Page 81

“Definitely do that. She went above and beyond.”
“Do we have a seating arrangement?” Colton asked.
Nick rolled his eyes. “No, brother,” he emphasized. “It’s just family, so everyone can sit wherever they want.”
I personally hoped that Jeannie and Abe were going to sit nearby because I wanted to get to know them better. And of course Helen, Nick’s mom. I looked around for her, but then Bob and Sophie walked right up to us.
“We’re going to take the seats nearest you. We won’t stay long, so we want to be able to chat while we’re here,” Bob said.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Nick
I wanted to throw Bob and Sophie out right now. This was supposed to be a relaxed day with the family and Allison’s friends. Having these two here made everything more complicated. What the fuck did they want to talk about anyway? All their bullshit just made Allison uncomfortable.
“When is your flight?” I asked, making it clear exactly how excited I wasnotto have them here.
“At five o’clock,” Sophie replied.
I almost groaned. That was a fucking eternity away.
“We’ll sit here,” I said, pointing to the two seats at the head of the table. “You can choose either side. Mom, Gran, Granddad, you can sit over here with the twins.” I gestured to the seats I was referencing.
“I think the twins want to sit with us and Ben,” Spencer said.
I turned to Allison. “That work for you, babe?”
She nodded. “Sure.”
Allison’s eyes lit up. I wondered why but didn’t have time to dwell on it.
As we all took our seats, waiters started to circulate with drinks, asking us what we wanted. They had a mix of champagne, juices, and water. It took a while for everyone to settle down. Mom was sitting right next to me. She kept glancing down the table.
“All good?” I asked her.
She waved her hand,nodding. “Yes, yes.”
“Where did you sit during the ceremony? I didn’t see you.”
“I was right behind your grandparents with Leo and Maddox. Everyone’s been treating me really nicely,” she added in a low voice, correctly guessing that that was my real question.
“That’s good.”
I wasn’t expecting my brothers to jump with joy and ask Mom to be included in all family events from now on, but I was glad that they didn’t make her feel unwelcome.
Once everyone was seated, the waiters came with the first round of finger food.
“This is unusual,” Sophie said, scrunching her nose at the plate. “To have food like this served at a wedding reception.”
Allison cleared her throat. “Once again, we’ve got kids. They need to be fed, and they like this food. It’s perfect for their little stomachs.”
“Ben was starving,” Spencer added.
“You did the right thing, Allison.” That came from Colton. “And I, for one, am extremely happy you’ve had the foresight to ask for the food to be brought the second we came.”
I gave him a nod. My oldest half brother had been the most difficult to win over. Personally, I’d never thought it was possible. I wasn’t in the habit of trying to get people who didn’t like me to change their mind. But when Colton came around, hereallycame around. I was counting on him to have my back in any situation.
Sophie pursed her lips as we all started to eat. I realized that Allison was tense again, so I put my left hand between her shoulder blades. She softened against my touch. I’d keep my hand here the whole damn day if it helped. Then I nudged her leg with mine under the table and put my mouth to her ear.