Page 7 of Hat Trick
“You two are worse than me and your brother,” Theo murmurs in his seat next to Emerson.
“Shut up,” Emerson snaps.
“Awe, come on, Emmy. Lighten up.” I look around Emerson to find Theo laughing at himself.
Emerson points his finger at his brother-in-law. “Don’t you start with that shit, too.”
Reaching behind Emerson, I fist bump Theo. Despite my jealousy over himmomentarilybeing Mrs. B’s favorite, he’s actually a pretty cool guy.
Quickly, I pull my phone out of my pocket one last time, hoping to see a message from Lil, and when I don’t find one, I silence my phone and put it back in my suit jacket pocket.
Lil is the only other person I’m seeing. She is… an enigma—really. I’ve never met a woman who is more in tune with her emotions and yet, so guarded from sharing anything too personal. I don’t know her last name. I don’t know where she works. I don’t know who else she hangs out with or even where she’s from. But what I do know is that she loves sushi, specifically spicy shrimp tempura. Her favorite movie isThe Greatest Showman,even though she’ll deny it until the day she dies. She always smells like honey and vanilla. She’s a terrible singer, but that doesn’t stop her from belting every song at the top of her lungs. And even though she is significantly smaller than me, I’m almost one hundred percent certain she could kick my ass.
But most of all, I know that whenever I’m with her, I feel something I’ve only ever felt with one other person.
Emerson.
That thought in and of itself is completely terrifying. Because just the thought of losing one more person I care about is enough to make me want to collapse like a dying star. But two? Two is unimaginable.
Soft music starts playing over the speakers, and it’s enough to pull me out of my internalized panic. But Emerson suddenly goes stiff as a board next to me. “You good?” I ask him, but he doesn’t answer. So, I bump his knee with mine. “Hey, Em. You okay?”
He blinks a few times, then looks over at me. “Yeah. Fine. Just—just remember I didn’t do this on purpose, okay. I should have told you sooner but?—”
“Shush,” Mrs. B scolds.
Emerson gives me a sympathetic look before turning around and focusing his attention on the aisle.
The processional starts with Jackson, the best man, walking down the aisle by himself, winking at Theo as he passes him.
Oooo’s and ahh’s follow as Jackson uses the treat in his hand to bribe, who I’m assuming is Clay and Rocky’s adorable St. Bernard puppy down the aisle. Usually, the “ring bearers” come after the entirety of the wedding party, but considering she’s a puppy, I’m assuming Jax bribing her with treats was probably the safest bet.
Once the puppy makes it down the aisle, Jax hooks a leash to her flower collar and does his best to wrangle the little ball of energy up front. My attention is sofocused on the little cutie that I don’t notice the maid-of-honor until she’s standing up front.
It takes my brain a few seconds to recognize who is standing in front of me, but when I do, I almost can’t believe it. “Lil?”
I must say her name loud enough that she hears me, because when she spots me, her eyes grow wide. Then she looks at Emerson and back at me. A sense of panic marring her features.
“You know her?” Emerson asks.
“Yeah, I know her. Wait, do you know her?” I faintly hear the sound of the music change in the background, but I can’t look away from the man sitting next to me and the woman standing next to the altar.
“Yeah, that’s Lil. Rocky’s sister. That’s what I was talking about before—wait. How do you know her?”
“She’s the other person?—”
“You’ve been seeing,” Emerson finishes for me before sighing heavily and closing his eyes. Slowly, he runs his hand through his black strands and opens his eyes to look at me. “I’ve been seeing her too, Dom.”
Well, if that isn’t a kick in the balls.
CHAPTER 7
MY ROSTER WILL WRECK THIS WEDDING
LILIANA
What—and I cannot stress this enough—thefuckare they both doing here?
Dominic and Emerson. The best friends. The two peas in a pod. The only two men in as long as I can remember that haven’t sent me running for the hills.
