36. Chapter Thirty Five
Chapter Thirty Five
"Sky, meet Lauren," Blaise says warmly.
We've gone upstairs with Mrs. Nolan — no, Mackenzie — and finally, I get to meet the bride-to-be.
Lauren is the perfect girl next door. Long auburn hair, bright green eyes, and a warm smile. She's a bit shorter than me, but she holds herself well, standing like she's the tallest in the room as she radiates with confidence.
"Hi," she greets, pulling me in for a hug.
I hug her back, amazed that everyone in this family is so touchy-feely.
"Hey Lauren. Congratulations!"
She beams at me, eyes shifting to Mackenzie. "She's adorable, isn't she?"
"Did you hear the news?" Mackenzie says, putting her arm around my shoulder. "She's Blaise's girlfriend."
Lauren looks at me, surprised. "Serious? Oh, I love that for you guys! I thought you were just roommates."
Blaise lingers in the doorway, casually leaning against the frame. "It's recent," he says again.
"Well, that's great! Anyway, let me introduce you to my girls," Lauren murmurs softly, ushering me further into the room.
It's a vision of white and florals — dresses hanging up, bouquets packed together, and makeup and hair supplies scattered around the room.
The girls have blown up mattresses stacked against the wall, and they all give me a wave as I cringe at the thought of having to remember another bunch of names.
"We have Meredith, my maid of honor," she says, pointing to the brunette on the far left. "Stacey is next to her. Then, Sara. And in the corner is Chantelle."
"Hi guys," I say politely. "It looks like you have all been busy too." I motion to the floor, wondering if perhaps any of these wedding accessories came from Marco's warehouse. Maybe I packed one of them before I quit.
Lauren lets out a groan. "It's been chaotic. But thankfully we're all ready for tomorrow! How is the food going, Mack? Do you need a hand?"
Mackenzie swats a hand at her. "I told you, you're not helping. This is about you and Alfie. Besides, I have Skylar here."
I nod eagerly. "I'm more than happy to help."
Lauren laughs. "Okay, but we're all happy to help. We're just so thankful you're letting us get married here."
"Please," Blaise draws out. "Mom insisted on it."
Mackenzie turns on Blaise, wagging her finger at him. "Nothing wrong with that. That's why we have this big property so you guys can use it. Maybe one day you'll use it too," she says suggestively.
I feel heat flush through my cheeks and I avoid looking at Blaise. Lauren laughs at Mackenzie's gesture, smiling at her.
"Don't rush them, Mack. You'll scare the poor girl off."
I love that Lauren is so confident with Blaise's family. They all seem close-knit. It actually reminds me of my own family, and I make a note to reach out to my parents when I get back home. I should go and visit them. I've been delaying it until Uncle Logie's farewell, but I'm all they have left.
Seeing all of Blaise's family here, laughing together, reminds me that there's more to life than emotionally challenged men who break hearts for fun.
"It takes a lot to scare me off," I grin at Lauren. "Besides, it can't be any worse than living with Blaise."
"Hey!" he wheezes. "What did I do?"
I shrug. "Oh, nothing."
Mackenzie elbows me gently. "He made you watch movies, didn't he?"
Swinging around, I gape at her. "You know about that?"
"Oh, heavens," she laughs. "He got that from his father. Before everything went digital we had so many video tapes and DVDs. Every night it was a new movie with the three boys. They used to go play movie trivia. Never lost a game," she finishes proudly.
I switch my attention to Blaise, who's watching his mother with fondness and admiration. "Best nights of my life."
Lauren nods. "Alfie has a whole theater room set up in the new house we're building," she adds, looking at me. "He didn't care what design we had or what colors were on the wall. His only condition was that we had a theater room."
"We watch a lot of movies too," I tell them. "I enjoy them."
Blaise snorts, and I shake my head, ignoring him.
"Most of the time," I add on.
Mackenzie rubs Blaise's cheek. "Don't you hurt her, Blaisey. She's a good one."
"I won't," he says, smiling at me. "I better go check on Alfie. He'll probably want me to count the chairs again."
Dinner is amazing.
I had no idea Mackenzie was so talented. There's about twenty of us but she's cooked enough for at least thirty-five people. The boys have moved long tables outside onto the grass by the house, fairy lights dangling through the trees around and above us.
I'm perched next to Blaise, sitting across from Alfie. I'm fascinated by him and the way he watches Lauren. It's like they make each other glow.
"I'm so happy we're all together," Mackenzie says from the end of the table. She's sitting, facing down the table so she can see all of us like a classic head of family figure. There's an empty seat next to her, on Alfie's left, which I realize has been left reserved for Robert.
"Yeah, it's been a long time coming," Alfie muses. "Tomorrow is the big day."
Lauren rests her hand on top of his, their fingers threading together. "Don't get cold feet now."
He smiles down at her, like he's forgotten that the rest of us are here. "Not likely. I'll be up there tomorrow, waiting for you."
I hear a few of Lauren's bridesmaids sigh happily, and I look away, feeling like I'm intruding on a personal moment.
Next to me, Blaise grabs his glass of wine, leaning down to whisper to me.
