Page 43 of Feast

“Well, we should go check on Dad,” Halley said cheerfully. “Clock’s ticking.”

“Don’t remind me,” Heather said, her smile morphing into a scowl that looked oddly familiar. “My son is late.”

“Want me to call him?” Halley offered while Maddie tried to figure out what was so familiar about that scowl.

“I did, he said he’s on his way,” Heather began, then spun around when the chapel door banged open. “Spencer?”

“I’m here,” said a low, grumbly, andveryfamiliar voice.

“You’re late,” Heather chastised, but the relief was clear in her voice.

“Uh-oh,” Maddie whispered.

“I got hung up…” he began, his voice trailing off when Maddie turned to stare at him.

He came to a dead stop in the middle of the room and stared. He was wearing a suit of either black or dark gray, the snow-white shirt under it open at the throat. He was freshly shaved, his jaw gleaming in sharp contrast to the thick mustache he still sported, and his habitual scowl couldn’t mask his surprise.

“Hi, Spence,” Halley said.

“Hi,” he said, his gaze never leaving Maddie’s face. “What are you doing here?”

“What areyoudoing here?” she countered though she was very much afraid she knew.

“That’s right, you two haven’t met!” Heather, her relief preventing her from cluing in, stepped forward. “Maddie, this is my son, Spencer. Spence, this is Stephen’s other daughter, Madison.”

Maddie watched, fascinated, as Spence’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “You’re Madison.”

“Maddie,” she corrected him, her voice tight with the effort of battling back the wild laugh in her throat. “And you’re Spencer.”

“Spence,” he said, his scowl deepening as the shock began to wear off.

“Uh, what’s going on?” Halley whispered in Maddie’s ear.

“A lot,” Maddie whispered as Heather stepped forward to give her son a hug. “That’s 3A.”

Halley’s mouth dropped open. “You are fucking kidding me.”

He was staring at her over his mother’s shoulder, his cheeks slowly turning red. “Nope.”

“Holy crap.”

“Spence?” Heather said, frowning as she finally clued into the tension. “What’s going on? Why are you blushing?”

Knowing she was going to lose the battle with the laugh, Maddie whispered, “Get us out of here, fast.”

“You owe me,” Halley muttered low, then pipped up. “Well! We’ll just go see if everything’s ready. Almost time!”

“Oh!” Heather’s hands flew to her cheeks. “Is my makeup all right? Do I need more lipstick?”

“Maybe just a touch-up,” Halley said cheerfully and began to tow Maddie across the chapel to the balcony doors. “Heather, you look beautiful. Spence, good to see you again.”

He said nothing, just continued to stare at Maddie with a mix of horror and fury that for some demented reason made her want to laugh even more.

“We’ll see you guys out there!” Halley called and dragged Maddie through the balcony doors, slamming them behind her.

And in front of their father, Maya, and the minister all gathered there, Maddie laughed and laughed and laughed.

8

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