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Chapter Forty-Eight

JACKSON

W hen I get down to the restaurant, Izzie isn’t there yet, but Chad, Grayson, and Frederico are. They seem to be in a good mood, but when all three of them glance in my direction, their expressions change. Great. Here comes the lecture.

“Good morning.” I pull up a chair and join them at the table.

“It’d better be a good morning,” Chad replies.

“Give me a break, would you? I won’t fight with Izzie this weekend. I swear.”

“He did behave last night at dinner when he finally removed the stick from his ass,” Frederico pipes up.

I narrow my eyes. “I didn’t have a stick up my ass. But excuse me for not being thrilled to hang out with the woman who broke my heart.”

The confession rolls off my tongue, surprising not only my friends, but myself as well. I never admitted that out loud.

“Damn. I didn’t realize you felt that strongly about Izzie,” Grayson replies.

Chad’s face is crestfallen. “I’m sorry, Jacks. I really thought that if you spent time alone with her, you could work things out. Jane was sure Izzie felt the same way about you.”

Guilt sits heavily on my chest. It was all fun and games until I decided to get real, and now Chad is feeling like shit on the day before his wedding. I have to come clean. I open my mouth to utter the second confession of the day, but Izzie and Jane enter the restaurant accompanied by Louisa—Chad’s older sister—her husband, and their children. I can’t say anything now.

“Look who I found on the way here,” Jane announces, sporting a big smile.

“Hey, sis. I didn’t know you were coming in this morning.” Chad gets up and hugs Louisa.

I do the same, and then shake hands with Duncan. I try to get Izzie’s attention, but she’s avoiding making eye contact with me. Probably for the best.

Now that the party is larger, we have to move to a bigger table. This time, I end up sitting on the opposite side of Izzie, and once the conversation gets into full swing, I can’t hear anything from her end of the table.

Jane and Chad are right in the middle, and when Chad asks if Louisa has heard anything from Caroline, the conversation stops suddenly, and tension fills the air. I lock gazes with Izzie, but her expression is closed off. Now I wish I was sitting closer to her. Thanks to the whole drama involving Caroline and me, Chad thought it was best if Caroline wasn’t part of the wedding party. I never asked how she took the snub, but Louisa isn’t a bridesmaid either, so hopefully she didn’t make a fuss.

“She’s coming to the wedding, don’t worry. And she’s bringing a date.”

“Oh, that’s great,” Jane replies in an excited tone that sounds sincere.

“We shall see,” Chad mutters.

“That’s not fair. I didn’t know we could bring dates.” Louisa’s daughter pouts.

We all laugh, and then Jane asks, “Who would you bring, Amelia?”

“Fabio Gutierrez,” she replies without missing a beat.

Frederico chokes on his water and ends up spitting some. “His name is Fabio ?” he croaks.

“Yes. He’s my boyfriend.”

“Aren’t you too young to have a boyfriend?” Chad raises a brow.

Her father shakes his head. “Don’t waste your breath.”

The kid shrugs. “He brings me snacks, but he’s not husband material.”

I cover my mouth to muffle the laughter. Izzie is trying to do the same, but her eyes twinkle with delight, making my pulse skyrocket. I want to move near her so I can cover her with kisses. I’ve got it bad.

“How do you know he’s not husband material?” Grayson asks, all serious and shit.

“He doesn’t like hockey, and I’m marrying a hockey player.”

“Yes! High five.” Chad raises his hand, making his niece beam.

“You know that hockey players travel almost half of the year, right?” Frederico chimes in.

“I know. That’s the appeal.”

I snort out loud, and Izzie laughs too. Our gazes connect, and fuck it, I want to tell everyone we’re not broken up anymore. But then her eyes shift to a point behind me, and her entire body tenses. I can guess who just walked into the restaurant.

“Good morning, everyone!” Caroline greets us in an over-the-top cheerful tone, making my teeth grind together.

I understand Izzie’s reaction to her, but Chad isn’t happy either. Curious, I turn... and freeze. Caroline’s date is none other than Gavin Wickham. I stay frozen for only a couple seconds. My anger at seeing this motherfucker here makes my blood boil.

“You have got to be kidding me,” I blurt out.

Wickham’s lips curl. “Hi, Darcy. Miss me?”

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“He’s my guest.” Caroline scowls. “How’s that your business?”

Chad gets out of his chair, sporting a face as hard as a rock, and approaches his sister. “May I have a word with you in private?”

She wrinkles her nose. “No. Whatever you have to tell me, you can say in front of everyone.”

“Fine. What were you thinking when you decided to invite him to my wedding without asking me first?”

She crosses her arms. “I didn’t think I needed your permission to bring my boyfriend to the wedding.”

“ Boyfriend ?” I scoff. “Since when?”

“Jealous, Darcy?” Wickham raises a brow.

“Jealous of you ? Please.”

“Uh… maybe you should all talk someplace else?” Louisa butts in, giving a meaningful look toward her children, who are watching the heated exchange with rapt attention.

“No, it’s okay.” Caroline waves her hand. “First, I’m not asked to be a bridesmaid. Now my boyfriend isn’t welcome. I’m beginning to think I should skip this wedding altogether.”

Chad rolls his eyes. “Oh, stop being so dramatic.”

“Carol, honey. Maybe we should head to the pool and cool off for a bit,” Wickham chimes in, placing his hand on her lower back.

She relaxes a bit, leaning into him. “Yes, let’s. The atmosphere here is toxic.”

They turn and leave, but unfortunately, the mood doesn’t improve with their departure. Talk about a match made in hell. I knew that Caroline wouldn’t leave things well enough alone. She was pissed off when I didn’t reciprocate her feelings, and I’m pretty sure she was furious not to be asked to be a bridesmaid. Bringing Wickham to the wedding is her revenge.

Chad runs his fingers through his hair. “I can’t believe Carol is dating Wickham.”

“It’ll be okay.” Jane touches his arm in a reassuring way.

“And if they misbehave, Jackson and I will handle them,” Izzie adds, hitting her fist against her palm.

I stand straighter in my chair, and I’m not the only one. “You and Jackson?” Jane asks, hopeful.

“Of course. As the best man and maid of honor, it’s our job to handle inconveniences and deal with pests.” She smiles at me. “Right, Darcy?”

I narrow my eyes ever so slightly before replying, “Right.”

“Did you two just become best friends?” Frederico jokes.

I can’t help the smile that tugs the corners of my lips. “You betcha.”