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She took my hand and said hello to my brothers and her friends, who sat near us. Then the music started. We stood and looked back. Clarissa was accompanied by her young son as she walked toward the altar. My brother beamed with pride. When they reached him, they both took their boy’s hands for a minute and hugged him.
Maman sat beside her grandson, and Avril whispered, “Your brother and sister-in-law look even more amazing than before.”
I gazed at them. It was so obvious that they were in love. As a kid, I’d been blind to it, but I hadn’t been looking for anything. “They do look happy.”
Avril quickly said, “Radiant is the better word.”
“True.” I watched the wedding once we sat back down. For a few minutes, I imagined Avril repeating the vows to me. I blinked. That was way too much, too fast. With Avril, I was lost about how to handle anything.
Chapter Fifteen
Avril
* * *
The wedding under the archway with rose pedals on the ground and dogwood branches bent at the altar blew my mind. I wiped my eyes to get myself to see. There I was, watching two people who were clearly in love. I could only dream of something like that happening to me
Sitting next to Kir made me wonder if I belonged at his side. I squeezed his hand until we all stood and cheered for the happy couple running down the aisle. Weddings were beautiful. My heart was full. I felt like I was where I belonged.
We filed out of our seats and headed to a white tent set up like a banquet hall, with trees surrounding the backyard and long tables set with white tablecloths that blocked in a cake. Elon and Clarrisa’s backyard wedding was one that could seriously rival the teenage-vampire-movie wedding, complete with dogwoods everywhere.
Music started to our right on a dance floor next to a small private lake. I hugged Kir’s arm. He asked, “Ready to hit the dance floor, or do you want to just sit and wait for the food?”
I laughed. His preference was clear. I shrugged. “You’re a good dancer.”
“Glad you noticed.” He then led me to the dance floor. Others also went, but once we were all out there, all I saw was Kir and his dark eyes.
“Oh, I noticed everything about you the moment we met,” I said.
“Likewise. I like having you in my life.”
I hugged him and followed his steps to the music. Then a coldness crept down my spine. I said in his ear, “As your fake date.”
He winked at me. “As my date everywhere.”
The music changed. Salads were being served. He pointed with his head toward our chairs. I walked with him to sit next to Kelly and Xerses. I gazed around the dining area, where everyone was wonderfully dressed up. Charlie and Hope were all smiles and joking with each other.
Then I tapped Kir’s hand. “Your mom is coming over.”
Roxanne Norouzi stopped and kissed my cheeks. “Avril, I’ve wanted to come see you and ask how my son is treating you.”
She had no idea how much I liked him. I smiled. “Amazing. You raised a gentleman.”
She took our hands. “Not to throw a wrench in anything, but go and talk to Jeff and your friend Miley. They were just discussing you. You have a few minutes, so please handle whatever it is so we can have a wonderful wedding.”
Kir dropped his napkin. “On our way.”
She quickly left us, and I stood with him. We walked to the end of the table. Miley and Jeff were on their phones.
Kir asked, “What’s going on, Jeff?”
Jeff hung up and said, “Miley and I were discussing the blog that I’m looking into suing, and you both popped up.”
I took out my phone to read.
Kir did the same. “I know it’s all lies.”
As I read, my eyes widened, and my heart almost stopped beating. “You’re joking. I’m an alcoholic now?”
