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And in that moment, I couldn’t bring myself to care. Not when I had Scarlett in my arms, her body still trembling from the force of her orgasm. Not when I knew that no matter how much she hated me, she wanted me just as much.
CHAPTER 11
Scarlett
Mrs. Rivers went all out for the Rivers’ House wedding. Blush pink everything. Gauze, ribbons, flowers... it was enough to make you want to puke. Stef, bless her heart, must’ve had to bite her tongue. But she was getting married, so she went with the flow, more excited about getting hitched than a fancy wedding.
I’m sure she was happy with the room, though. Even I had to admit it was pretty. The gauzy drapes, the chair sashes, the servers’ uniforms, the flowers. In fact, there were enough flowers to fill a goddamn nursery, and it looked like most of them were covering the giant archway the couple were to stand under for the ceremony.
Just to the left of that archway was the most arrogant, smug, self-satisfied jerk I’ve ever laid eyes on. Being that good looking should be fucking illegal. The bow tie, the waistcoat, the shiny shoes. It was all too much hotness for me. Especially now that I knew exactly what that immaculate tuxedo was covering.
And why did I have to have a front-row seat to the “Rhett-Rivers-is-too-hot-for-his-own-good” show? Because that’s whathappens to people who attend these sorts of events on their own. They go where they fit. So here I was, in a random single seat in the front row at Stef and Grayson’s wedding.
Although Stef’s sister-in-law Lucy was sitting next to me with her little baby, so it wasn’t all bad. At least I had someone I knew.
That didn’t stop Rhett from being a giant pain in my ass, though. Loving every second of me being his captive audience as he stood next to his brother on the biggest day of his life. You know what? Someone should teach him a lesson.
The music swelled, letting everyone know that the bride was about to make her entrance. We all rose to our feet and just before I turned to look down the aisle to the big double doors of the ballroom, Rhett winked at me. The audacity, honestly. Like I said, someone should teach him a lesson. I squared my shoulders as a glimmer of an idea skirted the edges of my mind, and a small smile formed on my lips. Because that someone was going to be me.
The big double doors swung open, and my breath caught in my throat. The first bridesmaid, Miriam glided down the aisle, a vision in, what else, blush pink. Esme followed close behind. Then came little Sophie, Stef’s niece, tottering along as she tossed rose petals all over the pink runner.
When Stef appeared on her brother’s arm, I couldn’t hold back my smile. Her dress was pure elegance - fitted lace that hugged her curves before flaring out into a glorious mermaid skirt. But leave it to Stef to put her own spin on tradition. Peeking out from beneath the lace were a pair of badass Doc Marten boots, covered in a girlie floral pattern.
I loved every minute of this for her. She’d been through so much to get here, and the way Grayson couldn’t take his eyes off her as she walked towards him had a lump forming in my throat.
Until I glanced at Rhett, of course. The fucker blew me a kiss. Right when the bride took her place and the ceremony was about to start. A few people glanced my way and, thinking quickly, I looked over my shoulder, pretending I thought the kiss was for someone behind me. When all attention was back on the bride and groom, I took the chance to flip him the bird very discreetly.
I could hear his low laugh, but clearly so could Wolfe, because he bumped him with his shoulder. Rhett straightened his shoulders and put a mock serious expression on his face, turning away from me to focus on the ceremony.
I rolled my eyes, but the corners of my mouth twitched with amusement. Someone really needed to take that cocky groomsman down a peg or two. And just like that, the idea that had been simmering came into full focus.
Oh, this was going to be fun.
The officiant began the traditional vows, and the way Stef was jiggling with excitement, I wasn’t sure she’d be able to get through it without bursting. I loved that for her.
My gaze shifted to Grayson, and my heart squeezed a little, surprising me. The smile on his face was one of pure adoration as he gazed at his beautiful bride. I felt a pang of envy. Would I ever find someone who looked at me like that? With so much unconditional love and devotion? I pushed the thought away as quickly as it emerged. Ridiculous. As if I wasn’t perfectly happy with my life. I guess weddings brought out the mushy in me.
As the officiant pronounced, “You may kiss the bride,” I felt a flutter of excitement in my chest. Stef, radiant in her unconventional elegance, threw her arms around Grayson’s neck with so much joy that it made my heart ache a little. When they finally pulled apart, breathless and smiling, Grayson dropped his forehead to Stef’s, then whispered, “I love you so much.” My breath hitched, and for a fleeting moment, I allowed myself to imagine what it would be like to be on the receiving end of that. To know without a shadow of a doubt that you were loved beyond measure.
I blinked away the sudden tears in my eyes, chiding myself for being such a lovesick loser.
Without really thinking about it, I glanced over at Rhett, curious to see his reaction to the moment. He was watching the newlyweds, a soft smile playing on his lips—a stark contrast to his usual smirk. It was a rare, unguarded moment, and it gave me a glimpse of a Rhett I’d never seen before. A Rhett capable of genuine tenderness. I almost snorted as I thought if that wasn’t a total crock of shit, I didn’t know what was.
As if to prove my point, he caught me looking and, ever so discreetly, adjusted himself.
“Hey, do you mind taking the baby for me for a few minutes? I really need to pee, and Dante needs to look after Sophie.”
Oh, Jesus no! But Lucy was already handing the sleeping baby to me, and she did look pretty desperate, so I said, “Oh, um, sure.”
She was gone before I’d finished the sentence with an “I’ll be right back” thrown over her shoulder.
Ok, this was a bit freaky. I hadn’t had much experience with babies, but this was weird and uncomfortable.Get a grip. It’s only for a few minutes.
I shifted awkwardly, trying to adjust the tiny human to a position that felt less like I was juggling glass balls. The baby stirred, letting out a small whimper, and I froze, holding my breath, praying he wouldn’t wake up. Babies were like ticking time bombs. One wrong move and — kaboom! — you’re covered in puke… or worse.
Of course, that was when Rhett decided to come over with a smug grin plastered across his face. I could feel the heat of embarrassment creeping up my neck. Of course, he’d find me like this - awkward and out of my element.
“Well, well, well, look at you. It suits you.”