I couldn’t believe Caden was finally getting married.

And to such a great omega, no less.

The ceremony had been gorgeous, and Oliver’s daughter from a previous relationship, Amy, had made the most adorable ringbearer. Now that the formalities were over and dinner was being served, the party was in full swing and everyone was starting to let loose.

Despite my happiness for my friend, I couldn’t help but feel jealous. He’d made it look so easy. Of course, I knew it wasn’t easy—Caden had been in love with Oliver for years while the omega had been trapped in an abusive relationship—but now that they were here, a family together, it was hard to believe any of that had ever happened. The two were clearly made for each other.

And Amy was an amazing kid. She was quite the artist at her young age and had made a beautiful illustration for the wedding invitations. And Oliver was pregnant again, so she was getting a new sibling. Their family was growing fast.

I was a little older than Caden, so I couldn’t help but feel that the opportunity to have a family of my own was passing me by. Of course, I was still young enough, but my biological clock was ticking, and I was starting to feel the effects of my age. If I didn’t actively search for a mate, I wasn’t going to find one, no matter how many omegas hit on me at the bar. It was hardly a place to find your life partner.

As everyone settled into their food, I pulled a piece of paper out of my pocket. I was going to make a toast for my friend, of course, and I had to put away my envious feelings and summon all my genuine happiness.

I took a deep breath and tapped my spoon on my glass, and everyone started to quiet down.

I stood up and started speaking.

“Hey everyone,” I said, waving to the crowd. “I’m Archer, a good friend of Caden’s. I’d like to make a toast.”

The smiles of the wedding guests made me feel less nervous. Public speaking had never been my favorite thing, and the piece of paper with my talking points was crumpled already.

“Caden has been my best friend for a long time. Seriously, a long time. I feel like we grew up into adulthood together, figuring out what we wanted in life and what we wanted to do with our lives. There’s something to be said for childhood friends, of course,” and here I nodded at Oliver, “but there’s something special about discovering who you are as an adult with someone on the same journey. And when that person is Caden, you know you have someone who will support you and help you grow. I’m proud to see the alpha Caden has grown into, and I’m delighted that I’ve gotten to know Oliver and Amy as well. Meeting the other loved ones of your best friend teaches you something about them, and even about yourself. Caden is a man of integrity, of passion, of dedication, and I’ve always strived to be like him. And I know he’ll bring those same qualities to his new duties of being a husband and father.”

I took another deep breath. Almost done. “When Caden and I opened the Black Thorn Bar together, we were taking a huge leap of faith together, as partners. We’d done our research, of course, but we were relying on each other, putting our full trust in each other. And look where we are now. The bar is fully fledged, a sanctuary for people in our community, a social space as well as a space to have fun. I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished and I’m thrilled to see what Oliver and Caden will accomplish in future. I know Caden will bring that same energy and trust to his marriage, and Oliver couldn’t have picked a better alpha to spend the rest of his life with. I love you guys. Thanks, everyone.”

I waved again and quickly sat down right before the audience erupted into applause, my heart pounding. I couldn’t believe the reception I was getting. People had apparently loved it.

I listened to a couple more toasts and enjoyed my dinner, chatting with my other friends from the bar, with whom I was seated. When everyone got up to start getting dessert, an omega walked up to me.

He had that look on his face. I pretty quickly figured out his intentions. Weddings were often a place to find a hook up, after all.

“That was an awesome toast you gave,” he said, almost batting his eyelashes.

“Thank you,” I said. “Caden is one of my best friends so it wasn’t hard.”

“So… how do you know Caden?”

I sighed internally, while putting on a polite face for this omega.

The amazing thing was, at this very moment, I was wishing that Danny was by my side. I missed him and if we were dating, I would have loved him to be my date.

That should have been a sign that I was kinda screwed.

“Sorry, I have to go,” I said, turning right as a confused expression came over the omega’s face.

It was a lame excuse, but I really didn’t want him. I wasn’t big into random hook ups like that anyway, but I didn’t even find the omega the least bit attractive. I could only think of Danny, and the intense night of passion we’d shared.

That was what it was: a night of passion. Sure, it sounded like a cheesy line from a romance novel but how could I describe it as anything else?

