Page 119 of Puck and Prejudice

I suppose weareacting childish by pretending to be at odds, but what’s a wedding weekend without drama? It’s better if it’s fake than real. Although, considering the families involved, there’s a high chance there will be plenty of real fires to put out.

ChapterForty-Eight

JACKSON

When I get down to the restaurant, Izzie isn’t there yet, but Chad, Grayson, and Frederico are. They seem to be in a good mood, but when all three of them glance in my direction, their expressions change. Great. Here comes the lecture.

“Good morning.” I pull up a chair and join them at the table.

“It’d better be a good morning,” Chad replies.

“Give me a break, would you? I won’t fight with Izzie this weekend. I swear.”

“Hedidbehave last night at dinner when he finally removed the stick from his ass,” Frederico pipes up.

I narrow my eyes. “I didn’t have a stick up my ass. But excuse me for not being thrilled to hang out with the woman who broke my heart.”

The confession rolls off my tongue, surprising not only my friends, but myself as well. I never admitted that out loud.

“Damn. I didn’t realize you felt that strongly about Izzie,” Grayson replies.

Chad’s face is crestfallen. “I’m sorry, Jacks. I really thought that if you spent time alone with her, you could work things out. Jane was sure Izzie felt the same way about you.”

Guilt sits heavily on my chest. It was all fun and games until I decided to get real, and now Chad is feeling like shit on the day before his wedding. I have to come clean. I open my mouth to utter the second confession of the day, but Izzie and Jane enter the restaurant accompanied by Louisa—Chad’s older sister—her husband, and their children. I can’t say anything now.

“Look who I found on the way here,” Jane announces, sporting a big smile.

“Hey, sis. I didn’t know you were coming in this morning.” Chad gets up and hugs Louisa.

I do the same, and then shake hands with Duncan. I try to get Izzie’s attention, but she’s avoiding making eye contact with me. Probably for the best.

Now that the party is larger, we have to move to a bigger table. This time, I end up sitting on the opposite side of Izzie, and once the conversation gets into full swing, I can’t hear anything from her end of the table.

Jane and Chad are right in the middle, and when Chad asks if Louisa has heard anything from Caroline, the conversation stops suddenly, and tension fills the air. I lock gazes with Izzie, but her expression is closed off. Now I wish I was sitting closer to her. Thanks to the whole drama involving Caroline and me, Chad thought it was best if Caroline wasn’t part of the wedding party. I never asked how she took the snub, but Louisa isn’t a bridesmaid either, so hopefully she didn’t make a fuss.

“She’s coming to the wedding, don’t worry. And she’s bringing a date.”

“Oh, that’s great,” Jane replies in an excited tone that sounds sincere.

“We shall see,” Chad mutters.

“That’s not fair. I didn’t know we could bring dates.” Louisa’s daughter pouts.

We all laugh, and then Jane asks, “Who would you bring, Amelia?”

“Fabio Gutierrez,” she replies without missing a beat.

Frederico chokes on his water and ends up spitting some. “His name isFabio?” he croaks.

“Yes. He’s my boyfriend.”

“Aren’t you too young to have a boyfriend?” Chad raises a brow.

Her father shakes his head. “Don’t waste your breath.”

The kid shrugs. “He brings me snacks, but he’s not husband material.”

I cover my mouth to muffle the laughter. Izzie is trying to do the same, but her eyes twinkle with delight, making my pulse skyrocket. I want to move near her so I can cover her with kisses. I’ve got it bad.

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