Chapter 5
ALEX
TWO WEEKS LATER
Iwas getting worked up again over another wedding. My headaches had been on ten when I was planning Issachar and Princess’s wedding, but they were at a twelve now because of my brother’s wedding and my mother’s intervention.
My mother had so much to say about my brother’s damn wedding that I had to ask who was getting married.
She was more hands-on than the bride’s mother was, but that was because the bride’s mother wasn’t into the details.
That was right up Mama’s alley, though, because she didn’t mind taking over, and Tyra didn’t mind, because she wasn’t into all the pomp and circumstance either, but my mother was, and so was my brother.
I loved my brother Jonathan, who we affectionately called Jon-Jon, but he was always trying to please my mother. He was a mama’s boy, and I was a daddy’s girl, which often kept us at odds. My parents, despite the way they showed their affection to their offspring, loved each other like crazy.
“Why are you sitting there looking so grumpy, Alex?” Jon-Jon asked.
“Because this is the third time that you’ve come in to make a change, and your wedding is in less than two weeks,” I complained.
Wynter King, the owner of the shop Wood’s Men, where we were shopping, smiled and winked at me.
“They say the brides aren’t the only ones who get nervous, so do the men.
I’ve had this shop for years now, and I can promise you that’s true.
We have some groomzillas coming in here too,” she teased and squeezed my brother’s shoulder.
“It’s fine though. How about this one?” she asked, holding up another custom suit.
I watched as my brother tilted his head sideways and finger combed his beard.
“Boy, if you don’t take that damn tuxedo for your men and keep it pushing, I’m gonna knock some sense into you,” I threatened.
Wynter giggled while the bell chimed over the door, announcing another customer. “You all figure this out. Take your time, and I’ll be back,” Wynter promised, switching her ample hips away from us.
“Jonathan Sheridan, if you don’t pick out a tux one final time and get this show on the road, there won’t be a wedding,” I warned, waving a finger at him.
“Yeah, man. This is crazy. I was fine with the first one we picked out,” Todd, a groomsman, stated.
“Me too.” Our cousin Troy chimed in.
After another couple of groomsmen added their opinions, my brother finally made up his mind.
“Did you gentlemen make a decision yet?” Wynter asked, returning five minutes later.
“Okay, I’m good with the first one.”
She smirked and winked at me. “Okay, then we don’t need to redo anything. We’ll finish the last-minute tailoring requests, and you all should be good to go, Jonathan. I’ll just review them with you all one last time,” Wynter explained.
“Thank you, Mrs. King,” Jonathan stated.
“It’s no problem.”
“Well, I’ll leave you gentlemen to it. I just needed to make sure the attire was not changed and everything flowed with the color scheme. See you later,” I stated, kissing my big brother on the cheek.
“See you later. Oh, and don’t forget that Mama wants to meet with you about—”
“I know, I know. The seating arrangement,” I replied with a groan and slipped out of the area they were in.
I ran dead smack into Judah and almost toppled over. He grabbed me by the shoulders and laughed. “Be careful and watch where you’re going, beautiful.”
“Sorry about that. I’m trying to run away from my brother before he can think of one more thing for me to do for this wedding. You would swear that he’s the bride,” I complained.
Judah laughed again, and it hit me deep down low. We had spent a beautiful weekend with him creeping in and out of my suite during his brother’s wedding weekend. That man had sexed me so thoroughly, I didn’t know which way was up and which way was down.
I hadn’t realized that I was so verbal during sex, nor had I known that I had the capacity to cry. He had my toes curling, my throat raw, and tears leaking from my eyes like I was a leaky faucet all weekend long.
“My brother was a little like that during his wedding too. I’m sure you can recall, but that was because of who he was with.”
“Please don’t remind me.” I groaned. “Anyway, what are you doing here?”
“I just came to pick up my suit for your brother’s wedding. I was just heading out.”
“Oh, yes, I forgot I was supposed to be reaching out to you. You never RSVP’d.”
“Consider this that.” He held his suit up as confirmation, and I wanted to see what he looked like in it, but I wouldn’t say anything, because I had been in full agreement with him that nothing would happen beyond the weekend.
In fact, he had given me a choice to take it further, and in the end, I was adamant that I didn’t want another excursion.
It wasn’t because of his performance, because the Lord knew that man’s bedroom skills deserved to be shared. Every woman needed to have her back blown out by Judah St. Charles at least once in her life.
“So, are you bringing a date? I mean, I need an exact count of guests,” I improvised, realizing how desperate I sounded.
“It’s okay for you to ask me, even if it doesn’t have anything to do with the number of guests in attendance,” he replied with a wink.
“But you still haven’t answered,” I pointed out.
“I don’t have a date, Alex. How about you?”
He seemed genuinely curious as he tilted his head and stared at me with a daring smirk.
“I don’t have one either. I’ve been so busy planning the wedding that I hadn’t considered who I would bring with me. God, how could I be so dense?” I asked, smacking my forehead.
“It’s not that bad to show up at a wedding without a date.”
“Have you tried it?”
“I’ve been to a couple.”
“And people are always trying to set you up, right?”
“Yeah, but that happens in any environment.”
“I just think that we should go together. I’m tired of going to weddings alone. That will ward off any matchmaking attempts by our families, especially your mom, who I happen to know is a lot like mine,” I teased.
“It’s a date,” he replied in a suggestive manner as he bit his bottom lip.
The way that his brown eyes sparkled in the light against his dark skin made me feel like I was asking for trouble.
“Where are you heading when you leave here?”
“I was heading down the street to A Cup of Tea to grab a bite to eat. It’s still brunch time, so I should be good,” I stated, glancing at my phone.
“How about I go with you? A man’s got to eat, and I took the day off work to finish up some other errands and things I need to handle. Doing all that I have to do on an empty stomach isn’t advisable. So, I don’t mind breaking bread with a friend.”
“I would like that a lot,” I replied as Jon-Jon waved me over to him.
“One second, my brother wants me.”
“No problem at all.”
I headed straight to my brother.
“What’s going on with that?” he asked, jutting his chin forward at Judah.
“Nothing. We’re going to grab something to eat. So, chill.”
“You need to chill, and I’m not playing.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You were dating his brother. It’s just not a good look for you to be seen out and about with him too.”
“Jon-Jon, don’t start. I’m thirty-two years old, and I know how to handle myself,” I replied, waving a finger in his face.
“All I’m saying is that I don’t want any drama at my wedding, Alex. You know that Zack’s my best friend.”
“And that has what to do with me?”
“Keep playing,” he called after me as I beelined toward Judah.