now I know why Parker feels the way he does about Pierce. It’s how he treats them that makes them dislike him. Now, I fear I’ve lost all trust with my sister. And maybe my parents.
“I’m so sorry, Dani. I didn’t mean for you to find out like this. I was going to tell him how I feel after the wedding and hope he feels the same way about me.”
I watch as my sister wipes a tear from her face. One Parker and I caused. “Tell him to go figure out what’s wrong with the canopy. I don’t really want to be around either of you right now.” She hurries to the bathroom door. “Even though I’m mad at you, tell him how you feel. From the outside, it looked real. And don’t worry, I won’t tell Mom and Dad. I expect him to be your plus one at the reception. Whatever happens after that is up to the two of you.”
It’s no surprise we’ve screwed up everything. I’m not sure Daniela will ever look at us the same.
Pulling my phone out of my skirt, I send a text to Parker.
