8. Evan
8
EVAN
“ D o you remember that one Christmas in Vail when you invited me to come along with you guys?” I settled into one of the chairs on the back terrace of the Goldsmith estate, a scotch in hand.
The night was quiet and still. The calm before the storm, maybe. This time tomorrow, I’d be a married man.
Colton chuckled, nodding. “That’s right. We had a great time, didn’t we?”
“Easy for you to say,” Noah snorted from his chair, stretching his legs out and propping his feet on the edge of the table. “You’re not the one who spent half the time with a broken arm.”
“Hey. Nobody told you to drink in the hot tub,” Lucian reminded him. “Whose dumbass fault is it that you slipped and fell getting out?”
“I thought your mom was going to kill you,” I told him, raising the pitch of my voice and wagging a finger. “I turn my back on you for one minute, and now you’re going to spend Christmas Day with your arm in a cast.”
“Watch it with the impersonation,” Noah warned, chuckling. “She’s somewhere inside, and she has superhuman hearing.”
“You couldn’t use the new skis your parents bought you, either.” Colton snickered, adding, “You’re lucky I was nice enough to break them in for you.”
Noah pointed at him from across the table, his face going red in the glow of lights strung overhead. “I knew that was you! And you spent the next week telling me it wasn’t!”
“It wasn’t my fault you were so doped up on painkillers that you were out of it when we left for the slopes.” Colton ducked out of the way of the crumpled-up napkin Noah threw at him, making us all laugh.
Miles shook his head, swirling scotch in his glass. “I don’t know if I’ve ever said this out loud, but the four of you are damn lucky to have what you have. This shared history.”
“You’re part of it now,” I reminded him. “And we have years ahead of us.”
“Yeah, you’re marrying into the madness,” Lucian joked. “There’s no escaping. Sorry about that.”
“No need to apologize. I couldn’t be happier.” Miles had a funny way of showing it since he looked miserable as hell, even when he tried to play it off the way he did now by offering a humorless chuckle. “I only hope Aria is never sorry she decided to get mixed up with me.” Was it my imagination, or did he and Lucian exchange a look?
I glanced at Colton, but he was oblivious, reading something on his phone. “Rose says the girls are having a sleepover party the way they used to back in the day. I guess we’re all thinking along the same lines tonight.”
“It’s a shame we’re here and not there,” Noah mused as he poured another drink from the vintage Macallan bottle sitting in the center of the table. Ari had broken it out for us when we arrived after the rehearsal dinner, a special gift on a special night. It was buttery, smooth like velvet as it rolled down my throat and spread warmth through my chest.
“Yeah, we could play pranks on them the way we used to,” I laughed. It had been years since I thought about it. “When was it that we fucked with them when they were playing with that Ouija board? At the cabin in New Hampshire? I think we were all still in high school.”
“I’ve never heard about this,” Miles reminded us. “What did you do?”
“Nothing major.” Colton’s lips twitched like he tried to hold back laughter. “We just went out to the breaker box and fucked with the lights to make the girls think they had made contact with a ghost. No big deal.”
“Remember the way they screamed?” Noah’s head fell back as he let out a hearty laugh. “We could hear them from outside with all the doors and windows shut. They really thought they were opening a portal to another dimension or some shit.”
“Right,” Lucian recalled. “And when they told our parents when they got home from being out, we all got our asses chewed.”
I waved a hand. “I could tell your dads were trying not to laugh, even when they were telling us off. The kind of thing a parent has to do at a time like that.”
“You know that’s going to be us someday, right?” Colton pointed out. “They’ll think we’re hypocrites, the way I always thought my dad was a hypocrite. It hasn’t been too long since I felt that way, come to think of it.”
We fell into silence, all of us lost in our thoughts. It took an event like this to get a man thinking about the past, the future, and the choices he made. I would never regret mine. Hell, it was torture being without Valentina for a single night. I couldn’t remember the last night I hadn’t checked in on Isabel at least once, just to be sure she was all right.
“I would like to make a toast.” Colton tapped the table with his palm, picking up the bottle of scotch. “Come on. Glasses.”
“What are we drinking to?” I asked.
