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One
HARPER
We had no business being here. We didn’t know the couple getting married, Naomi and Chris, and we weren’t there to support them or Naomi’s ex, Finn. Gia wanted to scope out Silas Sharpe’s resort and wedding business.
I had a bad feeling about this ever since Gia told me we were coming, and it only intensified when I woke up this morning. Gia managed to wrangle invitations, not only for her, but for me and her brother, Leo, too. I tried to talk her out of it, but when Gia set her mind to something, it was almost impossible to convince her otherwise.
Unease pricked my skin as we sat on the bride’s side and listened to Finn warm up on his guitar. Paisley, Finn’s daughter he shared with Naomi, was the flower girl. I was surprised that Finn got along with his ex.
I had a different experience with exes because my mother had been through so many men. None of them ever stuck around long enough to be considered for a stepdad role. Manny, the father of my little girl, Evie, dropped in and out of our lives, providing neither stability nor support.
Growing up, I lived in an apartment near Gia’s family’s restaurant and home. I loved how loud and boisterous her family was. They owned a local pizzeria, Giovanni’s, where everyone in the family worked, including me. Over the years, Gia’s family had essentially adopted me. There was a standing invitation to meals and holidays and, when I was younger, sleepovers when I wanted to avoid my mother’s boyfriends.
I’d only recently gotten a full-time job working with Gia as the manager of her wedding planning business, Happily Ever Afters. I still worked part time at the pizzeria for extra income, and Gia’s mother, Louisa, babysat Evie for me.
The Giovannis were the family I never had, and I’d never do anything to mess that up, especially lust after Gia’s eldest brother, Leo. She had a standing rule that her friends weren’t allowed to crush on, much less hook up with, her brothers. When we were teens, one of our best friends made out with her brother, Matteo, and it caused a huge fallout.
I never wanted to lose my friendship with Gia over a guy, and besides, my feelings for Leo were purely physical. When he was near, I got hot all over, and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. And when he held my daughter or played with her? My heart melted.
I’d crushed on him forever, but he didn’t see me as anything more than his younger sister’s best friend. Pursuing this attraction wasn’t worth losing a lifelong friendship over, or the only family I’d ever known. I didn’t have the best track record with men.
I was independent and took care of my daughter. I wouldn’t be like my mother and bring men in and out of Evie’s life. I would be her constant support, and she’d never have a reason to doubt my love.
Today, Leo was accompanying us, probably to keep an eye on Gia, but I couldn’t ignore his presence. He sat next to me on the dainty chairs, his thigh pressed against the length of my leg. I couldn’t breathe without imagining what it would feel like for him to touch my bare thigh with his hand. The heat would sink into my skin, sending tingles up my leg and into my core.
I startled when Silas appeared next to his wedding planner, Hannah. She tilted her tablet in his direction, showing him something on the screen, probably the schedule for the wedding, and then he nodded, lifting his head to scan the area.
When he saw Leo, his expression lightened, and he approached us. I stiffened, worried Silas would see Gia and kick us out. Leo was good friends with Silas, which made this situation even more awkward.
Silas clasped hands with Leo. “I didn’t realize you’d be here.”
“I guess you could say the bride and groom are friends of mine.”
I tensed, waiting for Silas to notice Gia, who was sitting to my right, or to call Leo out on his blatant lie. Even if Silas couldn’t possibly know that we were here under false pretenses, I was sure the deception was written all over my face.
“Are you enjoying yourself?” Silas asked, managing to be attentive to his friend while also keeping one eye on what was going on around him. It was probably the manager in him. He couldn’t turn it off.
Leo inclined his head. “The room and service are top-notch, as usual.”
I assumed Leo spent some time here with his brothers, probably drinking at the bar and boating. They’d been close friends growing up, although Silas had gone to a local private school, and Leo and his siblings went to public schools.
“Let’s grab a drink after the ceremony,” Silas offered, and before Leo could respond, he scanned our row of chairs before his gaze settled on Gia. “What are you doing here?”
His voice barely contained the irritation.
Gia bristled. “I’m a guest at this wedding.”
I wiped my sweaty palms on my dress, wishing I could disappear. I wanted nothing to do with this confrontation. I’d told Gia this was a bad idea. Growing up, she was the leader of our friend group, forever leading us into one crazy adventure after another. Back then, it was thrilling, but now I preferred to avoid drama.
Silas rocked back on his heels as if he was settling in for a discussion and not the verbal sparring I was used to seeing between them. “So, you’re not here to scope out my resort?”
Gia snorted softly. “Why would I need to do that? I’m here to enjoy a friend’s wedding. Nothing more.”
Her voice was light and airy, as if she didn’t have a care in the world, and Silas’s presence hadn’t affected her.
Silas’s lips twitched as he tipped his head toward the altar. “What do you think of Harrison’s arbor? He created it specially for my resort.”
For the first time, Gia’s stoic expression faltered, and her gaze shot toward the wooden arbor on the raised dais, where the happy couple would exchange vows. Harrison Cain owned Cain Rentals and provided all our tables, linens, plates, and silverware. He also created custom arbors and was making a name for himself in the business.
