Page 102 of Offside Angel

Jace just stretches onto his toes to give me a wave over their heads. I laugh and wave back.

“Jace, avert your gaze!” Davis barks.

“I’m not the one marrying her, dumbass. Plus, Daniel already saw her.”

Daniel puffs up his chest. “As is my right as the best man.”

They jostle back and forth, all of them trying to squeeze into the narrow hallway.

“You swear there isn’t a groom hiding between all that muscle?” Taylor peers into the group with narrowed eyes. “If Zane sneaks his way into the bridal suite, my best friend is going to have a eunuch for a husband.”

“We solemnly swear.” Daniel raises his hand in a scout’s honor salute, Reeves crosses his heart, and Davis kisses two fingers and blows it towards the sky.

Jace just shakes his head at the men with their eyes closed and pushes past them into the room. “We’re alone. And we wanted to talk to you.”

I must be trained to expect bad news because my stomach flips. “Is everything okay?”

“Absolutely not,” Davis announces, still shielding his eyes with one hand and using his other to clumsily bat at Jace and Daniel. “We came in here to do something sweet, but these asshats are just pissing all over tradition. I said, Avert your eyes, gentlemen!”

Jace throws up his hands in exasperation and turns his back on me as Daniel winks and does the same. So now, I’m staring at four broad, tuxedo-clad backs.

Davis sighs in relief. “There. Now, everything is fine.”

“Superstitious moron,” Jace mutters under his breath. “Well, I was going to say that you look lovely, Mira, but apparently, that’s against the rules.”

Reeves raises a hand. “I’ll say it! You look lovely, Mira. Zane is going to lose his mind.”

“That’s what I said!” Taylor gasps. “Absolutely fucka?—”

I’m glad no one is looking because I slam an elbow into Taylor’s side and shove her back towards the couch. Her opinion does not need to be repeated to the groomsmen, thank you very much.

“Anyway,” Jace carries on, “we just wanted to come as a group and tell you how happy we are that this day is finally happening.”

“‘Finally’? We got engaged a week ago,” I remind him.

“Yeah, but Zane has been a grouchy sad sack for years,” Davis offers. “The man was miserable and didn’t even know it until you came along.”

I want to argue. I almost convinced myself this morning that marrying Zane is too selfish. I'm clearly bringing chaos into his life.

But if his best friends don't see it that way, maybe I'm not ruining Zane’s life after all.

Daniel sighs. “What this graceless oaf is trying to say is that Zane has never been happier than he is with you. We’re thrilled to be here to support you both.”

The lack of sleep and excitement are clearly getting to me because I have to blink away tears that threaten to ruin my mascara. “Thanks, guys.”

“Also,” Reeves adds, “Zane is our boy, but we’ll absolutely kick his ass if he fucks things up with you.”

“Amen to that!” Taylor calls from the couch.

I laugh. “Thanks for that, too, I guess.”

“Okay, that was sweet, but you all need to go.” Taylor jumps up and ushers the men out the door. “We have bridal duties to attend to. No more men allowed.”

As soon as the men are back in the hallway—and Daniel cracks the door open one last time to blow a kiss to Taylor—she slams the door shut and leans against it. “I’m gonna be honest, they kind of stole my thunder.”

“Were you also planning to tell me that Zane has never been happier?”

“Please.” She rolls her eyes. “Zane is fine, but you know you are my number one—then, now, and always. The only person whose happiness I care about in this relationship is yours. Which is why—” She looks uncharacteristically serious as she takes my hands. “—I’m also so happy that this day is finally happening.”

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