I think my lungs have shrunk a size. Either that or all the oxygen in the room has just been sucked out by a vacuum.
Kayden looks different from the last time I saw him.
His dark hair has grown a little longer, the ends curling out from his collar with the rest of it neatly slicked back and tucked behind his ears. The black suit that he’s wearing looks tailored just for him, curving over his ripped body and accentuating his lean figure. A dark-red bow tie perches a little crookedly on his collar and he attempts to straighten it out with his hands but to no avail. Deciding to leave it be, his head lifts and his grey eyes are soft, with a warm glow to them as he traces the room in a slow but purposeful sweep.
I can’t believe he’s here. My ex-boyfriend. The guy I’m pretty sure I’m still madly in love with despite the fact that I keep telling myself I’ve moved on.
He’s here.
The man who broke my heart.
The one who got away.
Every muscle in my body freezes at the overwhelming sight of him. I don’t know how to feel. My heart is stammering so wildly against my chest I think it might just fly out of my throat and splatter on the dance floor.
Every single pair of eyes is directed at Kayden. But the attention doesn’t affect him one bit. He continues to search the crowd for something, someone, and when his eyes finally find mine, the entire floor feels like it has dropped from under me.
His gaze stretches over me, the weight of it pressing on me like a heavy blanket. His dusty-grey eyes dip from my face, tracing the length of my body to my legs and back up again. My pulse gives an unsteady lurch. I can’t seem to tear my eyes away from him either. There are parts of him that look so familiar and other features that don’t. I wonder what else has changed that I can’t see with my eyes.
Still, when I look at him, everything feels right. Perfect.
Shut up, Sienna. I mentally scold myself. He left you. He hurt you. How can you possibly have feelings for this man?
Haven’t you learned your lesson?
“Lucky,” he murmurs.
Guess not.
Because that one word is all it takes to completely undo me.
Kayden strides toward me with bold intent, and suddenly I feel a rising tide of panic growing in my chest knowing that if he doesn’t stop right now I might just fall back into his arms willingly and never leave them again.
But I’ll never know his intentions because in an instant, Evans intercepts us and slams his fist into Kayden’s face, sending him tumbling straight to the ground.
“Evans, what the hell!” Brent screams.
All the guests are scrambling away from the commotion, hoping it won’t turn into a full-on brawl. I run over to them and pull Evans away from Kayden.
“Okay, that’s enough,” I snap at him. “Calm down, Evans.”
“Calm down?” He stares at me in disbelief. “Are you serious? This is the guy who left everyone for four months without a word! He abandoned you! So I have every right to punch him!”
“It’s okay.” Kayden gasps as he pulls himself into a sitting position on the floor. “I deserve it.”
“Why did you come?” Evans’s mouth tightens as he glares down at best friend.
“I came for the wedding.” He tries to lift himself up.
“Better late than never.”
“Unbelievable.” Evans huffs, pacing back and forth in a line. “Un- fucking-believable.”
“Sienna’s right. You need to calm down,” Brent coaxes his new husband, gripping his shoulders and giving them a shake.
I peer down at Kayden, then extend an arm so that he can take it. When our hands touch, my heartbeat skyrockets at the familiarity of his rough skin brushing against mine.
I pull him up from the ground and examine his face. I’m surprised to see a slight gash above his eyebrow. Damn, who knew Evans had a mean right hook?