“You go, I’ll meet you there,” I tell her.
“I don’t want to go alone.” She sings out her words. “I want to go with you. Why can’t you come with me?”
“I have to go see if Matty needs anything,” I say, trying not to sound irritated by her nagging, but I also feel a headache coming on. “You knew this coming here,” I remind her. “You were the one who said it would be like you weren’t even here.”
“Fine,” she huffs, her arms falling from my neck. “I’ll go and get a drink and then save you a seat next to me.” She smiles. “I might even save you a dance,” she flirts, right before she walks away from me. I turn and look back at the door, wanting to storm back in there, but also not wanting to make a scene at the wedding.
I watch her make her way to the barn before I hightail it back over to the groom’s house. I run up the steps and into the house, seeing it’s Matty, Stone, and my other cousin Christopher, sitting down all drinking a beer. “Holy shit, are you okay?” Stone asks me when I walk in. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” The two of them are dressed exactly like me, Matty is the only one without the vest but with a jacket instead.
I walk over and fall into the chair before my legs literally give out on me. “I think I did,” I mumble and then look at Matty, who is just staring at me.
“Did you deliver the gift?” he asks me, sitting up, nervous I didn’t deliver the gift.
“I did,” I inform him. “Who is planning your wedding?” The question comes out without me even thinking twice, which is not normal for me. I always, always make a plan before I have any discussion with anyone.
“Clarabella, Presley, and Shelby,” he replies, leaning back in the chair, taking a pull of his beer,
“they work together.”
“Who is Addison to Sofia?” I ask him, trying not to seem like I’m prying or even seeming like I would care who she is. But he doesn’t answer me. Instead, he just glares at me.
“Off-limits,” he grouses between clenched teeth. “She’s a single mom.” He tells me something I already know. “Don’t even think about it.”
“Aren’t you here with a girl?” Stone laughs as he asks me the question.
“Didn’t you just start dating her also?” Christopher follows up with his own question.
All I can do is ignore them. “How old is Avery?” I ask him, even though I know deep down inside
me she’s mine. I can’t explain it, but I know. I knew the minute I locked eyes on her, she was mine.
“I have no idea, four… five… six.” He shrugs.
“Have you met her little girl?” I ask him, and his glare gets even more intense.
“Are you fucking kidding me right now? You want to do this at my wedding?” he shouts and Christopher and Stone try not to laugh at his tone.
“I’m not doing anything,” I say, my leg shaking up and down with nerves. “I’m just asking who they are. I just met them.”
“Sofia usually has them over when I’m on the road,” Matty shares. “I’ve seen Avery a couple of times, here and there.”
“Is she dating anyone?” Christopher asks, and now I’m glaring at him.
“Listen.” Matty stands up. “None of you perverts are allowed to make a play for her.” He points at all three of us, and I throw in if the other two even try it, I’m going to throat punch them before they even get a word out. Actually, if they even think it, I’ll hurt them.
“Relax there,” Stone assures. “I’m already spoken for.”
Christopher laughs at that. “Does she even know you exist?”
“Oh, she knows,” Stone says with a smirk, and I’m happy they are talking about something else besides Addison.
The door opens and my uncle Viktor comes in. “It’s time.” Matty stands up and puts the beer down on the table in front of him. “She’s coming out now?”
“No, God no,” Viktor says, “but the photographer wants to take pictures with us and all of that.”
“And considering there are a million of us, it’s like herding cats,” Christopher announces, finishing off his beer.
“They need a lot of time.” Stone gets up and slaps Matty on the shoulder. “Getting married.”
“It’s great,” he states, “you should try it.”
“She doesn’t even want to date him, how is he going to marry her?” Christopher laughs while Stone glares at him.