Page 11 of Forgotten Pieces

These thoughts are too heavy for wine. I excuse myself and head to the bar. Grateful Easton decided to do a cocktail hour before the ceremony. I make my way over to the bar and order a martini. I look around and wave at Laney who is hanging on Mac. I roll my eyes. Glad my life is not as much of a mess as those two.

I slam my martini and order another when I do a double take of a man standing on the other side of the deck. He’s larger than he used to be. Massive amounts of muscle cord every limb of his body. His short cropped black hair, neat and trimmed. The way his suit sits on his body nearly makes me drool. I want nothing more than to look into those dark eyes I remember so well. I spent months staring into them when I should have been staring at his cousin or anyone else closer to my age. But when I met him that day in February eight years ago, I knew I couldn’t be with anyone else. I might have been young. It might have seemed not legal. But our souls spoke to each other in a way I have yet to experience with anyone else.

“You okay?” Laney asks me. I didn’t even see her approach the bar.

I blink a few times and turn toward her. “Yeah, just overwhelmed by the day. Never thought I would see East marry again.”

She stares at me then looks back toward where I saw my high school crush standing. “Right. You sure it wasn’t seein’ Ryder Thompson that got your panties in a twist?”

“I’d have to be wearing some for them to be in a twist.”

She holds her hand to my face. “Please don’t tell me that.”

I shrug and step closer to the bar and hear the crunch of glass.

“And that is how I know your nonexistent panties are in a twist. I saw you at the bar at about the same time you saw Ryder, you dropped your martini glass and didn’t even notice.”

I look down and sure enough, see my broken glass on the ground.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. I’ll get someone to clean it up.”

I look at her and nod. I glance at the bar and see another martini. I grab it and head back toward the bridal suite. “I need to go.”

“Tacoma, wait!”

I don’t listen to Laney and run as quickly as I can back to the bridal party.

* * *

I’ve been watching him all night. Luckily avoiding eye contact every time. He is with the pretty blonde who seems to be in love with him. But he looks detached from it all.

I don’t know if it’s the wine and martinis or the fact he is finally alone. But somehow, I draw up some drunken courage to talk to him when I see him standing alone at the bar.

“I’ll have what he’s having,” I say to the bartender. I see Ryder stiffen immediately. I can practically feel the nerves firing off him. “Avoiding me?”

He turns slowly, stiffly, as if he is fighting every muscle in his body to turn and face me. “You don’t drink whiskey,” he says and then takes a deep breath. “And I wasn’t avoiding you. Just never got the chance to say hi.”

I roll my eyes and sip on the whiskey I ordered. “Bullshit. You had plenty of chances.”

He grabs the back of his neck and sighs, “Look, Tacoma, I know that you are probably happy to see me. It’s been what? Eight years? But I just—”

“Excuse me! I am happy to see you? Why the hell would I be happy to see you?” I realize I am talking a bit too loud as a few heads start to turn in our direction but I’ve had more drinks than I should have and I have lost all thoughts of caring. “Why do you think I would be happy to see you? Do you not remember how you left? How you told me to meet you in our spot that June night. I thought you were gonna tell me you were staying or tell me to go with you. But no. Instead you didn’t show up! You left. You left me and you never even said goodbye.”

I know I shouldn’t be bringing this up. Especially at my brother’s wedding, but seeing Ryder has awoken something in me. Something I haven’t felt in years. I’m not sure if it’s anger or passion, but one of the two is fueling me as I take a step closer to him. “You are a coward,” I say as I push into his chest that isoh my godhard as steel. “You could have showed that night and told me your plan, you could have called. Goddammit I would have settled for a fuckin’ letter. But no you—”

Ryder grabs my wrist and pulls me into him. “Quiet down, birdie. You are causing a scene.”

My face turns red as steam practically billows from my ears at the sound of his old nickname for me. “Don’t you dare call me that.”

I push away from him and slam the rest of my whiskey and then I steal Ryder’s just as the blonde girl he was with approaches us and wraps her right arm around his waist and crossing her left across his chest. Her huge diamond sparkles and reflects the fairy lights strung around the house. She is clearly laying claim to her man.

“Is there a problem here?” she purrs. Literally purrs. I don’t care if he is married to this woman, but who the hell purrs?

I look at Ryder, whose eyes flash me a warning. I glance back at the woman at his side and answer, “Not at all. Just getting reacquainted with an old friend.”

Her demeanor changes rather quickly as a smile spreads across her face. “I am sorry if I sounded rude. I just thought I heard you arguing. My mistake. My name is Shelley, Ryder’s fiancée. I am so pleased to meet one of his old friends from here. I hope we can all be friends.”

I have no idea what she’s talking about and I decide I don’t really care until Harper walks over and gives Shelley a hug.

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