Chapter 4
Logan
I’m seething.
I’m seething at dinner, I’m seething at drinks, I’m even seething as I eat the best tiramisu of my life.
It can’t sweeten the shitcake Kyle has served me.
I find it hard to be a good conversation partner, and every now and then, I steal a glance at the groom, who appears so happy with his bride-to-be.
Unaware of her fiancé’s cheating, Madison is a beaming, bubbly princess, in her element at the party.
My sister is a very pretty girl, but Madison could be a cover girl for a celebrity gossip website.
She’s blonde, tall, has a lovely updo, the perfect figure and lips enhanced so subtly with filler that no one could tell without being informed.
I only know she’s had them done because Ann told me.
But despite her beauty, she’s prissy, demanding, and always wants things her way.
As her cousin, I’ve learned that the hard way when I stayed with her family one summer in my teens.
She made me wash her horse for two months under the threat of telling her dad I was spying on her in the shower.
Which I was not. I’m not a saint, but I’d never cross that line.
But it is her party, so I do whatever is demanded of me. When the guests are ushered into the gardens surrounding a large pool with an island in the middle, I go with the crowd. There’s no point in retreating to my room just yet. Not when I can continue making the groom uncomfortable.
His gaze strays my way at times, but when he and Madison stop to discuss something with a guy from the camera crew, I head past them and grab a cocktail from the pool bar.
It might be dark, but the air remains warm, so I end up leaning against a random freestanding column and watching a smartly dressed man sit behind a grand piano in a gazebo nearby.
“Logan. I thought I saw you around,” I hear a female voice slurring from a bit too close, and when I turn, I spot Aunt Patty.
She has a bit of an obsession with ‘clean eating’ so I’m surprised to see the drink in her hand and the flush on her face visible even from under heavy makeup.
Her tight satin dress accentuates every curve on her body from overinflated breasts to the rather shapely hips, but I don’t like how close she’s standing.
We might not be blood relatives, but she’s seen me in diapers.
“Enjoying the evening?” I ask casually, even though I’m not in the mood. Not after finding out who the groom is, and not after spending half the evening next to the woman who left me hanging right before our wedding.
She exhales, leaning against the column, so close to me her shoulder touches mine. I bite the inside of my cheek and pull away to stand in front of her. She’s had too much booze already, and the night is still young.
Her chest deflates, and when she cozies up to the column, I realize she made me uncomfortable on purpose, to replace me in the picturesque spot.
“I think you and I both know how little value promises of commitment have in today’s world,” she says and casts a glance to where I spotted Uncle Jacob and Garland earlier.
I take a deep breath. So this is the kind of conversation she wants.
Fine. I can indulge her for a bit as my own gaze strays to Kayla’s back.
She’s taken off her heels and sits alone by the pool, dipping her feet into the water.
I don’t have feelings for her anymore, and it’s a strange realization.
I don’t even hate her. The past hurt feels like an old bruise in comparison to my fresh anger at Kyle Hone.
“I’m not getting married any time soon,” I say and take a sip of whisky.
“Don’t. It’s not worth it,” Aunt Patty says, crossing her arms to make her chest seem more pronounced.
I get the sense she’s on the hunt and using me as a wingman of sorts, or rather, bait thrown around the fishing hook.
She is an attractive woman and doesn’t need it, but aren’t all people lured by a sense of competition?
Because… she wouldn’t be hitting on me, would she? I know I’m a hot guy, but come on.
“I’m happy playing the field. What about Madison though?
She’s only twenty. Is that Kyle guy really a good choice?
Is he some kind of fortune hunter? Guys rarely want to marry so young.
” Maybe it’s not too late to get my cousin out of a marriage to a cheater.
Whatever I might think about Madison, she doesn’t deserve the heartbreak coming her way.
Aunt Patty rolls her eyes. “You know my daughter. She always gets her way, and she’s literally been planning her wedding since she was a little girl.
Even had a favorite dress designer, from one of those reality shows.
And what Madison wants, daddy will get,” she says with a visible shudder and drinks a large sip from her glass.
“As for Kyle, he seems harmless enough. A nice boy, well-behaved. Jacob made him sign a prenup, so when they inevitably split, she will be safe.”
“At least that much,” I mutter with a grim expression. I don’t even see the ‘happy couple’ around anymore.
“I’ve seen Kayla was invited as well. She’s divorced, you know? All that trouble to marry a woman, and then they break up anyway. The gays don’t have it all figured out either.”
That piques my attention, but while I expected to feel glee at Kayla’s romantic misfortune, I only feel sorry for her.
“Oh. Do you know what happened?”
Aunt Patty shakes her head. “No, I only heard from her mother. And what kind of name is ‘Garland’ anyway?” She sneers and downs her drink.
I realize this conversation will be going into the gutter in a matter of seconds so I need to run for the hills.
“I think I might have to question my almost-wife myself. You know, for future reference.”
Aunt Patty waves me off and finishes her drink on the way back to the bar.
The pianist starts a peaceful, jazz piece as I drift alongside the pool, passing couples and groups of people engaged in meaningless chatter.
I grab an extra drink from a waiter on the way.
My heart still hurts when I think back to the pain and humiliation Kayla put me through, but it was a long time ago, and now that I know why she’s here on her own, the bit of schadenfreude I’m feeling makes approaching her easier.
“Hey,” I say, standing next to her, and she looks up, startled.
“Um, hello.”
“Drink?” I ask, showing off the extra glass as I decide to sit down next to her.
