"Lena, hey!" Elena said when I walked into the bridal room.
Elena and Jack were getting married in the large barn on their property; which was truly a feat to convert into a wedding venue, given the last time I'd seen the space, it had been covered in horse shit. A tent had been erected next to the big double doors at the back of the barn for Elena to get ready in.
I'd sent Jace to go find Daria and Jonah within the barn. This was beneficial twofold. Firstly, it left me to focus on my bridesmaid duties. Secondly, it meant I didn't have to face Daria and Jonah and their knowledge that I'd hooked up with Jace. Yeah, I was all about avoidance strategies of coping. Because I didn't like handling stress in my life.
Most of the other bridesmaids were already in attendance. Holly, who was Elena's soon-to-be sister-in-law, was the Maid of Honour, and the fifteen year old was fluffing her hair and fixing her make up. Elena's friend—and Julian's best friend—Celeste was rifling through boxes and hampers looking for, it seemed, the second shoe, and Liv was sitting in the corner with Elena drinking cocktails.
"You know you're late," Elena reminded me, tapping at her invisible watch. But she was grinning. Knight was right about her complete and utter chill.
She still looked stunning. Her wedding dress was a stunning lace number with long sleeves and a slight train, and her hair was a fountain of waves that made her look like a mermaid. Jack was going to absolutely shit himself when he saw her walking down the aisle.
"She was probably making out with Jace," Liv said, grinning.
She'd obviously been there when the truth of my kiss with Hartley had been exposed, but apparently Austin had totally already told her anyway and made her promise to keep it a secret. It hadn't saved me from her relentless teasing.
"Jace Hartley?" asked Elena. "Did you want to hang his balls from our Christmas tree last year?"
I seethed at Liv, who just smiled cheekily back. "We live and we learn," I said breezily. "He's okay, I guess."
"And I always decide that by playing tongue tennis," said Elena.
I groaned. "Isn't this your wedding? Shouldn't we be focussing on you?"
"Oh, you're so right," said Elena, gliding a hand over her wedding dress. "Give me attention, or I'll fade away like Tinkerbell."
Holly rushed over to sit at Elena's side.
"I can't believe you're getting married today," said Celeste, running over with the located shoe. "I'm so thrilled for you guys."
Elena grinned. "It's crazy. But I'm so ready. I can't wait to be married to Mr Jack Montez."
"He's taking your name?" I said.
She shrugged. "We're still in discussion."
Elena's mother popped her head around the door. Aunt Camille looked stunning, her mother-of-the-bride dress a floral couture gown. As she gazed at her daughter—despite Elena's man-spreading, the cocktail in her hand and the lack of shoes or common decorum—there was a glassy sheen to her eyes.
I wondered for a moment if my mother would ever look at me like that. Clad in white, my hair in curls and my heart on my sleeve, ready to be bound with another's. It was a far off fantasy, so out of reach, so beyond what I wanted or thought about at my tender age. But, like everyone has done, I imagined it. Imagined the kind of guy I'd want to stand at the end.
Elena had chosen well. Jack was thoughtful, funny, kind; the kind of guy everyone loved. Popular in the kind of way where he was talented and sweet and endearing, and he wasn't just beloved by other popular kids, but by the quiet kids and grandmothers and blokey blokes. And, most importantly, he made Elena's eyes shine with unreserved joy every time she looked at him, and his face broke into an immediate smile every damn time. The guy at the end of my aisle was a blurry silhouette of a man I probably hadn't even met yet, but I knew I'd want him to be a little bit like that.
"Elena, honey," said Camille. "Are you almost ready? I'm going to go take my seat, but we're almost ready to start."
Elena slurped back the rest of her cocktail and stood up with a beaming smile. "I've been ready for years."
"That's nice, honey. So ready that you needed a cocktail before you got married?"
"Helps the dress fit tighter," said Elena with a wink. "And I think Jack would dig that."
Camille shook her head. "Innocent mother, out." Before she left, she smiled at Elena, wiping away a tear. "I'm so happy for you, love."
"Thanks, Mum."
Elena fixed a wispy bit of hair as the rest of the bridesmaids fluttered around her, tucking things in and adjusting the straps and making sure everything was perfect. Elena didn't seem to mind, but I knew she didn't care about perfect. She just cared about Jack.
