28. Kameron
28
KAMERON
I really didn’t expect to sleep as late as I did today. I’ve been rushing since I opened my eyes.
Kris left early this morning, and I didn’t even feel him climb out of the bed. I woke up snuggled into the giant comforter like a bug in a rug.
Glancing at myself in the mirror one more time, I smile to myself. I’m wearing an elegant maxi dress that has a split fully up the side, exposing my entire left leg. The black fabric is snug around my waist, with enough overhang from the top of my dress that you can barely see it. A deep v on my chest gives just enough hint of what I have underneath, unfortunately I couldn’t wear a bra with it because of that. Everything kept showing.
My black three inch strappy heels are snugly wrapped around my ankle, and my hair is in loose waves.
I smile at myself again. I look pretty hot if I do say so myself.
Now, I just hope Kris likes what he sees when I pull up.
Shrugging my shoulders, I grab the keys he left on the island and head out the front door. When I climb in the driver seat, there’s like a foot of distance between me and the pedals.
Damn. He’d hate my car then.
Once the seat is adjusted, I start the truck and type the address to the venue into my gps before slowly backing out of the driveway.
The entire way to the wedding, I become more anxious at what he’s going to say, or do when he sees me. Will he kiss me? Will it be obvious that we’re just friends with benefits for the weekend? I’m not really sure how this works.
It’s not like I’ll ever see anyone from this wedding again, so I guess it really wouldn’t matter.
Once I pull into the parking lot where the wedding takes place, I shift to park and take a deep breath. I don’t know why I’m so nervous, I’ve been around most of these people for a few days now. Hell, I’ve been stuck with Kris nearly twenty-four-seven since he picked me up from my house.
There’s no time like the present. Or so they say, so I might as well just rip the Band-Aid off and get this over with.
Then I can find the bar at the reception, and hopefully have enough liquid courage that Kris doesn’t realize how nervous I am about this entire thing.
“Ugh,” I grunt, I have no clue what is wrong with me.
Grabbing his keys, my phone, and my wallet, I climb out of the truck. Well, climb is really a stretch. I sort of half jump, half fall to the concrete below me.
But, hey. It’s alright. My boobs didn’t fall out, and no one seemed to be watching.
Shutting the door, I make sure it’s locked before heading toward the main entrance. The second I step inside, I’m greeted by someone handing out small bags of wedding favors. I haven’t looked too far into the bag yet, but there’s a personalized koozie and a candle.
And I do love me a good candle.
The air in the room shifts, and an awareness comes over me that I can’t quite explain. I’m not sure I’d even sound mentally stable if I tried to explain it. Lifting my eyes, they connect with Kris, standing in the opening of a hallway to the left.
I smile, pausing my steps as I take him in.
He’s wearing a black suit, with a black dress shirt paired with a black tie. And man I love the black on black look on him. His steel colored eyes bore into mine from across the room, but he doesn’t move.
That kicks my anxiety up another notch. Maybe the dress was too much.
I frown, looking down at myself. When I glance back up, he’s slowly making his way over to me.
Once we’re within reaching distance, his fingers tangle with mine.
“You look fucking perfect,” he whispers for only me to hear. “Took my breath away.”
And there go my panties. I’ve soaked them just with his words.
“Thank you.” I smile up at him. “You don’t look too bad yourself.”
I’m not sure what I expected him to do. Maybe tell me where to sit, the plans for the wedding, anything really… but having his lips on mine in the foyer of the venue wasn’t what I planned to happen.
His lips are soft, and he doesn’t take the kiss deeper, but it’s long and takes my breath away.
I guess we’re even now.
“Sit wherever you want,” he tells me. “Once the ceremony is over, I’ll come find you.”
I nod, and he presses his lips to mine once more. This time short and sweet before he takes a few steps backward, his eyes moving over my body.
“Absolutely perfect.” He shakes his head with a smirk.
I feel the blush creeping up my neck.
I wait for him to disappear from my sight before I make my way through the large double doors into the ceremony room. It’s breathtaking. The baby breath flowers, paired with the roses. The arch they’ll be married under. Everything is perfect and I know Ruby is going to be the most beautiful bride.
Pulling out my phone, I decide to text Cora while I wait for the ceremony to start.
Me
Hi.
Cora
Oh, wow. She remembers me.
Me
Not fair, I’ve been busy.
Cora
I hope you have. Otherwise, you’ve been ignoring me for nothing. And I would rather you ignore me for some decent *eggplant emoji*
Me
Cora
Shut up!!! YES!!! Tell me everything.
Me
Well, I don’t even know where to begin. I almost fought his dad’s girlfriend for flirting and touching Kris last night. We agreed to be beneficial to each other for the weekend, and he was very beneficial last night. Multiple times. His brother and Ruby are getting married today, and Kris told me ten minutes ago I took his breath away when he looked at me.
Cora
Okay, whoa. Hold your horse. That’s a lot to unpack.
I wait, letting her reread my text as she deciphers everything. Her brain works better that way.
Cora
Ok. One. Swoon with the breath taking away comment. That’s cheese.
Two. I’m glad he was beneficial. You needed lots of benefits lately. Go get ‘em, Tiger.
And here goes her undiagnosed ADHD with multiple text messages because her brain won’t allow her to type it all in one message.
Cora
Three. I can’t wait to see wedding pictures.
And four. How dare you graze over the topic of nearly getting in a fight? I need more.
Me
Well, she’s super slutty and I was kinda drunk… and she basically tried to sit in his lap right in front of me and everyone else we were with. So, I just told her I was going to beat her ass if she didn’t stop.
