Page 7
I stared at myself in the mirror, taking in my suit.
It was a light grey color with a small blue boutonniere attached to it.
Jay sat just behind me on the couch, stretched out.
I felt a sudden deja vu. This was just like his wedding, not too long ago, to Sam.
He was being forced to marry Sam, not really wanting to. Sam would have run…
He looked up from his phone and glanced at me. “You alright over there? You look ready to vomit.”
I nodded. “I’m fine. Just thinking how we were just here, not even a year ago.”
“I know for my wedding,” Jay set his phone aside. I had told him all about what happened between Katie and me since I knew he would understand. Jay had always been the one person I knew I could lean on, someone I knew I could tell anything to, and he wouldn’t judge.
“So, how pissed was the Council?” Jay asked, pulling himself off the couch and straightening his suit. “I imagine the tension was high.”
I cringed as I thought about the meeting I had to attend with the Council a day after the first. They were keeping a close eye on Katie from now on and would be watching to see if she stepped out of line again.
Demanding that I remember that my main focus should be on the packs and that making an heir was ideal.
They went on and on about how I was blessed to find someone who would be able to carry a child, and that I needed to remember that.
Many couples out there wished they could have children, and I had found someone who would.
But I could see how hurt Katie was. She had voiced her opinion quickly, and sex and romance were not on the table.
“As you would expect it to go,” I grumbled. “They are pissed. They were going to be watching us from now on.”
Jay shrugged. “Well, she did run for it. That’s understandable.”
“Because she was paired off to be mated with me,” I counter. “Anyone would run.”
Jay scowled. “You aren’t that bad. Any woman would have been happy to marry you.”
“I’m not saying that, I mean…Jesus, even my sister wanted to run Jay. This is….I understand the need for us to find someone, but to force people to be together…I understand why she wanted to run. We hold positions with power, and not everyone wants that.”
I knew there was more to it besides just that. But I wasn’t going to dig any deeper.
“Well, I'm glad nothing happened. I think Sam would have been devastated if something had happened to Katie. She’s her best friend. Sam was freaking out the other day when I told her.”
I was glad that Katie had someone to lean on, even if it wasn’t me.
A few moments later, we stood at the altar.
Jay stood next to me, and we waited as the doors just across the altar were pulled open.
My eyes widened as Katie stood in a pure white dress.
It was a simple dress that hugged her curves with dropped sleeves.
She was holding a bouquet of pastel pink flowers, and her hair was curled loosely around her. She looked stunning and breathtaking.
My mouth dropped slightly as Sam walked with her down the aisle.
Sam was wearing a light red dress and smiled at Katie with happiness that shone.
I had asked Jay before how Sam felt about the entire arrangement, and he’d said little about it.
Considering she wanted us to be together, I’m sure she was thinking this was a good idea.
Katie stopped in front of me and swallowed, looking uncomfortable. “You’re staring.”
“You’re… you look amazing,” I said, scanning her again. If I were to picture her in a wedding dress, I wouldn’t have been able to imagine her looking this wonderful.
Her face went red, and the pastor cleared his throat. “Can we begin?”
The ceremony was quick. We didn’t have vows, and the kiss was short. Everyone clapped. Katie quickly left the altar with Sam in tow. I felt my shoulder sag, watching her walk away.
“That went well,” Jay said, patting my shoulder.
“Better than yours,” I grumbled back. “Your wife was practically running from the altar.”
Jay rolled his eyes. “Besides the point.”
Frank came up, slapping his hand onto my back. “Now the fun part starts!” Frank yanked into a tight side hug. “Lots of beer coming our way.”
The party was in full swing twenty minutes later. I was talking with the guys near the food. Jone and Jay stood to the left of me while Frank, Maddox, and Aaron stood to my right.
“Can’t believe you’re the next one that got paired up,” Maddox said, looking at everyone who attended the wedding.
“What are you jealous of?” Jones asked with a smirk plastered on his face. He brought his cup up, taking a swig of his drink.
Maddox laughed. “Of giving up my single life? No. But if anyone should be married first, it should have been me. I mean, look at me.” He waved a hand at himself. “No offense, Jay. But I for sure should have been the first to be paired up.”
“What’s there to look at?” Aaron asked with a laugh, waving a hand at Maddox.
