Page 83 of That Time I Kissed The Groomsman Grump
“Ha!” Kasey hoots. “Thanks to you, I’ve got about a dozen Sharpies. What color do you want?”
“You didn’t read the fine print yet,” I grunt.
Natalie keeps her focus on Kasey. “Is there anything weird in there I should know about?”
“Nah. All standard stuff.”
Nat swallows. Hard. “I trust you,” she says. “I think I’ll use the blue to sign. Unless black would be more professional.”
While she and my sister debate the best shade of pen to use, I take off to find the rest of the groomsmen. I can’t watch Natalie do this. More accurately, I don’t want to watch. Out on that bench, I was starting to picture a different future for us both. But maybe what she really wants is a fresh start, without anything from her past holding her back. Either way, like Natalie said, we need to get through the wedding first. After that, we can face the obstacles between us.
Or not.
Crossing the room, I pass a group of Kasey’s bridesmaids. They’ve got Amber blindfolded with a strip from the sheet they used to make mock wedding dresses. Amber’s holding out a donkey tail as the rest of them spin her around. Then they release her, and she staggers forward, trying to pin a heart on a giant poster of Nicolas Cage.
As much as my insides are churning, this is pretty perfect for my sister.
Tonight’s about her and Beau. You’ll be okay. You just need to get your mind off yourself.
I watch as Amber takes three more steps toward the wall, trips over the leg of a stool, and stumbles right into a high-topped table. While everyone else laughs—including Amber—I rush straight to her side.
“Are you all right?” I ask, looking for signs she’s in distress. “Are you dizzy? Did you hit your stomach?” My technician training clicks in, and I automatically start a surface assessment.
But Amber pulls the blindfold off, laughing and shaking her head.
“I’m fine, Brady. Just clumsy. I guess my center of gravity’s already shifting, and I’m only in my second trimester. I can’t imagine what will happen when I’m nine months pregnant.”
“Are yousureyou’re okay?” I ask.Because I could really use a distraction.
“Yes. Completely sure. But thanks so much for looking out for me.” She squeezes my arm. “Kasey and Beau always said you were a good man, but I’ve seen it for myself this week. More than once.”
“Of course.” My shoulders slump. I’m relieved Amber is okay, but I’ve actually fallen short of the promise I made to take care of her this week. In fact, these days, I’m falling short all over the place. I need to remember my word. Remember who I am.
Remember who’s counting on me.
“You should get back to the groomsmen now.” Amber smiles. “They’re all over in the alcove, playing pool.” She nods across the room. “Speaking of which.”
I look up and see Mac coming toward me, a cue stick in his hand. “Ford and Three are just finishing up a game,” he says. “You and I go next.” He rubs the tip of the cue with a cube of chalk.
I nod. “Sounds good.” My mouth’s in a tight line.
“You look awfully serious.” He cocks a brow. “You’re not spinning out about that offer, are you? I didn’t mean to kill your fun by giving you something you feel like you have to mull over tonight.”
I glance at Natalie and—at the exact same time—she looks up from the papers on the table. She meets my gaze and tips her head, like we’ve got a mental connection stretching across the pub. Too bad that connection probably can’t withstand a stretch of three thousand miles. When Kasey uncaps a Sharpie and hands it to Nat, my insides start to corkscrew. I’m all torqued up with what I want to do and what I need to do.
Two different things.
“Yeah, Ihavebeen thinking about the offer,” I tell Mac. “And we should definitely talk. But I’d like to wait until after the wedding if that’s all right with you.” I pause, shift my jaw. “There are a lot of logistics to consider, and I don’t want to take any focus off Beau and Kasey.”
See also: I have to think about Natalie. There’s so much for us to discuss, and maybe things to decide. Or maybe she’s on a totally different page than I am. Either way, now’s not the time.
Mac grins at me. “Say no more.” He hands over the pool stick. “I’m more than happy to wait until next week to totally change your life.”
ChapterThirty-Five
NATALIE
“So we’re really not going to practice the whole ceremony tonight?” I ask Beau. We’re out in front of our parents’ house, loading boxes of hurricane lamps and candles into the back of the Blue Whale. The lamps are the main component for tomorrow’s centerpieces, so we’re bringing them over to the inn now. “Isn’t that kind of the point of a wedding rehearsal?”
