After

Chapter 98.

"Where is Landon?" I ask Hardin when we take our seats.

"I don't know." He answers and takes a bite of a croissant.

"You said he was looking for me?"

" He was but I don't know where he is now."

"Hardin, you shouldn't talk with your mouth full." His grandmother appears behind him.

I notice him take a deep breath before he turns to her.

"Sorry." He mumbles.

"I wanted to see you before I go, god knows when I will see you again. Can you save a dance for your gammy?" She asks and he shakes his head.

"Why not?" She asks him with a smile.

There is a tension between them that I can't quite put my finger on.

"I am on my way to get Tessa a drink." He lies and leaves the table.

"Well, he's something isn't he?" She laughs uncomfortably.

I am not sure what to say, my first instinct is to defend him but it seems she is joking.

"Is he still drinking?" She turns to me.

"What? No." I stutter, completely caught off guard.

"He only drinks every once in a while." I clarify as I see him walking towards us with two flukes full of pink liquid.

He hands me one and I smile and lift it to my lips. It smells sweet when I tip the glass back to take a drink and the bubbles spritz lightly, tickling my nose. It tastes just as sweet as it smells.

"Champagne." He informs me and I thank him.

"Tessa!" Karen says and wraps her arms around me. She has changed out of her wedding dress and into a white knee length wrap dress.

"I am so thrilled that you two came! How was it?" She asks. Karen is the only person who would ask how her own wedding was, she is too kind.

"It was so lovely, it was beautiful." I smile.

Hardin puts his hand on the small of my back and I lean into him. I can sense how uncomfortable he is between his grandmother and Karen, and now Ken is making his way over to us.

"Thank you for coming." Ken says to Hardin and holds out his hand to shake.

Hardin obliges and quickly shakes his father's hand. I notice Ken lift his arm up to hug Hardin but he lowers it before following through. Ken's face is full of excitement and joy.

"Tessa, you look beautiful dear." Ken compliments and hugs me.

I can't help but feel a little awkward around him now that I have a deeper insight into who he was all those years ago.

"Are you enjoying yourselves?" He asks eagerly.

"Yea. It's a nice set up you've got out here." Hardin does his best to praise his father.

I put my hand on his back and rub small circles to ease him.

"I didn't know that you two were speaking." Adele speaks.

Ken rubs the back of his neck, a habit that I suspect Hardin got from him.

"Yea. Let's talk about this another time mother." Ken says and she nods in agreement.

I take another drink out of my glass and try not to dwell on the fact that I am drinking underage in front of adults.

A waiter in a black vest walks by with a tray of champagne, Ken grabs a glass and I cringe. He hands the glass to his new bride and I relax. I am glad to see that he isn't drinking.