Page 2 of Dream Lover
I was surprised to even be included in the wedding, considering Rebecca handpicked the full bridal party including the groomsmen, ushers, flower girl and ring bearer.
Only one of Drew’s friends made the cut and were in the bridal party.
One. Which was surprising because my brother had a ton of buddies, being a very likable man and all. Rebecca gave some lame excuse about everyone needing to be evenly matched in height for the photos. She legit said that Conner, my brother’s lifelong best friend since he was like nine, was too tall and would throw everything off. Who did that shit?
The disappointment in my brother for allowing this decision was what bothered me the most. Him not sticking up for friendships he’d had for years was a complete let down in my eyes.
Drew demanded that his fiancée make me a bridesmaid; it was the one request he wasn’t backing down from. Sadly, though, I wished he had fought for Conner instead of me; it was, after all, his wedding too.
I arrived at the restaurant with a few minutes to spare, finding a parking space on the street in front of the door. Sitting in my car, I contemplated going in or leaving, but I knew Drew was counting on me to suck it up and show. After all, being the only family in the wedding party, I had to show my support for him.
Sifting my fingers through my dark hair, I nearly jumped out of my skin when a fist knocked on my driver’s side window. I looked over and saw it was my brother with an impatient look on his face.
He stepped back, and I exited the car then shut the door. “What?” I huffed, irritated at his look, pushing the leather strap of my purse up on my shoulder.
“Everyone’s waiting for you.”
“Seriously? I still have like five minutes.”
My brother put an arm over my shoulder and ushered me to the door. “Just don’t. You know Rebecca has been on edge and only wants everything to be perfect.”
Perfect? Good luck with that. Nothing was perfect in this world. She had a rude awakening coming soon. When something crashed, she wouldn’t be able to handle it. “Whatever. What’s so important that I just had to be here anyhow?”
“You’ll see.” He squeezed my shoulder, and I tried to hide my scowl as we entered the dining room. The Fat Olive had been a staple in this town for years and had the best Italian food imaginable. The décor wasn’t something to write home about and needed some serious updating.
Plastic grapes and vines hung from the ceiling that collected far too much dust. Let us not forget the huge fake tree in the middle of the room that had monkeys hanging from it. Yes, it needed some serious TLC, but the owners had it this way for thirty plus years and showed zero chance of anything changing.
Rebecca flashed a fake smile at me for my brother’s sake and to keep appearances with the guests all around. It was no secret to me, though, that she didn’t like me. It started early on in their relationship when I called Rebecca out on her shit. She, of course, didn’t like me from that moment on. Frankly, I wasn’t fazed. The feeling for her was mutual. She did not deserve my brother. He was too good for her. I knew, and so did she.
“So glad you could join us.” Her sickly-sweet tone was enough to make my teeth ache.
On a small nod, I slid into my seat, biting my tongue to keep from releasing all the smart assed remarks hanging on the tip.She-bitch from hell…
My seat was next to her lame best friend, Carley, who couldn’t remove the stick from her ass with a chainsaw. Another fake smile was sent my way that I ignored.
My brother sat next to me, which I greatly appreciated. I had no clue what attracted my brother to Rebecca. She wasn’t like any of the other women he dated over the years. I supposed if I didn’t know her rotten insides, her outward appearance was what most would call pretty.
Blonde curly hair that bounced around her heart-shaped face. Big doe eyes that resembled the center of a cinnamon bun, but not the sweetness, and bow-shaped lips. Not a blemish on her porcelain skin, but it was when she opened her mouth all her beauty faded away, leaving nothing but a bitter shrew.
“I ordered you a salad with no dressing. I figured you’d be watching your figure until the wedding.”
My fists clenched under the table as I felt my body start to heat. There was nothing wrong with my weight. My curves were exactly how I wanted them, and Rebecca simply loved to take a jab at me any way she could. Just another way she was a bitch.Kill her with kindness,I reminded myself. “Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Becky.” Her cheeks went firetruck red, and inside I smiled. Bingo. Target hit. There was nothing Rebecca hated more than being called Becky. It was a jab I only used when she pissed me off even more than she normally did, and she had pissed me off a lot in the two years they had been together.
Jaw tight and teeth grinding, my future sister-in-law struggled to hold her composure as she spoke through her teeth. “We’ve discussed this. It’s Rebecca. Just Rebecca. Not Becky. Not Becks. Not Becca. Ra-beck-ka.” She sounded the syllables out, nostrils flared, eyes narrowed on me. The look bounced off me like Jell-O. Her glare didn’t affect me one bit. She was all bark and no bite.
“Oops,” I commented as the server moved in and poured me a glass of wine. I took a hearty sip, trying not to think terrible thoughts likeit’d be a real shame if Rebecca choked on a crouton. Her eyes stared at me as I drank, probably racking up my calorie intake with each sip. It only made me want to drink more, but driving was coming up sooner rather than later, at least I hoped. Getting out of here was top priority.
The food was served, and a small salad was placed in front of me. I smiled up at the waiter. “Can you please take this back? I’d like a lasagna with extra cheese and house bread please.” The waiter nodded at me and left.
Eyes bore into me, and I knew they were Becky’s. A small smile played on my lips. It didn’t take long before my food arrived, and low conversations were held around the table. Me, not knowing anyone, ate instead. The lasagna made better conversation than the people in this room. Not to mention it tasted incredible.
My brother stood, tapping his silverware against his glass and garnering everyone’s attention. Rebecca stood next to him, loving being center of attention if the smile had anything to say about it. It wasn’t my brother who spoke, though. It was Becky. “Now that we have your attention. The reason we asked you all here this evening is Andrew and I have an announcement. Instead of boring traditional bachelor and bachelorette parties, we have decided that the entire wedding party is coming to a week of couples challenges in Las Vegas!” Rebecca squealed, and her friends smiled back at her. I, however, would rather have a rusty nail to gouge my eyeballs out with.
The keyword giving me trouble was ‘couple’.Iwasn’t part of a couple. I was single. Numero uno. One, and it appeared that one needed a significant other to attend. Maybe this would be my out. No man, no trip. If only I were that lucky. “If anyone”—her eyes zoned in on me, and I knew luck was not on my side—“doesn’t have a partner or significant other, you’ll need to find someone. Everyone in the wedding party has to participate.” Only after her final words did she turn away from me.
I should tell her to fuck off, but I couldn’t because of Drew. The things I did for him.
Considering the other members of the bridal party were grabbing each other’s hands and making those stupid googly eyes at each other, they were all coupled up and probably knew everything about one another.