"Shit, sorry," said Kaelin, slipping into the room. She was, thankfully, not wearing jeans. Instead, she was clad in a cute red midi dress that was curve-hugging and simple. "I lost track of time. We almost ready to go?"
"As I'll ever be," said Elena, batting us away slightly. "Let's get married!"
I was relieved Kaelin had shown up late, because it meant I didn't have to answer her wiggling eyebrows and kiss faces as we lined up in front of the ceremony hall. Instead, I could focus on the doors in front of me and the fact that Elena Montez was the first of the cousins to be married. God forbid I was next.
Jack, Camille and the groomsmen were already at the alter, and the rest of the wedding party was gathered behind the door, waiting to be revealed.
The music struck up from beyond the doors. Elena had hired a local band that her friend Joel was in. This was an odd choice, given that the Celestials were a rock and roll band. The tune that Joel had selected for the wedding was slightly more modest and conservative, but it seemed Elena was still walking down the aisle to the electrical guitar.
The Montez family had always been weird.
I definitely a member of the normal branch in the family.
"You ready?" I heard Holly whisper from behind us. She was closest to Elena, as the Maid of Honour.
I didn't have time to hear Elena's response, because the doors were open and the repurposed barn was revealed. I hadn't seen it yet; Elena was very trusting, and hadn't demanded any rehearsals. But it blew me away.
Elena—or most likely Holly, Jack, Julian and Celeste, really—had worked wonders with the space. The floor that had once been gravelly and filthy was now covered with a wooden vinyl, and fairy lights were strung from the wooden beams running along the roof, while the upright posts were encircled with vines and blooming pink flowers. Instead of being horse shit chic, as I'd somewhat expected from the relaxed Elena, it was instead a rustic masterpiece. I should've had more faith in Jack; he was a man of taste.
There were almost two hundred guests gathered in the white-painted chairs on either side of the aisle, looking, enraptured, at the wedding party as we made our way slowly down the aisle. The hundreds of eyes that fell on us, the beautiful setting, the intense energy; there was something about weddings that was magical.
As I walked down the aisle, my gaze found Jace's in the crowd. He was sitting near the middle with Daria and Jonah, his eyes firmly fixated on me. Something in them was heated, sparkling, beautiful. I smiled cautiously at him, a nervous, shy smile smile of greeting. Next to Jace, I saw Jonah clock this expression and raise an eyebrow, as if to say got you. I tried to avoid pulling a face at him, because I was currently the demure accessory to Elena's parade, and also because my mum would yell at me.
But I could still feel Jace's eyes on me like a physical heat. They were soft, perusing, gentle and confusing. I tore my eyes away from Jace and looked forward.
I knew this would happen. Had thought it the moment Knight had told me Jace Hartley would be my date to this wedding. Knight would never look at me like that. Never release scores of butterflies into my stomach, flapping and diving and swerving.
It was probably food poisoning.
I focussed my attention firmly on the front of the room. The groomsmen were standing at Jack's side in neat black suits; his best man, Zac Delaney, who I vaguely knew and was possibly the best looking guy I'd ever seen in my whole life, Kaelin's boyfriend Julian, and three other guys I didn't really know, all of whom were handsome and beaming with pride. Jack was already looking beyond me, to Elena, with teams glistening in his eyes and the happiest smile I'd ever seen before resting on his face.
It made the backs of my eyes sting. Jack and Elena were the perfect couple, matched to complete perfection. The only other I'd seen it's equal was Kaelin and Julian's.
I smiled encouragingly at Jack as I passed him, but he didn't see it. He was too focussed on Elena.
In his eyes, I saw love and dedication and respect and a plethora of things that I wanted for myself, one day. From a guy far better than Tommy Aster, the failed disaster date. Because the main thing I saw in Jack's eyes? Pure, unadulterated happiness.
When Elena ascended the stairs, coming to stand beside Jack and grabbing onto his hands with a loving desperation, they were both crying.
"Welcome," said the officiant. "To the blessed union between Elena Montez and Jack Anderson."
I cried through the whole ceremony. As Elena and Jack proclaimed their love for one another, I cried. As they made promises to love and cherish, in sickness and in health, I cried. And when the officiant declared that Jack could kiss his bride, I absolutely bawled.
The sheer joy on their faces was radiant.
