Page 112 of Glitterati Omega

Then again, he hadn’t thought Perce was quite so traditional either. Or likely to get married. He supposed a lot of things could change. He glanced down, cradling his belly, resisting the urge to hum. Though he doubted anyone would hear him over the music.

It cut out quite suddenly; Jake had taken Perce’s arm. Winston was now standing beside Morgan, his hands clasped behind his back.

Jake was a sweating mess; the lights reflected off his pale skin, and his hair seemed frizzier than usual. Perce had chosen to wear heels, so he towered over the redheaded alpha.

Jake’s voice trembled, another sure sign of his nervousness. He fumbled his vows a couple of times, and then Isolde, the redheaded child standing at the front with a basket of flowers, barked, “Hurry up, Tati, I have to pee!”

“Oh my God,” Liz murmured, touching a hand to her face, while Deb and Jake’s sisters laughed.

The steely-haired alpha gave Rupert a sympathetic smile when he caught her eye. “I hope yours isn’t like that, or you’ll have your hands full.”

Rupert returned the look. “I’ll have my hands full either way; we’re expecting twins.”

Deb, who had been listening from the other side, shouted something that sounded like a Yiddish curse. She stared at Rupert with a strange mixture of sympathy and awe. Before she could say anything, though, Isolde shouted, “Nana! You have to listen when other people talk!” The tot was standing nearer to the chairs now, pointing at their grandparents.

Jake chuckled, and Perce just gave a long-suffering sigh, his gaze skyward. Deb chuckled, glancing at everyone. “I’ve been told,” she said, then waved at Isolde, who put their hands on their hips.

Jake seemed much more confident and steady when he resumed his vows; he didn’t shake when he picked up the ring and slid it on Perce’s finger. Rupert cast his gaze down, inspecting his own (swollen) fingers, now bandless.

He wasn’t sure how much he wanted the band back. He and Thomas had had marriage, all its empty vows; Winston had given him something much more precious, and he’d done it without jewelry, without promises of forever, without some sacrament telling him to love and cherish his partner.

Maybe the alpha was right. Maybe marriage was a bit outmoded.

Maybe Rupert just needed to be open to new things, new people, new ideas. It wasn’t all set in stone. He’d felt so alone because the people who were supposed to love him never had. But love—and family—was everywhere, now that he looked. The fairy tale he’d always dreamed about—the things he wanted didn’t have to come tied up in that wrapper. When he insisted they did, he missed out on so much more.

Liz had to grab his hand and help him stand up when the wedding procession proceeded back down the aisle. They began to file out of the rows; the wedding party and family was going for photos, while the rest of the guests got to enjoy cocktail hour.

Liz glanced over her shoulder again. “You could tag along?”

“Oh.” He shook his head, then grinned. “I’m friends with the caterer and her fiancée. I’ll be quite well taken care of.”

Liz laughed, then waved. “We’ll talk more after,” she said, just before Deb dragged her away.

He made his way to the back room, where Alina and her team were frantically setting up the trays to go out for cocktail hour. Rupert sidled up alongside Elise, who was standing against a wall, arms folded, frown on her face.

“Did you get fired?” Rupert asked, and the alpha did a double-take.

“Good grief, Roo,” she said, then ran a critical eye up and down him. “How the heck did you sneak up? I should’ve seen you from across the room—you look like a giant, sparkly—”

“Pink gumball,” he finished. “Yes, I know.” He glanced down. “It’s de la Renta.”

“It’s three seasons old and—previously worn?” She squinted at him.

“I prefer the term previously loved.”

She stared in surprise. Then she looked away. “Guess it’s a bit like you then, huh?”

“Mm,” Rupert agreed. He felt her gaze on him again.

“Color’s nice,” she said finally. “Really works with your skin tone.”

“Don’t lie. You and I both know I have yellow undertones and this is not my color.”

Elise snorted, then shook her head. She glanced around. “Where’s that alpha of yours?” She took him by the elbow and guided him to a chair in the corner of the room. “He should be over here looking after you.”

“I’m not helpless,” Rupert protested, plonking down in the chair, then huffing when he landed a little harder than he’d wanted to. “He’s in the wedding party.”

Elise shook her head. “You want anything? Glass of water? Something to eat?”