Love Unexpected (Navy Love Series Book 2) (3 page)

3 Months Later

Tessa’s Wedding

So far, dealing with all of the last minute preparations and handling a very hormonal, five-month-pregnant bridezilla, I haven’t given too much thought to the fact that in a matter of hours, I’ll come face to face with the man that broke my heart a couple months ago.

Charlie-fucking-Reed.

Luckily, being in the bridal party will keep me preoccupied for most of the night, and the rest of my time will be engrossed with my date, Matthew.

Wanting to keep the wedding small, Tessa and Hunter chose to only have one person each standing with them. That’d be yours truly and Hunter’s twin brother, Marshall. I can’t lie and say I’m not excited to walk down the aisle with Marshall; I seriously think it’s every woman’s—and man’s—dream.

Jo has been helping Tessa and me getting ready as well as taking charge of the final details. She and I had formed a great friendship while my sister was deployed and during all of this wedding prepping.

Our impromptu
American Idol
night was the beginning of what’s become a great friendship between Jo and me. It was also the cause of Marshall’s and my already strong bond to grow even stronger. Between the two of them, I’ve barely been alone the past three months. A few days after our night out Reed came over and ended things with me.

We’re sitting in Tessa’s room at the house she shares with Hunter, our makeup looks amazing and our hairstylist is putting the final touches on my sister’s updo, when Jo comes strolling in from her self-titled wedding planner duties.

“Wow, you girls look amazing! Hey, Bug.” She now refuses to call me anything but that. “Your date is here, very cute.” She winks.

Part of the reason Jo and I are so close now is because Marsh and she were the only ones who knew about my heartbreak from Reed. Thankfully, Tessa was deployed and they helped get me out of my rut before she returned.

Tessa is chatting with the hairstylist, so Jo takes it as an opportunity to have a private conversation with me. She guides me over to the door, claiming to steal me away to see my date for a moment before he’s seated. As soon as we cross into the hallway, she starts in on me.

“Okay, are you ready for tonight? You know he’ll be here, and he may possibly have a date.”

I sigh and nod my head. The thought of seeing Reed with a date has crossed my mind only about a thousand times in the past three months. I wish I could honestly tell her that it doesn’t bother me, but she knows me well enough to know just how big of a lie that is.

Seeing Reed will already be hard, but seeing him with a woman, too? I’m not sure my fragile heart will be able to stand the sight. The thought alone is enough to cause my anxiety to spike and nervousness to pump through my entire body.

Jo begins leading the way to the living room, all the while talking over her shoulder.

“Just don’t forget, I’m here if you need to talk or anything. And where exactly do you stand with the whole Reed situation now?” She stops and turns back to look at me.

When I don’t respond, she elaborates, “I mean, do you want me to block him from even being able to talk to you? Do I make a scene if he approaches you? Or what?”

“Jo, he isn’t going to approach me. You just said yourself, he could possibly have a date with him. Do you really think he’ll try to talk to me while he’s got his weekly skank hanging on his arm?” Being around Jo, I’ve learned she rarely takes the victim route and doesn’t respect other women who rely on using it, so I try my hardest not to show that side of me around her.

“Look, if he decides to try to talk to me, which I seriously doubt will happen, I’ll handle it. If you see me on the verge of tears, just get me away from him.”

With a single nod, Jo turns back and continues down the hallway where Matthew is waiting.

As much as I like Matthew, I don’t foresee us going anywhere—we’re not meant to be anything more than good friends. We know that, we’ve tried dating, but the moment we kissed, both of us were overwhelmed with awkward feelings.

Matthew and I have a couple of classes together at Norfolk State. We instantly clicked when we were assigned as project partners, and he quickly became one of my closest friends here.

He stands and gives me a hug then places a small kiss to my cheek when we walk into the living room. We catch up for a few minutes before Jo and he head outside to get seated. Jo was nice enough to volunteer her and her date to keep him company during the ceremony.

Jo has a very attractive, Hispanic man as her escort for the evening. From what I’ve gathered, he works at the same squadron as her, Tess, Reed, and J.C. I know she’s concerned about how I’ll handle Reed, but I’m worried about her and the J.C. situation, too. Jo may put on a show that things are good, but I don’t believe it anymore. Between the crazy, volatile relationship they have and her mother’s health issues, I know she’s stressed out and on the verge of a meltdown.

My
daddy comes walking in with my mother at his side, so I lead them back to Tessa’s room where she’s waiting. We walk in, and our parents are rendered speechless.

My sister looks beautiful in the form-fitting, ivory gown that hugs her growing belly perfectly. Her hair is pulled back, and her makeup is flawless. I’ve always idolized my big sister, but today, anyone would be envious of her. Not only is she gorgeous, but she’s lucky enough to have found her other half, and today she gets to marry him.

I decide to give the three of them a few minutes alone and go in search of Sawyer and Marshall. I can’t get over how beautiful Sawyer looks, just like a little princess. She’s wearing a poofy, lavender dress with small detailed flowers at her waistline. The color accents her basket of ivory rose petals perfectly.

Mom comes back into the kitchen with a few stray tears on her cheeks,

“Your dad and Tess will be out shortly; I’m gonna go ahead and get to my seat.”

“Come on, Mrs. D, I’ll escort you,” Marsh announces.

He leads my mom out of the house and into the large tent while I fluff Sawyer’s dress a bit more and straighten all of my imaginary wrinkles from mine.

