Page 10 of Forking the Billionaire

The welcome crew helped the not-Layanas and Layana’s friends out of the boat. Each guest received a lei of fresh flowers even though we weren’t in Hawaii, or even in the right Ocean for the custom.

The polite thing for me to do would be to introduce myself, so I made my way toward the group. But before I could open my mouth, I spotted the second boat.

I froze and stared.

Gabe, the real Layana, and…ugh. Jasper Carrington.

His sun-kissed hair was longer than I’d ever seen it, brushing his shoulders. His white shirt was unbuttoned two buttons too far, revealing peeks of tattoos he hadn’t had the last time I’d seen him. And his easy smile crinkled his nose. Even though he just arrived, he looked completely at home inmytropical environment, which he had no right to do. He looked even more at home with the supermodel who was curled against his side.

I should have expected my brother would want his best friend at his wedding. But I hadn’t thought about it. I’d been too worried about what it would be like having Gabe here, judging my new life, that I hadn’t even considered Jasper.

I turned my attention to the happy couple—the important one—Layana and Gabe. They looked good, too. Better than Jasper and his date.

“Esme. It’s good to see you.” Gabe shoved his hands into his pockets.

Without saying a word, I felt his thoughts—I hadn’t taken the appropriate time to brush my hair, my dress was too wrinkled and smelled vaguely like lizard farts, my best would never be enough. The weight of his judgment pressed down on me. I straightened my spine and stood taller to counteract the pressure of it.

“Good to see you, too.” I gave him a bro-style head nod.

Layana stepped up, beaming at me. She was taller than I expected, and even prettier than she appeared on TV.

“You’re real,” she said.

“So are you.” I poked her cheek. “You’re not secretly an android my brother built so he could finally secure the perfect wife?”

She laughed. “I don’t think so, but if I were, I’m pretty sure he would have programmed me not to know.”

I grinned wide at her. She was awesome. “How was your trip?”

“Good. Long,” she said. “I’m so glad we’re finally here.We’re getting married.”

“I know!” I laughed. “It’s crazy.”

I glanced around for Oma before remembering that Gabriel had insisted she stay home and rest since she was just getting over a cold.

The not-Layanas and WTW peeps joined us.

Layana said, “Esme, this is Morgan and Oscar, Juno and Chester, and these three are my sisters—Luna, Lindsey, and Lydia.”

“That’s a lot of L’s. Nice to meet everyone,” I said, noting that she’d introduced Glitter Galore as Juno. Glitter had to be a stage name.

Juno was already posing and snapping pics with her phone.

“I think you already know Jasper, right?” Layana asked me.

I nodded. “We’ve met once or twice.”

We’d grown up together. Jasper and I had been best friends first, back when he first moved in next door. Then Jasper and I had been enemies. And then we’d been nothing to each other, which was exactly what we were now. I had every reasonnotto speak with him at all until he eventually left my island and my life for good.

“They know each other,” Gabe said.

I gave Jasper the same bro nod I’d given my brother. He smiled at me in turn, a tighter, faker smile than he’d sported before he saw me. There were no wrinkles on his nose, no warmth in his eyes when he looked at me. Still, or maybe because of that, the knot in my guts tightened.

“And this is his date, Jules,” Layana said. “Do you know her, too?”

“Not yet,” I said. “Nice to meet you.”

“Hi,” Jules said, with a neutral tone and a quick glance in my direction.

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