“Because it’s impossible for anyone to not want to look at you once they get a glimpse,” I replied then took another drink although it was probably a bad idea to drink more.
“You might want to slow down there,” Ophelia said and took the flask from my hand. “You’ve got to stand by the bride soon and not fall over. Bliss is sweet, but she may not forgive you passing out drunk at her wedding ceremony easily.”
I let Ophelia take my flask without argument. She had a point. Plus that would give me a reason to talk to her later. I’d need to retrieve my flask. Maybe I could follow that up with asking her to dance. Just as my imagination started to take that thought and run, we were interrupted.
“How long has he been drunk?” Cruz Kerrington asked. Even in my intoxicated state, I could hear the amusement in his voice. Damn fucking Kerrington
“Not sure. He was already into the flask when I joined him,” Ophelia replied. I squinted against the sun behind Kerrington’s head. He was smirking.
I saw him shake his head once and then he laughed. “Damn if this shit ain’t funny,” he replied. Then he held out his hand to me and for a moment I thought he wanted to shake mine. I stared at it like he was the one who was drunk. Why the fuck would I want to shake his hand? I didn’t like the bastard. Couldn’t remember why but I didn’t. That much I did know.
“The wedding is in an hour. You need some food in your stomach and a cold ass shower,” Cruz said more firmly. When I still didn’t move, he sighed. “Do you want Bliss to hate you? Because she’s going to be furious and Nate will beat the hell out of you if you ruin this for her.”
I started to argue that Nate Finlay wasn’t man enough to beat the hell out of me but stopped. Because I wasn’t so sure that was the point right now. Cruz was a bastard, but he was right about Bliss hating me if I ruined this day for her. I didn’t take Cruz’s extended hand, but I did stand up. Staggered a little to the left before Cruz caught me from falling on my face.
“Do you think you can sober him up in time?” Ophelia asked from somewhere behind me. I wanted to turn around and look at her again, but all my focus needed to be on standing up straight.
“I may fuck up a lot of shit but this I’m the master of,” Cruz said with pride in his voice. I rolled my eyes. What did Lila see in this arrogant dickhead? Oh wait . . . he was a bad boy. They all wanted a bad boy. Every damn one of them. If he didn’t do bad boy shit, then they weren’t interested. Give a girl a guy who makes all the wrong decisions and she’s sunk.
“That I believe,” Ophelia replied to Cruz. This time I had my balance, so I turned to look at her one more time.
“Next time I’ll buy you a whiskey,” I told her. Not sure if that was a good thing or not.
She smiled and bit her lip although her eyes appeared to be laughing at me. “I’ll remember that,” she replied.
“Fuck he needs food. Come on lover boy. You do not need to go flirting with a Finlay,” Cruz said and jerked my arm in the direction of the house.
“Why?” I asked trying to free myself from his hold but only managing to stumble along beside him instead.
“They’ll eat you up. You’re too damn soft.”
I didn’t like being called soft. “I’m not fucking soft.” I jerked free this time as I said it and just managed to keep from falling back on my ass.
Cruz groaned in frustration. “Fine, you’re a tough son of a bitch. Now come on. We are wasting time.”
Before I could tell him I didn’t need his help, Bliss appeared on the front porch all dressed in white and looking like the angel I always knew she was. Pausing, I watched as she beamed at her mother who joined her. This was her big day. The one she’d once thought she may never see.
“What if I don’t grow up . . . what if I don’t fall in love and get married?” Her voice was weak from the chemo treatments and her head now completely bald. Still, I’d never seen anyone as beautiful as Bliss.
“You will. You’ll get your wedding. With the princess dress, the sunshine, your family and friends, and a guy who will love you forever.” I said the words fiercely because they had to be true. A life without Bliss in it wasn’t possible.
Her smile was soft and her skin so pale it scared me. “Promise me, Eli?” she asked.