Chapter 27
TWENTY-SEVEN
“Dancing was fun, but acting? That’s where my passion was. I loved pretending to be anyone but me.”
—excerpt from the unpublished memoir,
Darling, I Must Say by Gloria Hayes
“You ready?” Abe called through the door to my hotel room.
I looked at myself in the mirror and shuddered. My rehearsal dinner outfit was something I would have nightmares about. The sacrifices I was making for this wedding were epic. I deserved a Nobel Peace Prize. At the very least, a lifetime supply of chocolate. And free therapy.
I opened the door. “If you laugh, it will not go well for you.”
“Why would I lau—” His voice trailed off as he scanned my outfit, his eyes growing bigger the more he saw. “Ah… um… wow.”
I groaned and shuffled back to the mirror. Abe followed me into the room. The door closed with a snick. Pink dress. Pink fringed vest. Pink cowboy hat. Pink boots. The result of scouring thrift shops… except for the hat which I’d had to order online.
“It’s bad, isn’t it? Missy said it was a Western theme. She said the ladies had to wear pink.”
He stood behind me and met my gaze in the mirror. “It’s not bad. Exactly.”
“I look like Dolly Parton’s less classy cousin. But”—I picked up the black cowboy hat I’d found at a thrift store and held it out to him—“you’ll look like my date, so there’s that.”
“Are you kidding? This is why you insisted I wear jeans.” He glared at me. “You said cowboy boots were, quote, ‘hot.’”
“And you believed me? Do I look like a cowboy boots kind of girl?” I stepped closer and set the hat on his head. “If I have to do this, so do you.”
“How long have you known about this cowboy thing?” He looked at himself in the mirror. Of course, he looked amazing in the hat. And the jeans. And the boots. I suspected he looked good in everything. Jerk.
“Long enough to know you wouldn’t like it.”
He adjusted the hat and slowly a grin overtook his frown. “I don’t know. I think I look pretty good.”
“You’re adorable.” I snatched my purse from the bed and stuffed my room key in it. “Let’s just get this over with.”
“Your outfit’s really not that bad,” Abe said, trailing behind me as I stomped to the elevator. “I kind of like it.”
I stopped and spun around so quickly, he almost ran into me. “I will lose all the respect I have for you if you truly mean that. This is”—I waved a hand down my body—“a human rights violation or something.”
His mouth twitched as he fought a smile. One of his hands trailed down my arm and captured a hand. He weaved our fingers together and tugged me toward the elevator. “Will you say yeehaw for me? Just once.”
“Not on your life.”
“Maybe there’ll be a mechanical bull. You’ll have to ride it.”
One of my eyes twitched. “No.”
“Hayrides? Maybe we’ll rustle some cattle after dinner.”
“Why did I bring you again?”
He smirked. “Because you were desperate and I offered?”
“Shut up,” I said, doing a poor job of hiding my amusement.
The elevator dropped us off at the top floor of the hotel.
A sign led us to a private room. Abe pulled open the door and ushered me inside.
We were right on time and so was everyone else, it seemed.
Aidan and Missy were at the front of the room wearing sashes that read brIDE and GROOM.
Microphone in hand, Missy was in the middle of a speech.
Abe let go of the door and it slammed closed. Missy’s voice trailed off as the whole room turned to stare at us. I stared back. It took almost a good ten seconds for my brain to understand what I was seeing.
No one, not a single person, was wearing a cowboy hat, or boots.
No one else had fringe. Heck, most of them weren’t even wearing pink.
Rage overtook embarrassment as my eyes found Missy’s.
At least she wasn’t laughing. She bit the corner of her bottom lip and stared at me with big blue eyes.
Next to her, Aidan’s gaze jumped between Abe and me, like he couldn’t figure out where to focus.
“I am going to kill her,” I whispered.
Someone started to giggle. Abe squeezed my hand. I hadn’t realized he was still holding it.
“Iris, I am so sorry!” Missy said over the microphone. “I forgot to tell you we changed the theme.”
She forgot to tell me? I knew the color of the underwear she was wearing under her wedding dress. But she forgot to tell me not to dress like Rodeo Barbie?
I closed my eyes and counted to ten to rein in the rage filling every part of my body. Anger was one of those emotions I rarely showed. But at this very moment, the struggle was real.
“Do you think I can strangle her with that brIDE sash?” I asked.
“It would probably take too long,” Abe said.
Aidan took the microphone from Missy’s hand. “What Missy was saying was we’re grateful you could join us. Now, let’s eat.”
“I can’t sit and eat with these people now,” I said, my pulse pounding so loud I could hear it.
Abe squeezed my hand. “Yes, you can.”
“So optimistic. Your most annoying trait.”
A piece of chocolate appeared before me.
I snatched it with my free hand and stuffed it in my mouth.
He laughed and pulled me toward the tables.
They’d been arranged in a giant U-shape with Missy and Aidan and their families at the front.
Thankfully, we were allowed to sit wherever we wanted.
