How to Ruin a Wedding(75)

When people notice Anders, they all cheer and rush over to give their birthday wishes. Some hang back and wave, taking a more patient approach. I try to pull away so he can greet them all properly, but he snakes a hand around my waist, pressing me against him.

Right. There are more eyes on us than ever. If there was ever a time to play up the role of doting girlfriend, it’s now. Especially when we step through the French doors at the back of the building, leading outside to the endless rows of vines, and his favorite people are standing around under hundreds, maybe thousands, of string lights woven throughout thin apple trees that stretch farther than my vision allows.

Olive rushes toward Anders and gives us both a hug. “Happy birthday!” she says, then to me, “You look so pretty.”

I blink. “Oh, I thought you were reading my mind—that’s exactly what I thought when I saw you.”

She smiles widely as Bethany joins, gives us separate hugs, then pats my shoulder. “A shame you didn’t make the family dinner. Anders spoke so sweetly of you; he actually made his father twitch, which is his form of a smile.”

Guilt and nerves pinch the sides of my stomach, but I force a smile. I place my arm on Anders’s chest. “I’m aware of how lucky I am.”

He grabs my hand, lifts it up to his lips, and leaves it there for a long, warm kiss. New, sweeter nerves swarm my stomach and replace the anxiety there.

“Gross,” Valerie says as she joins, John hanging behind her. She hugs her brother, then me. It may be my imagination, but she squeezes me extra tight before pulling away.

“Shall we grab a table?” Bethany says, already walking to a long one on the cobblestones. I try to follow, but my heel gets caught and sinks into the grass.

Anders’s hands grip my waist, yanking me so my back presses against him. The memory of us at the billiards table, our bodies pressed tightly against each other, flashes through my mind. It sends a hot shot of heat straight between my legs so suddenly that, if not for Anders wrapped around me, I’d buckle.

“Careful.” His mouth presses against my ear.

“Thanks.” The word is pathetically breathless.

And the sound of it floods my mind with memories—and Anders, too, with the way he begins to harden against me. As much as my body’s instinct wants to press back against his length, I maneuver myself away.

He clears his throat, then holds a hand at my back as he leads us to join the table.

We sit across from Valerie and John, with Bethany and Olive on opposite ends of the table.

“So, Anders,” Bethany says, “how are you feeling? How has the day part of the birthday been treating you?” She looks at me. “I hope you made it special.”

I chew on my bottom lip just as Anders’s arm wraps around me, pulling me close against him. “She gave me a very thoughtful gift.” He ends the sentence with a kiss on the side of my head.

My hand falls on his thigh, and I give him a light squeeze as I lean into him. He presses another kiss, this time under my ear.

“Ugh, get a room,” Valerie says.

“Why don’t you and John ever kiss?” Olive says.

John stiffens, and Valerie scoffs. “They’re barely kissing.”

In answer, Anders grips my chin and presses a quick kiss on my lips.

“Okay, show-off,” Valerie says, “some of us are less PDA and more behind closed doors.”

“Anyway,” Bethany interrupts, “thank you for taking care of my boy. It’s nice to see him smitten.”

My lips pull into a smile. Tonight, I can’t waver or think about what’s real. Right now, I have to believe it is, to play my part.

I pinch Anders’s cheek. “Is that it? Are you smitten by me?”

“Endlessly,” he answers.

Valerie gags before pointing at me. “I forgot to tell you, we moved up the Jack and Jill party to this week. I hear your sister is visiting. You should invite her.”

I smile like I’m thinking about the possibility, but it’s impossible. The wedding is fast approaching, and I’m not making the progress I need. I’ve decided to go forward with my most creative, and insane, wedding-wrecking plan.

Unfortunately, it involves my sister, so Valerie can’t see her outside of what I have planned in two days—Taina playing a psychic, guiding Valerie to the understanding that this wedding isn’t meant to be.

“I’ll bring it up to her,” I lie, shifting in my seat.

“What about you?” Valerie asks Anders. “Are you still going to make it? You’re cutting it close.”

When I give Anders a perplexed look, he tells me, “I forgot to mention, I have to travel to New York for just a couple days. I’ll be back early morning before the Jack and Jill.”

Anders presses another kiss to the side of my head.

And Bethany claps her hands. “You two are so damn cute; let me get a photo.” When she whips out her phone, Anders and I lean into each other, cheek to cheek.

We take a few shots, and then Anders asks, “Can you send me those?”

And my heart doubles its pulses.

Bethany asks about Anders’s newest book cover, and Olive busies herself with a game on her mom’s phone. Valerie joins the conversation now and then, and I keep my eyes on John, who barely joins in but is paying attention. Whenever Valerie fidgets with her hands, he covers them with his. If she twirls her hair, he pulls her fingers away.