Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
KEELEY
If I thought I’d expelled all my emotions during Paige and Easton’s rehearsal dinner, I was sorely mistaken.
I’ve almost cried three freaking times today, and Paige hasn’t even walked down the aisle.
First was when she glided out of the bedroom in her dress, looking like an ethereal being with the glow of the sun beaming through the window behind her. Next was when Isaac popped in to visit, and his eyes started to water as he told his “mom” she was beautiful.
Then my goddamn brother had to go and get emotional when he saw Isaac walking down the aisle with our mom, taking his role as the ring bearer very seriously.
Easton’s like a brick wall when it comes to emotions, so it’s impossible not to react when he does.
Now, I’m waiting in anticipation for Paige to walk in with Sal, his expression from earlier still fresh in my mind.
My body heats as I picture the longing in his eyes and the bob of his Adam’s apple. He wasn’t staring at me with attraction or lust. It was something else. Something I’ve never experienced before, and it felt bigger than it should be between us.
He’s lucky I was the only one who could see his face. Hell, we were both lucky because we would have had a lot of explaining to do.
My stomach flutters just thinking about it, and I close my eyes to recover, taking a moment to compose myself. I can do this.
I can get through today without obsessing over a man. I don’t obsess over men. It’s not my thing.
The music changes and my breath hitches involuntarily. I shake off my reaction until Paige and Sal step into view, and my world stops as nausea consumes me.
I’m falling in love with my best friend’s dad, and he’s about to become family.
After making the mistake of glancing over at Easton again, at the exact moment a tear falls down his cheek, I lose it, choking back my own tears during the entire goddamn ceremony. Thankfully, I snuck my makeup bag into the bathroom near the reception so I can do a touch-up.
The ceremony runs for about thirty minutes, and when Easton and Paige kiss, I cheer them on while my heart cracks.
There’s no “working things out” when it comes to Sal and me.
It’s too messed up for that. We just witnessed our future become more complicated than one could ever imagine. The best we can be is friends.
The officiant presents Easton and Paige as husband and wife, and Easton scoops Isaac into his arms as they do the rounds, all of them beaming with happiness, my grumpy brother unable to wipe the smile off his face.
I watch them with so much love swirling around my heart that my own troubles easily wash away.
They’ve been through so much and found their happy ending. That’s all that matters today.
Before moving on to the reception, the photographer tries to get a few staged shots of Easton with his family and friends, but he refuses point-blank, giving her nothing until she’s forced to walk away.
He relaxes when she’s gone, and I laugh when I catch her hiding behind a tree, snapping shot after shot of him candidly enjoying the moment.
I sneak away to get my first drink for the day—other than the small glass of champagne the girls and I had to toast Paige—and I’ve just taken my first sip when Sal’s son, Marc, sidles up to me again, his smile tight as he unabashedly rakes his eyes all over my body.
“What’s a girl like you doing alone at the bar?” He winks, his words slightly slurred before the night has even begun.
I raise an eyebrow, hiding my concern. For now. “A girl like me?”
“Yeah. You’re fucking gorgeous and you know it. I can’t believe I’m the only guy over here.”
“I believe we’ve had this conversation already. I’m off-limits, remember?”
Marc frowns, his gaze dropping to my hands. “I don’t see a ring. Are you a maneater or something?” He chuckles to himself and… What the hell? It’s been less than a week. How is it possible he has no idea who I am?
“I’m something. And you seem to have forgotten what that something is. Rest assured, you won’t have to wait lo?—”
“Marc.” Sal’s deep voice cuts in from behind me and I smile. There’s one of my protectors, right on cue. I knew it would be either him or Easton that came over as soon as they noticed us talking. “You better not be annoying Keeley.”
“Keeley?” Marc’s eyes widen before they crinkle as he smiles.
“That’s me.” I wave as I smile back at him, and Sal’s gaze travels toward the sky.
“Jesus Christ. We spoke the other night. How the fuck did I forget that?”
“I’m wondering the same.”
“Sorry.” He cringes and leans in, whispering in my ear. “I was pretty fucking high if I’m being honest.”
“Oh-kay.” My eyes meet Sal’s over Marc’s head, and I can tell by his murderous expression that he heard what was said.
“Did I hit on you? I’m sure I would have, because, well, look at you.”
“Thank you.” I think. “You did. Hit on me. And?—”
“Marc.” Sal steps between us, subtly moving me backward.
“Shit. I almost forgot you were there, Dad. You’re cramping my style.”
“Believe it or not, I’m not here for you. I need Keeley for something.”
“Do the off-limits rules not apply to you, old man?”
I suppress a snort as Sal’s nostrils flare ever so slightly.
“We work together, Marc. Our situations are vastly different.”
“Maybe so…but that doesn’t mean everything’s aboveboard.” Marc raises an eyebrow while I quickly glance away, almost certain my amused reaction is going to give us away.
“Marc,” Sal warns again.
“What?” Marc raises his hands in the air. “I’m kidding. Keeley knows I’m kidding. Don’t you, Keeley?”
I turn to face him. “Of course.” I smile softly. “Paige filled me in on your class-clown persona.”
“That’s me. Always the comedian.” Marc’s lips lift into a wide grin, but it holds a hint of something else, something darker, suggesting he doesn’t love that little descriptor.
“Are you?—”
“I guess I’ll leave you to it. Enjoy your work talk.” He walks away without waiting for a response, and when he’s out of earshot, I turn to Sal, my chest tight with concern.
“I think you should go after him.”
“What?”
“You’re his dad, and something was clearly bothering him just now.”