I’m done being a coward about this. I’ve avoided talking to her for five years, so maybe it’s time to rip off that band-aid and check if the wound is healed.
“Thanks,” she says, moving her bare feet in the water. She’s paler than she used to be, as if she’s been purposefully avoiding the sun. The glow of the little lamps under the water amplifies the creamy shade of her skin and the blood-red of her toenails.
I have more alcohol for courage, but this is a conversation long overdue. “I didn’t mean to ignore you at dinner. I just wasn’t expecting you there, so I may have freaked out a little,” I say, sitting next to her, cross-legged.
She seems taken aback, but nods and has a sip of champagne. “No, that’s understandable. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised by your presence. You are Madison’s cousin. I… when we last saw each other, I didn’t leave you with the best impression.”
Understatement of the century, but the tension in her shoulders tells me she’s as nervous as me.
I give her a once-over, hoping to break the ice. “You’re definitely making an impression now. You really committed to the whole vintage look.”
She rolls her eyes, but her red lips quirk into a smile. “I’m still gay, Logan.”
I laugh, surprised myself that it’s possible in her presence. Maybe I shouldn’t have avoided her. Maybe the wound’s been healed for longer than I thought and I just never checked.
“I know, but I’m allowed to notice, right? I heard you broke another heart. A true noir femme fatale.”
“Oh God, someone already told you,” she mutters and drinks half of her champagne at once before glancing at me. “I’m afraid this time it was my heart that was broken.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. Look at you. Who was insane enough to leave all that?”
It’s strange. It’s like we’re best friends again, and I slip into it seamlessly, as if I were putting on a comfy pair of boots.
Kayla snorts and shakes her head. “And she cheated on me as well. With three different women. I only found out later, as I was going down that rabbit hole. Guess a pair of seamed stockings isn’t enough to keep a wife.”
I don’t even feel weird about stroking her arm. “I’m so sorry.”
Kayla shrugs. “I guess the energy you give really can return to you. But I appreciate that you, of all people, say that.”
I stare into our blurry reflection in the water.
“There was a time I wished you all the worst things. It was the humiliation of a lifetime to be left hanging like that, all dressed up in my tux and waiting for you to come down the aisle. You went about leaving the wedding in an ugly way. You should have talked to me, but I see it all differently now. You were eighteen, someone else turned your head—”
“No. Logan.” Kayla grabs my hand. “There was no one else at that time. I just… I realized I couldn’t be with a man, even you, and I panicked. I never cheated on you.”
I squeeze her fingers as a weight lifts from my heart. “Thanks for saying that, that’s actually a relief to know. I’ve met a lot of gay people since back then, and I know how things can get messy.”
“Yes. I did like you. You were my best friend. I thought that was it. But I was dreading our life together, and not because of you but because I just didn’t want to spend my life with a man.
I’m not bisexual after all,” she mutters and offers me a smile so full of relief I itch to hug her.
Lots of people here know our history though, so I don’t want to give them reason to gossip.
But am I petty enough to hope Kyle is looking? Yes.
I exhale. “Well, I still am.” She’s the only person here who knows. Other than the damn groom that is. “And if you’re not, we would have failed as a marriage anyway. I wish we resolved things differently, but it was for the better. I have a good life in Indiana, and I’m out to everyone there.”
“Yeah?” she asks, nudging me with her shoulder. “Any pretty girl or boy in your life?”
“Nah, relationships suck, Kayla. I’m so tired of trying, only to be made an idiot again. I had a thing with a guy last year, and sure, we were open, but I still feel like he cheated on me with the way things ended.”
Kayla raises her glass and clinks mine. “Death to cheaters.”
I laugh and repeat it before calling over the waiter.
“Can’t believe so many people are like that.
I’ve been dating on and off, but it’s not easy out there.
All those girls who chat to you and have nothing to say.
Or are just looking for someone to fool around with.
Or are horrified by the fact that I’m not vegan.
” She rolls her eyes. “But you’re a catch, Logan.
I’m sure you’ll meet someone who treats you the way you deserve. ”
I lick my lips and lean in, spurred on by the alcohol and a sense of newfound camaraderie. “Speaking of cheaters… Can you keep a secret?”
“Do you see anyone speaking to me? I don’t gossip,” she says with a laugh, eager for whatever information I can give.
“I fucked the groom yesterday.” I huff in annoyance just thinking about it because it was such a perfect fuck, and now it’s marred by this wedding disaster.
“I had no idea, and he didn’t make a peep about his upcoming wedding.
Fucking cheater. Pulled me into his problem.
I can’t believe he made me complicit. I hope this whole thing comes crashing down by the end of the weekend. ”
The champagne flute slips through Kayla’s fingers and falls into the pool. Flustered, she pulls it out, but there’s no saving the now-contaminated drink. She hides the glass, as if she hopes no one else noticed. “What? You slept with your cousin’s fiancé?”
I take a deep breath. “I know. I feel like shit about it. I just arrived the day before yesterday and didn’t even know who the groom was. I was too focused on the food and a free stay at a luxury resort.”
She shoves at my arm and giggles. “That is so you I have no words.”
“I would have never slept with him if I knew.” I struggle to keep my voice down because I want to scream. “I might be a manwhore, but I’ve got rules.”
Kayla licks her lips. “So what now?”
I look around but Kyle and Madison are nowhere to be found. “You know what? I need to help my cousin before she makes a terrible mistake. How about we ruin this wedding. You in?”
Kayla’s beautiful eyes become positively villainous as she lowers her lashes in a squint and raises her glass. “Death to cheaters.”