LOGINLUKEāAnd little Jimmy finally passed his first swimming badge,ā Amyās aunt tells me, rolling her eyes. āTen metres. It only took him two years. The child is deathly afraid of water.āāThatās great, Mrs Smith,ā I tell her, trying to pull away. āIf you donāt mind, Iāll justāāShe waves me off. āOh, donāt call me that. Weāre all family here. Be a good boy and top up my drink, will you?āI smile and take her glass, turning to the drinks table and swapping it out with a fresh flute of champagne. Itās been over half an hour since Amyās aunt cornered me, and sheās been chatting my ear off ever since, bringing me up to speed on all the latest family gossip. Iām not sure if she actually remembers Iām not her nephew-in-law anymore, or if she legitimately doesnāt care and just wants someone to talk to. I hand her the new drink, then try for the fifth time to excuse myself.āIf you donāt mind, I need to find my date. Sheās disappeared somewhere.āShe waves me off, eyeing up one of the waiters, a
JOSHHer eyes widen. With a low moan, she explodes in a hot, wet mess against my hand. I hold her steady as she convulses against me, gripping hard onto the front of my jacket as waves of sensation roll through her. I can feel her pulsing around my fingers, hot and strong as she writhes against me.It is the hottest thing I think Iāve ever seen. I have to close my eyes and force myself to steady my breathing.Eventually, she starts to slow down, but Iām not done. My heart is hammering. I want more. I jam my fingers knuckle-deep into her, not letting up until sheās squirming again.āJoshāā she mutters. āI canātāitās too much.āI twist my fingers, scooping at her inner wall, and tug on the string of beads. Almost instantly, sheās coming again, her body jerking hard against mine as she shudders all over. Her hair has fallen over her face, strands tickling all over her cheeks, and I push them back behind her ears, holding her close as she gasps silently.By the time the last wave of shiv
JOSHIām almost dizzy with happiness as I kiss Layla slowly, holding her close.Iām having the best damn day.Donāt get me wrong, Iām tired as Hell. Since five this morning, Iāve been ironing ties, picking up clothes from the dry cleaners, and bringing people coffee. While she was getting ready, Amy kept writing soppy little romantic notes to my brother and demanding I pass them on to him. I probably wouldāve refused, if he werenāt so goddamn happy every time I came in with another one.Pulling back from Layla for a second, I glance back at the dance floor. Rob is out there with Amy, twirling her under his arm to the band music.Warmth glows in my chest. He looks like heās walking on air.God, I love weddings.Layla sighs, leaning against my chest, and I look back down at her. As if this day could get any better, now I have the most gorgeous woman in the room in my arms. I nuzzle into her temple, kissing down her hairline and across her ear. āThis dress is incredible,ā I murmur, smoot
LAYLAAfter Zack disappears, I just stand stupidly at the drinks table, staring after him.Iām not sure what made him react like that. Did something happen? Did I do something wrong? Rob gives me an apologetic look as Amy tugs him away, leaving me standing alone.I sigh and set my empty glass down on the table, glancing around the room.I should probably find the other guys. I spot Luke in the corner of the hall, still talking to Amyās aunt. He looks like heās about to die of boredom, so I start to make my way towards him ā but before Iāve taken two steps, a large hand touches my back.āHey,ā a voice says in my ear.I smile, turning to look up at Josh. He looks incredible. Heās pulled off his blazer and rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt. My eyes trace his thick, muscled forearms before flicking back to his flushed face.āHey,ā I say, reaching up to tug at his tie. āYou look great in this.āāOh?ā His eyes are unusually bright as he looks down at me. āMaybe I should wear it more
ZACKI push through the crowds of people like Iām on autopilot. My blood is pounding in my ears. I feel like Iām in a dream. Or maybe a nightmare. It has to be a nightmare, right? This canāt be real. It canāt be.How the Hell could I forget what day it is?Faces turn towards me as I cross the wedding hall and make my way to the exit. Thereās a painted wooden sign set up on an easel by the doorway, greeting all the guests as they come in. I stare at it, the letters blurring.CONGRATULATIONS!ROB AND AMY TRANAPRIL 5THHow could I forget? The dateās literally everywhere, for Godās sake. It was on the invites. Itās on the signs. It was on the receipt when we booked into the hotel, but I didnāt notice. How? How is that possible?I know how. Layla.Iāve spent the last couple of weeks in a Layla-induced haze. Sheās filling my brain. Nothing seems to matter when Iām with her. Iāve been so caught up in her, Iāve forgotten the one person who used to matter to me most.I stride through the hote
LAYLARob looks even more like Josh up close. Heās smiling brightly, and I can see he has the same dimples as his brother. But itās not him that Iām focused on.Amy winds her arm through Robās and studies me assessingly, her expression blank. A trickle of cold goes down my spine as she narrows her eyes at me.āLayla Thompson,ā she says slowly. āWhat on Earth are you doing here?āI open my mouth, but no words come out.Rob grins, slapping Zack on the back. āThanks for coming, man. Didnāt expect you to make it, if Iām honest.āZack laughs. āI never miss an open bar. Congratulations, guys.āThe two of them start chatting happily, but I canāt focus on what theyāre saying, my eyes locked on Amyās. Memories are rolling over me in waves.I havenāt told Luke this, because I know heāll just blame himself, but Amy was one of the cruellest teachers back at Emery High. Once the bullying started, I used to spend most of my lunch breaks in her office, practically begging her to help me. I remember







