“Really?” I leaned in, trying to sound nonchalant, pointing to the sparkly pumps dangling underneath her bouquet of blue roses. As head over heels as he was for this woman, he would be pissed at himself if he lost his shit in front of all these people. Chase struggled to control his breathing. Cameras clicked and the oohs and aahs briefly muffled the music. This was why I called her gorgeous.Įveryone stood from their white folding chairs and focused on the bride. Her long bangs blew in the wind the ones she cut last year to help cover one of her scars. Her long brown hair cascaded down her back, covered by a simple white veil. She was wearing one of those stark white strapless Greek goddess-looking dresses that hugged all the right places. Lili Porter was take-your-breath-away, instant hard-on beautiful. Chase’s shoulders relaxed and I slapped him on the back.

And not the traditional harp or cello, but acoustic guitar. I lifted my chin toward the staircase slicing through the sand dunes and tall beach grass just as the music started to play. Overprotective was an understatement especially after everything they went through last year. He couldn’t stand being more than two feet away from her for any given amount of time. “What the hell is taking her so long? I’m going back up to the house to make sure everything’s okay.” He was my best friend, but damn, was he one intense motherfucker. I grinned and threw my hands up in surrender. Sure you want to do this? There’s still time to back out.” Cue the look of death. “Dude, you look like you’re gonna shit yourself. I laughed and Chase’s face hardened, definitely not feeling our humor. Don’t be surprised if my nipples cut straight through this dress.” Sierra was Lili’s best friend, maid of honor and probably the funniest chick we knew.

“Ash, I’m with you,” Sierra chimed in from across the aisle. If I didn’t know any better, the bastard sounded nervous. “How old are you, man? Can’t you stand still for five minutes?” “Why the fuck are we barefoot again?” I clipped Chase’s arm to get his attention and snap him out of whatever pussy whipped La-La Land he disappeared to. Half the women lining the beach, waiting to get this show on the road, were freezing their asses off in glorified lingerie. At least I was in this monkey suit, could’ve been worse. Why the fuck am I barefoot? The sand was cold, colder than you would expect in October, and the salt water spray only added to the chill in the air. Thank you for teaching us the meaning of loyalty … truth and trust. To our two husbands and five children, our every-day bucket fillers.

Abruption by Riley Mackenzie