“I know my son, and trust me when I say he does not want me chasing after him.”
“I just think?—”
“I said he doesn’t want me. But I noticed it too. I’ll ask Camilla to go. They’ve always been closer than we have. If anyone’s going to get him to talk, it’s her.”
“Thank you.”
“Do you ever not worry?
“Do you?”
“Sometimes. But you don’t even know Marc.”
“He’s your son and Paige’s brother. He’s hardly a stranger.”
“You’re right. He’s family now.” Sal forces a smile and I laugh out loud, drawing the attention of the guests close by.
“That didn’t seem to bother him. Maybe we should take a page out of Marc’s book.”
“Mmm. Maybe.”
Sal glances away a little distractedly, but when he looks back, he’s the picture of calm once more. “I better get back to it.”
“I thought you needed me.”
“Oh, right. I just wanted to say you look stunning and that I hope you have a good night.”
“Thank you.” My pulse spikes as he flashes me a hint of the emotion he revealed earlier today. “You don’t look too bad yourself.”
“Thanks, Keels. I wish I could say more.” He scratches the back of his neck, the emotion in his eyes morphing into regret. And he doesn’t need to say anything else; I can read it on his face.
“I know. Me too.”
I squeeze his arm and walk away in the opposite direction of Marc, glancing back over my shoulder before I catch up to the girls, finding Sal already looking away.
This isn’t going to be easy, but it’s the right thing to do.
Since we had a sit-down dinner for the rehearsal, Paige and Easton decided on a cocktail party for their reception, and when we’re led into the ballroom, I finally spot Callum across the room.
“Why are you hiding away in the corner?” I ask as I reach him, giving him a tight hug which he doesn’t reciprocate.
“I’m not hiding. I’m just easing into it. This is the most people I’ve seen in months. Maybe even years.”
“Sounds like you need to get out more.”
“Nope. I like my life exactly as it is. This is not my scene anymore.”
“It would be if you hadn’t been injured.”
“Nah, even when I played football, I hated the crowds.”
“You mean the fans?”
“Maybe.” He shrugs, and I can’t help the laugh that bursts out of me until his football career seeps back into my mind.
“Have you spoken to your dad?” Callum’s dad is American and his mom is Scottish.
They lived next door to us in North Carolina during our teenage years.
Callum’s between Easton and me in age, but they played football together when we were in high school, so they were much closer.
Until Easton moved away for college and Callum and I stayed near home.
He injured himself before starting his second season in the pros, during an altercation with his dad, the same year his parents divorced. And when his mom moved back to Scotland to take care of her dad, he followed.
“No, but he tried reaching out. He heard about the wedding from your dad.”
I cringe, my face scrunching in apology.
Easton doesn’t like me talking to Dad about his life.
They don’t speak. It’s why his last name is Wilder and mine’s Reynolds.
He convinced Mom to change his name to her maiden name as soon as he was old enough to understand what sharing a last name means.
My brother may not express emotion, but he feels it, and our parents’ split hit him pretty hard.
I’ve always looked at it differently from him. I’m more pragmatic. They tried to make it work and it didn’t. Was single parenting hard on Mom? Of course. But I imagine staying in a loveless relationship would have been a lot harder. And now she has Phil.
As if knowing I’m thinking about them, Mom and Phil wave through the window from where they’re talking to my sister and her husband outside.
“I’m sorry about my dad. That’s on me. I promise I never mentioned you. But I probably shouldn’t have told him about Easton either. Although, I’m sure Mom or Addie would have said something too. Easton’s the only one who cut him off.”
“It’s not your fault. And it’s not hard to ignore him.”
I almost laugh until Callum forces a smile, the edges failing to meet his eyes. Not that he ever usually smiles that wide.
“I think it’s time we had a drink. What do you say?”
“Am I going to be attacked by your boyfriend?”
“Shut up. I don’t have a boyfriend. And even if I did, I’m sure it would be clear that there are no sparks between us. At all. You’re too much like my brother. So that would be wrong.”
“But it’s okay if it’s your brother’s father-in-law?” Callum raises an eyebrow, his melancholy gone, replaced with his dry humor. He didn’t even smile as he delivered that blow.
“Stop. We’re not talking about this today. It’s Paige and Easton’s day. I’m not ruining it by one of them overhearing that I have a thing for Paige’s dad.”
“It’s a thing now.”
“Callum,” I warn and he raises his hands in the air.
“I’m stopping. But I’m not sure he’s feeling the vibes you think you’re putting out.”
“What vibes? What do you mean?”
“I don’t think he realizes you’re repulsed by the very idea of hooking up with me. And I you. At least not from the glare he’s shooting my way.”
“First, repulsed sounds kind of mean, especially now that you’re referring to me. And second, that’s not helpful. I don’t want to know that information. Okay?”
“Fine. He’s not jealous. He’s too busy flirting with a gorgeous mature woman who looks like she stepped straight out of a Hollywood movie.”
“Dammit, Callum. That’s his ex-wife.” My chest burns as I fight the urge to look.
“Damn. I was only messing with you. Sorry ’bout that.”
“No, you’re not. Come on. You’re buying me a drink.”
“Aren’t they free?”
“Yep. You still owe me.”
Callum huffs out what could be interpreted as a laugh before he follows me toward the bar, and I make it all the way to the other side of the room before I glance back, my eyes locking with Sal’s as he chats with Camilla.
It’s Easton’s wedding. It’s Easton’s wedding. It’s Easton’s wedding.
It’s not appropriate to cause a scene.
No matter how much I want to.