"You haven't touched your wine," he says, nodding to my still-full glass.
"Alcohol and I are taking a break," I reply. "We're a little toxic together."
He smirks, shaking his head. "One glass won't kill you."
"Are you actually encouraging me to drink?" I muse.
"Well, it's not tequila," he shrugs, still smiling.
I snort quietly. "You're a bad influence," I shoot back, picking up the glass and taking a sip.
When I turn my focus back to the table, I lock eyes with Lauren and Alfie.
"You guys are so cute together," Lauren murmurs, leaning her head on Alfie's shoulder.
"Uh, thank you," I reply politely, taking a gulp.
I register the fact that Mackenzie is also watching us and I shove my knee into Blaise's under the table, hinting at him to do something.
"So, is your suit ready?" he asks Alfie, getting the signal loud and clear.
Alfie nods. "Mom moved all the suits into the guest room since it's vacant now."
God damn. The conversation just keeps coming back around to us.
"Better in there than your room," Blaise teases.
"Hey! My room is tidy," Alfie hits back.
Looking down the table, I wonder if everyone is sleeping here tonight. I assume so since there's nothing else for miles around.
"Where is everyone sleeping tonight?" I ask Alfie. "I know the girls are upstairs, but do you guys have a special place too?"
Alfie shakes his head. "We're a bit spread out. Blaise is in his room — obviously — and there's a few smaller rooms downstairs. The guys are sharing mostly."
"I'm sleeping in the living room!" Michael adds from down the other end of the table. "Best couch I've ever felt, Aunty Mack!"
Mackenzie waves her fork, pointing it at him. "Make sure you take your shoes off before you lay on it. Otherwise I'll be having words with your mother."
I laugh, along with the others. Blaise's leg brushes against mine and I glance over at him, watching as he has a drink. He notices me staring, eyes looking back out of his peripheral vision.
"What?" he asks.
"Nothing," I say, shaking my head.
It still weighs on my mind that there's only one bed in Blaise's room. But I don't think it will be a problem. As far as I know I don't take up a lot of room. Worst case scenario, I'll sleep on the bean bag.
After dinner, we all help Mackenzie tidy up. The boys pack away the tables, while the girls take leftover food and dishes inside. That's as far as she allows it though, ushering all of us out of the kitchen.
As I head to the stairs so I can fetch some fresh clothes from my bag, I spot Alfie and Lauren at the landing of the second level, saying goodnight.
"I can't wait to marry you tomorrow," Lauren grins, holding his face.
Alfie leans forward, kissing her. "I'll be waiting. Don't be late."
My heart swells. I hope I find that type of love one day.
I drag my feet up the stairs extra slow, waiting until Lauren turns, heading up to the next level. When she disappears out of view, I resume my normal pace, meeting Alfie on the landing.
"Big day tomorrow," I say to him. "You better get some rest tonight."
Alfie smiles at me, reminding me so much of Blaise. "They say it's the best day of your life. I don't think I'll get a wink of sleep tonight."
I nod. "Have a coffee in the morning. How do you take it?"
He raises an eyebrow at me, intrigued. "Cream and three sugars."
"Three?" I laugh.
"Everything has to be in increments of three or five," he says. "And two is not quite sweet enough."
I grin at him. "I'll make sure that there's coffee in the morning," I promise him, hearing footsteps coming up the stairs behind me.
We both turn, spotting Blaise. He looks between us, visibly relaxed.
"How are you feeling, Alfie?" he asks his younger brother.
Alfie nods. "I'm ready. The real question is are you ready?"
"To dance tomorrow? Fuck no," Blaise laughs. "I'm still mad that I let you talk me into it."
I snort. Alfie looks at me amused.
"Oh, you've heard?"
"I can't wait," I grin at him. "Did you position the cameras up in the trees? We want footage from all angles."
Playing along, Alfie nods, a serious look on his face. "All twenty cameras are up and running. We're even going to live stream it on Facebook."
"Oh, very funny you two," Blaise grunts. "Good to see you have inside jokes now. Gosh, can't take you anywhere," he teases, putting his arm around my shoulder.
I reach out to hold his wrist, leaning into him. "What are girlfriends for?"
He looks down at me with an expression I can't quite figure out. I start to let go of his wrist, but he tightens his hold around me, making me stay put. He turns to Alfie, relaxing again.
"I'm going to shower and settle in for the night. I'll come get you bright and early, just in case you sleep through your alarm. But if you need anything, just come get me."
Alfie puts his hand on Blaise's other shoulder — the arm not holding me — and smiles at him.
"Thank you, brother. I can't wait to have you up there with me tomorrow."
"I wouldn't be anywhere else," Blaise says, ushering us down the hallway.
I look over my shoulder, peeking over Blaise's arm. "Goodnight, Alfie!"
He waves at me, hand on his bedroom door handle. "Night, Skylar. Try not to make too much noise tonight."
I stiffen awkwardly but Blaise just laughs.
"We wouldn't dare disturb your beauty sleep, brother dearest. But I can't promise that the nerf guns are hidden away."