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I know who he is. Elijah, a former prizefighter, owns the scrappy gym where Micah used to train back in his MMA fighting days.
And judging by the cautious glint in his eye, he knows exactly who I am too. Makes sense. Anyone running a business on the east side is destined to interact with a member of my family at some point.
The man receives a polite nod of greeting from me. Whatever issues he might have with my last name, I have no ill will toward him. According to Tess, I’ll be walking down the aisle beside him so it wouldn’t hurt to start off on a courteous note.
Conner’s little cousin appears to be a precocious ball of energy, bouncing around constantly. “Where did you go, anyway?” she demands.
He smiles at her. “I was on a scavenger hunt.”
Charlotte crosses her arms, full of doubt. “And what were you hunting for?”
“A missing bridesmaid.” He points in my direction. “Check it out, my skills paid off. Charlotte, meet Haven.”
The girl’s mouth flattens into a line of disapproval, a clear indicator that she’s heard some unpleasant things about me.
“Hello, Charlotte. It’s nice to meet you.” I smile to show that I’m really not a monster, whatever the gossip might be.
She studies me for a long moment. “You’re really pretty. I wasn’t expecting you to be pretty at all.”
I like her honesty. “Well, sometimes even wicked witches know how to clean up nice.”
Charlotte likes that enough to giggle. She’s a cute kid, probably not much younger than my little brother, who I don’t get to see often enough. Robert’s mother is wary about letting him spend time on the east side. Smart thinking, but she won’t be able to shield him forever. My father has big plans for his only son.
Conner takes a peek inside the ballroom. “Where’s the rest of the wedding party hiding?”
“They’re taking pictures,” Elijah answers. He has a voice like coarse gravel, probably intimidating when raised in anger. “That Matilda lady said she wanted photos in the tulip courtyard, whatever the hell that is.”
Matilda is too far away to have heard her name but she turns her head. She eyes us from a distance, plainly thinking of running over here.
“Shit,” Charlotte mutters and hides behind Conner. In an instant she’s darting away, a flash of bright yellow. “Follow me!” She runs off before waiting to see if anyone obeys.
Elijah snorts with laughter and limps after her as best he can, leaving me once more with only Conner for company.
“Shouldn’t we go find the tulip courtyard too?”
He mulls that over. “Yeah, maybe.”
“Notmaybe.” I’ve never been a bridesmaid before but I’m pretty sure we’re supposed to participate in the photography sessions.
“We’ll go to the tulip courtyard in a minute.” Conner creeps closer.
I stagger back and nearly drop Tess and Micah’s wedding gift.
His hands shoot out to rescue the box. “What’s in there?”
I snatch it away and hug it to my chest. “What do you think it is? It’s a wedding gift.”
“Nice. What did you get them?”
“Why do you care?”
He lowers his voice to a whisper. “Why is it a secret?”
“It’s not a secret.”
“Then tell me.”
I huff with exasperation. “It’s a set of fucking wine glasses! Happy now?”
