by K. C. Crowne
“Come on over here, guys!” Ryan called, leaning over to speak into the mic.
“You’re first,” Hayden said with a grin.
We walked across the dance floor, meeting Ryan and Carly.
“Now,” Carly began. “As some of you may know, Ryan’s sister Grace hadn’t been the original maid of honor. But thankfully, an amazing woman who I’ve had the total pleasure of getting to know over the last couple of years was right there waiting to step in when we needed her. So, without further ado, I’d like to hand it over to Grace Anderson, a woman I couldn’t be more thrilled to call my sister.”
There was no doubt in my mind that she meant the words, and the warm hug she gave me before handing over the mic went a long way toward putting my mind at ease about the speech. The applause died down and I turned my attention to the crowd.
All eyes were on me. I gulped hard, took a deep breath, and began.
“So, speeches, huh?” I asked. My words echoed from the PA system, my nervous voice bouncing back at me. “I heard a comedian say once that a study showed that people feared public speaking more than death. Which means that if someone is at a funeral, they’d rather be the person in the casket than the one giving the eulogy.”
That got some laughs out of the crowd, which eased my anxiety a little more.
“And if you can’t already tell, I’m not much of a public speaker. But when it comes to two people like Ryan and Carly, an amazing brother, and an amazing sister, I’m more than willing to ignore my butterflies.”
I grew more and more comfortable with each passing moment. I even felt a smile form on my lips.
I went into it, telling some anecdotes from when Ryan and I were kids, all building up to how happy I’d been to find out he was going to be a father.
By this point, tears were forming in my eyes.
“It was unconventional, sure,” I said. “That he was going to do it all on his own, use a surrogate and be a single father. But there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that he’d be an incredible dad.”
I was getting chocked up and could see some watery eyes in the crowd.
“When we found out that he and Carly had become a couple, that they were going to give it a shot being parents together…I was so damn happy that I didn’t know what to do. And now that it all ended up here, with them finally getting married, and the twins here with us…”
I was getting far more emotional than I’d been ready for. A few sniffles rose from the silence, and I spotted more than a few people in the audience wiping away tears. A few servers zipped around as I spoke, everyone soon having a drink in their hands.
“Anyway, I should wrap this up before I start bawling like a baby. Carly, welcome to the family. I’m so excited to have you as a sister, and to be the aunt of your beautiful kids. Here’s to the best for you both always.”
The audience clapped, and everyone raised their drinks for a toast. I hugged Ryan then Carly. But while my arms were still wrapped around Carly, I felt the mic slip out of my hand.
“Alright, alright,” Hayden spoke, his clear, confident voice coming from the speakers. “Another speech like that and there’d be so many tears spilled that we’d have to mop up the dance floor before letting anyone on it.”
Laughs flowed up from the audience.
But they were laughs at my expense.
I felt like a total jackass, opening my heart in front of the crowd only for Hayden to take the mic and use my words as a springboard for an easy joke.
It wasn’t the only joke, of course. He let out one after another, razzing on Ryan and Carly in that playful sort of way where everyone was right there laughing along with him. I shouldn’t have been mad, but I was. He’d made my speech seem sappy and silly, and by the time he was done, and his glass was in the air for a toast, I was peeved.
I didn’t raise my drink along with him. Not like he’d hurt my feelings, of course.
Not a chance in hell I’d let a man like Hayden Frost do anything like that.
Chapter 4
HAYDEN
I rushed through my speech as quickly as possible. My main goal had been to keep things nice and light, nothing too emotional like Grace had done. If she’d picked up that mic with the intention of getting people to cry, mission accomplished.
The party after the speeches, however, was much, much more my speed. The DJ played great dance tunes, the drinks flowed, and everyone was having a great time. But, for some reason, Grace seemed pissy.
What was her deal? Her brother had just been married, but for some reason whenever I happened to catch her eye, she looked like she’d just been told she needed to come into work tomorrow morning for the early shift.
Part of me wondered if she was pissed off about my speech. After all, I’d gotten some major laughs out of the crowd; I sure as hell would be mad if I gave a speech and someone had showed me up like that. But hey, I was there to have a good time and see my best friend down the aisle. I was most definitely not there to make sure Ryan’s little sister was in a chipper mood the entire time.
I tossed one whiskey back and ordered another, feeling good from the dancing and the booze and the happiness in the air. Sure, there was a good chance I’d have a bit of a hangover the next morning, but how often was it that your best friend got married to a remarkable woman?
During the dancing, I made sure to get in a few minutes with each of the twin girls, Rose and Lily. They might’ve been pint-sized, but they sure loved to dance.
More tears came when the time arrived for the daddy-daughter dance. Carly had lost her parents at a young age, so instead of her dancing with her father, she danced with her brother, Adam.
I had to admit I got a little choked up at that, too. Not only did seeing them dancing together remind all of us to appreciate our families while they were still around, but there was also the matter of Adam’s and my history. It hadn’t been that long ago when Adam had collapsed during a basketball game, and Carly was left wondering if she was about to lose the last member of her family.
