Chapter 5

They had spoken the night before about Ruiz. Allan hadn’t met him yet but he’d invited Ruiz to be one of his groomsmen to even the number out. Reno had been roped into being a groomsman too, though he preferred to act as the father of the bride for the night and nothing else. He’d helped raise Riana and he wanted to watch her live her special day and not risk ruining it.

The pit of his stomach still churned knowing she was about to be married. He was scared that her marriage wouldn’t work out and he didn’t want to watch her heart break for another two and a half years over the same man. His stomach churned for another reason too—he didn’t want to share his sister. He hadn’t realized how much he missed having her around until she left Bahamas for the States.

His little sister was getting married, and it made him as nervous as hell!

“Reno, how are you?” Allan greeted them with a smile.

Reno smiled back. “Great, but this guy is so nervous he’s beginning to annoy me,” Reno stood to the side and made introductions. “Allan, Matthew, my little brother Ruiz.”

“Hey! You aren’t the one who’s about to meet his sister at the altar on her wedding day!” Ruiz pulled at the collar of his shirt completely ignoring Reno’s introductions.

Geez! The kid really is nervous. He’s practically sweating! Reno thought, biting the insides of his cheeks to keep from laughing.

Ruiz looked around nervously. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”

Matthew laughed, punching Ruiz lightly in the shoulder. “You’ll be fine. And if I know Riana well, she’ll be sad you weren’t involved in her wedding in some way once she finds out who you are. Let her think you are one of Allan’s close friends until he introduces you.”

Allan chuckled shaking his head. “Why am I in the line of fire? Why can’t Reno do it?”

“Because soon-to-be-brother, you are currently walking on water and the news won’t hit as hard coming from you. From me, she’ll think…” Reno stopped giving Ruiz an apologetic glance.

Ruiz shrugged, “She’ll think you are betraying her. It’s cool. I resented you guys for a long time before I decided having a brother and a sister was much better than being alone and keeping company with resentment.”

Allan slapped his hands and rubbed them together. “Okay then. Ruiz, why don’t you take your position, and Reno, go bring the love of my life to me.”

Reno smiled at that, the weight on his heart getting lighter. “Take care of my sister Allan Sinclair.”

Allan gave him a nod. “With my life.”

With an encouraging pat on his brother’s shoulder, Reno turned around before the treacherous tears fell. He walked briskly back down the aisle, his head lowered until his eyes were clear. He never thought it would be this hard to give his sister away to another man. He was losing her all over again.

He’d just walked into L’Archeologia when he was almost knocked off his feet.

“Weno!” Aurora shrieked, hugging his legs tightly.

Reno chuckled, bending to grab Aurora up into his arms. “How’s my little angel? You look like a little princess in your beautiful princess dress.”

She giggled. “Tank you.” She pointed up at her hair. “Look, my tiawa. Mommy has one too!”

Reno kissed her chubby cheek, turning to look at Riana. He stood there, shocked for a moment as he stared at his sister. She looked so beautiful and radiant, it took his breath away. When had his little sister grown up?

He careful placed Aurora on the ground before he moved to take Riana’s hands in his. “You look gorgeous baby sis.”

She smiled with beaming happiness. “Thank you. You don’t look too bad yourself. Did you ever think this day would come for me, after everything we’ve gone through?”

Reno gave her a watery smile. “If anyone deserves happiness, it’s you. I wish mom was here to see this,” he croaked.

Riana nodded with a shaky smile, a blur of tears in her eyes. “I prefer to think that she is. She’s in my heart, in yours and in Aurora’s.”

Reno kissed her forehead. “Come on let’s get this show on the road.”

Riana hugged his arm. “You’ll get this too, Reno. With the right girl who’ll love and cherish you like you deserve, you’ll never know anything but happiness. I just know it.”

Reno just smiled down at his sister, not willing to ruin her day by disputing her wish for him. He believed only the lucky few and the most deserving found their soul mates and he wasn’t one of them. And after the disaster with his first marriage, he wasn’t very keen on going down that road again.

He turned to face the door he’d just come from, placing Riana’s hand on his arm when he was bumped from behind. He stumbled forward. “What the…”

“Oops. You really should be careful. We don’t want you to fall and break your leg so soon now do we, Uncle Weno?” Loraine spoke with a smile on her face before she turned and moved a few steps forward.

Something about that smile and the look in her eyes frightened Reno. Not even the fact that she was a knockout in that dress distracted him from the silent threat.

He turned to a snickering Riana. “What was that about? And what did she mean by so soon?”

“Cwazi Wowi?” Riana responded, mimicking Aurora voice with a raised brow.

Reno nodded with understanding and chuckled softly. It was after one of their video conversations when he’d said those words. Loraine had come up with a crazy idea to go to the resort and stay for a few days in disguise just to see how Riana was doing for herself because Riana had forbade her from leaving school to babysit her. Aurora had been eavesdropping and the next thing he knew, she was singing Cwazi Wowi up and down the resort.

“Hey, if the shoe fits…”

Riana chuckled, shaking her head. “Just kill each other after I’ve left for my honeymoon? I don’t want to be stuck here as a potential witness against whichever one of you survives. Why do you call her that anyway?”

He moved forward as the bride’s maids began their walk. “Really? You’ve been friends with her for almost six years and you’re asking me that?”

Riana shook her head. “Not to her face. The cwazi part is a huge deterrent.”

“Coward.” When the bridal march began, he leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Come on baby sis, let’s get you married.