Jace came to find me as Jack grabbed Elena's hand and pulled her onto the floor for their first dance. They were giggling and laughing and spinning like two teenagers discovering what love was for the very first time.
"I don't think I've ever seen you cry before," he commented.
"The first time I saw your face," I said. "I was terrified."
"Thanks, Montez," said Jace, grinning. "I didn't know you were such a romantic."
I shrugged. "I've never really had it before, so I've never experienced it. But that—" I nodded at Jack and Elena, who were tripping over each other's feet and snorting with laughter "—does funny things to my heart. They're just so happy."
Jace looked carefully at me. "They are. Makes you hope for the same thing one day, huh?"
"Yeah," I whispered. Behind Jace's shoulder, I saw a pretty girl chatting lightly to a tall, dark haired boy. The couple was about our age, handsome and flirty. "Hey, I know that girl."
Jace turned around to look. "You do?"
"Yeah," I said. "She was the waitress from that restaurant I went to on my date. Her boyfriend slept with her best friend. That's why the other girl tipped water over my date's head."
Jace frowned. "Wow. Small world."
I grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the couple. "I wanna say hi."
Jace followed me easily. "Yeah, uh, okay?"
When we approached the pretty girl and her tall, dark and handsome date, I called out. "Hey, Valerie!"
Valerie turned around with a confused expression on her face. "Hello?" Then realisation dawned on her. "Oh, Tommy's date."
I grinned. "Yeah! What are you doing here?"
Valerie gestured to the guy with her. "This is Kai Delaney. My, um—" she looked at Kai as if for confirmation, and he just shrugged "—boyfriend. His brother is the best man. How are you connected to the bride and groom?"
"Bridesmaid. Cousin of the bride. This is my friend Jace. Wow, totally a small world." I eyed Kai with appreciation. Jace smacked me in the arm. "From desperate douchebag to, well, a Delaney brother."
Kai laughed. "Thank you? You aren't too hard on the eyes either."
I ran my eyes up and down his body. "I hope that wasn't a come on, Delaney. Valerie doesn't deserve two douchebags in a row."
Valerie laughed. "He's just joking." She poked him in the side. "He's far less of a wanker than Tommy and Sydney."
"Val, a handless, dickless demon is less of a wanker than Tommy and Sydney," said Kai.
"Good point," Jace said. Valerie and Kai looked at him with confusion. "I heard the whole story."
"It's a doozy," said Valerie, sipping on her glass of champagne. "People suck."
"I would know," I said. "Jace here? Sucked, like, epically. He just grew a personality recently though, so we're friends now."
"Thanks, Lena," Jace said.
"Oi, Kai!" Zac yelled from the other side of the room. "Come over here."
Valerie smiled at us. "We gotta go," she said. She gave me a brief hug, her arms coming up around me before she pulled away with a grin. "I'll come find you later."
"I have to know what happened to Sydney and Tommy," I said.
She winked. "I guess you'll have to wait to find out."
We watched as Valerie and Kai walked away hand in hand, grinning and bumping each other teasingly. They were cute together. Behind the pair of them, we saw Kaelin pulling Julian on the dance floor as Celeste dragged Lyria behind her into a two-step at their side; couples joining Jack and Elena onto the dance floor.
"Want to dance?" Jace asked me, offering his hand.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Kaelin and Jonah approaching us. Ugh, questions. "Sure!" I said brightly. "Let's dance."
It was only when we pulled past the crowd and stepped onto the dance floor that I realised the potential mistake that was made. I had been so focussed on dodging Jonah and Kaelin that I hadn't considered what Jace Hartley pressed against me in a slow dance could do to my mind and body.
Jace turned to me with a slightly awkward smile, but somehow the tentativeness was endearing and charming. His hands came up to hover near my waist, but he didn't touch me.
I raised an eyebrow. "I don't have rabies, I swear."
"You did date Reece Moore," Jace pointed out.
I grabbed his hands and planted them firmly on my waist, reaching to tangle my own at the base of his neck. I tried to ignore the flood of strange feelings that rushed through me. I didn't betray those feelings to Jace, though, instead offering him a glare. "You have to stop bringing that up."
Jace bent closer to me. "I will never stop taking any opportunity to annoy you, Lena Montez."
I smirked, looking up at him. There were mere inches between the curve of my nose and his chin. "I'm going to count on it."