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“I didn’t have any on me.” A fact I was very much regretting right now, but there just hadn’t been time.
Grayson surreptitiously grabbed the attention of an attendant standing nearby. “Light refreshments for the bridal party, please. Juice and some sandwiches.”
“Certainly, sir.”
He turned back to me. “How are you feeling? Headachy? Aching joints? Muscle weakness?”
I eased down on the brocade covered bench, letting out a sigh of relief. “What are you, a fucking doctor suddenly?”
Grayson’s eyes lit with amusement as he sat down next to me. “I did a bit of research last night.”
Oh. Well. That was…I didn’t know what that was, so I let it go. But I did know it was after he’d looked after me through the whole rehearsal dinner. Covered for me, you could say.
From the moment he’d helped me up from the stairs and walked into dinner, he hadn’t left my side. He’d snagged a seat for me by the door, probably figuring I’d need a quick getaway. And whenever I got all fuzzy and couldn’t keep up, he was right there, chipping in or shifting the chit-chat away from me.
He even parked himself next to me during dinner, piling my plate with stuff that was easy to munch on and keeping my glass full of juice. When the noise and the crowd started getting to me, he smoothly suggested we step out for a bit, giving me those precious moments of quiet.
And man, was he slick about keeping me out of the spotlight. Whenever I needed to just lean back and shut my eyes, he’d sort of shield me from view, keeping everyone else busy with some story or another.
And now here he was again, the only person in this whole room I could lean on right now. Which also meant holding onto all that rage and defiance was impossible. Probably a good thing, since I really didn’t have the energy for it.
It was confusing, infuriating, and... unexpectedly comforting, all at the same time.
On top of all of that, he’d read up on my illness and oh, shit, he was pulling a medicine packet from his pocket. Ibuprofen. I could cry. The attendant returned with a tray of glasses of juice, and Grayson gestured to me.
“Orange or apple, ma’am?”
“Apple, thanks.”
Grayson took the glass and waited until the attendant moved away before handing it to me and popping two pills from the blister pack, dropping them into my hand. I threw them back, chased them down with the apple juice and closed my eyes for a moment, imagining all the pain coursing through my body fading away. Of course, it didn’t quite work like that, but it was enough to make me straighten my spine, open my eyes, and put my game face on.
Good timing, since we were directed outside for the professional photos. Feeling as though I was moving through molasses, I walked across the terrace, putting my bouquet down carefully on the stone wall.
Esme and Wolfe were first up for photos, so there wasn’t much to do until we were called. Which left me plenty of time to feel like total shit. Fun times!
An attendant walked towards us with a platter of sandwiches, and I was just about to call out to the kids to ask if they wanted some, when a wave of dizziness hit me so hard I thought I was going to collapse. Without thinking, I grabbed onto Grayson, gripping his arm tightly.
In an instant, his arm was around me and he pulled me close so I didn’t fall over. “This is ridiculous.”
“It’s just a few more hours.” I was at the point where even that small amount of time felt like an eternity.
“Here. Sit.”
We sat down on the low stone wall, and I was grateful for Grayson keeping his arm around my waist.
“Eat a sandwich.”
“Man, you’re bossy.”
At Grayson’s gesture, the attendant was there in an instant, holding the tray low so I could see its contents.
“Someone has to be.”
“Is any of this normal food?” Honestly, I couldn’t recognize half of it.
“Depends on what you call normal. That one is chicken.”
I took one and added it to my plate. “And this one?”