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“You need a drink,” she said.
I needed a whole lot of things.
* * *
We finally made our way to the reception, and I was glad Linley didn’t make any of the wedding party do a grand entrance, just her and Gray.
Everyone else had had the cocktail hour with snacks and I was flipping starving. I really should have put some snacks in the pockets of my dress, but I’d been too distracted by everything that happened with Alivia that I’d forgotten.
I filled up a small plate with whatever I could get my hands on and went back to the head table. Esme was sitting there, her foot jiggling. Paige was standing with Linley, laughing about something Gray had said.
“You okay?” I asked Esme, who gave me a tight smile.
“I’m fine,” she said in a jerky voice.
“Take a deep breath,” I said, putting my hand on her shoulder. “Have you had anything to eat?”
She shook her head and I forced her to have some of what was on my plate. Paige came back and sat down on Esme’s other side.
“We haven’t started dancing and my feet are already tired. What am I going to do?” She winced and rubbed at her ankle.
“I’ll just have to carry you around,” Esme said, giving her a kiss.
“For right now I would love to have something to eat, would you mind getting me a plate?”
Esme stood up.
“Not at all, baby.” She went off and I looked at Paige, who was watching Esme walk away.
“I really love her,” she said with a sigh.
“Yeah, you do,” I said, my heart swelling with what was going to happen very soon. I didn’t think that Paige had any idea, and I couldn’t wait to see her face.
I went back to my seat and Linley and Gray made it back over as the DJ announced that we could get up and start grabbing plates for dinner. Everyone stood aside for Linley and Gray and their parents to go first. Even though I’d just had some nibbles, I loaded up my plate.
I’d been looking for Alivia in the crowd, but I hadn’t seen her until I went to get a plate and saw her talking with the DJ. I wanted to wave, but she looked like she was working, so I didn’t want to distract her.
“Stop staring at her,” Natalie said in my ear.
“I’m trying,” I said back.
I tried to focus on the food, and I finally got a glimpse of the amazing cake Linley had made herself. The topper was exactly what Gray had made her when they’d first started dating: a husband and wife pangolin, standing up and holding their little hands. Paws? I didn’t know. Whatever it was, it was adorable and totally Linley and Gray.
The cake itself was frosted in white and covered with pink and blue flowers, with the dark green leaves. Linley’s specialty was making incredible frosting flowers, and she’d gone all out. It was lovely. Everything about the wedding was exactly what Linley and Gray wanted and deserved. Even the weather had been absolutely perfect, with the sun out, not a cloud in the sky, and the temperature at a comfortable seventy-five degrees with a soft breeze.
I was glad that I didn’t have to make a toast, because it seemed really stressful. Paige kept it short and sweet, and Gray’s best friend Will brought the house down with his jokes. I knew he did standup comedy on the side, so he was the perfect one to pick to speak. Martha’s speech brought me to tears, as did Gray’s father’s. The speeches were constantly interrupted by everyone tapping their glasses for the new couple to kiss, which they were more than happy to do.
Linley danced with both her parents, as did Gray, and then they had their first dance to “At Last.”
“You coming to dance?” Natalie asked as Em started to drag her to get out there.
“Yeah,” I said, standing up and making sure my boobs were firmly situated in my dress. Didn’t want to have anything flying out if I got too aggressive on the dance floor. I also had a few drinks in me, so I was ready.
I glanced once over at Alivia, who stood in a corner, watching everything.
“I’ll be right there,” I told Natalie, as she and Em shimmied over to Linley.
I walked over to Alivia. It was the first time I’d really talked to her today.
