I WAS SO FUCKED.
Juniper wore dresses all the time to work. But there were dresses, and then there were dresses. And the one Juni had on looked so unbelievable that I couldn’t look at her for more than five seconds without imagining things I shouldn’t be imagining.
Namely, taking it off.
Fuck.
Was she trying to torture the hell out of me with that thing? It was silky and tight and highlighted all those curves pressed against me this morning.
We absolutely could not sleep as closely tonight. Not after feeling her fingers trail lower and lower earlier. Not after seeing her in this dress. And that was honestly a damn shame. I fucking hated to admit it, but it was a bit nice holding her all through the night—even though my arm fell asleep more than once, and I woke up aroused as all hell.
There was no mystery woman to blame it on this time. Only Juniper. Juniper St. James and her striped, button-up pajamas.
What was happening to me?
Juniper’s movements were stiff as we stepped into the elevator, and I squeezed her hand, the one still resting on my arm.
“I’ve got you, okay?” I reassured her softly. “It’s going to be a good night.”
She nodded while staring blankly ahead. I wondered if she was too deep into her own head to hear me, but then she relaxed.
I couldn’t imagine being in her shoes. Meeting new people was hard. Meeting new people closely related to you for the first time on one of the most important days of their life…well, her anxiety was warranted.
This wedding business showed me a side of Juniper that I didn’t fully realize existed. I grew up with a Juniper St. James who was brash, confident, and sharp-tongued. She was a pain in my ass. She knew she was a pain in my ass but never seemed to care.
This Juniper St. James was still bold and beautiful, still witty and sharp. But she was also vulnerable. And she did care. She cared that her tossing and turning had kept me up last night. She kept apologizing for things she didn’t need to apologize for.
After making it to the lobby, we followed the signs for Sofia and Marc’s wedding until we found ourselves standing in a glass-covered atrium in the middle of the hotel. Pastel-colored flowers burst from every corner, piling fragrance into the air until it was nearly hard to breathe.
Luckily, I was used to being suffocated by beautiful things.
Hundreds of other guests flooded into the atrium, and I felt Juniper relax further. I understood; it was easier to blend in when there was a crowd. But it still didn’t stop her leg from bouncing after we found our seats, and I placed a hand on her knee to soothe her. Bare knee, bare skin, bad idea. But Juniper stilled and shifted in her seat. My touch dipped, my thumb rubbing the inside of her thigh while my fingers curved beneath her knee. I squeezed, meaning for it to be reassuring. But Juni’s breath hitched, and goddamn.
She was so responsive. She reacted, lit up, to every tiny touch. Was she that unused to having a man’s hands on her? Or was it just me?
Honestly, I was fine with either option.
“Is that…?” Her murmuring broke through my thoughts. “No, that—that wouldn’t make sense.”
“What?”
Tearing my attention away from how perfectly my palm fit her inner thigh, I followed her gaze to the front of the ceremony space. There were so many people milling around that it was hard to determine exactly who she was looking at.
“The piano player,” Juni said. “It’s just he looks a bit like your other old roommate. I know how ridiculous it sounds, but for a moment, I thought it was him.”
My face split into a wide grin. “Actually, it’s not ridiculous at all.”
“It’s not?”
I shook my head, unable to contain my grin from spreading further as Nessa walked to a microphone in front of the piano, adjusting it before returning to a hidden spot off to the side. Meanwhile, Grayson continued to play a familiar soft melody as guests streamed into the atrium, finding their seats with the help of the ushers.
It was hard to believe, and yet—
“You know that up-and-coming artist you were talking about?” I glanced over at Juniper, who was still looking thoughtfully at the stage.
“Yeah?”
“It’s Nessa.”
“Nessa?”
When she still looked confused, I realized my mistake.
“Sorry, you probably know her as Wednesday Elevett.”
Juniper’s big, beautiful eyes grew even bigger. And, unfortunately for my sanity, even more beautiful.
“When you and Cameron were talking about your friend in the music industry, it was Wednesday Elevett?”
“Yep,” I said, resisting the urge to wave Nessa down, even though she was very clearly busy. “She’s married to Grayson. Elevett is a combination of her last names, Elez and Everett.”
“The wide receiver for LA?”
“Correct.” I nodded toward Grayson on the stage. It was fucking good to see him in his element again. I watched him playing football all the time—whether in person or on TV. But this was rarer. This was the lesser-known side of Grayson Everett. “And the roommate. Who is, in fact, playing the piano.”
“He’s playing the piano,” she repeated breathlessly. “Why is a football star playing the piano at my sister’s wedding?”
