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“Run, B, run!” everyone whooped.
Over his shoulder, he saw Sonia stalking behind him. An invisible shield surrounded her. He could only truly see how many layers of defenses she’d built up now that he’d begun to see some of them crumble.
When Brendan reached the end of the aisle, a deafening cheer erupted. He raised his hands in acknowledgement, but a fist gripped his heart. He wanted the room to cheer for Sonia too.
“Yeah, Sonia!” he yelled, clapping his hands. “Whoo!”
There was a moment of silence. Then Marissa let out an ear-splitting whistle, and the rest of the wedding party began applauding. “Go, Sonia! Go, Sonia!”
“Oh my God.” Sonia grinned reluctantly, shaking her head as she hurried up the aisle. “Enough, enough.”
She waved her hands, trying to cut everyone off. As she brushed past Brendan, there was a blush on her cheeks.
When the music changed, just for the hell of it, he adopted Ian’s slouchy posture and lazy grin. He swiveled dramatically to face the wedding party. Laughter ran around the room.
As he loped down the aisle with his twin’s walk, it finally hit him: Ian was really getting married.
“He looksjust likehim. Oh my God, it’s spooky.”
“You sure you’re not Ian?”
“Ian’s cheating on Diana,” Hunter sang out. “With that maid of honor.”
“Heaven forbid,” gasped Mrs. Cooper.
At the front of the room, Brendan halted. The wedding party fanned out on either side. The five-year-old ring bearer raced down the aisle, his parents cautioning him to slow down, followed by the flower girls.
The chatter faded away as Sonia prowled down the aisle, alone.
In her short black dress and red cowboy boots, she looked anything but bridal. But to Brendan, she suddenly seemed like the purest person he’d ever known, simply because of who she was.
Sonia reached his side, her gaze downcast. All he wanted was to see those deep, shining eyes. Slowly, she raised her head.
The music ended. As their gazes finally met, the back doors flew open, framing Ian and Diana.
“Hellooooo,” Diana sang out. “Waiting for us?”
21
Friday
5:30 p.m.
“Fantastic!” Chelsea, the wedding planner, exclaimed, clapping her hands. “You’re both here. But we have to leave the room. Our time is up.”
Ian laughed. “Sorry about that, everyone,” he said, not looking particularly sorry. “Diana and I will just have to make it up as we go along on Sunday. Right, baby?”
“Absolutely.” Diana reached up to kiss Ian, her dark hair swishing below her shoulders. She’d grown out her bob from high school long ago, but kept the bangs that framed her face.
As everyone swarmed toward them, Sonia broke away from Brendan’s side and was lost in the crowd. Chelsea shooed the group out of the gallery and onto the street. As they walked toward the restaurant for the rehearsal dinner, Brendan made for his brother and Di.
He reached Diana first. Her bright blue dress with its white collar and cuffs stood out in the crowd. She was talking animatedly with the bridesmaids, but she immediately held her arms out to Brendan for a hug. Her breasts pressed into his chest as they embraced, and he gently eased back.
“Something’s different.” He made a show of studying her face, which looked unusually bare. Her blue eyes shone out at him. “Let’s see… What happened to your glasses, cutie?”
“He calls youcutie?” Janelle demanded. “God, you’re lucky, Di.”
Diana’s cheeks flushed, and she widened her eyes at Brendan in a warning. He shrugged. With Sonia on the scene, calling Di pet names didn’t feel sexually charged anymore. She was cute; end of story. But he realized that she had no idea of the seismic changes that had happened this past week.
