Page 33 of Inviting Trouble
Park shook his head. Josh grinned.
Their dad came over, the hard lines in his face easily breaking into a smile. “It was a beautiful wedding, wasn’t it?”
His dad, despite being single for so many years, was still a bit of a romantic. His wife had left when Mad was only one, yet he still spoke of her fondly. He even kept their wedding picture on the bedroom wall. It kept him stuck, Park thought. But his dad seemed content, happy being a dad to so many, so they never spoke of it.
“Yeah,” Ty said. “Jake’s a lucky bastard. Coulda been Josh if they hadn’t pulled a twin switcheroo on that blind date.”
Josh shook his head. “Nah. Claire got the right twin. I would hate having all those reporters nosing around and the paparazzi with their cameras.” He shuddered.
“I didn’t see any at the wedding,” Park said.
“That’s because Claire kept everything secret and it’s just a small group,” his dad said. “Her bodyguard arranged security for the reception. They’re posted outside of the room and around the resort. Even if they do have a leak somewhere, it’ll be contained.”
Park could see how that would get old. Always feeling like you were being watched.
A short while later, they all went to the round tables for a sit-down meal. The book club women sat together. The brothers sat at another table, with some of them also sitting with Claire’s family and some of Jake’s friends. It was a pretty large room for such a small party, but the view was spectacular. The ballroom was on a cliff with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
After the meal of filet mignon and lobster, a live band played a slow ballad and the newlyweds were called onto the dance floor.
Park watched Claire and Jake looking so happy and in love. Their bodies pressed close, their gazes locked. It was the first time Park had been at a wedding of someone close to him and, just like at the ceremony, his chest ached. He knew it wasn’t just him. Even Mad had gotten weepy at the ceremony. He would’ve hugged her if they’d been in the same row. It pained him to watch her cry without offering comfort. He’d done what he could.
The band leader spoke into the mike with a deep smooth voice. “Next dance is for the wedding party.”
Jake and Claire went to the head table to watch. Josh crooked his finger at Hailey, and she strode over to him, head held high. Josh offered his arm and she took it, walking with him to the center of the dance floor. Once there, Josh took her hand, the other resting on her back, leaving plenty of space between them as he led them in a slow waltz. He didn’t know Josh knew how to dance like that. The pair practically glided around the dance floor, seeming surprisingly in synch for all the hostility between them.
“Ask Charlotte to dance on the next one,” Ty told Park.
Park cocked his head. “Why? I thought you wanted her.”
“I do. I’m going to ask Hailey.”
“What? Why?”
“Just do it.”
“I don’t want to dance.”
“You have to,” Ty said. “There’s a ton of women here. You gotta do your part.”
“There’s other guys here,” he said, gesturing around the table. “There’s more guys than girls anyway.”
“I thought you’d be my wingman,” Ty said.
“Get Alex.” Ty and Alex had spent a lot of time together as teens picking up girls.
“He’s too busy with Viv.”
Park glanced over to where Alex was carrying a crying Viv out of the ballroom.
“She’s tired,” Ty said by way of explanation. “She missed her afternoon nap.”
“Is he coming back?”
“Probably. He’ll carry her around a bit and, after she falls asleep, he’ll bring her back. She’ll probably sleep through the noise. She’s used to it.”
“No babysitter?”
Ty shifted to watch Charlotte. “Babysitter quit when Viv proved to be too much of a handful. She’s fine. Plenty of family around to help out.”
