Twenty-One

Fuck, I don't want to be here surrounded by these fake ass people. Why did I agree to this?

Because you wanted to prove to them you made it…without any of their help.

I take another sip of my whiskey as I watch the crowd of my supposed family members mill about during the pre-ceremony lunch. I can't help the disgust permanently etched onto my face today. My only saving grace is having Ava here with me. Her presence is the strength I need to make it through this wedding.

I filled her in further on my fucked-up family situation on the ride out here. How they practically ignored my dad and me after my mom passed, then abandoned me when I had no one else. Not once did my aunt or uncle invite me over for dinner or the holidays. I was alone, left to figure out this thing we call life on my own. Now, all of a sudden, I'm invited to a wedding. Even though I know exactly why I was truly invited today… But joke's on them, I really don't give a fuck. By the time I finished explaining what we're walking into, my girl was about ready to start throwing down.

My girl. Scarily enough, those words don't fuel my desire to run as far away as possible. A smile spreads across my face at the thought of how I'm going to reward her later back at our hotel.

We opted to stay in a hotel this evening as opposed to her grandparents' place. Although the offer was much appreciated, I"m going to need to let some of my aggression out tonight. I don't think Grandma and Grandpa Pierce want to be privy to how loud Ava can scream my name. We compromised with a lunch tomorrow before we head back to the city. It's an unfamiliar feeling to be so welcomed into a home. I can honestly say they're everything Ava exclaims them to be.

The smile I"m sporting quickly disappears when the groom, my cousin, Jason, comes to sit beside me.

"Glad you could make it, Parks," he says, clinking his glass to mine. Parks. I hate that fucking nickname.

"Congrats on the big day," I say through a tight-lipped smile.

"Thanks, man. Julianna is something else," he says, seemingly forgetting our past. What an idiot.

"She sure is… So, you planning on taking over for Uncle Ted soon? Seems like he's almost ready for retirement," I ask, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah, I'm working my way up to it. He's still keeping me at bay. Not sure he's ready to relinquish the control yet."

"Ahh, yeah. I get that," I reply. Small talk has never been my thing, so I look out to the crowd to see if my distraction is back from the drink line.

"Oh, damn. Is that Ava Pierce over there?" Jason says as Ava makes her way through the crowd. I"m distracted by the way her hips sway in the body-hugging olive-green dress she's wearing.

Wait, what did he say?

"How do you know Ava?" I ask abruptly. My temper flares at the thought of him knowing her intimately.

"Oh…growing up, her grandparents had a place not far from my house. We used to hang out all the time when we were younger," he replies, oblivious to the change in my mood. "Damn, she is fucking sex?—"

"Aren't you getting married today?" I interrupt, not wanting to hear one more word about her from his mouth.

"Yeah, man." He nudges my shoulder. "You know how it is."

"No, I don't," I say flatly. Does this dude have memory loss or something…acting all nonchalant.

Ava reaches our table and hands me a fresh drink. My mood must be written all over my face because her eyes warily slide to my cousin. She takes him in for a minute.

"Jason?" she questions.

"I thought that was you!" he exclaims, then stands to pull her in for hug. My grip on my tumbler tightens.

"Guess there's no need to introduce you to the groom," I mumble.

"I didn't realize you were the groom…or Parker's cousin, for that matter. Congratulations!" she says.

Jason eyes the annoyed expression on my face, then looks back at Ava. "Oh shit, you"re here with Parks. What are the chances?"

"Guess not that slim," I say, standing abruptly.

"Well, I'd hate to keep you. I"m sure you have a ton of people to catch up with before the ceremony. I'll see you later. Can't wait to meet your bride." Ava plasters on one of her practiced smiles, subsequently dismissing him from our table without him realizing it.

When his back is to our table, I finally feel like I can breathe again. Ava watches me carefully with a raised eyebrow. "Are you alright?"

"Peachy," I grumble, then down the rest of my glass.

"Is it because I know your cousin?" she asks, hurt etched in her expression. Fuck, I"m an asshole. This has nothing to do with her, and everything to do with him. Slimy fuck that he is.

Wrapping my arms around her, I pull her in close and give her a gentle kiss on the head. I close my eyes and calm my mind for a moment. Disappointed I let Jason's presence disrupt my peace so easily.

