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“I know,” she interjected with a smile. “To tell the truth, I’ve always known. Maybe it just took this last straw to break the camel’s back.”
She realized her words were for her more than Aiden. She considered them carefully, weighing them in her mind.
“Well that was one hell of a straw,” Aiden conceded. He deftly grabbed another drink and handed it to her. “And maybe that camel sucked to begin with.”
Jenna’s little brother blew her a kiss and took off into the crowd. Lauren chuckled, watching him go.
Worse camel ever, she thought to herself.
The wedding grew even more beautiful as the night wore on.
In many respects it was like every other wedding on the planet. There was a cocktail hour, music, even a band. The guests ate, they danced, they laughed. But the ambiance of the old English castle seemed to magnify everything tenfold. Even the subtle beauty of the lights and decorations held more meaning when strung from six-hundred year old rafters. The drinks looked different splashing across timeworn flagstones that had seen the feet of dozens of generations.
And the bride… the groom! They looked magnificent together, almost magical as they whirled together in the center of the huge chamber. Jenna had never been more beautiful. Even Logan looked stunningly handsome; all dark haired and broad-shouldered in his flawless black tuxedo.
Lauren sighed and fought off another wave of nostalgia. She hated being alone. Always had. But for some reason, tonight it was somehow okay. Tonight was Jenna’s night, and Logan’s. She was happy enough to be a care-free, semi-buzzed witness to the most important night of her best friend’s life.
A slow song came on, and thoughts of Adam floated into her head. She pushed them away.
“C’mon,” a voice called over her shoulder. “Let’s dance!”
She knew the voice before even turning around. It belonged to Michael, one of the groomsmen. The one she’d been paired with, to walk down the aisle. The one who’d been trying to get Lauren to dance three times already, and now four.
“No thanks,” she said again. Each time it was getting harder to force a smile. “I’m good.”
“Well I know you’re good,” he quipped, chuckling at his own cleverness. He leaned in close. “But you really should dance with me.”
Lauren sighed. His breath smelled worse than before. More liquor, more beer. More whatever.
“Thanks anyway, but I—”
This time he actually took her wrist. Lauren’s ass left the chair as Michael pulled on her, forcing her to her feet.
It made her angry. Pissed off, even.
“Just one dan—”
Before she even knew what happened, Michael was yanked suddenly backward. Lauren saw two strong hands clasp his shoulders and whirl him around.
“Mike!”
It was Logan. The groom stood toe to toe with his friend, holding him steady. Michael was staring up at him all bleary-eyed.
“There you are,” Logan declared. “You’re a hard man to find, Mike. Chris has been looking all over for you. Am I right Chris?”
“Damn straight,” Chris said from beside him. The other groomsman threw Lauren a sympathetic look, then winked. “Come on, bud,” he said, putting his arm around Michael. “I need you to meet someone…”
“M—Meet someone?” Michael was utterly confused.
“Yeah, yeah, sure. Meet someone…”
She watched as Chris led Michael away, guiding him in a semi-straight line. When they were out of speaking distance, Logan smiled down at her apologetically.
“Sorry about that,” he said. “Mike’s a good guy, but sometimes he doesn’t know when to quit.”
Lauren grinned up at her best friend’s husband. Husband… The word tasted still strange of her
tongue.