But he’d pulled through it. Adam had been about as brave of a kid as I’d ever known, never losing hope even when faced with the fact that his life was about to change forever. He’d had to quit basketball, but he’d found other ways to stay healthy and active. Almost three years on from the diagnosis, Adam was looking as fit as ever. Each of his checkups revealed a heart that was as healthy as we could expect from someone suffering from cardio myopathy, and there was no reason to think he wouldn’t live a long, happy life.
By the time Carly finished her dance with Adam, and Ryan finished his dance with his mother, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
Grace was no exception, and as I caught sight of her across the dance floor dabbing her eyes, I couldn’t help but notice how damn beautiful she was. In fact, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that she was the most gorgeous woman in that place. But when she caught my eye, I was rewarded with another hard stare that let me know she was still pissed.
I had to do something, to figure out what the hell was wrong with her. I noticed that she wasn’t standing alone. At her side was a tall, willowy blonde with feathered hair, looking like she’d stepped straight out of a 70s modeling shoot.
Whoever she was, she’d be a perfect “in.” Not that I was interested in picking her up, of course. But introducing myself to her would be a great way to get near Grace for long enough to find out why she was so pissed off at me.
So, drink in hand, that’s what I did. I sauntered over to Grace and her friend, an easy smile on my face. Grace clapped eyes onto me, her expression hardening like it’d done so many times that night. Her friend, however, didn’t seem to notice me. She had a spacey way about her, a dreamy smile on her face.
“Now,” I said once I’d approached. “In the spirit of togetherness and getting to know one another, I’d be remiss if I didn’t introduce myself to an unfamiliar face.” I raised my palm to the woman, ready for a shake. “My name’s Dr. Hayden Frost – I�
�m the best friend of the groom.”
Grace’s expression darkened even more than it already had, her mouth a thin line. It took me a second to realize what she was so upset about.
Then it hit me – she was likely thinking that I’d come over to lay some game down on her friend. As cute as she was when she was mad, I didn’t exactly want Grace any angrier at me than she already was.
The tall woman finally let her eyes drift over to me, and I still wasn’t sure whether she’d done a little hot boxing before she’d come to the wedding. Now that I was a closer, I could make out her features a bit better. She was striking, with a heart-shaped face, full lips, and dark eyes.
Maybe if I were in a different mood, I might try to get her into bed with me. But at that moment, all I could think about was how fucking gorgeous Grace was.
What was going on with me?
“Oh, you’re Hayden?” she asked, that spacey smile still lingering on her face. “I’ve heard a lot about you.” She spoke slowly, her tone as spacey as the rest of her. She took my hand and shook it. “My name’s Willow, Willow Blaise.”
“Pleased to meet you, Willow,” I said. She barely touched my skin, her handshake like a gentle breath. “And I hope you’ve only heard good things about me, yeah?”
“Things,” she said. “Let’s leave it at that.”
Small problem with parties like that – news traveled fast. And if Jamie was as mad at me as I thought she might be, there was a damn good chance she was trashing my reputation as we spoke. Then again, not like I’d promised the woman anything.
Still, I ought to find her and make sure the situation was smoothed over. At that moment, however, I was more concerned with Grace and figuring out why she was so peeved at me.
“Anyway,” Grace said, finally speaking up. “Was there something you wanted, Hayden? Because believe it or not, people aren’t just waiting around the party for you to come and charm them – if that’s what you call it.”
I raised my eyebrows slowly, a little surprised by her candor.
“Now,” I said. “Grace, is there something you —”
“Oh, there you are!”
A woman’s voice sounded out over the music, cutting me off mid-sentence. We all turned to see that it was Crista, Jamie’s sister.
“There’s Dr. Hayden.”
While Willow looked dreamy, Crista looked tipsy. She came over to me, her hips swinging, a drink in her hand and a big smile on her face. She laughed as she approached, placing her hand on my shoulder, and making it clear what she’d come over to discuss.
“Hey, Crista,” I said. “Glad to see we’re, ah, friendly. I had to admit, you were a little scary back there in the tent. And I wanted to apologize about not being on-the-spot with your sister’s name. See, the thing is when I talk about pretty girls, I get a little tongue-tied, yeah? Hard to remember names and such.”
She waved her hand through the air and made a pssh sound. “Oh, all that? That was nothing. I was just looking out for my sister, you know?”
“Naturally. Where is she? I’ve been meaning to chat with her.”
Crista narrowed her eyes and grinned. “I’m sorry to say that your ship has most definitely sailed on her.”
“Is that right?” I asked. “What happened?”
“She decided to get back with her ex. She realized playing the field wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.”
“Perfect. You know, sometimes all it takes is seeing that the grass isn’t greener to realize what you have.”
“Sure, sure,” she said. “And that’s great for Jamie and all. But here’s what I really wanted to talk to you about.”
I didn’t like where this was going.
She closed the distance between us with the urgency of someone who’d had exactly one more drink than they ought to have. I could smell the lemon drop on her breath.
“Now, I didn’t see you come in with a plus one. And you don’t seem like someone who’s much into dancing. So, I’m thinking we swipe a bottle of Jack from the open bar and head back to my room.”
“Is that right?”
