Page 16 of Third Time Lucky

‘Whatisthis?’ I ask myself in a whisper.

Brandon shrugs like he knows nothing at all. ‘It’s news to me.’

I shoot him a look. News to him? I glance at the video again to confirm that this is most definitely him. But the flush of his cheeks, the lightning of a storm brewing in his eyes as he watches it with me, tells me this is not news to him.

‘Where did you get this?’ I ask Asher, who is now backing down the aisle, his friend Aaron doing the same on the other side of the room.

‘Bachelor party,’ he says nervously. ‘I stumbled into it and wasn’t even sure he was the right guy at first. Once I figured it out, I knew I had to tell you, and I spent all night figuring out how. I hadn’t planned on doing it here, but I got distracted this morning, so here we are.’

Oh my God. That’s why he brought flowers this morning. He was trying to tell me then.

The life seems to drain out of me, and I’m freezing to the point of shivering (there you are, panic attack), yet only on the surface. Inside, I’m raging like a volcano has just smothered my heart in hot lava.

‘Sweetie,’ Dad stands, approaching the altar. ‘What’s the problem?’

Right as I feel like my heart will explode through my eyeballs, I hand the phone to my father, who accidentally turns up the volume to excruciatingly loud, and I hear the words that send the flood over the edge.‘Can I hire you to give my Lucy girl some tips?’

A sudden gasp escapes my lips, but it is drowned out by the deafening thud of my own heart pounding in my ears. A bolt of electricity surges through my body, leaving me physically shaken and mentally scrambled. It’s as if I’m living out the ‘naked in public’ nightmare, suddenly stripped bare and exposed for all to see, only this time it’s happening at my own wedding, in front of everyone I know and love. And many who will tell this story until the end of time and probably not even remember my name.

I stare at Brandon, with the glare of a woman scorned. How dare he do this to me!

He attempts to take my hand, but I jerk mine away. Tears roll down my cheeks, burning through the makeup that was perfect only seconds ago.

‘Tips? Seriously?’

‘That’s not me,’ he says half under his breath.

‘Dear God!’ Dad bolsters, his gaze still on Asher’s phone as his cheeks turn pink, obviously sickened by what he’s seeing and hearing. He jabs at the screen to stop the video, dropping the phone onto the floor while it plays on repeat somewhere under one of the chairs – loudly. When he looks our way, the rage in his eyes most likely matches my own. Maybe someone is dying today.

Brandon holds a hand out toward my father. ‘I did not say that.’

The tears burning the back of my eyes turn to rage. ‘Did youdoit?’ I snap.

‘No!’ he insists.

‘It looks like ya did.’

He shakes his head repeatedly.

‘Brandon. You’re a grown-ass man. Tell the truth. Is that you?’ I ask, demanding an answer, even though Iknowit’s him. But, considering what I feel right now, the asshole deserves to have to admit it to everyone in the room.

He presses his lips into a flat line, glancing back at his best man.

‘Answer her question,’ my dad says firmly stepping up behind me.

Brandon’s face is pained, and honestly, he looks like he’d like to run; instead, he exhales heavily and answers calmly as if he can talk himself out of this. ‘I wasreallydrunk last night?—’

My chest ignites in a blaze of pain, each breath scorching my lungs like fire. My mind screams in agony as I struggle to hold on to any semblance of sanity, but it slips through my fingers like sand. My grip on reality falters as I struggle to breathe, suffocating under the weight of his deceit.

‘Are you saying this is Tequila’s fault?!’

‘Yes!’ he insists like it’s a valid excuse.

‘Ha!’ I laugh manically. Jeesh. My emotions are all over the place. ‘Were ya so drunk you don’t remember saying yes to a blowjob by another woman the night before your wedding?’

He nearly chokes on the lie he’s holding back.

‘Blowjob?’ He laughs uncomfortably, shaking his head. ‘That’s not what that was.’

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