LEXI
Of all the ways I could ruin my best friend’s wedding, the most spectacular possibility just showed up in the jaw-dropping form of Tyler Reed—the father of my six-year-old son Gabe. Granted, Bailey & Liam said I do at least three hours ago, so technically the wedding part of the evening is over. If my personal drama explodes right here and now, I’d only be ruining the reception. That has to count for something, right? Besides, all I have to do is stay invisible and leave early and we can keep the focus where it belongs—on Bailey and Liam McGuire and not on the biggest secret of my adult life.
Except I can’t stop staring at Ty. He’s right there, across the room, chatting it up with my friend David Carmichael and his little brother Colton like he hasn’t been gone for six years. He’s the one man I’ve never been able to get out of my head. Even after all this time, even after the way he disappeared on me, seeing him still makes me smile.
I lean back in my chair, champagne flute in one hand while I run the other hand over my mouth. Why the hell is he here? And why, after six and a half years, does he still look that good? That rare mix of tan skin and blonde hair. A neat row of white teeth that flashes every time he grins. Those blue eyes that light up when he unleashes his wicked sense of humor. And I haven’t even mentioned his body yet…
Michelle—David’s wife and my other best friend—leans forward to catch my gaze, folding her arms on the thick white tablecloth stretched across our table in the reception hall. “Who in the world are you staring at?” she asks. “I mean, if looks could kill, we’d all be dead. “Finally had your fill of the whole ‘always a bridesmaid but never a bride’ thing?” Michelle raises her eyebrows when I look at her.
It takes every ounce of my concentration not to let my gaze wander back to Ty. “No way.” I smile at my friend. “I couldn’t be happier knowing that you and Bailey met the men of your respective dreams.”
“Then what’s with the death stare? Because it looks to me like you’ve decided someone needs to die tonight. Which, you know, is really going to ruin the whole wedding vibe.” She studies the people gathered at the reception, smiling when she meets her husband’s eyes.
I could keep this little information bomb to myself and hide in the corner until it’s time to leave. Or, I could explain it all to Michelle in case she sees a better way to defuse the situation. One look at her face makes it clear that she won’t drop it no matter what I say and I’ve kept this secret for too long. I hit her with the truth.
“Gabe’s dad is here.”
Michelle’s jaw drops and she pivots in her seat to face me. “Shut. Up.”
I close my eyes and nod.
“You told me it was a one-night stand with a stranger. How in the world is he here at your best friend’s wedding if you didn’t know each other?”
I grimace. “We didn’t know each other on a technicality. As in, I didn’t take the time to learn his darkest secrets and innermost thoughts and he didn’t take the time to learn mine. But I most definitely know who he is.” I cover my mouth with my hand again and preemptively answer Michelle’s next question by pointing towards Ty with my champagne flute while I’m struck with a memory of our time together.
I’d arrived in Key West the night before and intended to spend the whole day at the beach, hair up, sunglasses on, drink in hand. The sun warmed my skin and I buried my feet in the sand as the waves crashed relentlessly on the shore. A breeze brushed across my skin, tasting of salt, and my hair curled in the heavy, humid air.
I don’t remember what caused me to turn—some awareness of him before he was even in my line of sight, I guess—but I spun in my lounge chair and there he was. Tan and muscled, his clean-shaven jaw strong and his blond hair cropped close to his head. I couldn’t look away. I knew I should have, knew I was staring too long, but he had my attention as surely as I had his. He smiled and I was lost, but when he spoke I was found because his voice sounded like home.
“Well, hello, beautiful,” he said…
Bailey swoops into view and drops into a chair across from me, her own glass of champagne sloshing wildly. “What’s up, besties?” she asks, smiling radiantly. One look at our faces and she sits up, the smile falling from her face as she sets her drink on the table near a discarded cloth napkin. “What’s wrong? Who do I need to kill?”
“Lexi says Gabe’s dad is here.”
Bailey slaps the table. “Shut. Up.”
“Right? That’s exactly what I said.” Michelle nods as she adjusts the neckline of her dress.
Bailey points an accusatory finger my way. “You told me you didn’t know who Gabe’s father was.”
I open my mouth to reply, but Michelle interrupts. “Apparently she didn’t know who he was on a technicality.”
Bailey waves the statement away. “Whatever that means.” She pinches the stem of her champagne flute between two fingers and rolls them, spinning the glass in place. “So now what? What do we do? Do you want me to kick him out? I’ll totally kick him out. This is my party so I’m the boss of everyone and have every right to do that.” She grins, only half joking.
“No way.” I smooth my dress over my thighs. I’ve seen my fair share of shitty bridesmaid’s dresses in my day but this is not one of them. Thank God for Bailey’s good taste. “I will not be that person who makes a giant scene at her best friend’s wedding.”
That and I don’t know how I would handle talking to Ty again. Not only is there so much left unsaid between us, but the man has some kind of power of me. Even now, knowing that he’s the kind of guy who disappears on a woman without a word, I’m drawn to him. Whatever existed between us in Key West still exists. Something strong and powerful and impossible for me to ignore. Something that is sure to earn me yet another broken heart, and lord knows I’ve had my fair share of those recently.
My friends exchange a glance as my thoughts go from zero to sixty. Gabe is hanging out with the other kids while David’s mom—Annabelle Carmichael, otherwise known as Super Gran—watches them all. I need an excuse to get my son and get out before Ty notices us. I stifle a laugh because what are the chances he’d even remember me after all this time. It was one wild night six years ago. We were both drunk and alone and far from the comforts of home…
“So, who is it?” Bailey asks, interrupting my thoughts. “I mean seriously. All you need to do is point him out and this guy is gone. If he had the balls to leave you high and dry when you were pregnant with his kid, then he deserves every ounce of the embarrassment that’s coming his way.”
Despite my best efforts, my gaze flits to where Tyler stands with David and Colton. I yank it back to my friends as fast as I can, I swear, but they know me too well. They whip around in their seats to see where I’m looking.
“Colton?” Bailey sounds incredulous.
“No way. Colton?” Michelle looks equal parts disgusted and confused. “My brother-in-law is Gabe’s dad?”
“No. Ew.” I roll my eyes. “Don’t you think all of this would have come up before now if it was him?” I look pointedly at Michelle. “You know, when the two of us were both at your wedding? And then again when we took turns holding your newborn son?” Michelle’s son Thomas came into the world a few months ago.
Understanding dawns in Michelle’s eyes and she glances at the men again. “Tyler?” Her voice is hushed. “Are you talking about Tyler Reed?”
I suck my top lip into my mouth and nod. Bailey studies the man with narrowed eyes.
“That doesn’t sound like him at all,” Michelle says as she pushes a lock of her brown hair back in place. “He’s only been staying with us for one day, so I could be way off base, but the man just oozes integrity. I can’t believe he’s the kind of guy who would totally ignore his own son.” She shakes her head. “I fear for humanity, you know? If someone like that has a secret like this…”
And here comes the biggest truth bomb of them all. The one I never thought I’d have to drop. The one I thought I’d take to my grave. I take a breath and speak before I let it out.
“He doesn’t know,” I say and then brace for impact. “I never told him I was pregnant.”