The rest of the wedding was perfectly enjoyable, and I managed to have a good time with my friends. But when I got home that night, I felt an intense pang of regret for not asking for Danny’s number when I had the chance.

I could only hope he’d show up at the bar at some point.

Speaking of the bar… I checked my watch for the time and saw that it wasn’t that late. I slipped my jacket back on and went outside, my legs carrying me in the direction of the bar automatically.

There were many people partying and playing there as it was a Saturday night, after all. I made a beeline for the bar, lacking the energy to interact with people beyond Goldie.

“Hey,” she said, as I took a seat at the bar. “The usual?”

“Something a bit stronger, maybe,” I said with a sigh.

She narrowed her eyes at me. “You have a problem you want to talk about.”

“Yeah. Well, no. Maybe.” I held my head in my hands, then looked up at her. “I’m hung up on an omega. There! I said it.”

“Danny, right?” she said, handing me my glass, and I nearly dropped it in surprise.

“How do you know?”

“I know these things,” she said mysteriously, then broke out in a grin. “Just kidding, he actually came her earlier and told me he was hung up on you.”

“No!” I cried. “You’re shitting me.”

“Nope.” She shook her head, the blonde curls flying. “He was really here earlier tonight. Came in with some other omega friends who were all goggle-eyed, but Max took care of them. You know the type? The ones who come here just for the spectacle? But he came right here and talked to me and told me everything. Talk about a missed connection.”

My heart was pounding again. I couldn’t believe I’d come this close to seeing Danny again.

“Do you think he’ll come back? Man…” I looked at the floor, shaking my head.

“I hope so,” she said. “I think he will. I mean, he’ll be hoping to run into you again, right? If he is as hung up on you as he claimed.”

I looked up to say something to her, but she was at the other end of the bar helping another customer.

I couldn’t believe it. I knew Goldie wouldn’t make something like this up. In a way, it seemed like she was trying to play matchmaker or something by telling me this information up front. I wished Danny had left his number with her or something. It was killing me that I had no way of contacting him. I didn’t even know his last name.

Goldie waltzed back to my side of the bar. “If I see him again, I’ll tell him you were looking for him too. One of these days, you’ll end up running into each other.”

“I just didn’t think he—or I—was ready for a relationship. I honestly assumed he was just looking for a night of play, since he disappeared so quickly when our scene finished.” I sipped my whisky. I definitely needed it right now.

Goldie shrugged. “Sometimes you just click, right?”

“Yeah, I guess so. This place really is magical.”

But I hadn’t told Goldie the main reason why I wanted to stay away from relationships. Even if Danny did want to date me—hell, even if he wanted to marry me—I’d be worried I’d repeat the mistakes my parents had made. How could I have a healthy relationship? Even if Danny was totally emotionally stable and a good partner, I would be the one to ruin things.

“You’re ruminating,” Goldie observed.

“Yeah. I just don’t feel like I’m cut out for relationships, you know? Like my parents got divorced, it just doesn’t seem like it’s in my genes…”

She scoffed. “If you think that way, then you’re definitely going to make mistakes. You’re not your parents. And you’re the one who makes decisions in your relationship. Just choose to do things differently.”

I frowned. “You make it sound so easy.”

“It’s not. But it’s worth doing, isn’t it?”

“How did you get so good at relationships, anyway?” I asked, suddenly realizing I knew very little about her personal life other than the fact that her day job was running a tattoo shop.

Goldie winked at me and scooted off to help yet another customer.

As far as I knew, she didn’t have a partner. But she clearly knew what she was talking about when it came to relationships. And I knew she was right. The only problem was following through on what I knew was right. It would be scary, embarking on a new relationship when I’d thought I was doomed for so long, but…

As she’d said, it was worth doing. I couldn’t imagine not having Danny in my life again, if only for another night. I needed to see him, and that drive inside me seemed to supersede everything.

If I were more cynical, I could have dismissed it as my biological urge to mate coming to the forefront, but I knew it wasn’t as cut and dry as that. I knew that deep down, love was worth fighting for. Hell, I’d even been in a wedding earlier today. If Caden and Oliver had found something that was worth all their energy, then why couldn’t I do the same?

It wasn’t a thought I’d ever really explored before but maybe… just maybe, I deserved to have that love too.

But the ball was in Danny’s court now. When he showed his face here again, I wouldn’t miss my chance.