Page 44 of Cloud Nine Love

“Great. You’re gonna love Camile.”

Ruby and I both watched as he walked back to the brunette and asked her a question, one she enthusiastically replied to with a head nod.

As I turned back around, I wondered how Kenna would feel about that interaction. My curiosity was quenched when I saw that Kenna was back on this side of the bar, and from the pain on her face, she’d definitely witnessed the exchange.

Ruby must have come to the same conclusion as I did, because she explained, “I told him he could bring a plus one. I hope that’s okay.”

“Yeah, of course! It’s great!” Kenna replied, a little too enthusiastically.

Ruby started to say more, but she was called away by one of the Calhoun twins, either Molly or Olivia. I couldn’t tell which one.

When I saw Sam and Camile start playing kissy face on the dancefloor, I turned to Kenna and suggested, “You should ask Remi to go to the wedding.”

Her brows lifted, causing her forehead to wrinkle. “What?”

“He just broke up with his fiancée, so he doesn’t have a date. You don’t have a date. You two used to date. It’s perfect.”

She started shaking her head no, when Camile giggled loudly, drawing our attention as Sam attacked her neck like a vampire. I turned my head back to Kenna in time to see her close her eyes slowly and inhale through her nose. When she opened them again, I could see the determination in her gaze. “I’ll be right back.”

I watched as Kenna strode through the crowd to where Remi was standing, talking to his mom and Tami Lynn. She tapped him on the shoulder, and when he turned around and saw who was there, he smiled widely, then hugged her.

Seeing the embrace felt like a donkey kick to the ovaries. I’d never been a jealous person, at least not when it came to anything romantic. After learning about their past, watching Remi’s face light up when he saw Kenna seemed to be all it took for the green-eyed monster to make his first visit.

The two talked, and I noticed Kenna motion toward me a second before Remi’s head turned in my direction. I turned away and picked up my glass, even though it was empty.

About a minute later, Kenna returned.

“What did he say?” I asked.

“He said yes.” She smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I have a date to the wedding.”

She headed back behind the bar, and even though my back was to him, I could feel Remi’s eyes on me. Unable to stop myself, I glanced over my shoulder. Even from across the room, I could see that he was confused and not very happy about my suggestion for Kenna to ask him to go to the wedding with her. I wasn’t that happy about it either, but I considered it a necessary evil.

I didn’t trust myself with him. At least now, I had one more line of defense. He was going to have another date at the wedding. And bonus; Kenna wouldn’t be flying solo while she watched Camile and Sam play kissy face all night.

It was a win-win.

So why did it feel like such a loss?

19

REMI

“At the altar, the groom traditionally stands on the bride’s right side, so his right hand—or sword hand—is free to fight a jealous rival and defend his bride.” ~ Tim Rhodes

“You look so beautiful.” I smiled down at my mom, who took her place beside me so I could escort her down the aisle.

She’d spent the morning with Ruby, Harper, and Taylor at The Best Hairhouse in Texas, getting their hair and makeup done.

“You ready?” I asked, offering my arm to her.

She nodded as she wrapped her hand around my bicep. I’d been home a week, and in that time, I was convinced that she’d lost a couple of pounds. She appeared even more fragile than she had when I arrived.

I hadn’t been able to spend much time with her. After she got home from work, she either fell asleep on the couch or in her room. She’d avoided or dismissed any attempts I’d made at getting to the bottom of what was going on with her. I wasn’t going to bring anything up today, but tomorrow, before I leave, we’re going to have a serious talk, whether she wanted to or not.

“I wish your dad was here,” she whispered as she squeezed my arm.

Ruby’s dad was an asshole who had taken advantage of my mom when she was grieving. He was not only fifteen years her senior; he was a married man with a family. He never even acknowledged Ruby as his daughter. My mom had given Ruby my dad’s last name, and I always knew that she thought of him as both of our dads. I wasn’t sure it was the healthiest way to cope, but if it got her through it, then I wasn’t going to judge.

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