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I drop my hand back to my side. “Look, I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for what happened in high school. I was in a bad place, and?—”
“There you are!” a slender man slips between us, taking the glass of wine from Rian and linking their arms together with a familiarity that makes my gut twist. “Sorry I kept you waiting. There was a line for the restroom.”
Blood rushes through my ears as my gaze fixes on their linked arms. Of course, Rian would be here with someone. Or worse, is this his partner? Are they bonded?
My eyes rise to the man’s collar, but I can’t see a nape guard past the elaborate scarf tied around his neck.
The other man’s gaze shifts to me. “Who’s this?”
Rian’s eyes bounce between the slender man to me. “Brad, this is my?—”
“Sorry to bother you,” I croak out, not wanting to hear the confirmation that they’re an item. “I just wanted to…” I flounder for words. “Enjoy the wedding.”
Rian calls after me, but I stumble away, unable to hear his words past the crush of disappointment that floods through me.
Samantha was right. I should have left this buried.
Whoever said time heals all wounds was full of shit. This hurts just as much as it did eight years ago.
7
Samantha intercepts me as I blindly walk away from the dance floor. “Hey, what happened?”
I swallow the lump in my throat. “I need to go to my room. Staying here… I can’t do this right now.”
“Keep it together for just a little longer.” Gripping my arm, she pulls me over to one of the standing tables beside the champaign tower. She thrusts a flute into my numb fingers before grabbing the other one on the table. “The bride and groom are about to enter.”
Guilt fills me, and I take a healthy gulp of bubblies to fortify myself. Today isn’t about me and my regrets. It’s about people who are far better than I am.
Zac, who stands next to the champaign tower, gently taps a fork against the flute he holds. Silence falls over the room, then a processional song fills the air, and Carrie and Sean appear at the top of the stairs.
Carrie had changed out of her full-skirted wedding dress into a sleeker version to make dancing easier, while Sean had taken off his jacket and tie. The couple steals loving glances at each other as they walk down the stairs, and we all raise our champagne glasses as cheers fill the air.
As soon as they pass, I drain the rest of my glass before stealing Samantha’s and drinking it, too.
Without comment, she grabs two fresh flutes from the table beside us.
Carrie and Sean make their way to the long table on the other side of the champagne tower and take their seats. Joshua abandons Austen to join them, and my stomach clenches when I spot Rian leaving his date to sit in the chair beside Sean.
Sean takes the mic Zac passes him and stands with Carrie, the two holding hands.
He clears his throat, the sound crackling through the speakers set up around the reception area. “Thank you, everyone, for being here with us today, to celebrate this important milestone in our lives. Each of you has touched a place in our hearts, and today wouldn’t have been the same without our loved ones surrounding us.”
Tears flow down Carrie’s cheeks, and she dabs at them with a napkin as she nods.
My own eyes sting, and I catch Samantha blinking quickly. I dare say they’ve both impacted our lives far more than we’ve touched theirs.
Joshua takes the microphone from Sean and waits for him and Carrie to sit. “Sean was the first face I remember after I lost my family, and Carrie’s was the first hug that felt like home. I stayed the longest at our foster home, so I witnessed all of Sean’s bumbling attempts at courtship and got to watch Carrie fall head over heels for him. It was awkward and took forever, but they finally admitted their feelings for each other, and I just have one thing to say.”
He turns to look down at the laughing couple. “About damn time.”
Hoots and whistles fill the air, and Carrie throws her napkin at him.
As Joshua passes the mic to Zac, the laughter quiets.
Zac raises the mic to his lips. “The home Carrie provided gave me a port in the storm after losing my parents. I can honestly say that, without the OOP, I would not be here today, standing next to my husband.”
He touches the slight swell of his pregnant belly before reaching out to take the hand of the man who stands beside him. “Carrie didn’t know my background or how important it was for me to hide from my aunts and uncles. All she knew was that I was in need, and that was enough for her to open her heart and her home to me. Thank you, both, for being there for me. With each other, you have found the harbor where you belong, filled with love for many years to come. Congratulations.”
