THEO
The venue for Ian and Maddie’s wedding looked like something out of a fairytale.
White chairs lined the lawn in neat rows, facing a flower-draped arbor with the sunset glowing beyond it. String lights crisscrossed overhead like a canopy of fallen stars. And flowers were everywhere—petals catching the breeze.
I’d thought Alisha’s and my wedding had been spectacular. But this was next level.
“Are you saving this seat for anyone?” I asked Bash when I found a chair open beside him and Alessi about four rows from the back.
“Oh no,” he said, scooting slightly closer to his girlfriend. “Please sit.”
I lowered myself into the chair, adjusting my jacket as guests continued filing in.
“Did Ian not have any groomsmen aside from his best man?” I asked when I noticed Owen was Ian’s only non-family member standing near the officiator at the end of the aisle.
“Just his brothers and Owen,” Bash said with a shrug. Then leaning closer with a sly grin, he added, “Word on the street is he didn’t want Maddie accidentally falling in love with Miles or me when she walked down the aisle.”
Alessi snort-laughed immediately at that comment before patting Bash’s knee placatingly, “I’m sure she’s pretty content with Ian. I mean, he didn’t earn the nickname Heartbreaker Hastings for nothing.”
To which I had to chuckle because, yeah, I had definitely heard talk of Ian’s shenanigans before he became an honest man for Maddie.
The string quartet started then, playing something soft and classical, and that was when I spotted Miles and Nora making their way through the crowd, his hand resting at her waist.
“Did Miles bring Nora as his date?” Alessi asked Bash, apparently noticing them, too.
Bash glanced back and shrugged. “Looks like it.”
“Interesting,” Alessi said, her eyes narrowing slightly.
Interesting how?
As far as I knew, Nora and Alessi were friends. Hadn’t they bonded on Ky’s European tour last summer?
But before I could dissect her words and how she might feel about her stepbrother dating Nora, Lucy rushed past my seat in a blur, heading straight for Nora who had stopped in the aisle just a few feet from me.
“Oh my gosh,” Lucy exclaimed, pulling her into a tight hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“Hi to you, too.” Nora laughed softly, hugging her back.
“I still can’t believe what happened.” Lucy pulled away and looked Nora over from head to toe, like she needed visual confirmation that her friend was unharmed. “I woke up to Theo’s text and almost had a heart attack.”
“I know. I’m sorry I didn’t call you myself. Last night was just a lot. And today was a blur of errands.”
“So, is everything really gone?” Lucy asked. “Owen and I drove by earlier and it looked pretty bad.”
“It’s all gone.” Nora nodded solemnly. “I literally ran out with the clothes on my back. I didn’t even have shoes.”
Lucy winced. “Theo said you were lucky to get out before the roof collapsed.” Then turning to me, my sister added, “You’re crazy to run into a burning building, by the way. But I’m so thankful you got Nora out and you’re both safe.”
“I’m glad I got there, too,” I said, swiveling in my seat to face them better now that I was invited into the conversation instead of simply eavesdropping.
“Did you buy this today?” Lucy looked back at Nora, reaching for the flowing skirt of her dress.
“Theo actually let me borrow it from Alisha’s things.” Nora tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her gaze flicking briefly to mine.
Lucy went still for half a second. Then searching my face, she gently said, “That’s really sweet of you, Theo,” like she thought I might break.
“I was glad there was something in there that she liked,” I said with a shrug, trying to make it sound like it hadn’t required more thought than it had.
Was it strange seeing Nora in something Alisha had once worn? A little.
But I couldn’t even remember when Alisha had worn this dress. It wasn’t tied to any core memories of our time together. So, if it was going to sit untouched in a closet… someone might as well show it some love.
“I see your dress survived, though,” Nora said, making a show of eyeing Lucy’s pink gown.
“Yeah…” Lucy admitted, looking faintly guilty. “I brought it to Owen’s house yesterday when I decided to stay over.”
“Lucky you,” Nora teased. “I bet you even had all your makeup and hair stuff with you, too.”
“I did.” Lucy scrunched her nose guiltily.
“And your phone. And wallet,” Nora continued lightly. “Oh, and not to mention your car keys.”
Lucy frowned. “You didn’t grab any of those things on your way out?”
“There was no time.” Nora shook her head. “As soon as I realized what was happening, I just ran.”
