The Rules of Dating(115)

I gave him the finger and got up to give him a huge hug—those two gestures in quick succession pretty much summed up our relationship.

When I returned to my seat, Billie was beaming. “That was freaking awesome.”

“Only Holden,” I said.

Our wedding was a pretty grand affair held in the ballroom of a hotel downtown. Billie had insisted she wanted a smaller wedding, but I’d convinced her that after everything we’d been through, we deserved a massive party. Since Billie wasn’t really into the planning component, we gave my mother the gift of her life, letting her take full charge of making the arrangements. She, of course, met with Billie several times and took my gorgeous bride’s taste and style into consideration. We ended up with a colorful motif that was vibrant yet classy. Red and burgundy flowers with black feather accents. You could call it gothic chic.

My wife turned to me as they began to serve the cake. “I can’t believe how amazing this day turned out.”

I glanced down at her chest. “Almost as amazing as your tits in that corset. I nearly died when I saw you coming down the aisle on Deek’s arm.”

“Did you really think I’d have any other kind of top for my dress?”

Billie’s dress was nothing short of spectacular. It was two pieces: a satiny, white corset top and a massive ballgown bottom. Her black hair was styled half up, half down in loose curls. I’d always imagined I would cry when I saw her coming down the aisle, but my reaction surprised me. Of course, I was filled with emotion, but instead of crying, I wasn’t able to stop smiling. In fact, I’d yet to shed a tear at my own wedding, even during my father-daughter dance with Saylor. But the night was still young.

After the meal, everyone hit the dance floor. At one point, the DJ played a slower song, and I happened to look over and notice an interesting sight—Holden dancing with Ryan’s little sister, Laney, whom we all affectionately called Lala. Well, I say little, but she was definitely all grown up now. She’d been dancing with her fiancé just minutes before. But in this moment, her fiancé was nowhere to be found. Normally, there wouldn’t be anything notable about a girl dancing with a so-called friend of the family. Except I knew about Holden’s crush on her that went way back. The way he’d swooped in the first chance he got tonight made me wonder if he had an ulterior motive.

When the song ended, he bent to give her a kiss on the cheek. Then he walked away.

My eyes followed as he headed straight for the bar and ordered another drink. Then I looked back over at Laney and noticed her fiancé, Warren, reappearing on the dance floor next to her. It was like that little blip with Holden never even happened. My eyes wandered from Warren and Laney back to Holden, who now watched them from the bar.

Billie was off chatting with guests at one of the tables, so I took the opportunity to go over to where Holden was sitting.

I placed my hand on his shoulder. “Feel like getting some air with me? It’s a nice night.”

He shrugged. “Sure.”

I ordered a beer, and we walked out to the veranda.

“I saw you dancing with Lala.”

Holden’s longish hair blew in the breeze. “You mean the blink-and-you-missed-it dance?”

I smiled. “You took the opportunity the one moment Warren went to the bathroom, huh?”

He grimaced. “What does she see in him anyway?”

“He seems like a nice guy. Really smart—like her. Maybe that’s not what you want to hear.”

“Smart?” His eyes widened. “Why? Because he’s got some dorky science job?”

I glared at him. “Cancer researcher.”

“Details.” Holden sipped his beer. “Anyway… He’s still a fucking dork.”

“Well, so is Lala, sort of.” I laughed. “And I mean that in the nicest way. She’s a sweet, adorable nerd.”

“Yeah, she is,” he muttered, staring out.

“We can’t help who we’re drawn to, Holden. You said it yourself. Opposites attract. But I mean, even if she didn’t have the fiancé, do you think you’d be right for her at this stage in your life? Lala’s not the type of girl you cheat on.” I stared into his eyes. “You know?”

“Fuck no, she isn’t.” He looked down at the ground.

“So maybe it’s better that she’s with this guy, if he makes her happy and takes care of her. It’s what Ryan would’ve wanted.”

“Right. Ryan would not have wanted her with me. We all know that.” He laughed bitterly before taking another sip of his beer. He slammed the bottle down on a table. “Can we be done talking about this? It’s pointless.”

I regretted bringing it up. “Whatever you want, man.”

Holden then walked away, brushing past Billie on his way inside.

“There you are,” she said, looking over her shoulder. “Everything okay with Holden?”

I shook my head. “Not really. But he’ll be alright. I think he’s had a little too much to drink.”

A look of concern crossed her face. “Is this about Ryan’s sister?”

“You know about that? I didn’t think I’d ever mentioned it to you.”

“Have you ever heard that guy talk during a tattoo appointment? I’ve heard Holden’s entire life story ten times over. Plus, I saw him dancing with her. She’s really cute—and nice. Too bad Holden wasn’t…”