"No, that's not it…" I go to explain more, but the staff announces that it is time we head to the ceremony space, effectively ending our conversation.

"You'll tell me later?" she asks, and I nod.

Her fingers lace with mine as we make our way to the shuttles, my mind reeling on how she'll react to my embarrassing truth.

I can't believe Jason Lannister, who I haven't seen in over ten years, is Parker"s cousin. There is absolutely no resemblance, and they couldn't be any more different. His cousin is still the definition of an ick wrapped up in a bow tie.

I hate the way this family has treated Parker over the years, and what little I know of Jason from all those summers ago fits that narrative. His family is exactly like my parents.

The longer we sit here as the bridal party walks down the aisle, the more I wonder why Parker is even giving these people the time of day by being here.

The harpist changes the melody, and the officiant directs everyone to stand. The beautiful white dress comes into view, and I look up to find a stunning yet familiar face.

OH MY… No fucking way.

She starts her walk down the aisle, and there is no doubt in my mind it is her. My eyes bounce between the bride and Parker, trying to see if his facial expression gives anything a way.

His never wavers, but I don't miss hers.

Just like last weekend.

Her gaze lands on Parker in the crowd, and I notice she lingers on his face longer than any other. There is no denying the regret that washes over her before she regains composure.

I don't even know what to think in this moment. Is Parker not who I thought he was?

Parker"s fingertips trace circles over my knee as I sit there, wondering if she's the reason he finally decided he wanted to come around his family.

It's obvious they have motivated him to prove himself to them, but how far did he take that? Was that lunch a goodbye before the wedding?

No part of me thinks he was with her while we've been together this past month, but it"s obvious they have some sort of history.

Was his hurt so deep that he took it as far as to have an affair with his cousin's soon-to-be wife?

And if so, how would I feel about that?

A seemingly unaffectedParker takes my hand in his, following the crowd away from the ceremony area.

I let my hand slip from his grip, stepping in front of him. I don't follow the crowd toward the cocktail and hors d'oeuvres; instead, I head for the empty gardens off to our left.

Whether it's selfish or not, I need answers, and I need them right now.

"Ava, this way?" Parker nods in the direction of the pavilion, but I keep walking.

Most likely reading the look on my face, he is behind me in seconds. "What's wrong?"

I continue walking, wanting to get well away from everyone, but Parker grabs my elbow. "Hey…what's going on?" The concern in his voice and the way his eyebrows pinch together makes me feel guilty, but what. The. Fuck.

"I saw you with her. Who is she to you?" I feel the tears threatening to spill from my eyes.

"Angel…who?" Parker asks, stepping toward me. "There hasn't been anyone else since you came to work for me. What are you talking?—"

"Your lunch meeting last Saturday." I use air quotes for emphasis.

He closes his eyes, shaking his head. "How?"

"That's not important. Tell me the truth, Parker. What the fuck have you brought me to today? Did we come to watch your cousin get married or your ex fuck-buddy?"

There is no doubt in my mind she has been with Parker just by the way she looks at him. I know, because he isn't easy to forget.

His next words feel like they slam into me, rocking me to the core.

"My ex-fiancée," he whispers.

"Wh...what?" I manage to say.

"You asked who she was?"

My head shakes, trying my best to process what he is saying.

"The bride…the one who just walked down the aisle to your cousin, the one you met for lunch last Saturday, is your fucking ex-fiancée?" I say the last part a little too loudly.

He hangs his head, almost in embarrassment, and that's when it hits me.

"It was him she was cheating on you with, wasn't it?"

Nodding, Parker barely lifts his head to peer at me.

My whole demeanor changes in an instant. I'm ready to fight every motherfucker at this wedding. The way each of them has dismissed him his whole life until now that he has more money than most of them. The bride, the groom, his freaking family. Hell, her family too. They have to know who Jason is to Parker unless she lied to hide her actions.

Rage ripples through me like I've never felt.

That dumb bitch. I let out an evil laugh. "Well, joke's on her… First off, have you seen you? And second off, all Jason had to do was try to stick his tongue down my throat one time for me to never speak to him again until today."

He looks at me incredulously, most likely having whiplash from my personality changes.

Then his nose snarls up in disgust. "He touched you?"

"Don't worry, I kneed him in the balls and told him to lose my number."

Now it's his turn to laugh. "I hate that he even knows your name."

There's my possessive P.

