Page 18 of Bumping into You

“Of course you are,” she transforms her face and plasters a smile on it then reaches out her hand to shake mine. “Gwendolyn Kenton. ‘Gwen’ for short and Greg’s sister.”

So RoseisGwen then. Greg’s request to spend time with his sister just got a lot easier.

“Hey, not just his sister,” pipes up Holly, pretending to be affronted, “but also my best friend for, like, forever, my partner in crime, a bridesmaid, and our wedding coordinator. Seriously, Niall, if you have any questions about what’s going on this trip, this one right here is your girl.”

My girl? I could get used to that.

“Good to know,” I say, grinning at Gwen.

Gwen claps her hands together. “Right, so when are Trent and Margot supposed to be here?”

“Right now,” says Trent, walking through the door behind me with Margot.

Gwen jumps, startled at their sudden appearance, but then sheturns and gives Trent a big hug like she hasn’t seen him in years.

“Hi, Trent,” Gwen says, then laughs as he picks her up and spins her around. Trent may be built like a linebacker, but he’s all teddy bear.

“And where is the beautiful blushing bride?” asks Trent after he sets Gwen back down.

Gwen and I lock eyes as she steadies herself. I catch myself frowning slightly at the show of familiarity between her and Trent.

Margot and Holly barely release their hug before Holly is being spun around by Trent just as he’d done with Gwen. I smile seeing my friends so happy.

“I got the teddy-bear twirl as well when Trent found me on the Promenade,” laughs Margot. “We almost knocked down an old lady!”

Trent chuckles and shrugs, “What can I say? I missed you all.”

“You just saw most of us this morning,” laughs Holly.

“So?” Trent asks, a boyish grin on his face.

“What,” I say, “I don’t get a . . . what did you call it? Oh, teddy-bear hug?”

“Sully!” Trent says, noticing me next to Greg. “Come here, dude. How long’s it been?” We share a quick brotherly embrace.

“Too long, mate,” I admit, shaking my head.

“When are we going to convince you to join us all in Tennessee?” asks Trent. “You’re the only one that’s not there.”

I shake my head in response. This isn’t the first time he’s asked me this.

“Well,” says Holly, “we’ve got lots of time to catch up on the cruise. I’m so glad everyone could make it. Greg and I really appreciate it.”

“Of course,” Gwen and I say at the same time.

“I wouldn’t miss it for anything,” says Margot.

“You couldn’t pay me to stay away,” says Trent, grinning again.

Tears gleam in Holly’s eyes, and Greg brushes them away lightly before giving her a quick kiss.

My pulse races slightly at the reminder of my lips on Gwen’s cheek not too long ago. A light touch, a quick peck as I pretended to be her boyfriend. I glance over at her only to find her looking at me, offering a slight smile that quickly morphs into a glare.

Chapter 11

Gwen

I just want to crawl in a hole and hide until the wedding day. Why does Sully have to be Niall?

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