“Grayson was a music education major in college,” I said, trying not to laugh at Juniper’s expression. Her eyes flicked between the dynamic duo on stage and me, and I relented, giving her a better explanation. “If Sofia’s goal was a trendy wedding, Nessa is the trend. Even I’m with it enough to know that. And Grayson just sort of comes as a package deal. Nessa really got her footing performing at events like this in the LA area, and Grayson would always tag along to accompany her. So while I’m surprised to see them, I’m also not. Especially with how big this wedding is.”
Juniper nodded absently for a few seconds. When her brows were still scrunched, I gave her a little nudge, curious what was going on in that head of hers. She turned slowly to look at me.
“Did you say…Elez?”
“Yeah. Why?”
With a quick clear of her throat, Juni looked away. “Nothing.”
It was absolutely not nothing, but I decided I’d bug her about that later.
Within ten minutes, the atrium had filled to the brim. Nessa was the one who kicked off the ceremony, confidently singing her heart out as the first family members started walking down the aisle. And while the entire crowd watched Nessa or the procession, I watched Juniper.
Her eyes shifted between her hands and her surroundings as the bride and groom’s parents started walking down the aisle. Indecision danced in them, but Juniper’s gaze finally locked on the middle-aged woman with golden-brown hair, brown eyes, and a nose the same shape as Juniper’s.
I rubbed my thumb soothingly over her knee while she stared, fixated. It wasn’t until Sofia emerged to walk down the aisle and the guests around us stood that Juniper switched her focus.
The ceremony itself wasn’t long. Vows were exchanged, and Nessa performed another number, one of her rising hits. Before I knew it, the newly married couple made their grand exit.
“Let’s get you a drink,” I said to Juni as soon as the guests started to exit the aisle.
When she nodded enthusiastically, I put my hand on the small of her back and led her toward the bar. Two drinks later, we were safely tucked to the side of the pandemonium, sipping our cocktails.
“Lavender vodka lemonade,” I muttered, glaring at the purple drink in Juni’s hand. “Do you have to be so goddamn predictable?”
“It was the bride’s specialty drink,” she shot back, although I didn’t miss the twist of her lips that hinted at amusement. “Probably because lavender is one of their wedding colors. Have you ever been to a wedding before, Mr. Briggs?”
I grimaced. “Don’t call me that. It’s weird.”
“Oh, so you can call me whatever nickname you like, but I can’t call you by your last name?”
Rocking back on my heels, I nodded. “That would be correct, Lavender.”
Juni looked ready to unleash another comeback when we were bombarded by a mountain of white lace and squeals.
“Oh my God! Juniper!”
When I say that the bride of this ridiculously extravagant wedding jumped on my fake girlfriend, I mean jumped. Sofia’s arms looped around Juniper’s neck, leaning into her with so much force that I had to apply some extra pressure on Juni’s back to keep her upright.
While she was crushed against Sofia, Juniper’s expression flitted between shock, relief, and worry as she flashed a wobbly smile. I could tell she hadn’t been prepared for this. Not yet, anyway. Not before she’d finished her first drink. But Sofia wore such a bright enthusiasm that I doubted she noticed her half sister’s reaction. And the tighter Sofia hugged, the wider Juniper’s smile seemed to grow.
“It is so amazing to finally meet you!” Sofia squealed, finally pulling back. “I am absolutely delighted that you were able to make it.”
“Thank you for the invitation,” Juniper replied, her smile still growing with each passing second. “It meant a lot.”
“Of course. After months of stalking you on social media, it’s so exciting to actually see you. I’ve always hoped we could meet up, but…” Sofia drifted off, checking over her shoulder. Her smile faded slightly, and in turn, so did Juniper’s. “Mom’s just not quite ready, and I wanted to respect what she needed.” She brightened again. “But today’s my wedding, and I wanted my only sister here.”
“I’m thrilled to be here,” Juniper said earnestly, a bit of shininess in her eyes.
I hoped it was happiness. I hoped it was because her sister seemed genuinely ecstatic to meet her. I hoped that was it and nothing else.
In case it wasn’t, I grabbed her hand.
Unsurprisingly, Sofia took note of the movement and turned her attention toward me.
“This must be your man,” she said slyly to Juniper while beaming at me.
I knew. I knew I was coming here to pretend to be Juniper’s boyfriend, but being referred to as her man hit me harder than any tackle I’d endured during my college football career. I hadn’t been prepared for that. Not a single bit.
Juniper cleared her throat, and her voice sounded slightly strained when she spoke. “This is my boyfriend, Julian. Julian Briggs.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you and be here,” I said, extending my hand. “Congratulations to you and Marc.”
“That’s so sweet. Thank you.” Sofia shook my hand, even though it looked like she was considering pulling me into a hug like she had with Juniper. “I would introduce you to Marc, but he’s off with the photographer for a few pictures with the groomsmen.”
“Completely understandable. We wouldn’t want to monopolize his time, anyway.” I wrapped my arm around Juni’s waist and pulled her right into my side. “Or yours, of course.”
