Page 31 of Pomegranate Kiss

Her heart thundered in her ears after listening to those vows between Danny and Adrian, filling her mind with all sorts of crazy notions she shouldn’t indulge in. The moment Cam stepped out of view, she and Matty separated. They headed to join the rest of the bridal party in the private side room for the cocktail hour so they could tip back some drinks and scarf food in peace before the rest of the chaos ensued.

Lex leaned against the wall beside the door. She tipped her fingers to Matty as he entered, but before Cam could step through, Lex reached out to touch her arm. Cam stopped still and tilted her head in question.

“After the reception winds down tonight, we need to talk,” Lex said, the serious look in her hazel eyes stopping her heart, only to restart it again.

“Yeah, we do,” Cam said, squeezing Lex’s arm before heading inside. She needed a drink, stat. “We need to talk” clanged around her head, but for the life of her, she didn’t know if it would spell salvation or devastation.

Chapter Fifteen

Lex had done it. She had set the stage by asking Cam to talk, and now she would have to deliver, once they got through the reception.

Not like that helped fuck-all for her nerves. The idea of “the talk” and pouring out those feelings had her heart slamming forward in her chest like she was the final girl at the end of a horror movie. She’d jotted down a couple of notes for her maid of honor speech on the crumpled papers in front of her, but she wouldn’t even try to compete for the heartfelt one Cal would regale everyone with. The man oozed emotion from his pores.

Still, one glance at Cam in that canary yellow dress with the winsome look in her eyes, and Lex was a half-step away from spouting Shakespeare.

The Hickory House was one of those venues that fit Danny and Adrian perfectly, with wide windows streaming sunlight onto the dance floor and a massive chandelier made of flowers gracing the center of the room. The sun had already begun to set,and the jar fixtures buzzed on with tremulous lights that cast a gentle glow through the room. The podium lay at the front of the room, and Cal poured his heart out with warm diatribes of things Adrian had done for the family over the years. Mom sniffled into a handkerchief for the thousandth time today.

Her turn would be next, but she’d far rather stand up in front of friends and family and talk about love than deal with the very serious conversation she planned on having with Cam later tonight. The buzz in the back of her mind reached a roar as she tried to shove away the bitter memories of all her past failed confessions.

Lex sipped more of her drink, avoiding the pointed looks Matty tried to send her. The rum wasn’t cutting it. Cam sat on the other side of the table, her dark eyes glowing with emotion as she listened Cal’s speech. She was different than the others. This was the longest time Lex had spent with anyone, and by the end of the six months, Cam had begun to initiate as often as she did. Like a future together might be something she wanted too.

Cal cracked a joke, his voice smooth as coffee with cream, and everyone began to applaud. Danny and Adrian lifted their champagne flutes to toast, and then Cal stepped away from the podium.

Game time.

Cam mouthed “good luck” to her as she rose from the seat, clutching to the scraps of notes she’d written down over the past couple of days, trying to think of what to say. Her heart thudded.

Lex stepped up in front of the podium, the light beaming over her. Hundreds of people circling the tables focused on what she would say next, most of the faces familiar, because she had about a thousand aunts, uncles, and cousins. Lex flashed Adrian a wicked smile, which earned her a warning look from him and a laugh from Danny. Fuck, her sister-in-law was amazing.

“Adrian and I were always closest in age, so I think he’d kill me if I dove into the stories from when we were kids because I know everything. However, part of knowing everything about your big brother includes the crushes, and his crush on Sam Peterson—or Danny Reynolds as the lovely bride goes by now—well, that one was legendary.”

Adrian’s shoulders relaxed, and he flashed her the “you asshole” look she was so used to getting from him. He was far too fun to string along.

“My brother’s always been the serious sort, and I’ve done my best to shake his life up and cause a little trouble along the way. I always worried he’d marry some twit that would allow him to work his life away without injecting a little joy in the mix, but he couldn’t be in safer hands with Danny.”

She winked at Danny, who gave her a radiant smile. “And this woman here. I may not have known her in high school, but I wish I had because we would’ve been fast friends. Danny, when you asked me to be your maid of honor, I was wondering if you hit your head—no one asks for the chaos I bring. But the more time I’ve spent with you, the more I’ve come to realize you’re fearless. You plunged right into the Dukas family without even blinking, and by the time you left that first dinner, I knew you’d be one of ours.”

Danny’s eyes glistened now, and Lex’s heart pounded louder as she scanned through the audience. Her gaze fixated on Cam, and her chest squeezed tight.

“You’re only going to hear this once from me, so listen up,” Lex said, her voice scraping a bit. Even as she glanced to Danny and Adrian, all she could see was Cam in her peripheral. “I’ve been the Anti-Love poster girl for as long as I can remember, but when I see the way the two of you care for each other, how you help each other grow and support each other through thedifficult times? A love like that makes even a cynic like me hope to find the same.”

Lex stepped back from the podium and tried to ignore the prickle of heat behind her eyes as she offered a flourish. Mom blew her nose again, loud enough to hear, and a smile rose on her face. Applause rippled through the crowd of family members and friends, before the DJ cut them off to make his next announcements.

Lex headed to the table of bridesmaids and groomsmen, trying to ignore the incredulous stares from Matty and Cal.

“You make one comment and I’ll slit your throat,” Lex grumbled in warning.

“Now that’s the sweet garbage I’m used to you spewing,” Matty crooned, an amused glint in his dark eyes.

“Don’t worry Lex, Cal’s was way more emotional,” Nellie added, entertaining a small teasing smile. Her siblings were assholes, the lot of them. Cal lifted his drink to toast, but not before giving her one of his patented mom glances. Lex slammed into her chair and tipped back her dark and stormy. She couldn’t look Cam in the eye right now, not after exposing herself in public. Ugh.

“I thought it was beautiful,” Cam said, her voice holding a tenderness that made her hope.

This time, Lex flushed. “Well, speeches are done now, so let’s get on with this whole eating and dancing thing.”

***

Lex’s entire family had flooded to the dance floor with Danny dragging Adrian out to the center, despite his protestations. As much as he whined, his eyes were laughing and that smile on his face told her everything she needed to know. Lex loved how Danny pushed him out of his comfort zone.

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