Page 96 of Love on Ice

Currently, I’m on the dancefloor with Felix who is whispering dirty things in my ear as he grinds himself on me.

“Hey, brother, do you mind if I have a chat with your girl outside for a moment?” Peirre asks. Felix seems surprised as am I.

“I’m fine,” I say, tapping my hand on his chest. He nods, and I follow Pierre off the noisy dancefloor and out the French doors into the garden where it’s quiet. “So, this is weird,” I say, breaking the tension.

“Very. Never expected you to be dating my baby brother,” Pierre quips.

“Nice dig at my age there.”

“Well, there is an age difference.”

“And?” I question him. Peirre shrugs as he continues to walk. “Look, this is your wedding weekend, so I’m attempting to be nice for Felix, not you.”

“You’re such a saint, Harper,” he says, rolling his eyes at me.

“Is this your brotherly chat to tell me to stay away from your brother? Letting me know I’m no good for him? You don’t have to tell me, I already know,” I yell at him.

Pierre stares at me as if I’ve grown a second head. “Wow. You actually like my brother,” he says, bursting out laughing. I’m so fucking confused.

“Of course I do.”

“I thought this was a fling, but maybe it’s not.”

“What this is or isn’t is none of your business,” I tell him.

Pierre holds up his hands. “Okay, okay, I’m not here to fight with you. All I wanted to say was my brother may act like a player, but he has a big heart, and I don’t want to see you break it because you have a reputation.”

“Fuck you,” I say, turning on my heel and walking back toward the dance floor.

Pierre reaches out and stops me. “Hey, I’m sorry.”

“No, you’re not,” I say, crossing my arms in front of me. “Was there a point to this talk besides insulting me?”

He scrubs his face. “Yes, how’s Issy?” I stare at him in surprise. “Is she doing okay after her father’s death?”

“No,” I answer him honestly.

“Shit,” he curses under his breath. “Is that why she didn’t come to my wedding?”

I stare at him, and I see anguish written across his face. “What other reason would there be?”

He rubs the back of his neck again. “I don’t know.”

My eyes narrow on him. “You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”

“About Issy?” he answers.

“No, about your wedding?” He starts to walk again, and I can feel the nervous tension radiating off him. “Is everything okay?”

“I don’t know,” he confesses, and the next thing I know, his steps quicken, and I am having to almost run beside him to keep up.

“Do you need me to get someone?” Because I am not the person he needs to be breaking down with.

“This is normal right? Having second thoughts about getting married?” he asks.

“Um, maybe, I don’t know I’ve never been in this position before,” I answer him as I continue to keep pace.

“Marriage is a big deal. You know it’s, like, forever,” he mumbles.

---