“The hell do you think?” he asked, rolling his eyes. “I swear. They’ll have to engrave ‘It was just a joke’ on your headstone someday. We’re drinking to us. Somehow, we managed to find the women we will never deserve but who, for some reason, put up with us.”
“So we’re drinking to them never running out of patience with us?” Miles asked.
“Something like that.” When we were all ready, Colton raised his glass. “To the future. Whatever it holds, we’ll be able to get through it together.”
“I think I can drink to that,” Noah announced, tapping his glass to Colton’s. We all did the same, toasting each other before draining our glasses.
However, as we did it again, I couldn’t help noticing Miles’ hesitation. The way his smile slipped.
Why the hell was I so jittery?
“I can’t believe I’m nervous. This is insane.” I had to laugh at myself as I drummed my knees with my hands while the limo pulled out of the Goldsmith driveway and turned onto the street, taking me that much closer to my future. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that I’d found the perfect woman—the other half of my soul.
We had gotten a beautiful day, and I hoped as I stared out the window that Valentina could relax a little now that we knew the weather wouldn’t be a problem today. There were so many little things that could go wrong, though granted, neither of us had anticipated losing the entire bridal party’s outfits so close to the big day.
“It’s not insane,” Colton assured me. “If it is, that means I’m insane too. I was nervous as hell.”
“It only means you’re human,” Lucian insisted. “There’s nothing to be nervous about. Nobody pays attention to the groom, anyway.”
“Thanks for your support.” I snickered while pulling out my phone. I had been texting Valentina throughout the morning, and the last message was to tell her we were getting ready to leave. Sure, a lot of it had to do with making sure she felt all right today. Part of it, though, was my need to reach out to her.
This was a day that had been years in the making. Whenever I thought about it that way, a profound sense of gratitude washed over me. That, and the need to connect with her in any way I could.
Me: I can’t wait to see you. How is Isabel? Behaving, I hope?
Valentina: She’s an angel. Wait until you see her. You’ll die, she’s so cute.
Me: I hope I don’t since that would mean not getting to see you.
“The photographers are here,” Colton observed as we pulled into the front courtyard of the Black estate. “Shit. Whoever was in charge of decorating must have worked through the night.”
When I looked up from my phone, I saw what he meant. It didn’t seem possible for the exterior of the house to be so elaborately decorated in a matter of hours, but the results were in front of me by the time we came to a stop. One of the hired staff opened the limo door, and I stepped out, ignoring the clicking of shutters all around me as the photographers documented this moment. Candid shots were better, anyway, meaning we would always be able to look back on my open-mouthed surprise.
The porch railing was draped in lush floral garland with lanterns hanging from the eaves and vines of flowers wound around the columns. There were more lanterns on posts staked into the ground running along the edge of the driveway and courtyard with the same floral garland draped between them. The scent of the flowers was almost overwhelming, but in a good way, stirred by the breeze coming off the water.
“This is incredible,” Miles announced with a smile as he took it in. “I honestly didn’t expect it to be this… beautiful.”
“Wait until you see what they’ve set up in back.” Evelyn stepped out onto the porch wearing a floor-length, pale pink dress that sparkled a little when she moved. “You won’t be able to believe your eyes.”
“You look lovely,” I told her, kissing her cheek once she reached us. “How are the girls holding up?”
“Like I said. You won’t be able to believe your eyes.” She winked, accepting Miles’ kiss. “I can’t believe it. I’m gaining two sons today. Everything is changing so fast.”
“For the better?” I asked, making her laugh gently.
“You know it’s for the better, smarty.” We paused for photos, then walked around the perimeter of the house instead of through and possibly seeing something we weren’t supposed to just yet.
“Have my parents arrived?” I asked, scanning the random clusters of people already scattered across the back lawn. Evelyn wasn’t kidding. The set-up for the ceremony was beyond what I had imagined. Rows of chairs were divided by a white runner wide enough for Magnus to walk both Aria and Valentina at the same time. On both sides of the runner, at the beginning of every row, there was a lush arrangement of roses, lilies, hydrangeas, and flowers I didn’t recognize. Along the outside of the rows, thick pillars had been set in place.
If today had turned out rainy, a tent would have been set up over them, but there was no need for that. Instead, more of the same garland was swagged between them and ran overhead until there was practically a ceiling of flowers. Every so often, a petal or two would drift down when the breeze blew.
