“I flew in da pwayne,” he announced as I picked him up in my arms.
“You did! Was it fun?” He flew in his grandfather’s jet quite a bit.
“Yeah,” he said, nodding. Then his eyes lit up as he spotted Grant. “Dare’s Until Gwant,” he said, pointing. “See me, Until Gwant!” he called out. Grant turned his attention toward Nate’s voice, and a grin spread across his face. Grant made his way over to us.
“Hey, bud!” he said, holding his fist out, which Nate hit with his own fist. The fact that Rush had taught his two-year-old to fist-bump was too funny. He also wore his baseball caps backward and drew pictures on his arms with a black marker whenever his mother wasn’t watching. He wanted “pictures” on him like his daddy.
“See, my Betty,” Nate said, patting my chest.
Grant chuckled. “Yeah, I see your Bethy. Did you fly in with Papa Dean?”
Nate nodded his head. “We flew da pwayne.”
“I bet you did,” Grant said.
“See Wywa Kate,” Nate said, wiggling in my arms as Harlow walked in holding Lila Kate in her arms.
I took the hint and set Nate down. His little feet took off running toward Harlow and the baby.
“I think he may love your little girl more than me these days,” I told Grant.
“Don’t let it get to you. She’s hard to compete with,” Grant said with a grin. “I need to help Harlow with the wild man,” he said before chasing after Nate. I watched as Grant caught up with Nate and scooped him up in his arms so he could see Lila Kate.
Nate was a charmer, and he’d make the complete rounds of the room before he remembered I was here and came back to see me. He loved to play the crowd.
I walked over to the tables, looking for my name. Everyone was coming in from the rehearsal and finding a seat. Walking down the aisle on Tripp’s arm had been strange, but it hadn’t been uncomfortable. He’d made a joke about me stumbling and taking him down with me. Other than that, we didn’t really talk.
I sat down and looked over to see Thad’s name on my right and Blaire’s name on my left. That meant Rush and Nate would also be at our table. And possibly Dean Finlay. Once that had been all the excitement I needed. But during the past two years, I’d managed to get over my starstruck behavior around Dean. Now he was just Rush’s dad.
I wasn’t sure who the last two seats were for. I pulled my chair out just as the chair beside mine moved. Expecting to see Thad, I saw Tripp instead. He smirked and sat down.
I cautiously did the same. Thad was supposed to be sitting there, but at the moment, he was nowhere to be found. If Tripp wanted to be friendly, I could do that. At least for one weekend, while we celebrated the marriage of our friends. When we got back to Rosemary Beach, I would need some boundaries. Seeing Tripp still reminded me of things I wanted to forget. I needed to take things slowly.
“You OK if I sit here?”
I glanced down at the place card and shrugged. “I don’t mind, but Thad might. It’s his assigned seat.”
“Not worried about Thad. He’s easy to bribe.”
I turned to look at our friends gathering in the large ballroom. The stage crew was setting up for the band. I hadn’t asked who was playing, but considering who was attending this wedding, I doubted it was just some cover band. With two of the members of Slacker Demon’s kids in the wedding party and the drummer from Slacker Demon showing his grandson how to properly hold the drumsticks that Nate had snatched from the stage, the band was very likely to be a big name.
Woods and Della walked in, and everyone cheered as if they’d already gotten married, hooting and whistling. Clapping, I stood up and watched as they made their way to the center table. Della’s smile lit up the room. Woods bent his head to whisper something in her ear, which made her blush. I could only imagine what he’d said to her.
Woods’s eyes scanned the crowd and landed on Tripp. A frown creased his forehead. Woods and Della would have placed Tripp and Braden at their table, since they were the best man and the maid of honor. Woods nodded his head toward his table as he subtly signaled Tripp to move over there.
I glanced back at Tripp to make sure he saw Woods. “I think the best man is being summoned,” I told him.
Tripp had a similar frown directed at Woods. “Yeah, I see that. I’ll be right back,” he said as he walked over to the bridal table.
Seeing Tripp standing by Woods at the rehearsal had been somewhat difficult. That would have been Jace standing there. Woods and Jace had been best friends since childhood. But Jace was gone, and Tripp was his stand-in. He symbolized the cousin who couldn’t be here.
“An Betty!” called a familiar voice. I looked down just as Nate ran up to me and clambered into the chair beside me. “I sit by you,” he informed me matter-of-factly.
“It’s the only way we could get him to give the drummer his sticks back,” Blaire said with an exasperated look.
“I got the bastard the gig. Least he could do was give my boy the damn sticks,” Dean Finlay complained as he sauntered up to the table beside Rush.
“He tried to give him his extras,” Blaire told Dean. I was beginning to think her exasperation came from dealing with her father-in-law and not her toddler.
“Stingy fucker,” Dean muttered, pulling out the chair on the other side of Rush.
“Yeah, futter.” Nate mimicked his grandfather. Blaire looked horrified.
“Dad. Language,” Rush warned, then leaned over his wife and snapped his fingers at Nate to get his attention. “Remember what I told you about Papa’s words. Mommy gets upset when you say them. We don’t like upsetting Mommy, do we?”
Nate looked guilty and shook his head no.
“Apologize to Mommy and Aunt Bethy. Men don’t say those words around ladies,” Rush instructed him.
I had to bite back a smile. I’d heard Rush Finlay say a lot worse around women in my life. Hearing him tell his son not to was just too funny.
“I sowwy, Mommy,” Nate mumbled, looking truly upset. Then he turned his daddy’s silver eyes to me and repeated his apology.
“I didn’t raise you to be a pus—”
“Dad.” Rush cut his father off before he could finish his sentence. “You’re upsetting Blaire. Stop it.”
Dean chuckled and leaned back in his chair with an amused expression. “Good thing I like the pretty girl you married. I’ll be good for her.”