That’s when I saw the son of a bitch.
Mandy wasn’t here, but her knight-in-shining-armor dared to show his face. Granted, I couldn’t fault the best man for attending his brother’s wedding, but he had a lot of balls to confront me.
Too bad mine were bigger…and very nearly on display for the bridal party.
Rick wasn’t a classy bastard, but he thought he was witty. He glanced at my boxers and gave me a goddamned smirk.
“So who’s the lucky lady today?”
I didn’t give him the pleasure of an argument. This was only gonna get settled one way.
I reared back and swung, punching him clean on the cheek.
“Jesus fuck!” Rick howled and staggered backward.
Rick wasn’t a physical guy, but he never backed down from a fight. Today was no different. He leapt at me, pushing at my chest.
“What the hell is your problem?”
The bridesmaids all squealed a different octave of drunken harmony. Rick swiped for my jaw, but I dodged his punch.
I decked him again. “What the hell are you doing proposing to Mandy?”
Rick made the mistake of getting too close. I captured him in a headlock and rammed his back into the wall. A crucifix fell, and the wedding party shrieked. Bryce tried to peel me off his brother.
“I gave her an option!” Rick swore. “In case you didn’t!”
“Fuck you! You had no idea what I was going to do!”
“Neither did Mandy!”
Jesus. I’d put his goddamned head through the wall. We grunted, and I blocked his kick.
“I trusted you, man. When Jada hit on me, I turned her down because I knew she was your wife. But the instant Mandy gets upset, you offer to marry her? What the fuck!”
“I wanted to be there in case you didn’t take responsibility.”
The rage stiffened my spine. I launched at him, pummeling him with three more blows.
“That’s my baby!”
The bridesmaids abandoned their posts, kicked off their shoes, and rushed me with their bouquets. A nasty arrangement of roses smacked my head. They hadn’t stripped the thorns. The barbs dug into my ear and ripped. Another bridesmaid whipped my ass with her bouquet. A third bit my elbow.
Lindsey screamed at us both, an empty champagne bottle raised for the final blow on whichever one of us assholes she punished first.
A startled voice squealed from the doorway. The room silenced. Rick and I froze.
“What are you doing to each other?”
Mandy rushed between us, pushing us apart. She stared at me and Rick, her eyes wide with shock.
“Nate, what are you doing? Why are you fighting? And why aren’t you wearing pants?”
Rick shoved me away. “Don’t worry about it. We’re fine.”
We were so far from fine I couldn’t spit to reach the line he crossed. He straightened his tux and tossed me my pants.
“Nate just had a crisis of conscience,” he said.
I rushed him. “You son of a—”
Mandy stopped me with a hand to my chest. “Stop it! We’re all friends! Back off.”
My anger dissolved. Mandy wore the same hideous bridesmaid dress as the other girls, but only she filled it out right. Her silken, dark skin complimented the god-awful teal, and the soft curls of her hair fell over her shoulders and chest. She was the most beautiful woman here, but she flinched away when I reached for her.
“Don’t,” she whispered. “I can’t believe you’d hurt Rick. What’s wrong with you?”
“You know what’s wrong. We have to talk.”
“Now?”
“Yes, now.”
She shook her head. The bride stormed towards us in a cascade of taffeta.
“Now isn’t the time, Nate.”
“What are you doing here?” Lindsey pointed at her sister. “I thought…I thought you weren’t coming.”
I expected Mandy to tear up. Instead Lindsey immediately wept. She fanned her face and stomped a foot. Mandy took her hand.
“I wasn’t going to miss your wedding,” Mandy said. “Even if you didn’t want me here now, I think we’d both regret it when we’re all old and grey and cranky.”
“Speak for yourself, noodlearms.” Lindsey sniffled. “I’m already cranky.”
Mandy’s lip trembled. “I know you are, muffinbutt.”
The girls hugged, holding each other tight. Rick thought he’d get a handshake out of it from me.
I wasn’t as forgiving as noodlearms. He’d have to buy a round for me first.
Mandy pulled away from her sister. “I brought you some things.”
She reached for her purse, offering Lindsey a gold class ring from the front pocket.
“Something old,” Mandy said. “You used to wear this all the time.”