Page 31 of Torn Mate
Ada
“Where were you? You’re late,”Mom whispered to me and Lexi. She wasn’t happy, but she had saved us two seats like she had told me earlier.
“I’m sorry, Galen was doing my hair…” Lexi started to say, but she stopped as Mom looked at our hair. Oh, she probably thought Galen did my hair. I was about to tell her that Noah’s mom did mine but she smiled.
“Oh wow, he’s very talented. I could never do something like that. You both look so beautiful, and there are a lot of men around. You never know, one of you might catch someone’s eyes.” Mom winked at Lexi and I giggled. I think Mom was loving the whole wedding thing. Yesterday she told Destiny she needed to find the right guy so she could do wedding stuff.
But it was funny Mom would say that to Lexi because she clearly didn’t need to catch anymoreeyes. I could see Lexi wanted to tell her. If Mom only really knew how many men she was already juggling.
“Don’t you dare,” I warned Lexi, but I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. Mom would freak out if she knew she had four men. But maybe this was a way to ease Mom into the whole idea that it was regular to date more than one guy and marry more than one. Kiara was doing that today and Mom was fine with that.
“Thank you, Michelle, but I already have four boyfriends. I don’t think I could have any more.” Lexi just put it all out there, like ripping off a band-aid. I guess it was the best way, no need to sugarcoat it. I could see Mom trying to grasp what Lexi just said. When Lexi was over at dinner and meeting her for the first time she had said she had a relationship like Kiara. Only, Mom didn’t know it was double what Kiara had.
“Oh, oh wow. That’s… um, wonderful, dear.”
Mom was totally freaking out, but she was so polite about it. But maybe this would be a good way for when I brought Huxley and Noah home. If they would both want to date me that was.
The wedding started, thankfully. I was worried about what Mom would say next and well… I kinda had an awkward moment outside in my car with Huxley’s cousin. I forgot to put the car in park and it lurched forward. Then I did some word vomit I wasn’t happy about. My nerves just got the best of me. I wanted to see Huxley and talk to him about prom. He had asked me, but I freaked out and didn’t give him and answer.
A guy with a guitar came and sat down at the stage area. Then a tall man with the most amazing hair—dark black curls so long, longer than Huxley’s hair—came onto the stage. He was built like hulk huge… He worked out, that was for sure. He stood at the front of everyone and smiled. I sat straighter; it was beginning. I nervously bounced my knee. Kiara was getting married, well wolf married, and for the rest of the world she was having a commitment ceremony.
“Thank you all for attending today. Will grooms please come to the front?”
I was so excited, I wanted to burst as Eli and Dylan made their way down the aisle. They were shaking hands and you could feel the energy bouncing off them. Dylan, with a massive grin, jumped in the air and did a three-sixty before landing on his knees with his arms opened wide. He was serious when he needed to be, but he had a big, playful heart. Everyone laughed and cheered him on. I could see Eli with a grin on his face as he rolled his eyes at Dylan and shoved him playfully before they took their spots.
“Oh, where is your sister?” Lexi asked. She looked worried, like Destiny was missing this. She wouldn’t miss Kiara’s wedding.
“Oh, sorry. I thought I told you she’s a bridesmaid.” I thought I had, but then there had been so much on my mind these past few weeks.
Mom started talking about how lovely the girls all looked when she snuck in there earlier, but I was too busy looking for Huxley to really listen to her. He said he would be here, and I couldn’t see him seated in the audience at all. Was he doing jobs like his cousins, parking cars out front?
The music started and I still couldn’t see him. Everyone stood and turned to the bridal party. It was hard to see with so many tall people. Like, everyone seemed tall when you were short…ish. I wasn’t that short.
When I saw Destiny walking down the aisle, she wore a big smile and a gorgeous baby-pink dress. It looked perfect on her; I wore a dusky pink dress because it was my color too. When she saw me, she winked and I wanted to giggle and cry. This was already the most beautiful wedding ever.
I wasn’t sure who the guy walking down behind her was. He was a shifter though, he had to be. He was good looking with his cream colored shirt and… boardshorts? That was different but made sense on what the grooms were wearing. Maybe that was why she winked at me. She got a hot groomsman. Hell yeah, sister.
I was excited to see Raven. She was wearing the same baby-pink dress. When she saw me, she mouthed, “Hello,” and I waved. I didn’t know she was back from college too. When Destiny said bridesmaids, she didn’t say Raven. It was so exciting to see her; the three besties were back. I bet the three of them last night had a lot of fun catching up. I bet they were all hungover too. I smiled to myself.
But when I saw the groomsman behind her, I froze. My heart started to race; it was Huxley. He literally took my breath away. I had no idea that when he said he was going to be at the wedding that he was a part of it. I looked at Lexi and did my oh-my-god eyes to her. He was so handsome wearing the same cream-colored outfit and now I felt so silly, I didn’t know he was part of the bridal party.
I didn’t realize he was so close to Dylan and Eli. Lexi laughed at my shocked look. I was going to poke her and get her to stop, but then it was Kiara’s time to shine, and I was so excited to see the bride.
The guy on the guitar started to play “What a Wonderful World.” She walked down the aisle with her dad and he was beaming. Kiara wore the most beautiful cream-colored gown with lace, and it flowed loose around her hips, and the small train dragged behind her. It was really perfect. So was Kiara.
When she got to the end and we all sat, I took Lexi’s hand. I needed to hold onto something before I floated away on happiness for Kiara as the wedding started.
“We needto go do a makeup check, then I will go introduce you to Destiny and maybe… you know, find people.” I was glad Mom brought tissues. I didn’t think I would cry at a wedding but I did. You could feel how deeply they loved each other and, well, they wrote their own vows. I loved it because even Eli and Dylan wrote vows to each other. Like, wow. I wasn’t the only one who cried, hell, so many did. Lexi too. Happy tears from us both but now my makeup needed fixing.
I held onto Lexi’s hand as we ran away from all the guests and I hoped not to bump into Huxley until I had fixed my makeup. Plus, I was freaking out seeing him now. The whole prom thing was crazy running wild in my mind and I needed to talk to Lexi.
The house was huge here, it must be the alpha’s. I didn’t know who the alpha of Rawlins was, I never asked before. Was he the guy who did the ceremony? That would make sense, actually. Oh god. How was I supposed to talk to Huxley? I was having a freakout. I giggled and Lexi turned to me. I was a crazy hot mess right now.
Inside the house, an older gentleman directed us to the powder room. I locked the door when we were both in there and I started to have a panic attack.
“Oh, this is so bad. Like, when I see him now, I can’t even breathe.” I waved my hands in my face. How was I supposed to go out there and talk to him? I didn’t know how to. I had done the whole speech in my head and how I would say yes to go to prom with him, but I couldn’t. I was gonna mess this up bad.Oh my god.What if he says no?
“What? Who?” Lexi asked. I wasn’t going to say his name out loud, he could hear us, anyone could. I held my finger up and circled it to say,hey, look where we are. Guess who.
