Chapter 2
“There’s still time to back out if you want,” my brother Carter said as he fixed my tie.
“Nah. I’m good. I’m making the right decision. Right?” I glanced over at my two best friends, Julian and Noah.
Noah buttoned his jacket, then walked over to us. Julian was still in the process of getting dressed because he spent almost twenty minutes arguing with his daughter’s mom. They weren’t together and hadn’t been, but that didn’t stop her from questioning him all the time.
“I think that if you are sure, then it’s the right decision. None of us can tell you what to do. The only thing we can do is support you either way,” Noah said.
“He’s right, Bro. I got you regardless of what you want to do. If you are ready, I’m by your side. If you want to jet, I can pull the car around. We on whatever you on,” Carter said as he put his suit jacket on.
Noah and Julian agreed with him. The four of us were in the penthouse suite of a hotel. It was my wedding day, and I’d been waiting for it, but for some reason, I wasn’t too sure anymore.
My fiancée, Ivy, and I had been together for six years, and we got engaged on our third anniversary.
She was there for me through everything I endured while trying to get my record label up and running.
The sleepless nights, trying to find artists to trust me enough to sign.
The bigger companies that told me “no” to being under them.
Ivy got it out of the mud with me, and I wanted to give her the world.
My record label wasn’t where I wanted it to be, but my artists and I were making waves in the industry.
If I wanted all of that, why was I hesitant?
My mother told me it was my nerves, but I wasn’t typically a nervous person.
My father agreed with her and told me he had been nervous the day they got married, a long time ago.
They both assured me it was normal, and the feeling would dissipate once I saw Ivy walking down the aisle.
I believed them because they knew what it took to have a healthy marriage after being married for so long.
“I’m ready for this. It’s long overdue. I’m ready to have some kids and leave my legacy in the world,” I told them as I grabbed my suit jacket.
Ivy insisted on waiting until after we were married to have kids, and I went along with it because it was her world, and since I was building my brand, it made sense to wait.
“Alright then. Let’s do this shit!” Carter shouted as he picked up his glass.
The rest of us picked up our glasses as well.
“Before we go, I just want to say I’m proud of you.
I know you are going to be a great husband and father when it’s time.
Ivy is lucky to have you. I love you, Bro.
” Carter held up his glass, and we lifted ours.
The four of us clinked glasses and downed our shots.
I wasn’t trying to be drunk or anything, but it was only right to share one last drink as a single man with my best friends.
Carter was my first best friend since we were kids.
Noah and Julian came along sometime during elementary school. We’d been thick as thieves since then.
“There’s almost three hundred people waiting on you.” Noah reminded me about the number of guests that Ivy just had to have.
I initially wanted an intimate event with just our families and closest friends, but she insisted that we needed more.
Artists from the label, as well as other celebrities were supposed to be in attendance.
I think she even hired some bloggers and influencers to live broadcast it.
To me, it seemed like it was going to be a big spectacle, but there was no turning back.
I gave myself one last look in the mirror. “I’m ready.”
The four of us made sure we had what we needed, including the rings, then left the suite.
Nobody said a word while we rode the elevator down.
Julian was aggressively pushing buttons on his phone, so I assumed he was still arguing.
Noah stood in the front, with his hands in his pockets, since he was not only my best friend but my bodyguard.
I hadn’t had any issues, but I knew how people liked to get, so Noah was always with me.
I stood at the back of the elevator with my head against the wall.
My eyes were closed while I tried to still my racing heart.
Carter stood next to me, and even though I couldn’t see him, I knew he had his eyes on me, worried.
I may have been older than him, but the roles were reversed at times, and this was one of those times.
Me expressing my unsureness had Carter worried, but as he said: Whatever I wanted to do, he would support it.
When we made it to the lobby, the elevator doors opened, and the four of us stepped off. Paparazzi were right there waiting for us. We pushed past them as people spoke, but I just gave them a friendly nod and continued walking. I didn’t want to be late for my own wedding.
The ceremony was being held outside near the water fountain.
The reception would be inside. We’d spend a few days in Vegas, then head back home.
The honeymoon wouldn’t be for another couple of weeks because Ivy had some obligations she had to fulfill.
We’d traveled plenty over the years, so I was cool with waiting.
Security was much tighter near the ceremony area, so the only bloggers were the people Ivy wanted there. And it was bad enough they were there.
I looked around at the people who showed up for us. Noah walked down the makeshift aisle first, then Julian, followed by Carter, then me. I thought the groomsmen and the bridesmaids would walk together, but that wasn’t what Ivy wanted for some reason.
My mother blotted her eyes when I looked in her and my father’s direction. Ivy’s parents sat on the opposite side, and they looked just as happy as my parents.
Lush flowers surrounded the area as the waterfall created a calming effect.
I glanced at my watch to see how much longer it was before Ivy made her entrance. The closer it got to the time, the more anxious I got.
Ten minutes went by with no sign of Ivy or friends. I just chalked it up to them running a little late. Ten minutes turned to twenty, then turned into thirty. By the forty-minute mark, people started whispering. Ivy’s parents looked just as confused as the rest of us.
“You know how women are, Bro. They always late to something,” Carter joked, trying to ease the impending doom I felt.
I tried to agree with my brother’s joke, but I knew that wasn’t the case. The feeling I had earlier came back. Something was wrong. I just wasn’t sure of what.
Noah pulled out his phone, I guessed to reach out to one of the bridesmaids, but as he stared at his screen, something told me I wouldn’t like what he saw.
I didn’t have my phone on me because the most important people in my life were here. Anyone else would be about business, and that had to wait for at least a week.
“Ay, I don’t want to say this shit out loud, so just look.” Noah passed me his phone while everyone in the audience watched.
My heart dropped when I saw Ivy’s latest social media post. This bitch wasn’t coming because she decided to rekindle shit with her ex.