Craving The Player (Amateurs In Love Book 1)(73)

Braden and I have just walked hand-in-hand through a wide, pink daisy covered archway when I hear a cheerful, vibrant voice yell, “Well if it isn’t my handsome brother-in-law!”

The welcome comes from a petite blonde with a gorgeous sparkling silver, knee-length, strapless dress fitted tightly to her slim figure. As she hurries towards us from inside the ballroom, I notice Braden’s brother, Tyler, following closely behind her, his head shaking as he watches her.

“And he brought a date!” the woman shrieks, her glossy lips lifting in a warm smile. The striking blue in her eyes contrasts against her silver dress effortlessly. It isn’t until she turns to the side, briefly stealing a glance at her husband as he settles beside her that I see the protruding baby bump. I want to congratulate her, but decide to do it later.

“You act like I didn’t tell you that I was, Gray,” Braden replies with a chuckle while snaking an arm around my waist and pulling me close. “Sierra, this is Gracie. Gracie, this is Sierra.” He introduces us just seconds before I’m tugged away from him and enveloped in her small arms.

My body tenses for a small moment before I laugh and return the hug. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Gracie pulls back but keeps her hands on my shoulders, holding me in place as if to inspect me. “Are your eyes naturally grey? Or are they silver? Either way, they are gorgeous!”

Her outgoing, sweet as honey personality takes me by surprise in the best way. Tyler seems like such a hard person to get to know, so I think I just assumed that maybe his wife would be the same. “They are both grey and natural. I used to hate them when I was a kid.” I laugh nervously.

“I hope you don’t anymore! They’re so unique,” she gushes.

“Thank you.” My cheeks warm at the compliment.

“Okay, my love. Don’t scare away the only girl that can stand Braden’s presence,” Tyler half-heartedly scolds, placing a kiss in her hair and rubbing her swollen stomach. “Let’s go find our table before the reception starts.”

Gracie rolls her eyes but agrees anyway. Her reaction has Braden laughing, his palm now comfortably resting against my lower back. “Fine. But I’m so not done with you, Sierra. We’ll see you in there?” she asks, her tone hopeful.

“Where else would we go?” Braden teases, earning himself a smack on the arm that has him wincing.

“Alright, smart ass.” She gives him the finger before turning back to me. “I’ll see you soon.”

As we watch Gracie wrap her fingers around Tyler’s forearm and nearly drag him back into the ballroom, I let out a small giggle.

“Something funny?” Braden asks, flashing me a beaming white smile.

“I like her.”

“Yeah? She’s definitely something.”

“I found it refreshing. She seems genuine.” Like the type of person who knows exactly when to be warm and compassionate, but also cold and merciless when she needs to be. She reminds me of Clare. Maybe that’s why I like her so much already.

Braden nods in response and turns us so we face each other. Lines form across his forehead as mouth turns down, a heavy feeling twitching in the air. “She’s the reason for my brother’s happiness. It’s hard to think about where he would be right now without her.” I grab his hand and squeeze as he clears his throat along with all of the worry that was present just seconds ago. “Anyway, we should probably head in. You ready?”

“I think so. I used to love weddings as a kid.” There was something magical about watching two people announce their love for one another so publicly. It gave me butterflies and only grew my obsession with fairytales as a little girl.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been to one. I’m glad you’re here with me.” Braden presses his lips softly to my forehead and I lean towards him, closing my eyes.

“Me too,” I whisper before he pulls back and interlocks out fingers. “Lead the way, handsome.”





Chapter Thirty





BRADEN





I’ve never been a fan of weddings. But that’s probably because I don’t ever want one.

Weddings are pointless, futile. They’re an excuse to spend thousands of dollars on the idea and hope of forever. You invite hundreds of people, some of whom you probably haven’t seen in ten, fifteen years, and stand in front of a priest just to proclaim a love that you already know you feel. The day is over before you know it, and life carries on like it did before you were handed that flimsy piece of paper. The one that tells you that you’re tethered to someone for the rest of your life. For better or worse, right?

But what happens afterward? After the honeymoon phase washes away and you realize that there’s no going back. The years go by and you begin to hate the way your partner handles stress, or maybe they work too much and are home too little. You realize that you’re not happy, but that damn piece of paper says you have to stick it through. You have to grow to hate each other before the topic of divorce is brought up.

That nasty seven letter word still makes my skin itch. Divorce. Even nine-years later I remember exactly how it felt when my mother sat me down at the kitchen table and told me that her and Dad were getting a divorce. “We’re just not happy anymore,” Mom had said, as if I hadn’t already known that. As if I hadn’t spent most of my life watching them grow to hate each other. There was a reason that I immediately understood why she had chosen a night that he was out of town fighting to deliver the news to me, her things already packed. They hadn’t been alone together in the same room for months, too busy ripping each other apart, so why would I have expected that night to be any different?