Page 47 of Taken By the Ex-Boyfriend

“He said he’d get a drink and something to eat. We landed here about thirty minutes ago and the flight has him—” she lets her head fall to the side.

“That bad?” Carol asks as she closes the door.

I make my way back to the restaurant, crossing paths with Morgan once again. He seems to be lurking around just so that he can talk to Carol. I mean, I haven’t seen him interact with anyone else aside from her and his girlfriend. And his girlfriend is not around right now.

“I’m not sure that making a scene is the best decision. It’ll ruin the wedding for everyone,” Dennis says, startling me.

“Why do you keep creeping up on me?” I snap.

He raises his shoulders. “I don’t. You’re the one who’s laser-focused on his prey each time I come close. It’s not my fault that you need to work on your listening skills. And keep it down with the death stares.”

There are very few people who talk to me like this in these past few years, but I shouldn’t expect less from the man who’s with Rose. They look so different—her icy blond hair in stark contrast with his fiery red locks—but their spirits are one and the same.

“That’s her ex,” I point out, but Dennis already knows that. “Why did they break up?” That’s the question that’s been on my mind since I found out he’d be here.

Dennis puts both hands in his pockets and presses his lips into a thin line before answering. “She hasn’t told you?”

Well, clearly not. My nostrils are flaring but that only seems to amuse him.

“Brian, focus on the girl, really. There’s no reason to engage with Morgan at all. She’s not interested, trust me. The only reason she wanted a date in the first place was to avoid this drama all over again.”

Dennis pats me on the shoulder and leads me to the bar, ordering sodas for both of us. I give him the side-eye, but he insists that we stay sober until everyone else is drunk.

I take a long sip, ignoring the disappointing taste in my mouth. More people gather, almost all of them dressed for the occasion. My jeans and shirt don’t really stand out, but Dennis is wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants, much like Rose.

“Oh, I’m gonna change right now,” he tells me when I point that out. “And”—Dennis begins but seems to hesitate again—“I’m already intervening too much here, Brian, but I think you two need to talk. Like, really talk, get everything off your chest.”

He pats my back and heads for his room, leaving me alone with my thoughts, trying to find a way to make things right this time.

Chapter Nineteen

Carol

“Youlookstunning,”Brianwhispers in my ear, his warm breath tingling me. He touches the knot behind my neck—the only thing that’s keeping this silk dress on me—and has me twirl around for him. It’s a somewhat tight-fitting dress, covering my chest completely but leaving my back bare. “And I never thought I’d say this but so does this place.”

Emily had been lamenting about how perfect she wanted this day to be, and I really think she has reached near perfection. The whole place looks like it’s out of a fairytale book. She has opted for a garden wedding and the nice, sunny weather adds to the rest of the setting.

Vines hang from the columns around us and there’s a beautiful arch at the far end of the garden—originally planned to be at the center, but with the increasing guest list that

was no longer possible. The rest of the space is filled with seats but there’s a pathway right down the middle, with a dark green rug that matches the grass with rose petals scattered on it, leading to the arch.

“She designed everything herself,” I tell him. Of course, she needed help to actually make this a reality, but it was her vision that led to this dreamy result.

My arm is linked with Brian’s as we walk down the aisle to reach our seats. I try to ignore all the thoughts that start to pop into my mind, as well as my fluttering heart. Today is about Emily, and tomorrow it will all be over.

“Is this how you’d do it?” he asks as soon as we sit down.

Oh, Brian. Here I am, doing my best to shake these thoughts off, and he asks the one issue I’m trying to avoid. “No, I’d skip this altogether, to be honest.”

We both know I hate being the center of attention but even if that wasn’t the case, I just can’t imagine going to these lengths for a wedding.

He grabs my hand and squeezes it while we wait for the people to gather, the warmth from his hand and his body making me dizzy once more. We should have made for more space between the chairs, I can’t imagine everyone sitting so close to one another. To make matters worse, he wraps his other arm around my shoulders, pulling me against his chest.

Who am I kidding?

This is exactly what I want—what I need.

I let myself relax as we wait. Jeremy comes first and a few minutes later my sister arrives. Emily walks down the aisle in her ivory-white dress and that ecstatic smile she has every time she looks at Jeremy. Living her dream to the fullest.

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