Page 75 of Married With Lies

Three more similarly dull couple sets follow. None of them include Sadie. An unusual amount of time has passed since the last couple took mincing steps down the aisle and I’m starting to wonder if Sadie pulled off a daring last minute escape.

Nope, there she is. I don’t know why she was complaining about the dress. She looks adorably hot in it, although I prefer seeing her wild red hair loose and free rather than squished into a knot and pinned to her head.

I’m so busy admiring Sadie that it takes me a few seconds to see who she’s paired with. Once recognition clicks in, I’m instantly ready to tackle him on the plank aisle and then drop kick him into the Atlantic surf.

Sadie wouldn’t elaborate on what happened between her and the Gallant Steakhouse heir. Their relationship must have been doomed from the start since she’s a vegetarian but whenever I asked for details she just rolled her eyes and said it was unimportant. If she’d told me differently I wouldn’t have hesitated to deal with the weasel myself.

In any case, the sight of Grant Gallant’s weak arm holding onto Sadie provokes a special kind of rage. It’s partly explained by the fact that he’s her ex and seems shady as fuck so I don’t want him touching her.

And the rest of the explanation is that I don’t want any man touching her.

While I’m in the middle of wishing for Gallant’s eyeballs to melt, Sadie yanks her arm free. There are a few hushed gasps. Keeping her chin up and her personal space intact, Sadie lifts her chin and marches the rest of the way alone.

That’s my girl.

Gallant is stuck trailing after her like an abandoned dog. Perfect.

When Sadie ends her walk just outside the wedding canopy, one of the bridesmaids leans over and whispers something in her ear. The comment must not have been too nice because Sadie promptly sticks her tongue out at the annoying bridesmaid and then turns back with a bland expression as if nothing happened. I think I’m in love.

My eyes stay on Sadie as she begins to scan the crowd. There’s a wrinkle of worry between her brows and she even lifts up on her tiptoes to see better. She’s looking for me. When our eyes meet she smiles. I wink at her and smile back.

The ceremony is boring. I spend it watching Sadie. Three times she stifles a yawn. I know nothing of the groom and I barely knew Hadley even when I was best buddies with her brother. On the rare occasion when she was home she strutted around like a queen and abused everyone who crossed her path.

Once, however, she tried to suck my dick. It was the night of Baylor’s high school graduation party at the country club and she found me alone at the lake beside the golf course. Over the years I’ve grown used to murderous looks. To this day none compares to the lethal expression on Hadley Wingate’s face when I told her to fuck right off in the twilight. We haven’t spoken since. I sure hope that doesn’t need to change today.

A piece of Sadie’s hair springs free of its tether. She tries to pat it back into place but juggling the flowered forest in her hands makes the task impossible. After getting nowhere, she shrugs and pulls all the pins out of her hair, letting it fall past her shoulders. Much better.

After a series of dull speeches, the bride and groom suck face. The crowd goes ‘AWWWW’, then applauds as the newlyweds take their first walk together. For a while I lose track of Sadie as all the guests compete to see who can run out of their seats and get to the huge reception tent first.

By now the sun has completely set. Beneath the vast tent there’s a sea of candlelit tables and lots of people I don’t care to talk to. Asher Wingate pauses his conversation when he notices my presence. He frowns, excuses himself, and walks my way. Awesome. Just what I’m in the mood for.

“Cale.” He extends a hand.

I choose to be a good sport and return his handshake. He applies too much pressure, like he’s trying to be intimidating. I want to laugh. Seriously, who the fuck does he think he’s dealing with?

“Asher,” I reply. “Or would you prefer that I call you Dad now that I’m married to your daughter?”

His jaw flexes. His eyes narrow. “I doubt either one of us would enjoy that.”

“I’m sure you’re right. But I need to cut this little talk short. I’m looking for my wife.”

Asher, to his credit, has big enough balls to stand in my way. He sizes me up with aristocratic distaste. “You know, it was quite a shock the way you and Mercedes were married so hastily. I wasn’t aware you even knew each other well.”

“I’m sure there are a hell of a lot of things you’re unaware of.”

The look in his eyes grows more calculating. “Must be hard on two people so in love and yet living a few thousand miles apart. I’ve heard you’re still based in New York. And still working for your uncle, correct?”

I don’t like where he’s going with this. He can’t be dumb enough to have had me trailed. Unless he thinks that being the great Asher Wingate means never facing any consequences. On the other hand, if he’s latched on to any suspicions about my marriage to Sadie, he might get loud. Loud enough for Richie Amato to hear.

“That’s correct,” I say, getting in his face until I’m nearly stepping on his shiny shoes. “I work for my uncle. And he’s very happy about the union between our two families. He also likes hockey so maybe we’ll all start showing up at Dukes games on a regular basis. I’m sure you’d welcome us to your owner’s suite, considering our close personal ties and the contributions made to your son’s political campaign.”

Translation: Fuck with me and I’ll fuck with you.

All it would take is a phone call or two to make the story of Wingate family ties to organized crime erupt into a huge scandal. With the way news spreads on social media these days, facts are less important than perception. And a whole lot of people enjoy seeing the rich and powerful get knocked on their asses.

Asher Wingate mulls that over and responds with a thin smile. “Enjoy the reception, Cale.”

“I’ll do my best.”

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