Page 32 of Kiss the Bride

Hunter: You and Liv deserve better.

Pete: Friends are picking sides. Some are saying you put Mitch and Lina together.

Well, that didn’t take long. I don’t care whatfriendsare saying. I only care what Pete, Liv and our parents think.

Hunter: What are you saying?

Pete: Known for a while now you regretted putting Olivia and Mitch together.

I wait, guessing Pete has more to say, and is either waiting for me to confess or he’ll finish his thoughts. Almost twenty minuteslater, I’m about to start a conversation with my parents when he replies.

Pete: No. If you’d wanted to stop the wedding, you’d have just told her how you felt. You’d never have done something that would hurt her.

Hunter: Don’t forget, I’m still your mate and we’ve got some serious drinking to do when I get back.

Pete: Already started.

Hunter: I’m sorry about Lina.

Pete: At least I can return the ring.

Hunter: What?

Pete: Had it all planned for after the reception. Even after she broke up with me, I figured she’d change her mind when we got paired up in the bridal party.

Hunter: Gonna tell her what she missed out on?

Most of Olivia’s friends are getting to the pointy end of their twenties when marriage and babies are starting to mean more than partying and dating, but Lina has verged on being psycho about it. I suspected Pete had been waiting for the right time to blow us all out of the water with a proposal and wish I could be a fly on the wall when or if he tells her—stupid cheating bitch.

Pete: Even better. Sent her a picture of the ring and the receipt. Made Mitch’s ring to Liv look like a cheap-knock off.

Hunter: Good form. Take care. If you see the cheating bastard, say hi from me.

Pete will know exactly what I mean. We sparred enough during high school, and when I came back from overseas, we had a regular Thursday night gym session before beer and watching football. Any code.

Pete: Don’t do anything stupid.

Hunter: I haven’t. I won’t.

Pete: I know you’ve still got a thing for her. She needs time.

Hunter: Seems to be a common theme amongst friends.

“Hunter?” When I hear the small cry from her room, I almost fly across the bamboo floorboards to get to her. Liv looks so vulnerable and small, sitting up in the king-size bed that I want to fly back to Sydney just to blacken Mitch’s other eye myself. How the hell could he do this to her?

“Liv, oh, Liv” I don’t need to ask how she’s feeling when her wet cheeks and red eyes tell the story. “Ready for lunch or an early dinner?”

“I couldn’t eat anything.”

“I’ve texted your mum, dad, Jess.” She doesn’t need to know about my conversations with Pete or Mitch.

“How are they?”

“Worried about you.”

“I’m fine.” Even Olivia doesn’t look convinced at her lie.

I take a deep breath before broaching her father’s question. “Your dad wanted to know if you’ll take Mitchel back. Not the whole marriage thing, yet. But apparently Mitch is trying to find a way to get back with you.”

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