Chapter 28
Holland
The light breeze feels good as I stand in my suit with the sun beating down on my back. I can feel the sweat on my back as I listen to the soft music, watching the last of the crowd take their seats.
The hotel has the entire back area completely set up for the wedding. It looks incredible, honestly. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it.
The white chairs are lined up in rows, draped with tulle and flowers attached to the backs.
The alter stands under a floral archway, and you can’t beat the view of clear blue water and colorful buildings in the background.
Ryker really outdid himself with this one. This is the craziest wedding I’ve ever been to, although I haven’t been to many. This has to be insanely expensive, but if anyone can afford it, it’s Ryker and his family.
My family is really wealthy, but Ryker’s family makes us look poor. His dad may be a dick, but he made a shit ton of money. Granted, a lot of it was probably due to illegal activity.
Standing up here, in front of Ryker and Gwen’s family and friends, in fucking Italy of all places is actually crazy, but I feel good. I’m not feeling nervous like I thought I would. At least, not about standing in front of hundreds of people.
I’m more nervous that Lainey is standing on the other side of the aisle in a floor length, blue gown that makes her body look crazy good. Now that I know what’s underneath that dress, I need more of it.
Her long, brown hair curls over her shoulders, and the blue and white bouquet she holds matches her dress perfectly.
After I left her room this morning, I went back to mine and got ready. I sat in the shower for twenty minutes replaying our time together over and over again.
I feel like a freaking sap. Lainey was everything I expected and more. It was like finally being able to catch my breath.
Jesus, I sound like a fucking ass. I am so screwed. There is no reason I’m this obsessed with this girl. I’ve never been this crazy about any other chick before. Why her? Why Lainey Barkley of all women in the world?
My mom will literally cut my balls off if I hurt her. She loves Lainey like her own daughter. If I even so much as make her cry once, my mother might disown me.
Lainey fucking Barkley. Who would have thought? Definitely not me.
Yeah, she’s always been attractive. Yeah, I’ve always wanted to see what she’d be like in bed. Sure, I’ve thought about what we could be if she’d open up and allow herself to have more than one-night stands and broken hearts.
But did I ever think she’d actually sleep with me? Hell no! I still don’t even know if it actually happened or if it was just a dream.
The music stops suddenly and changes to a soft melody and every voice halts.
Gwen appears at the other end of the aisle, her extravagant white gown hugs her body, a long, shear train following behind as her father slowly walks her down the aisle toward us.
Ryker stiffens slightly beside me, and I watch as a lone tear falls down his cheek. Damn, I can’t wait to make fun of him for crying later.
Gwen looks stunning, and her and Ryker do look good together. I’m glad he found someone, and I’m glad I was there to witness the downfall of his fuckboy days.
As the two recite their vows, I find myself watching Lainey. The girl who never cries has tears streaming down her cheeks as she watches her best friend kiss mine, sealing their fates.
I’ve never really thought about marriage, at least, not until I saw Ryker and Gwen planning theirs, and even then, it seemed like more of a chore than anything.
But seeing Lainey standing here in that dress and knowing what she feels like in my arms and how it feels to be inside her… I’m starting to think about this marriage thing a bit more.
The wedding was beautiful. I mean, I don’t think anyone expected anything less from a wedding in Italy. The reception is already in full swing, and I am already feeling a bit buzzed from the cocktail hour earlier.
I watch from my table as my friends dance to the upbeat music, taking slow sips of my beer. My sister, Lainey, Gwen, and Haley dance in a small circle, laughing and having a blast. Mason, Pat, Ryker, and Logan dance like idiots beside them.
When a slow song begins, Pat and Mason find some girls, Ryker and Gwen pair off, and Logan and Ellie, to my surprise, begin to slow dance.
I make a mental note to grill Logan later about putting his grubby little hands on my sister. But right now, Lainey is making her way back to the table I’ve been residing at, plopping down in her chair, and taking a sip of her cocktail.
She’s definitely tipsy, or maybe even more than tipsy. She’s no worse off than she was the other night, and I don’t plan on letting her get to that point again.
I don’t exactly know how I’ll stop her from getting more drinks, but I’ll find a way to intercept every attempt she makes at getting another fix.