Also thankfully, there was wine on the table.
I was chugging from a glass within two point five seconds.
I didn’t drink often, maybe once or twice a year, and tonight would be one of those times.
“Hey, are these seats taken?” a voice asked a few minutes later.
“Nope, go ahead,” I said. The couple sat. They looked a little older than me. She had sharp blue eyes. He had Ken-doll-like hair, heavy on the gel to keep it in place. I recognized the hair. “Ryan, right? You’re one of the groomsmen.”
“That’s me.” He was one of Aidan’s work bros. “This is my girlfriend, Sarah.”
“I’m Iris.” I patted Abe’s shoulder. “This is Abe.”
We made small talk, something I loathed, but the two of them didn’t seem too bad and conversation flowed.
The wine helped. Having Abe here helped, too.
He was a pretty friendly guy. He was nice and had kind eyes.
I think I liked kind eyes a lot. I liked how his eyes smiled.
The way the light hit the brown, sometimes making them look impossibly dark and dreamy or pale and piercing.
I could have sat there all night and waxed on about his eyes.
Aidan waved from across the room. I lifted my glass in return.
Abe leaned in and whispered, “Take it easy there, champ.”
“If anyone has earned this wine, it is me.”
He laughed softly. His breath skated across my cheek, and I shivered. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up, and his tattoos were on display. Some guys knew the power of the forearm, and I had decided Abe was one of them.
Also, he smelled yummy.
“Thanks,” he said.
I guess I said that out loud. Whoops.
Ryan motioned to Abe. “You look so familiar to me.”
“Maybe you’ve seen him at houseplant conventions?” I giggled and took a sip of wine. Sometimes I cracked myself up.
“How do you know the couple?” Sarah asked.
“Aidan and I dated for a few years. He even gave me a promise ring one Christmas, so I thought we’d get married one day, but…” I leaned in and whisper-yelled, “I don’t think that’s going to happen now.”
Sarah’s eyes widened. “Oh.”
“Don’t worry. We’re friends.” I frowned. “I’m the best woman. In the wedding. Not in life. I mean, obviously, Missy is his best woman.” I leaned toward Abe. “Am I talking a lot?”
Gently, he took the glass from my hand and set it on the table. “Maybe you should lay off the wine.”
“No, I like the wine.”
Ryan snapped his fingers. “You said your name was Abe? Short for Abraham. As in, Abraham Ramos?”
“Yeah.” Abe shifted in his chair.
“I thought I knew you. Bro, you do amazing work. I saw one of your paint jobs at a car show last year.” Ryan’s voice held a note of reverence.
“Remember, Sarah? That 1970 Plymouth Superbird with the phoenix painted on the hood. It was pristine. I looked you up after that and, damn, you are talented.”
He didn’t give Sarah or Abe a chance to answer.
“Aidan, man, you didn’t tell me you had a legend coming to the wedding,” he said, his voice carrying over the din of thirty people.
“Are you a legend?” I whispered. “I’m going to start calling you Legend.”
Abe groaned. “Please don’t.”
“Too late, Legend. Too late.”
“A legend?” Aidan frowned as he realized who Ryan was talking about. He walked over to our group.
Abe stood and held out a hand. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Abe Ramos. Congrats on the wedding.”
“I know who you are.” Aidan took his time inspecting Abe. Finally, he held out a hand and they shook. I thought I detected a wince on Aidan’s face like Abe had gone for the very firm handshake. I was practically giddy at the thought. “Thanks for coming.”
“Bro, you should see his work. It’s amazing.” Ryan vibrated with excitement as he slapped Abe on the back. “You’ve done stuff for celebrities even. I read an article about how you custom paint coffins for kids.”
Abe, looking vaguely uncomfortable, stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, I’ve done a few.”
“I don’t know. Seems kind of gross to profit off a kid’s death,” Aidan said.
“Dude,” Ryan said. “He does it for free.”
Yeah, Aidan, so suck on lemons.
Aidan frowned. “What was that, Iris?”
I turned to Abe and whisper-yelled, “Did I say the words out loud again?”
“Afraid so.”
“Whoops.”
“Are you coming out with the guys tonight?” Ryan asked. “You should come. It’s Aidan’s last night of freedom.”
“Yeah, you should come,” Aidan said with very little enthusiasm. “Besides, Iris is going out with the ladies, anyway.”
“I am?” I hiccupped. I was pretty sure in the messages upon messages I’d received that Missy hadn’t said anything about going out. “Okay.”
“You sure you want to go out?” Abe asked. “Might be better to rest up for tomorrow.”
That was so nice of him to ask. Aidan would have made the decision for me.
“No, bro, come out with us,” Ryan said, practically dancing with excitement.
“Let’s do it,” I said.
“Are you sure?”
I blew a raspberry. “I’m fine.”
Incidentally, those were the words I said to Abe four hours later when I called him. It went something like this:
“I’m fine, but I’ve been arrested.”