Page 68 of A Flighty Fake Boyfriend
“Yes.” Unequivocally. I trusted Epic with a certainty I'd never known before.
He handed me a bottled water. “Drink some on the way.”
"Thank you."
He took my hand as we let ourselves out of the suite. The wedding invitation contained a map leading to the Mariposa Garden where the ceremony would take place. After, there would be dinner and dancing under the stars.
We were halfway there before I remembered to worry about wearing a butt plug. For the first time since I’d received the invitation in the mail, I didn’t dread the wedding itself.
Epic pulled me along with confidence I didn’t feel. His step was jaunty. He wore a dazzling smile. At the venue, the sunset had begun in spectacular style. The moon hung on one side of the wide watercolor sky while the sun seemed to balance it on the other.
It took me a minute to realize the unusual configuration was due to a selenelion—an event where both the sun and moon could be seen above the horizon during a lunar eclipse.
I'd wondered why Luis and William had scheduled their wedding for a Sunday. Only Luis would rope in celestial bodies for a command performance like this.
Luis and William were getting their once-in-a-lifetime wedding.
I wanted to hide the tears stinging my eyes—to pass my weakness off to the bright dazzle of the setting sun. But Epic had torn me open in a hundred physical and emotional ways. All my pent-up emotions surfaced and there was no hiding them anymore, especially not from myself.
The dream of a partnership or marriage with Luis was one I’d held close to my heart for so long. What Luis and I once had, had died out, but I’d never let the dream go.
Now, here was its funeral, under a glorious sky complete with a celestial anomaly.
I could be happy for Luis. Iwouldbe.
I simply couldn’t hide the grief of letting it all go.
Epic drew me into the shadows where he cupped my face with both hands.
“It’s okay,” he whispered. “It’s okay to feel.”
“I know.” I glanced toward the sky, willing my tears to stay in my eyes but feeling them slide down my cheeks. “I’ve played this same tune for far too long. It’s only an earworm now.”
“Grief is weird.” He kissed my forehead. “Grief is over when it’s over. Are you sure you want to do this? We could go back.”
“I’m fine.” I would not let my emotions dictate to me like this. “And the food is bound to be spectacular.”
He took both my hands in his. “And you promised me dancing.”
“Plus, I’ll get a boner every time I remember I’m wearing your butt plug.”
“I doubt you’ll forget even for a second.”
True that. I felt it with Every. Step. I. Took.
“There will be payback someday.”
“Bring it.” Epic laughed and shifted onto the path again. The wide white wedge of his grin battled the brilliance of the sun. “Come on. Let’s do this thing.”
I’d wanted to avoid Luis’s wedding, but I’d sucked up my courage and done everything I could to mitigate the fallout from it. Now the wedding was upon me, and I only wanted it over with.
Except the parts with Epic.
Epic was worth a lot of fallout.
Smiling, I let him take the lead.
Chapter Seventeen