“Oh, nonsense.” Sofia waved that thought away. She was a tiny thing, and her whole body seemed to move with every word. But while she was smaller and a bit more animated than Juniper, they had the same brown eyes and hair. “I do hope you enjoy the rest of the evening, though! I made sure to seat you next to Grayson for a little college reunion.”
Sofia winked, and a laugh of disbelief slipped out of Juniper. “How did you know about that?”
“Oh, girl.” Mischief oozed from Sofia’s grin. “It would be embarrassing to admit the amount of research I did for tonight’s seating chart. It’s all I’ve done this week. I never should have waited until the last minute to sort through the RSVPs. Although I wish I’d known you had an in with Wednesday Elevett all this time! It’s impressive, I gotta say.”
“I—”
Juniper didn’t appear to know what to say to that, so I brushed a hair out of her face before muttering my own response.
“Juni has a way of surprising everyone.”
But it had nothing to do with knowing impressive people.
And everything to do with being one.
“Julian—”
Knowing she was about to protest, I cut her off. And just to make her a little extra speechless so she couldn’t argue, I dropped a kiss on her head.
“It’s true, baby,” I said.
“Oh, he’s dreamy.” Sofia laughed before leaning in to give Juni one more hug. Her next words were said below her breath, but since I’d refused to let go of Juni completely, we were close, and I still heard it. “Hang on to that one.”
“I plan on it,” Juniper replied breathlessly.
Sofia beamed, pulling back. “See you on the dance floor later?”
Juni nodded wordlessly before Sofia vanished into the crowd. I studied my date, wondering how she was recovering from that whirlwind. When she didn’t say anything, I gave her a prompt.
“So…she seems nice.”
Nervous laughter flitted around us. “You’re just saying that because she called you dreamy.”
“Hey, don’t fault her for that. I am dreamy.”
Juniper took a long, overt drink of her lavender lemonade instead of replying. When she was done, she pursed her lips before opening her mouth and—
“Jules?”
I turned to find Grayson standing a few feet away with a drink.
A drink?
“You don’t have to drink it,” Nessa was muttering as she rummaged around in a small purse, clearly having missed what her husband had just said. “People just keep handing them to me for some reason—”
Grayson glanced away from me momentarily to side-eye his wife. “It’s because you’re famous, darling.”
“—and I can’t drink it, but we haven’t announced our you-know-what.”
A smirk lit up Grayson’s face as he stepped closer to Nessa, smoothing his hand over her stomach. “I do know what.”
On any other day, I would have rolled my eyes. But I was too busy being happy just seeing them. Meanwhile, Nessa huffed before turning toward me for the first time and—
“Julian?”
“You two were looking good up there earlier,” I said, closing the distance to pull Nessa and Gray in for a hug before returning to Juniper’s side. My hand found its place on the small of her back again.
“What are you doing here?”
Nessa sounded like she’d had the wind knocked out of her.
“Sofia is Juniper’s sister.”
“Half sister,” Juniper corrected.
“Wow, really?” Grayson’s brows lifted, his eyes moving slyly from me to my arm around Juniper. “It seems Julian and I have some catching up to do.”
“Oh, I think it’s pretty obvious without any catching up, Gray,” Nessa said with a laugh before I could correct Grayson’s assumptions. “It’s been obvious since that party our sophomore year. When she came to visit. I mean, come on.”
Goddamnit, I should have cut Nessa off. Obvious? What the hell did she mean by that? I remember being pissed beyond reason that Juniper crashed one of my last college parties.
Nessa turned to Juni, whose eyes were wide. “I’m sure you don’t remember meeting me,” she said, “but I’m—”
“Nessa,” Juniper finished, looking a little awestruck. Which I found adorable and funny all at once. “It’s so lovely seeing you again. Your performance during the ceremony was amazing.”
Nessa’s cheeks grew rosy. “Thank you. That’s so sweet of you.”
Juni’s whole face was glowing. She was downright radiant now that her nerves seemed to have slid away. I squeezed her side, and she tipped her head back to meet my gaze. Those sparkling eyes nearly took me out. Dusk had settled outside, meaning that the natural lighting in the atrium was dimming, and ropes of string lights lit up the ceiling instead.
I raised a brow. See, Daisy? This wasn’t so bad.
She shrugged before breaking our eye contact to take a sip of her drink.
“The four of us should go on a double date sometime,” Nessa added cheerily, and I knew I needed to set the record straight before Nessa got too carried away.
“We should.” Grayson nodded as he put one arm around Nessa’s shoulders while the other went to protectively palm her stomach. She was showing, although barely. “I owe you dinner, Jules. It’s the least I can do after everything you’ve done to help me with Gabe’s legal case.”
Juni tensed in my arms, and I could tell it wasn’t a good tense.
It was the kind of tense that told me I had some fucking explaining to do.
Shit.
