Then the romantic strains of Jurassic Park start to play and it’s our cue to start walking down the aisle. I reluctantly take Emmett’s arm as Tiffany gleefully takes the other.
Then he leans in close, so close (too close) I can smell the mint on his breath.
“You know they both warned me to stay away from you,” he says, his voice low and rough enough to make the hair on my arms stand-up.
What?!
“Who did?” I ask.
The bastard just grins at me like he’s got a secret he can’t tell.
Chapter 3
Alyssa
Who told Emmett to stay away from me? Is that more for my protection or for his?
It’s got to be Will and Ted. Jackie wouldn’t say that. Would she? Then again, she said in the limo earlier that he might ruin shit.
I’m thinking all of this while Emmett, Tiffany and I are slowly walking down the aisle like some celebrated ménage.
I try to snap about of it, pasting a big smile on my face as we pass by all the guests. I’m still smiling even when I look at handsome Will at the altar, nervously waiting for his bride.
Was it you? I think to him but he’s got a big, shit-eating grin on his face and I know I’m the least of his concerns right now.
I take my place with Tiffany and keep glancing around Will to see Emmett¸ hoping he’ll give me a hint. For once, he’s not looking at me.
In fact, he’s doing the right thing and looking straight down the aisle as Jackie and Ted make their appearance.
And just like that, I force myself to pull my head out of my fat ass and concentrate on the big moment, the main event, the couple of the year.
Beautiful Jackie slowly making her way down a rose petal strewn aisle on the arm of her father. Ted is grinning from ear to ear. And beside me, Will is stiffening up. I sneak a glance at him and see tears building in his eyes.
Oh my god. Is this going to make me cry? I’ve been to a dozen weddings over the last few years and none of them made me even remotely tear up. It’s not that I have a black heart or I’m soulless. I’m just…what was it again? Prickly. Thorny. And those are only because of a build-up of cynicism. Eventually the prickles will build up enough to become a coat of armor. Or something.
But this time my emotions don’t stand much of a chance.
The ceremony is absolutely beautiful.
It doesn’t matter that Jackie picked the shortest version because she didn’t want to bore people. It could have been two hours long of them up there, staring at each other, holding hands and talking and I wouldn’t have complained. I can’t think of a more romantic couple out there. Even their vows–which they each wrote, of course–had me tearing up.
Especially when Jackie promised to be “all in” for Will and Will promised to forever be her Prince Charming.
Cue the waterworks.
Then they kissed–one hell of a deep, sweet, emotive kiss–and everyone clapped and hooted and hollered and the flood down my face just got worse.
“Oh my god,” Tiffany whispers to me as Will and Jackie hold hands, going down the aisle and waving at everyone with Ty in tow. “Your makeup is getting ruined.”
“Oh no,” I mumble and notice Emmett and Ted making their way over to us.
To Ted’s credit he looks extremely misty-eyed which is probably why he doesn’t fire any zingers my way. Emmett, however, is raising an eyebrow as he glances me over. Amused.
I turn away from him with a scowl and grab my clutch I’d placed on a chair. While everyone starts getting up and heading into the building to the reception area, I slyly check my face in the compact. The makeup artist had the intuition to put on waterproof mascara but there are still tracks where my tears ran over my blush and foundation. I discreetly touch up my makeup while sniffling and try to get a hold of myself.
Stay prickly, I remind myself, only because I know if I’m getting weepy and emotional over Jackie and Will and their ever-so-sweet romance, I know it’s only a matter of time before I get depressed and hopeless over my own dating situation.
I should probably stay away from more wine, that’s for sure.
Luckily, the next hour or so is distracting while we watch Will and Jackie take their wedding photos. At one point, Emmett takes us down to the docks so they can pose on his boat.
It’s a nice looking sailboat, I have to admit, as far as sailboats go. I mean, it’s not sinking and it has a mast and looks like it cost a lot. That’s really the extent of my sailboat knowledge. Emmett seems completely at ease on it too. The boat’s name is called Sick Buoy which I know is a Social Distortion song. His humor in naming the boat catches me off guard and endears him to me for just a second.
Then it goes away when I remember what he said earlier.
When we all start heading back along the dock, I impulsively reach out and grab the sleeve of Emmett’s tux, pulling him back so we’re the last ones.
“Hey sunshine,” he says to me, raising his brows at me in surprise. “Feeling better? You cried more than Will did up there.”
I glare at him. “I’m fine. Just caught up in the moment. Hey, what did you mean they warned you not to talk to me.”
“Actually they said to stay away from you,” Emmett says, lowering his voice, his eyes darting up toward Will and Ted. I knew it!
Also, his eyes are kind of dreamy.
Also, shut up Alyssa.
“Will and Ted,” I say, gritting my teeth as if they’re the names of a life-long nemesis. “Did they say why?”
He shrugs. “They only had nice things to say about you. Don’t worry.”
I feel a little bit better. “Then why did they say it?”
“I don’t know. I guess they think I’ll corrupt you.”
I don’t want to smile but I am. I’m strangely touched by Will and Ted’s possessiveness. And like reverse psychology, the fact that they want me to stay away from Emmett actually makes me want him. Not enough to do anything about it but I have rebellion in my blood.
Then there’s the fact that if Ted and Will warned Emmett to back off, that means Emmett must have shown some interest in me. Right?
“Do you think I should listen to them?” Emmett asks with a cocksure smile that makes my limbs feel all hot and gooey. His eyes skirt all over my face, resting on my lips. “Or try and corrupt you anyway?”
I can feel my face burn up. I should have worn sunscreen today.
“What are you guys talking about?” Tiffany says, staring at us suspiciously over her shoulder as she walks, now starting to trail behind.
“Nothing,” I tell her, starting to walk faster to catch up with her.
But my dress is long.
The docks are rough.
It catches on a splinter of wood and then I’m stepping on it in my heels and pitching forward, trying to stop myself from falling, the movement sending me sideways.
Falling over like a tree into the cold, dark water.
Only I don’t hit.
An iron grip wraps around my forearm, keeping me in place.
I stare down at my reflection in the water for a moment, my face pale and shocked against the charcoal-blue, and it’s like I’m suspended in time. I imagine everything around me paused while I’m hanging between the dock and the water.
And then I’m yanked back to reality.
I’m on the dock and Emmett is pulling me to him. It was his grip that saved me.
How the fuck did he manage to pull my heavy deadweight back on the dock without going over himself? Is he more superhero than villain?
“Are you okay?” he asks, brow furrowed in concern. The breezy quality of his eyes has changed to one of intense focus.
I blink at him, my heart racing.
Tiffany looks horrified as she comes over. “Oh my god, Alyssa, you were this close to getting eaten by a shark.”
“There are no sharks here,” Emmett tells her.
“Wanna bet? She has the worst luck with animals. If there are no sharks, she’d at least be molested by a porpoise. At least.”
While they talk, I glance over her shoulder at the others and they head up the ramp. So far no one noticed how I almost ruined everything. It’s not like I had a spare bridesmaid dress in case this one went for a swim.
“Yeah,” I say, wetting my lips before my gaze drops to his hand still tight around my arm. I kind of like the fact that he’s still holding onto me. Which is why I say, “You can let go of me now.”