“Ugh!” The noise sounded from nearby and I turned just in time to see Grace storm off. Willow, blasé as she’d been since we’d met, shrugged then headed off in her friend’s direction.
Great. If she weren’t already pissed off at me, what she’d just seen did the trick – her stomping off made it quite clear how she felt.
“Don’t worry about her,” Crista said. “Come on, what do you say?”
Blowing off girls was an art. You do it too harshly and you risk hurting their feelings – or worse. On the other hand, you do it too softly and they might not get the message.
“Hey, Hayden!”
Crista and I looked in the direction of the voice and I spotted a familiar face.
My eyes lit up when I realized who it was – someone who could very well bail me out of my little predicament.
“Blake Carter!” I said, turning my body from Crista to give him a hearty, back-slapping hug.
Blake was a good friend of mine from back in med school, and someone I hadn’t seen in years.
“Hayden freakin’ Frost,” he replied.
I gave him a quick once over, seeing that he was as good of shape as he’d been back when he’d rowed crew at CSU. Then I glanced at Crista and was pleased to see her face light up with interest at the sight of Blake.
“Who’s your friend, bud?” he asked, turning his attention to Crista. His eyes went to Crista’s ring finger, and hers did the same to his.
That was another important detail about Blake – the guy was such a ladies’ man that he made me look like a damn monk in comparison.
“This is my friend Crista,” I said. “Crista, this is Blake.”
“Pleased to meet you, Blake,” she said, taking his hand and shaking it slowly, her eyes locked onto his.
I knew exactly what to say next.
“Man, Blake, it’s been way too long. How’re things at the clinic?”
“Same old, same old,” he said. “Tummy tucks and rhinoplasty for Denver’s elite.”
Crista’s eyes lit up at this comment, just as I’d hoped.
“Wait, you work at a plastic surgery clinic?”
Blake grinned, and I knew he’d be able to take it from there.
“In a matter of speaking – I run a plastic surgery clinic.”
However interested Crista had been at anything I had said, this took her interest to another level.
“Is that right?” she asked, turning her body toward me in such a way that let me know Blake was now the object of her attention.
“It is,” he said.
“I need to hit the loo. Blake, you mind keeping Crista company?”
“Not at all,” he said, his eyes staying on her the entire time.
“See ya, Hayden,” Crista called, lifting her hand without even turning around to look at me.
That was all I needed to see – coast was clear. I turned and scanned the crowd for any sign of Grace, but I didn’t spot her anywhere.
But I did spot Willow. She was alone, that same dreamy, faraway look on her face. For lack of any other options, I made my way over to her. But I when I arrived at her side, she didn’t seem to notice me. Instead, she watched the DJ spin, a calm, blissful smile on her features.
“Hey, Willow?” I asked.
She didn’t answer. Instead, she lolled her head from side to side to the beat of the music.
“Uh, Willow?”
Still no response.
I waved my hand in front of her face. “Earth to Willow…?”
That got her attention. She blinked slowly once, as if coming out of a trance, then turned to me.
“Oh, hello, Hayden. Sorry, I was enjoying the vibrations of music. Good energy, right? Reminds me of this amazing Bassnectar concert that I went to when I still lived in Boulder.”
It all made sense. Willow was one of those granola types out of Boulder. You live in Colorado for
long enough and you’re bound to meet more than a few of them. They were usually nice people, but they always seemed to be half in outer space.
“Bassnectar, huh?” I asked. “Sounds…bass-y. Anyway, I was looking for Grace. Did you happen to see where she went off to?”
“Grace?” she slowly furrowed her brow in concentration. “Oh! She went outside to get some fresh air. Not sure what was going on with her, but she didn’t seem very happy.”
“Outside, got it. Thanks!”
“Of course, Hayden. Peace be with you!”
In response, I gave a peace sign over my shoulder as I made my way outside. The party was well on by that point, so when I stepped outside into the cool evening air it was something of a relief.
Once I was out there, I took a moment to appreciate just how beautiful the landscape was at night. The moon was big and round in the sky, its glow casting the mountains ahead in a silvery sheen. It was stunning.
I could have stared at it for hours, had I not spotted Grace. She stood just beyond the altar; her silhouette visible through the flower-adorned arch. Her back was to me, and something about her posture suggested she didn’t want to be bothered.
Something was wrong, and as much as I liked to bust Grace’s chops, I wasn’t about to let things lie if she were actually upset.
“Makes you wonder what a moonlight wedding would look like,” I said as I slowly approached. “Is that a thing? Do people do that? Weddings seem more like a daytime thing.”
She didn’t say a word, let alone so much as budge.
That’s how I knew she was pissed. Me giving Gracie the business wasn’t a new thing – I’d been doing it to her since we were kids – but even when I was little, I knew I’d gone too far when she closed herself off like that. It wasn’t so much her giving me the silent treatment. It was her being so mad that she shut down for fear of ripping me a new asshole verbally.
I had to tread lightly.
As I approached her, I was struck by just how damned gorgeous she was in the moonlight. The silver sheen illuminated her pert nose, her full lips, and not to mention cleavage so perfect that my cock twitched with one glance at it.