Page 38 of Talk About… Secrets
“Congrats, guys,” I said, getting emotional all over again, though this time it was because I was so damn happy for her.
“And they didn’t ruin a thing,” she promised. “Seriously, Grace. Thank you. You’re an incredible sister for doing all of this for me and making sure it was our day.”
“I want all the details, but I’m sure you guys have plenty of plans to get to,” I said, blinking away the happy tears.
“We do. It’s so beautiful here. Thank Beck again for us, please. And you can freely break the news now.”
“I’ll tell him, and them, just send me a few pictures,” I said, before we said our goodbyes.
I turned to my best friends and let out a sigh. “It feels like I’m about to go to war.”
“With your family? You are. Good thing you have a whole army of allies now,” Sidney said. There was a glint in her eye now that gave me renewed strength.
“Family dinner tonight will be the perfect event,” I grinned back. “Should we go set up a slideshow? She’s sending us some pictures of them.”
“Oh, absolutely,” Wren grinned. “We can help set it all up.”
Two hours later, I was standing in front of the crowd, a remote in my hand as I waited for everyone to settle. The pictures had made me cry all over again and the slideshow was gorgeous.
“Thank you, everyone, for coming out. Nolan and Hailey are so happy they have all the support of the family. They apologize for their absence the last few days, but they have something to share.”
The quiet was torn away by whispers as they speculated about what I was going to show them.
I had a feeling not one of the strands of gossip were right.
Beck stepped up next to me, Cade and Spencer at my back. We didn’t bother to hide our closeness now as I relaxed, holding the remote toward the projector and pressing play.
Between me and my besties, we’d created an incredible slideshow with music and effects. Hailey was absolutely glowing in her satin, form fitting white dress and they both had pure adoration on their faces.
The gasps in the room were deafening and I nearly laughed.
Until my aunt stood up. Here we go.
“What is the meaning of this?” Aunt Cassidy demanded angrily.
“We actually have you and your daughters to thank,” I said in a sweet voice. “All of our lives, we’ve struggled to feel like our events were truly just ours. So, Hailey, after an unfortunate incident with the dress fitting...” I paused, glaring at her and my cousins, “decided to take her wedding into her own hands, not leaving a chance for anyone to take away from their happiness.”
“About time!” someone called out, letting out a whoop and cheers.
My Uncle Grady was grinning and clapping, completely gleeful at my aunt’s outrage. “I don’t even have to know the details to know this was your doing, Cassidy. You’ve always been after attention and now you’ve got it.”
A few more yells of frustration echoed out, all aimed at her. I’ve never seen her turn so red.
The screams of outrage rang out and it was soon a full on battle until Beck let out a loud whistle, quieting them down.
Okay, that whistle was kind of sexy. He gestured for me to continue and I couldn’t help but give him a sappy smile before turning to the crowd.
“With all that said, costs for the resort are already covered, and everyone is welcome to just enjoy the amenities, food, and activities around here. We hope you have a fun and relaxing week!” I raised my voice to cut off any protests and gave a quick wave before following the guys off-stage.
We somehow made it halfway down the hall before someone was calling out.
Though, it wasn’t who I expected.
“Grace, wait!” Drew was running toward us, looking like he’d seen a ghost. “Please.”
My guys stepped around me, as if protecting me from this unknown alpha.
“It’s fine, guys,” I reassured them. Maybe if I let him say what he needed to, he’d leave me alone.