Frank started to laugh hard, and a few people turned to us. Maddox growled as he rolled his eyes. “You all know I’m the best looking, and you’re just jealous.”
Someone cleared their throat, and we turned to see that Sam had the microphone.
“Alright, now that everyone has gotten settled, how about we invite the new bride and groom to the stage for their first dance?” Sam wiggled her eyebrow, and I scowled.
I loved my sister to death, but this was cruel even for her.
All the guys looked at me, and I frowned. “I thought I told her to take that out.”
“What, you don't want to dance with your wife?” Aaron asked with a tilt of the head.
“We’re not exactly on steady ground right now.” I set my drink down and tried to straighten my shirt.
I quickly spotted Sam pulling at Katie’s arm, pulling her towards the dance floor. Jay elbowed me in the side. “You can’t run from it. Go dance with her.”
“I don’t recall you having a first dance,” I snapped back.
“He actually did,” Maddox said. “You were in the bathroom.”
I sighed and walked out to the dance floor, where Sam left Katie. Katie stood nervously, and before I could say anything, she whispered. “I don’t know how to dance.”
My eyebrows went up. “Really?”
She scowled. “Do I look like the type of person to take lessons?”
I offered her a soft smile. “Just follow my lead. Your dress is big enough; no one will see your feet.” I reached out, took her hand, and pulled her gently against me. I placed my hand on her back, gently folded my fingers around her, and spun her.
The world seemed to disappear as we moved gently to the music that played. She swallowed, looking around, and I chuckled. “You know, for someone who doesn’t know how to dance, you're doing really well.”
She blushed. “Thanks. I’m trying hard not to step on you.”
Katie and I had talked a little since the blow-up with the Council. We had moved her into the house, and she spent most of her time in her room. I’d only seen a few times since, which was to grab food or sit outside. I could tell this was a hard change for her, and I had given her space.
“You do look beautiful,” I said, giving her another smile. “Stunning. I imagine Sam helped with this, so she did well.”
She blushed again as I spun us once more. “Thank you. You look nice, too. Very dapper.”
I stared at her, feeling a tug deep in my chest, wanting to stay near her. I wanted to protect her from anything and everything. Yet, I wanted the world to see just how beautiful she was at the same time. I wanted them to see Katie the way I did.
We danced for a few more moments before the song ended, and everyone started to clap. Katie pulled herself free and made her way towards our table. I followed after her.
Katie sat down and drank her water. I sat down next to her and looked over the crowd. Everyone was still dancing, and some people were grabbing food. It was loud but not terribly loud, and you could hold a conversation.
I glanced at Katie, who rubbed her fingers together nervously on her lap.
“Is something wrong?”
She chewed on her cheek before she shrugged. “I don’t really know the people here. So, I don’t have many people to talk to besides Sam.”
I raised an eyebrow at her. “Don’t you have a lot of clients from Jay’s pack?”
She nodded. “Yes, but not that many. And none of them are here. I only really know Sam here, and everyone knows her. I feel like I’m interrupting when they talk with her.”
I looked over the crowd to find Sam with Jay. They looked like a happy couple as they sat at a table talking with someone else. Sam leaned on Jay’s shoulder, and Jay wrapped his arms around her.
And an idea sparked.
“Do you see that man?” I pointed towards the table with the number twelve on it. “Blond guy with dark brown eyes. He’s wearing a black suit with a grey tie.”
She nodded her head. “Yeah, what about him?”
“He’s a friend of Jay and me. He’s super sweet….also shit his pants in seventh grade.”
Katie’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped open slightly. “And I imagine he loves it when you bring that up.”
“He’s married to the gal sitting to the right of him. They had a daughter. She’s three. Sweetest little thing.”
I pointed towards another table. “The lady in the light blue dress runs a bakery just a few blocks from downtown. This is also the lady who burned soup in high school cooking class. Still have no idea how she became a baker.”
Katie offered me a soft smile. “You're just making that up.”
I laughed. “I’m not. I’ll call her over to prove it.” I waved my hand, and Katie quickly grabbed it, pulling it back down. “Don’t you dare,” she whispered.
I watched her eyes sparkle a little and smirked.
I pointed at another table. “Drew, the tall guy. Black hair and a stunning face. He’s a fireman. He is utterly scared of butterflies. No idea why. Julia, next to him, she can’t swim.”
She chewed on her lip. “You know they probably don’t want me to know that stuff.”