Page 15 of Three Pucking Wedding Dates

“And she’s a model?”

“Yeah, look at her.” Reid pulls up a picture of her on his phone, and my jaw drops.

Lena has to be the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever laid my eyes on. She’s Brazilian, with perfect tan skin and an even more perfect smile…as far as I can tell, since she doesn’t smile in most of her pictures. Not that she has to—even frowning, she’s stunning. Her eyebrows are perfectly arched, and her hair is thick, dark, and curly, framing her face just perfectly. Her eyes are black, or close enough to it.

I’m not jealous.Okay, maybe just a little bit.

Gray has been throwing hints to me the entire time I’ve been here that he wants to be with me, but how could he want me after being with a literal goddess? I’m nothing compared to her.

I take a sip from my water to wet my suddenly dry throat. “What happened between the two of you?” I ask.

“She was ready for the next part of her life—marriage, children, getting a home together…” Gray lets out a breath, staring straight ahead. “And I wasn’t.”

“Why?”

“Because she wasn’t the one for him,” Reid answers so Gray doesn’t have to.

I want to ask more questions, but from the look Reid gives me, I realize I have more to do with their breakup than I could even imagine. So, I keep my mouth shut.

“Alright,” Reid says, clapping his hands together and breaking the tension. “Enough of that. Let’s talk about something more fun. Remember when we all went camping that summer and Oakley got lost trying to find her way back from the bathroom in the middle of the night?”

I’m grateful for the subject change, but it could have been anything but this. “Hey!” I protest, feigning offense. “It was pitch-black and those paths were confusing!”

Gray chuckles, his eyes crinkling at the corners, and I can feel my heart swell. The sound of his laughter is a balm for my bruised ego.

“Or how about the time Gray accidentally set off the fire alarm while trying to cook dinner?” Reid continues, grinning mischievously.

“Hey, now,” Gray interjects, a playful pout on his face. “That was one time, and I swear it was a faulty smoke detector.”

“Uh-huh, sure,” I chime in, raising an eyebrow skeptically. “Because the pan full of burnt food had nothing to do with it.”

“Okay, okay,” Gray concedes, waving a hand dismissively. “You two are never going to let me live that down, are you?”

“Absolutely not,” Reid replies, laughing.

As we continue to reminisce, I find myself smiling genuinely, caught up in the warmth of our shared memories. How could I have let years go by without seeing my best friends?

While Gray and Reid talk, I can’t stop thinking about Gray and Lena. Did he really end a relationship with a supermodel because he’s waiting on me? And if he did, what am I supposed to do next? Do I want him to be my boyfriend? Heck, do I want a boyfriend at all? I find myself stealing glances at him, trying to decipher the emotions playing across his face.

“Oakley?” Gray’s voice pulls me from my thoughts. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” I reply quickly, forcing a smile onto my face. “Just lost in thought for a moment.”

“What about?” Reid asks, ever the instigator—and it’s only gotten worse the more drinks he’s had. If memory serves me well, the shorter his sentences get, the more drunk he is.

“I have to pee.” I smile at them and grab my phone before navigating through the bar to find the closest bathroom. There’s a line in front of it, which makes it take longer to get inside than I would have liked, but once I’m in, I quickly use the bathroom before flushing and making my way over to the sink.

I turn the knob and start to wash my hands as my eyes fall on my reflection in the mirror. I’m not ugly—far from it—but I’m no supermodel either.

I’m surprised when I step out of the bathroom to find Gray leaning against the wall, eyes half closed. When he sees me, they spring back open, his playful smile overtaking his features.

“What are you doing?” I ask, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Waiting for my princess.” His hands reach out and find my arms, and he moves me lightly to the beat of the music.

He’s drunk.

I knew he was getting close, but thought he would have stopped. How many did he have from the time I left the table until now?

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