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Straightening my shoulders, I gave him a practiced smile. He didn’t have a clipboard in hand like the guy at the door, and I doubted he had the guest list memorized. But I didn’t want to outright lie to this guy. “I’m headed to the Paxton wedding.”
“You think so, huh? What’s your name?”
Before I could answer, a man’s voice came from behind the bouncer. “His name is Zac Miller.”
The bouncer and I looked to see who had spoken, and dread shot up my spine. It was Will, with Paul and two guys I didn’t recognize flanking him on either side. I didn’t know what they knew about me or who they were, but since they wore their dress blues like Will and Paul, I assumed they were the other two groomsmen.
If one of them was Brody, he wasn’t the same Brody I’d known in Yuma. Thank goodness. Because that guy had been a serious hothead, and it would have been hard to keep this situation chill if he were here.
Then again, judging by the looks Paul and Will were giving me right now, I wasn’t sure the situation would be chill, either way. Why had I listened to Jo? This was a terrible idea. She saidIwas the bonehead? I should have trusted my instincts on this.
“Oh, hey, Mr. Paxton,” the bouncer said with a nod. Then he hooked his thumb at me. “Is this guy supposed to be here or do you want me to get rid of him?”
Will stared at me and I held his gaze, hoping he’d see in my eyes that I wasn’t here to cause a problem. In fact, I was here to solve one. Yeah, it was undeniably the wrong time and place. I’d give him that. But I didn’t intend to make a scene and would leave quietly if he asked me to.
“We’ll take it from here. Thanks for looking out, Chad,” Will replied.
Even as nervous as I was, I forced down a snicker. Of course this guy’s name was Chad. He wasdefinitelya Chad.
“You got it, boss,” Chad said, annoying me once again.
Will gave him a tight smile as he left us, then he turned back to me. “What’s up, Zac? It’s been a long time.”
“Yeah, man, it has. How’ve you guys been?” I asked.
Will and Paul looked at each other, then back at me. Will shuffled his feet. “We’ve been good. Can’t really say the same for Layla, though.”
I looked down, not sure what to say to that.
“That was pretty rough, the way you disappeared without telling anyone what was going on,” Paul added.
I’d hung out with these guys whenever they were home on leave, and we’d gotten along great. There was definitely friendship between us, despite them being stationed elsewhere, simply because I was in a serious relationship with someone they cared about. Layla wasn’t just Aria and Shelby’s friend, they were all a tight group, and they looked out for each other. Cared about each other. And for a time, they looped me in like I was one of their own.
After I’d left, Will and Paul reached out to see what was going on and if I was okay, but I’d ignored them. Cut them out completely. I wasn’t proud of it, but I couldn’t take it back. I could only apologize.
“Yes,” I said, clearing my throat. “It was. And I’m sorry. It was wrong of me to treat Layla like that, but also you guys, too.”
Again, they looked at each other. The other two dudes just stood there and watched me. Finally, Will stepped forward a bit and the others followed. “Why are you here?”
The only option I had was to be completely honest. I’d lay out my cards and see how he responded. “I’m here to ask Layla to give me another chance. I take full responsibility for messing everything up, and I’m here tonight to make amends. Or at least … I don’t know, get started.”
“At my wedding, huh? Going for the grand gesture vibe?”
A humorless laugh pushed out of me, and I nodded, rubbing a hand over the back of my neck. “Yeah, something like that.”
“Well, listen,” Will said after a beat. “Obviously, we know about your kid and all that. So, while I don’t agree with how you handled everything, I also get how freaked out you probably were. I have no idea how I would have reacted to that kind of news.”
“Me neither,” Paul said, shaking his head. “I can’t even wrap my head around it. I probably wouldn’t have done what you did if I were in your shoes, but hey, it is what it is.”
I pursed my lips and nodded, accepting that.
“But you know you didn’t have to deal with all that by yourself, right?” Will asked. “Zac, you had people who would have stood by you and helped you out. Including us.”
“I know. It was stupid. I’d give anything to go back and do better.”
Will let out a long exhalation. “Yeah, well, life is messy, and we don’t always get it right. If I could go back and make some different choices with Aria, I would.”
“Same,” Paul said. “But with Shelby, obviously.”
