31. Garrett
Chapter Thirty-One
GARRETT
W hat the hell is that kid doing?
Garrett forced himself to keep his seat as he watched Kyle flail, taking a wild swing that was probably supposed to be dancing.
The wedding reception was in full swing. The oceanfront grand ballroom of the Caislean San Diego was a three-hundred-person venue, but Rainer had wanted a more intimate celebration so he’d invited less than a third of that number.
The elegant room spanned the entire length of the floor, boasting views of both the ocean and the city. The Pacific-facing side had the traditional dining tables and dance floor, while the other end was set up as a chic conversational lounge serving cocktails and coffee against the jeweled backdrop woven from the city’s lights.
He was parked on a couch in the lounge area, watching Emma try to corral Kyle on the dance floor.
She was having a hard time with it. The kid was all elbows on a good day. Add alcohol to the mix—and someone unwisely had—and it was shaping up to be a disaster out there.
He has to stop trying to do the Renegade. Or whatever the TikTok that was supposed to be.
Good Lord, the boy needed help. Dance lessons, followed by weight training until he put on at least twenty pounds of muscle. It was like watching a scarecrow dance.
A hand clapped Garrett on the shoulder. “Did your wife bring a date to this wedding?”
He turned to shoot Ian a dirty look. His friend had recently returned from the complex protection detail he’d been coordinating for some obscure royal house.
Garrett had introduced Ian to his blushing bride at the church, just before the ceremony, which thanks to Georgia and Judy’s extensive planning had been short and sweet.
Georgia had been flawless in a long white dress designed by one of Judy’s friends. Rainer had been so proud and so damn full of joy Garrett couldn’t help contrasting it to his farce of a first marriage.
And maybe my second.
“Kyle is her work bestie.”
Ian laughed and twitched up his dress pants before sitting down next to him. “Bestie? Are we in high school?”
Garrett shrugged. “Emma wasn’t the one to christen him that. I think that was Stella.”
Ian took a healthy swallow of his glass. “And who is Stella? Don’t tell me—the future Mrs. Chapman the third? Or is this like a sister-wives thing where they run concurrently?”
Gross. “You know you’re old and slow when you’re relegated to supervising Auric missions instead of participating in them. That’s when a man gets sloppy.”
Ian snickered, hitting his rock-hard abs hard enough for him to hear the slapping sound. “Sure, it is.”
Signaling a waiter, he asked for a second Cognac, his drink of choice. When it arrived, he handed it to Garrett. “Looks like you need this more than me.”
Sighing, he took the glass. “I’m fine. This just didn’t go the way I thought it would.”
Ian looked at him over the rim of his glass. “Because of your sister-wives situation?”
Garrett grimaced. “Stella is Emma’s four-year-old sister. ”
“Oh, ick. Sorry.” Ian shook his free hand out as if getting rid of some unseen muck. “Forget I said anything about your bizarre situation.”
“Good.” He took a large swig of the Cognac, focusing on the welcome burn it made going down.
“So does the kid live with you too?”
He smiled. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to keep your opinions to yourself.”
“'Cause it’s weird.”
Ian glanced across the dance floor at Emma and the wildly gyrating Kyle. “And out of character. I know you give to charity but you’re not exactly what I would call a humanitarian. Not the kind that gets into it, face-to-face. So why the hell did you do it? Pre-existing conditions or not—you’re a fucking billionaire. You could have just bought her a fucking health insurance plan. You didn’t need to marry her.”
Garrett leaned back in his chair, unable to look away from his wife.
She used to be a better dancer. Downright hypnotic in fact. Now she was winging it, but she still looked good on the dance floor because she had been blessed with natural rhythm. A little more practice, maybe some lessons, and she’d be back to form.
Yeah , he snorted to himself. She and Kyle could take lessons together. “You know it’s more than that,” he muttered.
“Well, obviously.” Ian tilted his head, following his gaze. “One look at the little woman explains a lot. Most of it in fact. But not all. I have questions.”
Well, he could answer one of them.
“Her sister Stella lives with her mother back in Colorado. The rest will have to wait for another time,” he said when he saw Rainer signal him from across the room. “It’s time for the bouquet and garter toss.”
Ian somehow managed to gag while keeping a straight face. “Promise me you won’t do these things at your wedding.”
He turned to frown at his former business school roommate. “Did you forget I just got married?”
Ian rose, straightening his tie as he went. “Yeah, I meant the next time.”
Garrett elbowed his former roommate in the gut before shoving him forward. “Just for that, I’m going to tell Rainer to aim that garter at you.”
Ian turned a look of genuine horror on his face before straightening the sleeves of his tux. “Don’t forget. I know Krav Maga.”
It was Garrett’s turn to smirk. “Thanks to you, I do too.”