My mother blotted her eyes when I looked in her and my father’s direction. Ivy’s parents sat on the opposite side, and they looked just as happy as my parents.
Lush flowers surrounded the area as the waterfall created a calming effect.
I glanced at my watch to see how much longer it was before Ivy made her entrance. The closer it got to the time, the more anxious I got.
Ten minutes went by with no sign of Ivy or friends. I just chalked it up to them running a little late. Ten minutes turned to twenty, then turned into thirty. By the forty-minute mark, people started whispering. Ivy’s parents looked just as confused as the rest of us.
“You know how women are, Bro. They always late to something,” Carter joked, trying to ease the impending doom I felt.
I tried to agree with my brother’s joke, but I knew that wasn’t the case. The feeling I had earlier came back. Something was wrong. I just wasn’t sure of what.
Noah pulled out his phone, I guessed to reach out to one of the bridesmaids, but as he stared at his screen, something told me I wouldn’t like what he saw.
I didn’t have my phone on me because the most important people in my life were here. Anyone else would be about business, and that had to wait for at least a week.
“Ay, I don’t want to say this shit out loud, so just look.” Noah passed me his phone while everyone in the audience watched.
My heart dropped when I saw Ivy’s latest social media post. This bitch wasn’t coming because she decided to rekindle shit with her ex.
I wasn’tsure what woke me up first: the fullness of my bladder, or the weight on my midsection. Wait! I popped my eyes open and immediately regretted it. My head pounded like someone bashed me in it, and I felt this weird pressure around me. Slowly turning my head, I gasped at the arm holding me tightly. The tattoos that covered said arm looked familiar, but I couldn’t figure out how.
When I lifted my hand to wipe my eyes, I screamed at the platinum wedding band on my left hand.
“What the fuck?”
“You too loud, mama.” The sleep-filled voice made my nipples press against my shirt.
At least I still have my shirt on.
I slowly lifted the blanket and saw that we both were fully dressed, so that was a relief.
“I can hear you over there thinking too much. I need at least three more hours of sleep.”
That man was talking about sleeping while I was on the verge of shitting on myself because I was so nervous. His voice sounded just as familiar as his arm looked, but I was too afraid to face him. For some odd reason, the way he held on to me felt—comfortable.
You need to get out of there or at least see who it is.
My inner thoughts were in a tug of war of what my next steps should be.
The loud snores that cut through the silence had my mind racing about what happened the night before.
I remembered my girls and I out drinking and smoking. I remembered seeing the blog post about Boston Brooks being stood up at the altar. My friends and I thought it was messed up and that homegirl was crazy for standing him up. Then, I remembered running into him with his entourage, and somehow, we shared drinks.
“Do you mind if we join you beautiful ladies? We’re just trying to cheer my brother up.” A guy asked as he approached our section. Behind him were three other guys, one of them being Boston Brooks.
Jasmine was the first one to speak up. “Sure, there’s plenty of room and drinks for everyone.”
When I glanced at Boston, he already had his eyes on me. Heat filled my cheeks as he stared at me. He didn’t look like he’d just gotten stood up at the altar. He still had on what I assumed was his suit from the wedding. The man was fine with dark skin that glistened like he had a good skincare routine.
Carter and Jasmine seemed to be the spokesperson for each group because it was them that made the introductions.
The whole time, Boston kept his eyes trained on me. I had to take deep breaths as I watched him stroll toward me.
“You mind if I sit next to you?” His voice was low, but the impact of it was loud.
“I don’t mind.” I wanted to say something about what happened but didn’t think it was the right time.
After everyone got comfortable, drinks were passed around, and conversation ensued. Boston spent the whole time talking to me. Our knees would brush against each other because of how close we were. I found myself gazing into his eyes and hanging on to every word he said. Everything after that was a blur. Holy shit!
