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I watch as she mingles with the girls and accepts a glass of champagne, though she only sips at it as the other bridesmaids throw theirs back. I guess she wants to remember this night. An arm falls over my shoulder as a big body leans all of its weight on me. “You’ve got it bad, brother,” Logan says, a knowing glint in his eye.
“Shut up,” I say, pushing him off.
“Why the hell would I do that? Stirring you up is a favorite pastime of mine. I couldn’t possibly skip an opportunity like that,” he says. I roll my eyes and turn my attention back to Cass as she throws her head back laughing. “You know,” he says, taking on a serious tone. “She’s still yours. All you have to do is forgive her.” With that, he walks away, leaving the thought swirling in my head. If only it were that easy.
The reception gets underway, and I take my seat at the bridal table. Night has fallen and the room is completely lit up. I must give credit to the bitch of a wedding planner because she has done an incredible job.
The room is packed. There must be at least two hundred guests here, and I find myself scanning the room. I notice my parents and my jaw clenches. What the fuck are they doing here? There’s no way Sean would have invited them. They’ll be here purely for the social climbing opportunities, and I make a note to steer clear. I don’t need to be dealing with that shit today.
Logan hovers by me, and I glance over at him, watching the way he smiles at some chick at a table to the left. She’s a cute blonde, and I realize this must be his new girl, so I make a note to introduce myself and stir as much shit as possible. I’m sure Carter will happily join me in that venture.
Things get going and soon enough, we’re demolishing hors d’oeuvres and main meals before moving right along to speeches.
Sara’s best friends get up and give a speech that has the bride and the majority of the women in the room in tears, but it’s all made better when Logan and Carter stand to make their dedication to their brother. The whole room is in stitches and hangs on every word they say as they confess their brother’s misguided activities of his past. The boys finish it off with a few touching words about their parents which has Cass discreetly wiping a tear.
The moment the speeches are finished, the band takes to the stage, and the crowd starts conversing and moving around the room. I watch as Cassie excuses herself from the table and steps out into the fresh air.
I’m moving away from the table before I even realize what’s happening. I follow her out the side exit and find her standing at the edge of the patio looking out into the night, the soft breeze gently catching in her gown.
I step up behind her and watch as her body tenses as she feels my presence. I gently wrap my hands around her waist and pull her back against my chest, feeling at home as she relaxes against me. “Are you okay?” I ask.
I feel her take a deep breath as she slowly turns in my arms. “You don’t need to do this, Jax,” she says, making my heart slowly break.
Without hesitation, I look down into her big brown eyes. “I want to.”
She searches for something in my eyes and eventually must be satisfied by what she sees, then with a sigh, she wraps her arms around me. Cassie leans her head down against my chest, needing to be held, and I pull her in tighter, gently swaying her to the music flowing through the open side door. I soothe her as best I can and remind her that her parents would have loved to be here.
After a short while, she slowly pulls her head back from my chest without stepping out of my hold. “I truly am sorry, Jax,” she says, looking up at me with those gorgeous eyes. “I never should have left.”
I search her eyes, the same way she had done to me before, though I have absolutely no idea what I’m searching for. “Why’d you go?” I ask, desperately needing an answer to the question that’s haunted me for three long years.
A tear trails down her cheek as she takes a shaky breath. “I was scared,” she starts. “I was there that day. You showed up with a ring and talked to my dad.”
“No,” I cut in, confused. “You were gone. You were with that girl from school.”
“No, Jax, I was home. Millie had a flat tire and was running late. I didn’t bother telling anyone because it wasn’t going to be a long wait,” she explains. “But then you came and you were so sure of yourself, of our future, and it freaked me out.”
