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Wordlessly, I flag down another server passing by and take the entire tray of mushrooms from the man.
Grinning, Samantha pulls a tupperware container from her large purse. “Guard me.”
I dutifully step in front of her, my back to the table to face the crowd as she uses my broad shoulders to hide her theft.
As I look around at all the loving couples, a pang of loneliness tugs at my heart. I try to push it aside, focusing on the cheerful atmosphere around me. Carrie has touched so many lives through her work with the Omega Outreach Program. The garden is packed with Omega kids from broken homes who she taught to trust again.
It’s a testament to Carrie’s efforts that there are so many couples at her wedding, when most Omegas who end up in the program have reason to fear relationships.
“Why are you single?” Samantha asks suddenly.
Surprised, I peer over my shoulder to see her stuffing her tupperware back into her purse. “What?”
She shrugs. “You’re hot and doing good for yourself. Congratulations on your promotion, by the way. I got the email alert.”
“Thanks.” My stomach tightens.
She lifts her eyebrows. “So?”
I tug uncomfortably at my suit. “I’m not exactly the ideal Omega. A lot of Alphas are intimidated by me.”
Not that I’ve tried hard to meet anyone. No one lives up to my first love, Rian, fellow footballer and the Alpha whose heart I broke. He’s my biggest regret in life, and the one man I compare all others to.
Samantha’s lips tighten, and she gives her head an angry shake. “Then they’re stupid. You’re a total catch.”
I force a smile. “Right back at you. Aside from the whole threat of stabbing thing.”
She throws back her head and laughs, drawing more than a few admiring gazes.
The signal for the wedding to begin cuts through the crowd, and Samantha grabs my arm, shoving me ahead of her toward the chairs. I put my big body to good use and break a path through the crowd to nab us chairs in the third row from the front.
The surrounding seats fill quickly, and I spot Joshua’s fiancé in the front row sitting beside Dr. Walton, head of the OOP, and his husband, Herald, along with their three kids.
The music changes once more, and everyone stands, turning toward the back as the wedding party lines up.
The officiant walks down first, followed by Sean, who can’t stop smiling, and no one here can blame him.
He courted Carrie for over a decade before she finally gave in and agreed to marry him. She had been hung up on their age difference, but anyone who saw them together knew they were in love.
Older couples follow behind him and split at the end, one sitting on either side of the aisle.
The bridesmaids and groomsmen file down next. Joshua comes in third, smirking at the crowd and waving like a little diva. The people closest to the aisle pelt him with rice-paper rose petals amid laughter from the crowd.
He takes his place next to Sean with an arm’s length between them.
Then the best man and maid of honor step into the aisle, and my breath catches, my pulse racing.
Even after eight years, there’s no mistaking Rian. My first love. He had filled out more after high school, and he wears his blond hair longer, but the dimples are still the same, as is the easy confidence with which he carries himself.
Time slows, and memories of our time together flood my mind. Our stolen moments, whispered promises, and the painful words I spoke that ended us.
Blood rushes in my ears, and my vision narrows until all I see is him.
As Rian draws nearer, his blue eyes meet mine. Our gazes lock, a storm of emotions swirling between us. My heart pounds, the years of separation tearing open an old wound and leaving me bleeding afresh.
Suddenly, I’m eighteen again, the crappy music from our senior-year Homecoming dance blaring in my ears with Rian’s arms around me, desperately in love.
Music pounds through the gym, and students dance around us, bodies moving in jerky motions that attempt to match the beat. Laughter and chatter from the sidelines blend with the music, and the occasional cheers and whoops erupt, encouraging the more flamboyant dancers.