“Geez.” Lucy exhaled. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Nora’s eyes drifted to me again, softer this time. “Theo helped me get most of the necessities this afternoon. So now the only really pressing things on my to-do list are replacing my license and ordering a new key for my Jeep.”
“If only we’d thought about getting renters insurance when we moved in,” Lucy muttered.
“I know, right?” Nora said. “That would have saved your brother a lot of money.”
“My brother?” Lucy looked back at me with curiosity in her blue eyes.
“He pretty much paid for everything I got today,” Nora said, her smile sweet when she looked at me. “Whipped his Black Amex out every time I tried to bring up my digital wallet.”
“Well.” Lucy’s brows lifted slowly. “Isn’t that nice.” Then turning to look sweetly back at me, she said, “How do you feel about taking me shopping next, big bro? You know that gymnastics camp isn’t exactly funding my designer dreams.”
“How about I just transfer some money to you instead?” I huffed a laugh. “I don’t think I have the stamina to wait forty-five minutes for you to debate the various pros and cons of identical pairs of socks.”
“But you didn’t seem to mind shopping with Nora.” Lucy tilted her head, narrowing her eyes on me like she was putting together some clues I’d rather she didn’t pick up on. “Why is shopping with her better than shopping with me?”
“Nora knew what she needed,” I said evenly, keeping my expression as neutral as I could. “We were in and out.” I snapped my fingers once. “Efficient.”
“Is that so?” Lucy asked, glancing between Nora and me like she suspected there was more to that story.
“Plus, Charlotte will be back tomorrow,” I added with what I hoped looked like a nonchalant shrug. “So I won’t exactly have time for shopping after that.”
Translation: Please just drop it.
Lucy did not drop it.
“What were you doing in our neighborhood that late, anyway?” she asked sweetly. Too sweetly. “It’s just a bit serendipitous that you just happened to be there at the right time.”
“It was just a lucky coincidence,” I said.
Yeah… there was absolutely no version of the truth that didn’t make me sound like a stalker.
Oh, I was just slightly tipsy and thought I’d drive by my cute nanny’s house to see if her car was there.
Yeah. No.
Lucy’s lips curved slowly, as if she’d just solved a puzzle. So, to keep her from seeing too much in my eyes, I looked down and adjusted my Rolex, hoping the move came off as calm and collected instead of being caught red-handed in catching feelings for her best friend.
But when I looked back up, my sister was still watching me with her eagle eyes.
“Well,” she said lightly, “thank goodness for random late-night drives.” Then, because she apparently enjoyed testing me, she added, “Nora looks gorgeous tonight, though, don’t you think?”
“Yes.” I swallowed, my heart rate ramping up just from a split second of eye contact with Nora. “She does.”
Lucy’s smile sharpened as if she could actually hear my heartbeat. Then, with a satisfied smirk, she added, “Miles must feel so lucky to have such a beautiful girl on his arm tonight.”
“Lucy.” Nora hushed her, color climbing up her neck.
And I tried not to think about where Nora currently stood with her feelings for Miles. Because in our previous conversations about him, she’d always sounded open to seeing where things might go with him.
But a lot could shift in twenty-four hours, right? The past day had certainly shifted something in me.
I shook the thought away.
Was I glad Nora was okay? Obviously.
Did I think she looked beautiful tonight? Yes. The girl was gorgeous. Anyone with functioning eyesight could see that.
Had I flirted with her more than usual this afternoon? Probably.
But it was okay to flirt with my sister’s best friend every once in a while. I didn’t need to dissect any of that.
“Anyway, I’m just saying that you look beautiful tonight,” Lucy said, seeming to decide to let me off the hook as she turned back to her friend. “And I’m so glad you are safe.”
“Thank you,” Nora said. “You look gorgeous, too.”
A second later, Miles appeared at Nora’s side again. “Shall we go find our seats?” he asked, offering her his arm with an easy grin.
“Of course,” Nora said, slipping her arm through his.
They settled in their seats two rows in front of me, beside Nora’s brother Ky and his date.
When the bridesmaids started walking down the aisle to the string quartet playing “Bless the Broken Road,” Miles leaned in close as he murmured something in her ear. And while I couldn’t tell what he’d just said, whatever it was made her giggle and tip her face up toward him with a huge smile.
And though I knew this had been the plan all along—to make it look like they were a real couple enjoying a romantic night at a wedding—it didn’t stop my jaw from tightening. Because whatever he’d whispered to her… she liked it a little too much.