Page 88 of Fractured Frets

“Can’t wait.” Sarcasm dripped off my tongue.

Flint was quick to step forward with Sutton and wish Mom a happy birthday. So did Cole, Ava, Lewis, and Tia. Harper had disappeared with the kids.

As we melted into the crowd to meet relatives, I didn’t let go of Maddy’s hand. She leaned in and whispered in my ear, “Wow. Your mom doesn’t like me.”

“She doesn’t like anyone at first, but she’ll come around. Trust me.” Maybe one day, but not today.

I introduced Maddy to Dad, who shook her hand, but there was no cheer in his congratulations. My brothers and their wives hugged us and welcomed Maddy to the family, still clearly shocked by what we’d done.

Throughout the early evening, my friends and I chatted to dozens of my relatives who had flown in from across the country and around the globe. Maddy and I were inundated with well wishes, but also thrown a fair bit of flack for not having a big wedding. Tough. People just had to get the fuck over it. But if conversations didn’t center around Maddy and me, they focused on the tour. The guys and I were swamped with questions about crazy fans and which celebrities we knew, and we had too many selfies with star-struck cousins. But by the time dinner was served, the excitement had calmed down, and we were just part of the crowd...family.

Except for the continual head shakes from Mom and Dad.

As my friends, Maddy and I sat around one of the long tables, I ate way too much delicious food and drank too much sensational wine. With every mouthful, a moan fell from my mouth. From the seafood to the pizza, to the pasta...all were sensational. But Maddy picked at a garden salad. I’d kill to have seen her eat a loaded plate of creamy pasta. I entwined my fingers with her tiny hand and kissed her wedding rings. “You want something else to eat? The linguine alle vongole is fantastic.”

“No. I’m full. Thank you.”

How could she be? She’d hardly touched a thing. At what point should I be concerned about her health? We were both stressed and overworked, and hated being apart. I didn’t want her to get sick because of it. That was just another thing to worry about and add to my long list.

The party lingered well into the night. Underneath huge flood lights shining over the garden, we played table tennis with some cousins. Maddy kicked my ass. So she should. I couldn’t move like I used to. My hip made sure of that. But the oxy I swallowed an hour prior got me through.

By midnight, most of my relatives had headed off to their hotels or vacation rentals. Harper had taken the kids back to our villa earlier in the evening. All that remained were my uncle and his family sitting around one table, and my immediate family—my parents, my brothers, me, and my friends—at another. As we continued to enjoy good wine, it was finally nice to catch up in the calm.

Theo—my brother who was two years older than me, and the one I got on best with—was well on the way to getting drunk with my friends. As loud conversations filled the air, he tapped a knife against his very full glass of wine, bringing everyone to attention. Once we all fell quiet, he raised his glass. “Mom, I don’t want to steal your birthday thunder. But this is the first time we’ve seen Slip since he’s gotten married. So...” He raised his wine another two inches higher. “I’d like to make a toast to the newlyweds. The news shocked the shit out of us. That’s not a first. As long as you’re happy, I wish you all the best. May you have an amazing life together. To Maddy and Slip.”

“To Maddy and Slip.” Everyone saluted us with their drinks and took a sip. Everyone except Mom.

“Thank you,” Maddy and I said in unison.

Luca, my oldest brother, sitting at the far end of the table, burst out laughing. “Slip, what the fuck possessed you to get hitched in Vegas? Mom and Dad were so pissed and upset. Mom still goes on about it.”

So I’d noticed. My pulse quickened, but I remained calm and collected. I kept one hand entwined with Maddy’s and raised my wine in the other. “So we could avoid the expense of you fuckers drinking thousands of dollars’ worth of alcohol.”

“You can afford it.” Julian smirked as he grabbed a bottle of wine off the table and topped up his glass and Luca’s. “But...you’re right.”

Dad picked an olive out of the bowl and rolled it around between his fingertips. “No vows in a church before God? No declaration of your love and commitment before family and friends? No celebration of starting a life together?” Disappointment hung on every word he spoke. He rarely said anything, but when he did, it was usually to highlight some grievance toward me. He’d always gone off at me for partying too much, drinking excessively, and dabbling in drugs. Fair points. He loved me and the guys, but feared the lifestyle we led. He didn’t want any of us to wind up like Phil. I wanted to avoid that too. For Maddy. She was my endgame.

“Oh, we celebrated plenty.” I chuckled to mask the ache in my chest. “We did say vows.” I remembered every word. “We declared our love to each other in a chapel. Everything else is superficial bullshit.”

“No. It’s not. “ Mom slapped her hand against the table, making her plate jump. “What you did was cruel and disrespectful to your father and me. I raised you to be a better man than that. A wedding is about families uniting. What you did was wrong.”

“I’m sorry?” Maddy drew her shoulder back. “There is no right or wrong way to get married. Yes, ours was spontaneous. But it was fun and stress-free. I don’t have a big family. If we’d had a planned wedding, it would have been very one-sided. We didn’t want that.”

My heart swelled to the size of the moon. Maddy was standing up for what we’d done. For us. God, I love her.

“You weren’t even engaged.” Mom leaned forward in her chair.

“Yes, we were.” Maddy’s eyes glinted as she raised our joined hands, showing off her huge diamond. “For about forty-five minutes.”

I chuckled and kissed her cheek.

“There is nothing right about drunken foolery.” Mom’s tone remained blunt and short. “Madison, you’re as bad as Sebastian for going through with it.”

“No, we’re good for each other.” Maddy smiled at me. Her gaze, soft and warm. Then she turned back to my parents. “We’ve known each other for two years. We weren’t strangers who tied the knot. We’re great friends and want a life together.”

“Together?” Mom shook her head. “So you’re moving home from Vancouver?”

“Um...I’m not.” Maddy’s touch turned cold, and she eased her hand out from underneath mine to place it on her lap. “My show has been extended for two more seasons. I’ve re-signed, so I’ll be in Canada for at least another couple years. Maybe longer.”

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