Cora
Is she there today?
I look up, glancing around the room as more people flood into the room, cutting it closer to the ceremony time. I’m searching for Kris’ dad, but I don’t see him anywhere, but my eyes fall on the one person in the room staring at me.
Bingo. Lauren is here.
Along with her nasty snarling lip and her death glare.
Me
Oh, she made it. She’s pissed at me.
Cora
What did his dad think about all of it?
Me
You know? I didn’t really do a lot of talking about Lauren and his dad last night. We had other things on our minds.
Cora
Ew. Her name is Lauren.
And I bet your mind was preoccupied.
The music begins to softly play, and I completely missed the large double doors closing.
Me
I’ll text later. Wedding is starting.
I don’t wait for a response, I shove my phone back into my wallet and sit it on my lap. A door to the right of the stage opens, and Kaleb steps in first. He’s dressed similar to Kris, but his tie matches the colors of the wedding. Kris steps inside next, followed by a few of the others in the wedding party. I guess the girls are walking alone.
Kris’ eyes bounce around the room, only settling once they’ve landed on me. His face softens as he stares at me, his lip tilting slightly into a grin. I don’t watch a single bridesmaid walk down the aisle. I even miss the ring bearer and flower girl.
But for Ruby, I painfully pull my gaze away from Kris and watch her walk toward her future with tears in her eyes. Kaleb sucks in a breath that the entire room can hear before he gets choked up slightly. Kris tries to comfort him, but you can tell there is no calming that. It’s just love.
I watch the entire ceremony, and my mind wanders to what my wedding day will look like. What kind of dress will I wear? What season will it be? Who will it be?
I hear the two exchanging their vows and my eyes drift to Kris, and I’m stunned to find him staring at me again. Almost like he’s feeling all the same emotions that I’m feeling.
Weddings have always been one of my favorite things to attend. The love in the air at a wedding is unmatched.
Kris’ eyes never leave mine as they finish their vows, as the preacher instructs them to slide their rings on each other’s fingers, as he announces them as man and wife. The only time they part from me is when he walks down the aisle behind his brother and out of sight. My chest tightens, and I’m suddenly nervous for what tomorrow brings.
Because tomorrow, we drive home.
Tomorrow we return to normal.
And sadly, I’ll probably never see Kris again after our Christmas Bazaar.
Slowly, everyone in the venue begins to stand, making their way out of their seats and toward the exit so we can all get to the reception. Everyone shuffles into a room similar to the one the rehearsal was held in, just twice as large.
Their large wedding cake is in the center of the room. It’s untraditional, with pictures of the two of them printed all over it.
Which could be awkward when someone takes a chunk out of Ruby’s face later.
I take myself around the room until I find my table.
Thankfully, I’m with Kris’ mom, so I have someone to chat with while I wait for the wedding party to arrive. I’m sure they’re off taking their photos with the photographer.
“I’m so glad you came this weekend, Kameron. I hope you’ve had a good time.” Bridget tells me, taking the glass of wine offered to her from a server.
I take one as well. “Me too. It’s been a nice weekend,” I answer, honestly.
Granted, it’s had its ups and downs for sure.
“A little birdy told me you put Kurt’s little hooker in her place last night.”
I nearly choke on my wine, and begin coughing. She smiles wider.
“Who told you that?” I question, grabbing a napkin and patting my lips dry.
Thank God my dress is black tonight, you know in case of any more accidental spills.
“Oh, I have my ways." She giggles. “Kris may not speak to me much, but Kaleb tells me a lot. I’ve grown quite close to Ruby, also.”
“That makes me sad,” I blurt out before realizing what I’ve done.
“What does?”
“That Kris doesn’t talk to you very much.” I pick my wine up again, needing a distraction from my word vomit.
“Oh, we’ll work through it, eventually. He blames me for a lot of things, and he isn’t wrong in placing his blame on me either.” She sighs, setting her glass down before staring at me. “I wasn’t always the best mother, and I made a lot of choices that weren’t the most beneficial for my boys back then. All I can do now is tell him I’m sorry, and that I want to make things right.”
I nod.
“Things were hard, but at some point, I basically stopped living. Other than work and sleep, I really didn’t do anything. It wasn’t until Kris was in college that I realized my depression had gotten that bad.” She smiles at her date.
“I know that had to be so hard.” I couldn’t imagine my husband leaving me and not being sure how to provide for my kids.
“I’m not proud of it, and I missed a lot of years with my boys, but I’m working on it.” She studies me. “You’re good for him, you know."
My mouth parts.
“He loves you.”
“Oh, no.” I shake my head, giggling uncontrollably because I’m uncomfortable. “We’re just old acquaintances.”
As if he knew we were talking about him, he shows up behind me, placing his hands on my shoulders. “There you are.” He smiles down at me when I lift my head up to look at him. “Can you come with me? I asked the photographer to snap a picture of the two of us. Thought it would be a fun memory for your memory box.”
My chest tightens again. He remembered my memory box.
I’ve had it since I was a little girl, and I only put things that I want to remember forever inside.
“Okay.” I gently push my chair back and stand, making eye contact with his mom who winks at me.
Kris’ hand moves to the small of my back as I let him lead me through the room to where the photographer is waiting for us.
We pose just as the photographer tells us, and when she tells us to look into each other's eyes, I’m shocked at the smile that greets me from Kris.
I’m not sure if he’s in love with me.
But I’m pretty damn sure I’m in love with him.