"The bride knows your dick size, so I think you have me beat today, Sir… Which again, she must be fucking crazy."

He grins at that, holding his head a little higher. "No, she's just money hungry. He promised her lots of shiny things and big trips. And she fell right into the trap. Or maybe he did. Put it this way, they deserve each other, though."

"So why did you meet her last weekend?"

"I should have just explained all this to you that day, but for some reason, I revert to that same embarrassed, vulnerable twenty-three-year-old guy when it comes to Julianna and Jason." He runs his hands through his hair. "Being broke back then allowed me to see her true colors and I'm thankful for that, but it doesn't mean it didn't hurt."

I take his hand, lifting it to my lips, and press a kiss to his fingertips.

"Plus, I was trying to grieve the loss of the most important person in my life." The way his voice breaks almost does me in.

Yeah, and fuck Julianna for that too. I swear, if it wasn't her wedding day, I would go in there and sucker punch her pretty little face.

"But that Saturday, she called me, saying she was in town and begging me to come meet her. It had been a long time since she had asked me to do that, so of course I said no at first, but then she told me it was really important and it needed to be discussed before this weekend." He pauses for a second, shaking his head like he can't believe her, or maybe himself.

"I figured she was bullshitting me, but my conscience got the best of me, worried for her wellbeing. I know how powerful my uncle is, and even though no part of me wanted her again, I didn't want her to be stuck in a situation she couldn't get out of.But it wasn't anything like that. It was the same as the other times she's tried contacting me over the years."

"Let me guess, she begged you to take her back. Said she would call everything off if you would."

His nostrils flare with a heavy breath. "Yep."

"I can only imagine how hard that was. I'm sure you still have some sort of feelings for her. I mean, you were engaged..." Every part of me wants him to correct me. It has my heart beating faster.

"No, it wasn't hard at all. There was only one person who was on my mind at that moment, and it wasn't her."

Is he saying what I think he is?

Gently grabbing my chin, he leans down, staring into my eyes. "I was thinking about you."

I swallow roughly and whisper, "You were thinking about me?"

"I think about you twenty-four-seven, Angel," he says boldly, specks of blue shining in his grey eyes. His words sending a tidal wave of feelings through me… Relief, excitement, hope, joy, desire.

"And you know what I've realized standing here talking to you… There is only one person's opinion I care about here today, and she's leaving with me anyways. I'm not sure why I felt such a need to show up and prove to all of them they were wrong about me, my dad, my family, but fuck them and fuck this wedding."

"Yes, seriously…"

I'm interrupted by none other than the bride herself. "Parker," she says, holding her dress off the ground, the photographer behind her.

Julianna turns toward the camera. "Do you mind giving me a second? Let Jason know I'll meet him on the other side of the gardens. Those blooms are better for our pictures."

Then turning back to us, she smiles, sweetly addressing me, "Can you give us a minute of privacy?"

Parker goes to say something, but I press my hand to his chest.

"No, I can't. You got that last Saturday, and I think he made himself pretty clear then." I take a step toward her. "Matter of fact, you didn't even deserve that. I would take pity on you, but since it"s your wedding day, and you are begging another man for his time, let me put it to you like this…"

My glare is menacing, and there is no denying the bite in my tone.

"You had a man who would have given you so much more than money ever could, but you fucked that up. Personally, I'd like to thank you for that part. But on the other hand, I hope you know how disgusting you are for doing that to him, especially right after his mom passed away."

I almost feel bad for the tears forming in her eyes.

Grabbing Parker's hand in mine, I storm past her, not stopping until we almost make it to the valet.

"Does this mean we get to leave now?" Parker's question draws my attention up to him.

His beautiful face graces me with the biggest smile I think I've ever seen from him.

Seconds later, his mouth is crashing onto mine, and he's pulling my body flush with his. We both moan in what feels like relief at the contact. One hand cups the back of my head and the other grips my ass as his tongue devours mine. If I wasn't ready to leave before, I sure as hell am now.

"My little brat, standing up for me more than anyone ever has. You have no idea what that means to me," he breathes over my lips.

Parker stands to his full height again, and I place my hands on his chest. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I had the chance. And yes, we are definitely leaving."

I lean up on my tippy toes. "I'm feeling extra bratty right now." Watching his pupils dilate, I move to the shell of his ear. "I think you need to fuck it out of me, Sir."