Not Quite A Bride by Kirsten Sawyer Read Free Book Online Page B

imagine her evilness being more obvious than it is, but I swear, it shows through. Far across the room, I finally see Brad, trapped in conversation with two older men in three-piece suits. He has his polite smile on and I watch him fake-laugh four times before I can catch his eye. I raise my glass of champagne to him, and he excuses himself from the group and makes his way over to me. Maybe I am imagining this the way I am imagining Claire’s visible horns, but there seems to be a sadness to Brad tonight that I’ve never seen before. When he reaches me he smiles his normal, twinkling smile and hugs me.
    â€œSo, where’s Mr. Wonderful?”
    â€œSee that group of women huddled over there?” I point in the direction of the mosh pit assembled around Justin. “He’s somewhere in there.”
    Brad laughs ... he knows my family well enough not to be surprised by their behavior, only amused.
    â€œWell,” he says, “I’m the guest of honor here tonight and I want to meet him ... so let’s break up the ladies.”
    He extends his arm to me and I take it (keeping my glass of champagne in the other), and we make our way over to rescue Justin.
    Brad is good with my family and good with rowdy crowds (the spectators at the extreme-sporting conventions he usually covers for Extreme Outdoor magazine have prepared him for anything), so he thinks nothing of arming his way to the middle of the circle and extending a hand toward Justin.
    â€œGreat to finally meet you.”
    Justin is amazing; he doesn’t miss a beat. “Brad Lawson. Molly swears I shouldn’t be jealous, but she sure speaks highly of you.”
    Brad beams at Justin and then at me for a moment. It’s not hard to win him over ... he’s truly such a softie.
    â€œLet’s go get you a drink. I want to hear all about you ... and in return, I’ll tell you all about Molly’s college days.”
    â€œSounds like a plan. Ladies, I will be back.”
    The girls moan like teenagers at a rock concert, but hardly give the boys a chance to cross the room before they turn their attention on me. Oh jeez! I liked it better when Justin was in the firing line!
    My mother jumps in first. “Molly, he’s wonderful!”
    Jamie seconds her emotion. “He really is, Molls. I’m thrilled for you!” And she actually squeals.
    And then, before I can believe it, all my friends are saying how great he is. They actually all love him! I am beyond thrilled. Step one of the plan is going off without a hitch!!
    I relay the story of how we met and all the wonderful dates we’ve had so far. It’s so much fun ... and I even catch Claire throwing an extremely annoyed look at our somewhat noisy corner of the room, which only adds to my joy. After sharing every single detail (and even making up some new ones—I decided our song should be, “Just the Way You Look Tonight”), I excuse myself from the crowd to go find Justin and congratulate him on an exquisite performance.
    I spot him at the bar, still with Brad, and make my way over. I walk up and slide my arm around Justin’s waist. It feels slightly strange to do this, because in a lot of ways he’s still a stranger, but I know it’s little details like this that will prevent any doubt from forming in anyone’s head. I notice Brad look at my arm around Justin’s waist for a second before greeting me.
    â€œHey there, we were just getting to know each other a bit. Don’t tell me you were having separation anxiety?”
    I laugh at his joke, albeit a strange joke. “Nope ... just wanted to be certain you weren’t divulging too many secrets.”
    â€œDon’t worry,” Justin assures me, “Brad has only had the nicest things to say about you.”
    I beam at Justin for a moment, thrilled at how well this is going, and he beams back ... we’re actually having fun. It’s like