Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 129460 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 647(@200wpm)___ 518(@250wpm)___ 432(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129460 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 647(@200wpm)___ 518(@250wpm)___ 432(@300wpm)
I hardly hear her reply over Warren’s grumble that I’m a stubborn bitch, but since his rudeness is chased by his departure, I act as if I don’t have supersonic hearing.
It almost takes thirty minutes for Heidi and Samuel to greet their guests. Excluding Warren’s attempt to break Heidi’s hand, it went without a hiccup.
“Is that everyone?” I ask Heidi when Samuel offers to fetch Heidi a drink before we sit for photographs in a field not too far from here.
There was a notable absentee from the well-wishers. I haven’t seen Caleb since I glided past him at the back of the hall. I don’t want to see him, but if you gatecrash someone’s nuptials, the least you can do is wish them well.
“I hope so,” Heidi mumbles, her words shaky from the shiver racking through her. “I can’t stomach another hug.” She hates huggers. It is the reason I leap into her arms every time she enters the room. “How did things go with Warren? I tried to listen in, but you know how Aunt Nicki gets when she’s feeling lovey-dovey.”
Her gag makes me giggle. “It happened, and now we’re past it. Let’s just hope it doesn’t occur again any time soon.”
After accepting a glass of champagne from Samuel and handing it to me, Heidi frees him of his second glass before nudging her head to the right. “When did you tell your dad what happened?”
Through furrowed brows, I sling my head in the direction she nudged. My throat works hard to swallow when I spot my father and Warren deep in conversation at the side of the courtyard. My father welcomes everyone with open arms, but he looks ready to lodge his boot up Warren’s backside.
“I didn’t tell him.” I return my wide eyes to Heidi. “Do you think he knows?”
She twists her lips. “Maybe. Or perhaps he’s annoyed about something else?” After squeezing my hand in assurance, she drifts her eyes to Samuel. “Are you ready for the second most torturous event of your life?”
When Samuel broadly grins before nodding, I mutter, “Don’t let her fool you, Samuel. You haven’t seen the imp who crawls out of her bed every morning.” When I say Samuel and Heidi went down the old-fashioned route of dating, I’m not joking. They’ve been courting for a little over a year, but they’ve not yet lived together. Heidi didn’t want to disappoint my dad any more than she did Samuel when she had to tell him white wasn’t an appropriate dress color for their nuptials.
Before Samuel can lead us to the waiting town cars, I spot someone in the corner of my eye. “I’ll join you in a sec.” Not giving Heidi the chance to deny my request, I march to Caleb standing at the courtyard, looking a little uncomfortable. “If you’re going to gatecrash a wedding, you could at least be polite about it.”
“I—”
I shove my hand into his face, stopping him. “I don’t care about your excuses or the reason you are here, Caleb. All I care about is making sure Heidi has the day she deserves.”
The annoyance in his eyes dampens a smidge.
“If we can both agree that that is what our focus should be on, I’ll act as if I don’t know you when your pretty little wife joins us for the reception party.”
Caleb’s eyes bounce between mine. “Wife?” Before I can cut him down to size for making me an adulterer, he adds, “I guess that would be for the best since your fiancé couldn’t stop gloating about you during the entire fifty-minutes of nuptials.”
I wish he were exaggerating about the length of the service.
Regretfully, he isn’t.
“My fiancé…” The word tastes bitter in my mouth. “Is…”
My pause to consider one of the many names I’ve called Warren the past twelve months gives Caleb time to snarl out, “Beckoning you.”
When he shoots daggers at someone over my head, I crank my neck back to peer at them. My teeth grit when Warren waves sweetly. He is the exact definition of a wolf in sheep’s clothing, but since I’m too annoyed at Caleb to see sense through the madness, I return Warren’s wave before switching my focus back to Caleb. “Behave or leave. They are your only options.”
Stealing his chance to reply, I dart for the closest exit.
CHAPTER 7
CALEB
My brows inch closer when Jess takes a wide birth around the guy my fists want to play whack a mole with his face. He tries to slow down her stomps by grabbing her arm, but she yanks out of his embrace so determinately, the tightness of my jaw firms even more.
If he grabbed her hard enough to mark, I won’t be able to keep my wordless pledge to keep this day about Heidi. I’ve been called many names in my years, but a coward will never be one of them.