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“Married seventy-three years,” Sylvia whispers.
Levi adds. “Ryan will introduce you later. He’ll kill me if I do it.”
“That’s fine.” I sniffle and offer Sylvia a watery smile when she passes me a tissue.
“I never attend weddings or family events without tissues.” Sylvia dabs at her eyes. “I’ve discovered from day one that brothers never grow up.” She chuckles. “They’re fine apart, but together, well, they get downright entertaining.”
“That’s true,” Levi says. “My mom is worse. When she’s with her twin brother, Diego, they’re so funny. Mom tends to get embarrassing because she knows Diego will cringe. It’s gotten worse as we’ve gotten older and understand more about what she’s actually talking about.” He shudders, straightening in his seat. “She’s my mother, so it’s not right.”
I bust out laughing. “You mean she talks about sex?”
I catch Ryker cringe as Levi shudders and says, “The wedding is about to start.” He nods toward the front.
I’ve been distracted and find Ryan standing at the front beside his brother, glaring at Levi. I chance a glance at Levi and he’s grinning like an idiot.
Rolling my eyes, I wait until I have Ryan’s gaze and blow him a kiss, following it with a very slow lick of my lips. His eyes don’t move from my tongue until I watch him straighten his jacket.
I hear Levi chuckling beside me, but I ignore him because if I don’t, I’ll be blushing like crazy. At least I got Ryan’s mind off of his cousin, though.
However, I’m then distracted as Poppy slowly makes her way up the flower-lined aisle, accompanied by who I presume is her brother. She is glowing as her eyes stay on the groom, anxiously waiting for her.
Poppy’s dress of white silk shimmers over her pregnant belly. She looks stunning and so happy. Jaxon takes one of her hands into his, and the other he places on her stomach. Even from where I’m sitting, I can feel the heat between the two of them.
The rest of the wedding ceremony is a blur and seems to go fast, and before too long, they are pronounced, man and wife. Cheers go up as we all get to our feet. Ryan sneaks a kiss as he walks past, holding the page boy’s hand—must be his nephew, Elias. He must have been bribed with something because he appears to be on his best behavior. Nothing like the little devil, Sofia had mentioned.
Not long after, I find myself hiding inside the balcony doorway because I don’t want to be in the way of the family photographs, but I want to watch. It’s also nice being out of the sun, which I find uncomfortable for any length of time.
“Who’s the chick?” I overhear in a male voice. “She looks familiar.”
“Gretchen, she’s friends with Alexander,” replies Ryan.
I hear the confusion in the other man’s voice, as he asks, “Why would Alex bring someone else to the wedding?”
“You’re an idiot, Dylan. She’s with me.”
Dylan laughs. “You brought a date to your brother’s wedding? I mean, she is a date, right? Not just a fuck buddy?”
A frown appears across my brow as the tone of the conversation changes and I’m not sure I like the way it’s going nor do I think I want to hear whatever else is said.
“Get off my back,” Ryan hisses.
“You really like her, huh? That’s new.”
“Yes.”
“She knows you don’t want kids or to get married, right? Have you told her that? Or, have you changed your mind?” Why is Dylan saying these things?
“I haven’t changed my mind,” Ryan replies. “It’s nothing serious. We’re just having some mutually satisfying fun. So, shut the fuck up.”
I don’t hear what follows because blood is rushing through my ears at the overwhelming sadness, I feel at hearing those words leave Ryan’s mouth. Nothing serious. Mutual satisfying fun.
After everything we have done and said, I expected so much more from Ryan. I never expected to hear him refer to me in those words. Never. I’ve given him my heart while he was having fun.
Wanting to run away and hide, I turn quickly and smack into a hard, male body. I look up through watery eyes and find Ryker. He glances behind me to the goings on outside before he turns his gaze on me.
“I heard them too, Gretchen,” he says softly.
My heart sinks at the humiliation running through me.