Taking out her phone from her clutch, the screen lights up her face when she touches the screen. I watch her facial expression change from a smile, to… disappointment? Or maybe, it’s anger. Or maybe it’s a little bit of both.
She slams the phone down, screen first, and takes a giant sip of her drink, finishing it off.
Oh yeah, she’s pissed.
My nosy ass wants to know exactly what changed her mood so quickly, but I know Lainey. The more that I push the subject, the more she’ll pull away. So instead of outright asking her what happened, I say,
“All good over there?” That’s casual enough. I’m not prying or pushing too much. Just asking a simple question.
Lainey slowly looks over at me before rolling her eyes and looking back to the dance floor.
“Peachy,” she says sarcastically, picking at something nonexistent on her dress.
Nodding, I look to where she’s watching. My gaze lands on Gwen and Ryker who have never looked happier. A small smile tugs at my lips at the sight.
“I hate slow songs,” Lainey states, shaking her head and looking back down at her hands in her lap.
Looking back at her, I study her expression. I can’t quite make out what she’s feeling right now. It looks like a mixture of sadness and disgust.
I know she’s happy for her best friend, so she can’t be upset or disgusted with the sight of her friend dancing with her new husband.
“You wanna dance, Barkley?” I ask before I can stop myself. Why the hell I just asked her if she wants to dance is beyond me, but it’s done now. It clearly threw her off guard too, because she looks like I just asked her if she wants to elope.
“With you?” she questions, a comical expression on her face. She looks completely unsure of how she should feel about dancing with me, even though we just saw each other naked hours ago.
Chuckling, I say, “yes, with me.”
Standing from my seat, I extend my hand out for her to take. She stares at me like I have two heads. Like dancing with me is the craziest thing she’ll ever do.
“Come on, Lainey Bug. Let’s dance,” I tell her. She hesitantly lays her small hand in mine, and I tug her up and over to the dance floor.
A new song begins, just as slow as the one before. My hands slowly wrap around her waist, landing on the small of her back. The fact that the dress she’s wearing is backless is not lost on me. My finger slowly traces the edge of the fabric that falls low on her hips.
Lainey’s hands slowly make their way up my arms and around my neck. Having her this close to me again is making my dick twitch in my pants. I have to remind myself where we are before I tear the thin fabric off of her and take her right here and now.
Looking behind her, Lainey searches for something before turning back around to face me.
“They’re watching,” she says softly. I look above her head and find that our friends are all watching us curiously, all except Gwen and Haley. The two of them seem to not find anything odd about the display.
Ellie looks a bit confused but it doesn’t seem to be a major concern at the moment. Thank god, because I don’t think I’d be able to let Lainey go now that she’s in my arms.
Shrugging, I look down at her. “Let them watch,” I say, winking. She knows what I meant, but she rolls her eyes anyway.
“You know I don’t want anyone to know anything. Not yet, at least… not until we know what this is,” Lainey explains. I understand why that’s what she wants, but I don’t care if anyone knows. If anyone has a problem with it, they can kiss my ass.
“It’s just a dance, Barkley,” I tell her, trying to ease some of her worry. She nods and seems to relax into my arms a bit more.
Pulling her a bit tighter to me, I lean down to her ear. “You clean up nice,” I whisper, leaning close enough that I can smell the fresh scent of her coconut shampoo mixed with the champagne she’s been drinking all night.
I can feel the goosebumps that break out over her soft skin, and I smirk.
“Thank you. So do you,” Lainey says, her voice quiet. I pull back a little so I can see her face.
“Wait a minute, was that a compliment, miss Barkley?” I ask in mock shock.
Lainey shakes her head, chuckling softly. “Shut up, or I’ll take it back.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” I tease, and I love the way a smile begins to take over her face. How rare it is to see a genuine smile from this girl, and I’ve been lucky enough to see it multiple times in the last twenty-four hours.
We sway, the bustle of the reception fading into a soft blur around us. Lainey’s head lays on my chest as I hold her close. I could stay like this forever with her.
I wish we never had to go back to Ellington. I wish we could stay here, in this little bubble we’ve created, and never leave.
But in just a couple days, we will have to head back to reality and the truth is, I’m really fucking afraid that Lainey’s going to completely back away and leave everything that happened here in her past.
The problem with that is, I won’t be leaving anything behind.