Page 49 of The Plus One

I squeezed some water over her head. “Ace!”

“Stop talking shit.”

She laughed, and I smiled before wrapping a towel around her hair. I wanted more moments like this. Regular shit. Helping her wash mud out of her hair. Listening to her complain. Making her laugh. That scared me more than fucking her ever could.

By the time we made it downstairs, we were only thirty minutes late, but Stephen and Sierra hadn't made it yet. The private dining area had been decorated with candles, white flowers, and pictures of Sierra and Stephen throughout their relationship.

Kema wore a fitted orange dress that made it hard for me to focus on anything else. The second we walked in, Markel looked at her. I noticed. So did Tiana. Kema either didn’t notice or didn’t care. She kept her hand in mine while we found our seats.

Dinner was relaxed at first. Everybody ate, drank, and shared stories about Sierra and Stephen. Then Stephen stood and thanked everyone for traveling to Cancún to celebrate with them. “To my future wife,” he said, raising his glass. “Thank you for choosing me.”

Sierra wiped beneath her eyes while everybody toasted. A few other people spoke before Stephen looked at me. “Ace?”

I frowned. “What?”

“You’ve known both of us long enough. Say something.”

“I’m good.”

Kema nudged my leg beneath the table. “Get up.”

I looked at her. “You volunteering me?”

“Yes.”

Everybody laughed as I stood and lifted my glass. “I didn’t prepare anything, so blame Kema if this shit is terrible.”

“You’re welcome,” she said.

I looked at Sierra and Stephen. “I’ve known y’all for years, and one thing I can say is neither one of you ever gave up on the other. Even when things weren’t perfect, you figured it out.” My eyes drifted toward Kema. “Sometimes the right person comes into your life at the wrong time. You might overlook them or convince yourself there are too many reasons it won’t work.”

Kema held my gaze. “But if you’re lucky, wrong timing finally becomes right timing.”

The room went quiet. I cleared my throat and looked back at the couple. “Congratulations. I hope y’all keep choosing each other.”

Everyone raised their glasses, but Kema continued staring at me when I sat down. “What?” I asked.

“Nothing.”

“You’re looking at me like it’s something.”

“That speech wasn’t only about Sierra and Stephen.”

I picked up my drink. “Maybe it was.”

“And maybe you’re full of shit.”

I laughed. “Maybe.”

After dinner, music started playing and everybody moved around the room. Kema and I stepped outside onto the terrace for some air. “You meant what you said?” she asked.

“About what?”

“Wrong timing.”

I rested my arms against the railing. “Yeah.”

She stood beside me. “You think that’s us?”