At the altar, I stand beside my brother as a classical melody begins to play and Evelyn comes strolling down the aisle with her father. Everyone is on their feet, watching as the bride makes her presence known, heading directly toward Andrew. And as much as I try to keep my gaze on her, I can’t help but find myself looking at Sydney through the crowd instead.
She’s in the row with my two sisters and their husbands. She was reluctant at first because she isn’t technically part of our family, but they insisted she sat with them. It warmed my heart at the way that they took her under their wing like this is where she belongs.
And I fucking hate the thought that next week, all of this will be over. I thought that this little charade was only to appease my family, but I’m finding myself getting lost in the facade of it all.
Evelyn’s father hands his daughter off to my brother and everyone takes their seats as the ceremony begins. They had everything planned so that it would be as quick and seamless as possible so we could get on to the reception. With it being four days before Christmas, their wedding was set with a winter theme and the snow falling outside really added to the whole vibe that they had going.
A smile touches my lips as I listen to them exchange their vows. And as sweet and touching as it is, I’m ready for this to be over so I can get back to my date. My brother and his fiancée finish their vows and the next thing I know, they’re now husband and wife.
The crowd goes wild as they share their first kiss in front of everyone. I’m smiling and clapping, my eyes scanning the guests. My mother is standing with my father with tears streaming down the sides of her face. As I look past her, I meet Sydney’s gaze. She smiles back at me, wiping at her own tears.
They begin to walk down the aisle as man and wife and the rest of us file out after them. Everyone is on their feet, already celebrating as we exit the building for pictures. I follow the rest of the wedding party, walking with Evelyn’s sister who is her maid of honor as we go to a different area to get all of the photographs taken.
“So, I heard you brought a date,” Evelyn’s sister, Erin, says to me as she raises an eyebrow. From what I was told, she’s single and she’s also pretty attractive. But she doesn’t come close to touching my girl. “Such a pity. I was hoping we could have had some fun tonight.”
“Sorry,” I give her a sympathetic smile as I shrug. “My girl is waiting for me when all of this shit is over. Although, I’m sure there’s quite a few other single guys here.”
“Meh.” Erin purses her lips as she looks disinterested. “It’s all good. I just heard enough about you that it’s pretty surprising that you actually showed up with someone.”
“That’s me.” I smile, winking at her as we line up for another picture. “I’m just full of surprises.”
Erin breaks out into a laugh before we both get scolded by the photographer for not being ready for the pictures. Straightening my act up, I plaster my best smile onto my face as we go through the motions of getting the different photographs of the wedding party. I’m just ready for this to be over so the real fun can start.
After strolling into the ballroom, we all move along to the music as everyone is announced. Erin and I are the last ones and she drops it low on the floor, earning some hooting and hollering from the crowd as we take our places at the front. The DJ announces Andrew and Evelyn and they come strolling in, fist pumping as they walk into the room, hand in hand.
The music switches to a slow song, the one that Andrew and Evelyn chose for their first dance. Everyone rises to their feet, falling silent as the music plays and they take the center stage, sharing their first dance as man and wife. My eyes scan the crowd, landing on the table over to the side in the front of the ballroom where Sydney is standing as she watches them.
I can’t take my eyes off her. It takes everything in me to not go over to her and sweep her off her feet. I want to spin her around the dance floor, to feel her arms linked around the back of my neck as my hands grip her waist. Our bodies moving in synchrony to the love song that plays.
Fuck. What the hell is happening to me? It must be the wedding atmosphere rubbing off on me because this is not what I’m about at all.
The newlyweds finish their dance, breaking apart as Andrew and my mother share their dance and then Evelyn and her father. Honestly, it feels like it’s taking for-fucking-ever, but before I know it, it’s over and people are crowding onto the dance floor. Thankfully, my brother and his wife decided to forgo any speeches and just wanted people to enjoy the rest of their night.
Personally, I think that they’re pretty checked out from the whole process and are just ready to leave for their honeymoon to have some alone time.
I can’t say that I blame them.
Pushing through the crowd, I head over to the table where my seat is. The same table that my girl is sitting at, waiting for me. Grabbing the chair, I pull it out and drop down onto it next to her. Sydney looks over at me, a bright smile on her face as her eyes shine back at me.
“That was a really beautiful ceremony,” she says, raising her voice over the sound of the music that plays through the ballroom.
Gripping the back of her chair, I lean over, my lips brushing against her ear as I inhale her floral scent. “Nothing comes close to how beautiful you look right now.”
Sydney inhales sharply and swallows roughly as I pull away from her. She grabs her glass of wine from the table and takes a long swig of it. A chuckle vibrates in my chest and I can’t fight the grin that is on my face.
“You want to go to the bar and get a drink? I’m surprised you didn’t get one during cocktail hour. It is an open bar, you know.”
She tilts her head to the side, raising an eyebrow at me. “I wasn’t sure if you were drinking tonight so I didn’t want to be an embarrassment if I got a little tipsy.”
“Babe, nothing you could do would ever embarrass me,” I tell her, ignoring the fact that babe just rolled off my tongue like it was natural. “Plus, I started drinking before the ceremony.”
Sydney takes the palm of her hand and drives it against my shoulder. “Not fair. I would have pre-gamed if I knew that was the deal.” She pauses for a moment, abruptly rising from her seat before staring down at me expectantly. “Well, let’s go get a drink then. It looks like I have some catching up to do.”
Following her lead, I push my chair back and stand up with her. Bending my elbow, I offer it to her and she slides her slender arm through mine. “You most definitely do. Let’s go get you that drink and then maybe I can convince you to dance with me.”
“I’m going to need a few drinks before you have a chance of that happening.”
I have every plan of getting her out of her shell tonight.
But first, we’ll start with a few drinks and getting her on the dance floor.
