28. Cole

"You may now kiss the bride!"The officiant announced.

The guests all stood and cheered. As I rose from the seat, I glanced over at Bailey. She was smiling and clapping along with the crowd. From the outside, she appeared genuinely happy, but I wondered if that was just a brave face she was putting on.

On the off chance that was the case, I snaked my arm around her back, bent down, and kissed the top of her head so that she knew I was there for her. She glanced up at me, and I leaned down and kissed her forehead, her nose, and then her lips. They were just pecks, but from the blush that rose on her cheeks, I figured they did the trick. When she turned her attention back to the aisle, I did as well and saw that my PDA had not gone unnoticed by the groom. Simon was shooting daggers at me as he passed with his new bride on his arm. If looks could kill, I'd be flatlining.

For a moment, I thought I must be imagining things. But then Billie, who was seated on the aisle next to Birdie, who was next to Bailey, turned and looked at me over the heads of her shorter sisters. From her expression, I could see that she was amused that I was the recipient of the stink eye.

I just grinned as I squeezed my hand on Bailey's hip and pulled her closer to me, loving the feeling of her body against mine. Even though we weren't a real couple, holding her, touching her, and kissing her felt like the most natural thing in the world. It was like breathing.

It had been so long since I'd felt that. With Mikayla, the physical side of things felt forced. I'd done what I knew was expected, not because of any genuine desire. The only other person I'd even come close to feeling this at ease with was Lindsay. And that, I believe, had more to do with familiarity and less with connection.

The crowd made their way to the courtyard, where the cocktail hour was being held before dinner. There had to be over two hundred guests, possibly closer to three. Before coming here, I would have said I had no expectations of what a vineyard wedding would be, but now I knew that, for some reason, I'd envisioned it being a more private, personal affair.

Over the two years I'd been a plus one for hire, I'd attended over thirty weddings. I used to think that I wanted to have a big celebration when I tied the knot, but now, now I realized that's not what I wanted at all. Bailey's idea of a small, intimate ceremony in a backyard sounded perfect. Only the people who really mattered would be in attendance.

"Is this weird for you guys?" Birdie asked her sisters. "I mean, not the whole ex of it all, but just being at a wedding and not working."

"It is, yeah." Bailey agreed.

Billie remained silent. I had a feeling it would take a lot more than just attending a wedding to make her feel weird in a situation.

"Can I get you ladies anything to drink?" I asked.

They all gave me their orders, and I headed toward the bar. On my way, I overheard discussions about the ‘happy couple.' From the whispered conversations, I learned that Simon and Devin met while taking scuba diving lessons. Several people had bets on this being a shotgun wedding. Most felt like the age difference would end up being a problem. The general consensus seemed to be that they'd rushed into things, and it wouldn't last.

The gossip was another reason why only having close loved ones was the way to go. I may not particularly like or care about Simon and Devin, but it was still fucked up that their wedding guests were talking shit behind their backs on their wedding day. I'd rather have ten people in attendance who I knew supported me than a couple hundred who didn't.

Thankfully, despite the sea of guests, the line moved quickly. The bartenders were on top of their game. In less than ten minutes, I was securing four drinks in my hands. My bartending days came in handy in situations like this.

My fingers were intertwined between the glasses as I weaved my way through the crowd. I had Bailey and her sisters in my sights when I heard my name. Or I should say the name my family and friends called me.

"CJ."

I turned my head and stopped dead in my tracks. I froze, and the drinks nearly slipped from my grasp.

"Lindsay," I breathed. "What are you doing here?"

My ex looked just as surprised to see me as I was to see her. "I'm um… I'm friends with Devin. We met on a Chanel campaign in New York."

Right. Lindsay worked in fashion. She'd done some modeling, styling, and brand development. Which was another reason she needed to be in New York.

As I stared down at her, I didn't see the girl I'd fallen in love with. She looked the same, just maybe a little thinner. Her large light eyes, long dark hair, turned-up button nose, and high cheekbones scattered with freckles were all exactly how I remembered them, but something was different.

I waited to feel something. Anything. Anger. Joy. Butterflies. But I felt nothing. I wasn't unhappy to see her, but I wasn't happy either. She was familiar but a stranger at the same time.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I'm with Bailey." I turned toward the Bliss sisters, who were all staring in my direction.

I had just locked eyes with Bailey when I heard Lindsay say, "Look who I found."

