Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 125866 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 629(@200wpm)___ 503(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125866 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 629(@200wpm)___ 503(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Clay smiled, swallowing as Giana continued, and when it was his turn, he kept one of her hands in his while the other held a small notebook that he’d written in.
“I vow to always keep the house stocked with Cheetos,” he said toward the end, which made all of us laugh — that girl loved Cheetos. “I promise to kick anyone’s ass who doesn’t take you seriously in your career, and I swear to continue stealing your books and studying every scene you tab and highlight until the day you stop reading.”
“That will be never,” she quipped, and we all laughed again.
The vows went from silly to sweet, from being just about the two of them to being about their family, about that baby growing inside Giana’s womb. Then they were both crying, and the rest of us were doing our best to keep our shit together until Holden declared them husband and wife. We cheered as Clay dipped Giana in a dramatic kiss, and once she was upright, he bent to his knees and kissed her stomach, too.
They danced down the aisle as the music picked up tempo, and then we all dispersed, making our way to the patio where cocktail hour was taking place.
I held fast to Madelyn’s hand as we walked. “So, you going to throw down for the bouquet toss?”
She arched a brow at me. “I wasn’t planning on even participating, if I’m being honest.”
“Ah,” I said, leaning down to whisper in her ear. “You’re scared, huh?”
Madelyn scoffed, but I didn’t miss the way chills swept over her skin. “No, I’ve just already done the marriage thing.”
My nostrils flared.
“And you won’t again?”
“I didn’t say that,” she whispered, her neck reddening as her eyes flicked to mine.
I tried and failed to contain the hope those words ballooned inside me.
“Well, if that’s the case, and you’re not scared, then…”
She paused our walk, narrowing her eyes at me as she pulled her hand from mine and folded her arms over her chest. “Are you challenging me, Kyle Robbins?”
“Haven’t I always?”
She shook her head, but a smile curled at the edge of her lips.
And I knew before it even happened that the other girls didn’t stand a chance to catch those flowers — not with my girl wearing that determined look I knew so well.
“A hundred bucks says that bouquet is mine,” she said.
I chuckled, pulling her under one arm and steering her toward the bar.
“Oh, come on, Mads,” I goaded, voice low behind the shell of her ear. “I think we can think of a better wager than that.”
Madelyn
I had to admit — it was quite fun hearing Kyle’s friends tease him for being such an asshole in college.
“I don’t understand,” I said, sipping the white wine in my hand as we stood around a cocktail table. Giana and Clay were taking pictures with what was left of the sun, and the rest of the wedding party was — well, partying. “Why did you challenge her to a game of five hundred, anyway?”
“It wasn’t me who challenged her,” Kyle defended.
“He’s right, actually. I was the one who called the game,” Riley said, arching a brow at Kyle behind her own wine glass. “And I did it because he was a little prick who needed to be put in his place.”
There was a fizzle of laughter at the table, and for a second, I thought it might have hurt Kyle’s feelings. But he flattened his lips and rolled his eyes, seemingly fine.
“I found her on a dating app,” Kyle explained. “And I might have been a bit of an asshole when I did. Riley heard me making jokes, and then she challenged me. But she made all the terms. It wasn’t me who said if she lost, she had to sleep with me. That was her.”
Zeke gritted his teeth. “I’ve never come so close to killing someone.”
“Wait — why were you on a dating app?” I asked Riley, pointing between her and Zeke. “I thought you two were together.”
“They weren’t at that point. And honestly, they should fucking thank me — because it was crystal clear after that night that Zeke had feelings for Riley. I helped them get out of their own damn way.” Kyle pointed at Holden and Leo next. “Helped you two fuckers, too.”
Holden’s expression was level when he retorted, “You have a funny way of helping.”
“Oh, come on — admit it. Every time you saw me with Julep or got close enough for me to make a comment about her, it got under your skin. It made you move your damn feet instead of dragging them. You two would probably still be skating around each other pretending to be annoyed if it wasn’t for me.”
“Funny, Robbins,” Leo said, tilting his head before sipping his tequila. “I thought you were a tight end, but you’re awful defensive right now.”