Chapter 2

Each time I brought up boundaries, Luke would say, “Parker, we’re buddies. Have I done anything to hurt you?

“You’re always reading too much into things.”

Even Teagan had something to say.

“That’s Luke to you, Parker. He means well.”

Back then, I fell for it.

Yet here I was, standing in my tuxedo, while family and friends waited for Teagan and me to get to church.

We all held up because Luke was missing his tie.

Tessa, my grandmother, stood by the car, one hand gripping her cane. Her voice trembled.

“Teagan, this is your wedding day. We’ve been up since four in the morning getting everything ready. Everyone’s waiting for you to arrive.

“You might not care about being a few minutes late, but we do.”

Before Teagan had a chance to say anything, Luke jumped in.

“Tessa, I know we’re supposed to be there on time. I’m not holding everyone up on purpose.

“Parker, you should talk to Tessa. It’s your wedding day. There’s no need to make a big deal over a tie.”

Teagan turned to face me.

“Yeah, Parker. Please, not in front of everyone.”

I was taken aback. “Me? I didn’t start anything.”

She nodded while passing Luke the tie she’d found. Her voice was nonchalant.

“Luke’s just trying to put a tie on.

“But you had to blow things out of proportion. You’re making everyone uncomfortable.”

I grinned.

Apparently, Teagan didn’t consider holding up the whole wedding party so Luke could put on a tie a huge fuss.

I was suddenly making a scene to tell her that we were running late.

At 8:51 AM, a call from the wedding coordinator came through.

My cousin, Pete, answered the call, his jaw tightening.

“The coordinator said that the wedding party is ready to start walking down the aisle. If we don’t get there now, the rest of the ceremony is going to fall behind.”

Tension rose.

I looked Teagan in the eye, my words cutting deep.

“The wedding’s happening at 9:00 AM sharp.”

…

Teagan furrowed her brows in annoyance.

Luke gasped out of nowhere.

Holding up the tie, he frowned at his reflection in the car’s side mirror.

“The shade seems too dark.

“I’m wearing light gray today, so I’m not sure this color would work.”

Teagan blurted, “I’ll find another one for you.”

My mother, Riley, couldn’t help but speak up, “Luke, why don’t we head to the venue? Once there, we’ll get you a tie.

“The family and the wedding party are all waiting. The reception venue has the whole schedule timed around this. We can’t push it back.”

Luke looked back, his expression dripping with disapproval.

“Riley, the photographer’s going to be taking pictures the whole time, right?

“If I’m standing up there next to Parker without a tie, won’t that look awful in all the photos? I’d hate to make him look bad on his wedding day.”

Uncle Bob said curtly, “Making Parker late for his own wedding would be far more embarrassing.”

Luke froze, and he looked hurt.

“Bob, you’re making it sound like I’m deliberately holding Parker back.

“I’ve been Parker’s friend for years. I would never do anything to hurt him.”

Shifting her gaze to Riley and Bob, Teagan raised her voice.

“Riley, Bob, it’s literally just finding a tie.

“I told the driver to wait, so if there’s anyone to blame, that’s on me. Leave Luke out of this.”

Bob choked.

Blood rushed from Riley’s face.

I stared at Teagan, my heart sinking.

The long hand on my watch crept toward eleven on the dial.

“Teagan, eight minutes to go.”

Teagan rubbed her temples. “I know, Parker. It’s just a few minutes.

“Our wedding isn’t going to fall apart just because we’re running a few minutes late.

“We’ve been together for seven years. A few minutes won’t change what we have.”