When I turned back to Lindsay, I saw she wasn't alone. She was with Danny. Eric's brother, Danny.

"Hey, man. What are you doing…ohhh are you here on a job?" He stumbled as he held out his hand, trying to shake mine, which was full.

Fuck. He was drunk. And Eric must have told him about my side hustle.

"A job?" Lindsay's eyes bounced between Danny and me.

"I'm here with Bailey. We're together."

"Right." He winked dramatically.

"What is he talking about?" Lindsay asked, this time directing her inquiry to me.

"Nothing," I stated firmly.

"Right. Nothing." Danny smiled at me and tried to wink again but ended up closing both lids instead of one, so it was just a blink.

"CJ?" Lindsay questioned.

"I need to get back." I lifted the glasses in my hands. "It was nice seeing you. Both of you."

Hoping that both Lindsay and Danny would drop it, I turned and walked toward the trio of inquiring minds. All three sisters were staring at me as I weaved my way to them.

When I arrived, I distributed the drinks as Bailey asked, "Who is that?"

"Lindsay."

Her mouth dropped open as her eyes widened. "Lindsay, Lindsay?"

I nodded.

"Did you know she was going to be here?"

"No," I quickly assured her. "She's friends with Devin. She works in fashion, and they met on a shoot in New York."

Her eyes filled with concern, and she reached out and touched my forearm. "Are you okay?"

Seeing that she was worried about me made my heart constrict in my chest with an unfamiliar feeling. I wasn't used to someone other than Sara caring about my well-being. "I'm fine."

It was a shock at first to see Lindsay, but now all I was worried about was Danny and his big, drunk mouth. I didn't want everyone at the wedding to think I was here because Bailey had hired me. She hadn't.

Her brows knitted together. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers.

I could tell myself the kiss was to assure her that I was okay or that it was for the benefit of Danny or Simon, in case either was watching. But the truth was, I'd kissed her because I wanted to. Because just being away from her for ten minutes was too long. I kissed her because I wanted everyone, not just Danny and Simon, to see that we were together. Even if it was just for this weekend.

She kissed me back. Her lips met mine eagerly in the brief but passion-filled kiss.

When I straightened back up, I saw that her eyes were glazed over and her lips were slightly swollen. I loved that I was the man that could make her buzz with arousal.

"Bailey, can I borrow you for a second?" Mrs. Prescott called out from a few feet away. "Aunt Mildred wants to say hi."

"Of course," Bailey responded as she handed me her drink to hold.

"Is she the one with the really bad breath?" Billie asked without moving her lips. It was impressive. I'd never seen anyone speak so clearly without any hint that they were talking.

"Yep." Bailey sighed as her eyes met mine. "Be right back."

Bailey and Mrs. Prescott walked arm-in-arm through the crowd, and Birdie excused herself when she got a call. From the look on her face, I would guess it was her fiancé.

When they were out of earshot, Billie stepped beside me, so we were standing shoulder to shoulder, looking out over the crowd.

"So, who's Lindsay, Lindsay?" she asked as she sipped her drink.

"Ex," I replied.

"Recent?" she volleyed back.

"No."

"Serious?"

I could lie and say that our relationship hadn't been serious, but I didn't see the point. It was what it was, but it's over.

"Yes."

From my peripheral vision, I saw that Billie turned her head and looked up at me. I did the same and held her eye contact.

"Any chance of rekindling?"

"No." I didn't expect her to believe me since my own family and friends seemed to be having such a hard time accepting the fact that what Lindsay and I shared was over. Yes, I loved her for a long time. A part of my heart would always love her, but I could never trust her.

Not because of the cheating. That wasn't what bothered me. It was because I knew that when things got tough, she would bail. Not that I blamed her. I just couldn't be with someone who could do that. Maybe if she'd talked to me about it, but not the way it went down.

Billie's scrutiny was intimidating, but I had nothing to hide. If I had been lying, it would have made my balls shrivel up. She might have missed her calling as a ventriloquist interrogator. Not that there was much demand for that. It was a pretty small niche.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she dipped her chin in a nod. "Good."

I felt happy that I'd passed whatever test she'd just given me. There was at least one person in this world who believed that Lindsay and I were over. I just hoped Bailey would agree. This was our last night together, and I didn't want anything to spoil it. Especially not my ex.