Page 32 of Harrison's Wedding

Her dress is backless, so I place my arm on the back of her chair and begin to gently stroke her exposed skin. She stumbles over a word as she’s speaking, and I’m as amused as ever by her response to me. I watch her finish her sentence before she stares blankly at the table’s centerpiece, and I know that she’s focusing on my touch instead of the conversation.

“Your dress looks amazing, Heather!” Vanessa tells her.

Heather blinks and stares at Vanessa for a second while I continue to caress her soft skin, then she smiles and thanks her for the compliment.

She designed her gown for the evening herself, and I’m so proud of it. It’s absolutely stunning. Made from soft, white satin, it’s fitted tightly at the top with a plunging back, and it hugs the curves of her gorgeous ass before flaring out from her upper thighs. It’s got sewn-on, black floral embellishments, and she looks amazing in it.

“I wish I could pull off wearing something like that!” Chloe laughs.

“You’re pregnant, darling. In a few weeks, you’ll have the baby, and you can wear anything you want,” Heather says.

“Ignore Heather,” Vanessa interjects, “she doesn’t know anything. I didn’t get back to my pre-baby weight for over a year, just in time to get pregnant with baby number two!”

“Is it really like that?” Heather asks while laughing. “I always thought that once the baby was out, you just went back to normal!”

“Maybe for some women, but definitely not for me! As for wearing whatever you want, well, sure, as long as you’re fine with it getting puked or pooped on by the tiny human that you’ve just pushed out of your chacha.”

“What have I done?!” Chloe looks absolutely horrified, and we all laugh.

Vanessa backtracks quickly, “I’m sure you’ll be fine, though, of course. I take it back; ignore me and listen to Heather!”

I notice the DJ change the music to a quiet Vivaldi song, and he announces that our entrées will be served soon, then asks the guests who are dancing to please return to their tables.

Hayden and Seb approach our table, looking out of breath. They’re both wearing big smiles on their faces.

“Hi, guys,” I say as they get close enough to hear me.

“Hey, Harrison, hey, Heather! Congratulations, again,” Hayden says, hugging us both before sitting down next to his sister.

“Thanks.” Heather smiles at him.

“Hi, Harrison,” Seb says, and his arm lands heavily on my shoulders as he puts it around me.

“Hey, Seb. Having fun?” I ask with a grin.

“Heaps. I was dancing with the hottest chick I’ve seen in a while!” He looks pleased with himself.

“Yes, about that, could you try not to break my cousin’s heart, please?” Heather tells him in a serious tone.

Seb stares at her for a second, then he throws his head back and laughs as he pulls her up from her seat to give her a hug.

“Those fucking York genes must be pretty amazing,” he announces to the table, still laughing as he and Heather take their seats. “I should’ve known someone that hot would be related to you.”

A waiter comes to our table and has us all take our pick from the appetizers on the menu, and Heather turns to Seb as the waiter walks away.

“Sebastian, I can’t help but notice the empty seat next to you. What happened there?” Heather asks in a stern tone.

“Well, I was going to bring someone, but then I didn’t want her to get the wrong idea, you know? I mean, if I start bringing girls to engagement parties and weddings, they’re going to start thinking those things are a good life choice.”

I shake my head. Of course he would waste an invitation like that. We shouldn’t have bothered even giving him a plus one. I catch Gabriel’s eye, and he grins at me, clearly unsurprised as well.

Heather’s not about to let him off easily, I guess, because she says, “So, we spent hours working out who to invite and cutting people from the list, but left you a plus-one for absolutely no reason?”

“Not ‘no reason,’ Heather. Your cousin can sit with me now! Or we can leave it empty, so there’s no one to compete with you for my affection.” He winks at her with a mischievous grin on his face.

“You do know that my sister is getting married to someone else, don’t you?” Jake says in a cool tone from across the table.

I turn to look at him, and he’s glaring at Seb, who raises his eyes in faux surprise before turning to look back at Heather.

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