At the end of the runner was the elaborate archway set up over the raised platform where a string quartet warmed up. Photographers wandered in and out, taking candid shots, while the officiant chatted with Magnus and Barrett. However, I couldn’t find my parents anywhere.
“I’m sure they’ll be here soon,” Evelyn offered. “It’s a shame they couldn’t spend the weekend with us.”
“I’m pretty sure they were both afraid the other one would show up,” I joked. “Believe me. Having them under the same roof would have made the weekend miserable.”
“Did you eat today?” she asked, going into Mom mode. It was probably easier to fall back on habit than to reflect on her daughters getting married in less than an hour. “I can’t have either of you passing out in the middle of the ceremony.”
“And risk getting this dirty?” Miles asked, brushing a hand down the front of his navy suit. “Aria would have my head.”
“You can wear a bib if you need to,” she retorted, laughing. “There’s a ton of food inside. I’ll fix you both a little plate and tie a napkin around your neck.”
Miles smiled fondly as he watched her retreat into the house. The roar of activity inside was audible as soon as she opened the door. “I’ve wondered so many times what my life would have been if I’d been raised by a mother like her,” he admitted.
It was rare for him to open up like that. We all knew his mother had been no picnic, putting it mildly. She had made it her life’s mission to twist him up inside, feeding him lies and blaming Magnus and Evelyn for all of her problems back when Miles was a baby. He had gone through a lot of shit to make it to where he was today, sitting on top of a tech empire, about to marry into a large, loving family like the Millers and everyone who came with them.
“To tell you the truth, I’ve wondered the same thing for years.” Gazing over the grounds again, my heart sank a little. “My parents can’t be bothered to show up early enough for us to have a few minutes before the ceremony. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were both waiting for the other one to arrive first so they wouldn’t have to bump into each other out in the courtyard.”
“I’m sure they’ll pull it together for your sake today,” he offered, though, of course, that was the sort of thing a person said at a time like this.
“Still,” I mused. “Everything turned out the way it was supposed to. Right? If anything in our lives went slightly differently, we wouldn’t be here now.”
“You sound downright philosophical. Are you sure you’re feeling well?” He touched the back of his hand on my forehead, and I shoved his arm away, both of us laughing.
We were roughly twenty minutes from the start of the ceremony by the time Dad arrived, shortly followed by my mother and her boyfriend, Scotty. It would’ve been nice if she had left him at home, considering it seemed the only reason she brought him was to show off in front of Dad.
“Do you think I could get a photo with just the two of you?” I asked her as she hung on Scotty’s arm like they’d accidentally glued themselves together.
“I’m sure you haven’t forgotten how to stand on your own two legs,” Dad muttered, scowling at her as he adjusted his cuffs and tie. “Unless you’re feeling a little unsteady in your old age.”
This was everything Valentina and I would never be. I couldn’t imagine ever speaking to her like that or disrespecting her in any way, especially in front of Isabel, no matter how old she was.
I was more sure of myself than ever by the time Colton offered to show them to their seats. “Rose texted,” he murmured, escorting Mom. I noticed she didn’t mind letting go of Scotty if it meant taking his arm instead. “They’re almost ready to go in there.”
This was it.
My pulse picked up speed, but there were no more nerves. Now, it was all about anticipation. My head was on a swivel, searching for Miles. I had lost sight of him while dealing with my parents. I caught Noah’s eye and mouthed the word Miles, but he only shrugged.
I walked around the house’s perimeter, greeting a few guests in passing, one eye trained for him. Finally, I found him on the front porch, pacing while staring at the floor and rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. The other he shook out like he was nervous, and now I noticed how rapidly he was breathing. Cold feet? He would have to be the stupidest bastard in history if he was rethinking marrying Aria.
“Hey. We’re just about ready back there.” I didn’t want to overwhelm him, considering he looked like he was in pain, but this couldn’t be avoided. “Are you feeling all right? Do you need another minute?”
“I don’t think so.” He came to a stop, then heaved a sigh. “I don’t think another minute is going to help.”
“What are you saying?” I asked, dreading the answer.
“I’m saying I don’t think I can go through with this.”