Marshall clears his throat as he reenters the house holding his arm up indicating it is time to go, which is my cue to summon my sister and father.

Although I’ve already seen Tess, I still stand awestruck with everyone else in the room. It’s Sawyer’s copious amount of love that snaps everyone back to reality. She compliments the woman she’s come to know as her mom and places a small kiss to Tessa’s protruding belly, all the while Marshall, my Dad, and I stand mesmerized.

Tessa never wanted children, never wanted to be married. Those were, and still are, dreams of mine. Dreams that seem unreachable at this point. Yes, I’m only twenty-one, but in the mind of a hopeless romantic, that might as well be sixty. Don’t get me wrong, I’m beyond happy for my sister, I just wish I was soaking in all of the blessings she’s basking in as well.

Sawyer begins the walk down the aisle, followed by Marshall and me. I keep my eyes focused on the pastor and Hunter at the end of the aisle; the last thing I need is my wandering eyes catching sight of Reed. I don’t want to know if he has a date, I’d prefer to remain clueless on that matter.

Seeing our Dad escort Tess is unbelievable. She looks stunning, and he looks as proud as the day we watched her graduate boot camp.

The ceremony is short yet beautiful. A row of sheer curtains separates the ceremony area from the reception area. As soon as the new bride and groom are announced man and wife, they lead us outside where we quickly take a few bridal party pictures while the guests move across the large tented area to the dinner tables.

By the time we finish up with the photographer, Marshall and I lead the way back into the tent with the new Stevenson family behind us. Sawyer in one of Hunter’s arms and the other draped around Tessa’s waist. Marshall and I make our way over to the family table, followed closely by them. Hunter passes Sawyer to Marsh with a kiss and leads Tess to the dance floor for their first dance as husband and wife.

After the first half of the song is through, Marshall leads me out to the dance floor, and his Dad takes Sawyer to join in as well. We’re met out there by Jo and her date, Michael. As I’m twirled around the room, I catch my first glimpse at Reed, sitting at the bar with J.C., another of Tessa’s close friends.

As the song ends, the D.J. announces that the dinner service is about to begin, so we all take our seats. The food is delicious, the cake cutting humorous, and then begins the dancing and real fun of the evening.

Reed

I knew tonight would be hard. Seeing Tegan again, in an intimate setting, for the first time in three months, has proved to be very difficult. Add in the fact that we’re at a fucking wedding on top of that, and the only way to handle myself tonight is drinking—heavily.

I hate weddings; they always dredge up the past for me. I can’t stop my mind from going back to those days when I was a lonely child. It’s probably ridiculous to most people. Fuck, I myself find it ridiculous. I’m a grown ass man—twenty-eight years old—I should be able to overcome my upbringing at this point. But it is what drives me on a daily basis. Most of the time, if I’m invited to one I manage to skip out somehow. However, Jo and Tessa would make my life hell if I had done that this time.

J.C. and I have been permanently attached tonight. Neither of us brought dates. I’m not sure of his reasoning, but I didn’t want to bother trying to entertain some random skank when my true intentions are to sit back, get drunk, block out the past, and admire the woman I used to fuck from a distance.

“So, why are you alone tonight? I figured you of all people would be able to find a date.” It’s probably an asshole move, but I love making digs at J.C.’s manwhoring ways.

Granted, those were my own ways, to an extent, but I always kept my affairs quiet. There were no dates, no hanging out, and absolutely no introducing them to my friends.

J.C. shrugs his shoulder as he lifts his beer for another drink. His eyes, as well as my own, keep darting toward the bridal table where Jo, Tessa, and Tegan are laughing with Tessa’s mom. I stare at Tegan, taking in her beauty for the hundredth time tonight. Her deep-purple, form-fitting dress looks like it was made with her slender body and those small, perky tits in mind. The strands of her blonde hair curled and looking like something out of a magazine, and the makeup she’s wearing enhances her already bright-blue eye color. I hate that she looks this good, and I hate it even more than I’m unable to stop my eyes from drifting to her on their own accord.

A knock into my shoulder snaps me from my Tegan-induced trance. I look to my side and see J.C. looking at me expectantly.

“What? Sorry, I didn’t hear you.”

He shakes his head before responding, “Yeah, apparently something, or should I say
someone,
else had your attention.”

I try to brush his comment off, but my eyes keep trailing back to Tegan. And I’m surrounded by J.C.’s laughter.

“Holy shit, man. You still got it bad for Tegan?”

Before I’m able to tell him to fuck off, a hand on my shoulder catches my attention.

“Now, I know I misheard that, didn’t I?” Marshall asks. Judging by the glare in his eye, I’m certain he heard every word.

J.C. mumbles something about us joking before he runs off, leaving me with a pissed-off-looking Marsh. No words are spoken while he waits for a beer; I’m too busy trying to focus all of my concentration on not looking across the room where I know Tegan is dancing with some little douche bag she brought as her date.

After what feels like eternity, Marsh finally gets his beer and turns to make his departure. I breathe out a sigh of relief, but it’s too soon.

He turns his head back to me and says his piece. “Let me tell you something. I know a lot more than you think I know. You’re a good guy, Reed. Underneath all that dickhead personality you’re rockin’, I know there’s a decent guy hidden. But whatever you did to her fucked her up. Don’t do it again. She deserves someone who’ll care about her, not someone who hides her away like a dirty little secret.” With that, he walks back to the festivities while I continue to sulk.