Page 187 of The Tempted
Epilogue
“Why are you so damn calm?” Mike asked, his eyes meeting mine in the mirror I stood in front of. I raised an eyebrow at him as he wiped the sweat from his brow then turned around and grabbed my suit jacket, shrugging it onto my shoulders.
“No reason not to be,” I said, buttoning one button of the jacket. I reached for the tie that was out on the bed, held it in my hand, and contemplated whether I should wear it. I tossed it back on the bed and unbuttoned the top two buttons of my dress shirt before glancing back at myself in the mirror.
“Oh, okay,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Of course, it isn’t because you’re about to get hitched. Did you ever hear the term ball and chain?” He paused, frowning in deep thought. “Are chains a sore subject?”
“Depends on who chains who I suppose,” I replied, turning around and patting him on the shoulder and treating him to a rare smile. “Relax, Mike it’s all good.” He looked at me blankly.
“You have the rings, right?”
“The rings? What rings?”
My eyes narrowed into thin slits as I stared at him trying to hold back my temper. He flashed me a smile and winked.
“Just kidding,” he patted his suit pocket. “I got the bling.”
I breathed a sigh of relief and loosened the death grip I hadn’t realized I had on Mike’s shoulder.
“Don’t fuck with a man on his wedding day,” I grunted.
“There’s my grumpy friend I love!” He smiled widely, smacking me on the back. “I miss your brooding ways!”
I peeled his fingers from my suit, rotated my shoulders, and straightened up. “I would have the best man that gets a kick out of fucking with me,” I muttered.
“You love me, stop it! I bet when Adrianna has a ‘headache’ you miss the days of me being your roomie.”
“Adrianna doesn’t get headaches,” I say smugly. There were perks to be had from spending so much time apart; you get a chance to make up for lost time.
“All kidding aside, I’m happy for you,” he said sincerely, forcing me to turn around and meet his gaze. “It took a long time getting here but I’m glad it did. It allowed me not to miss out on standing beside you when you take Adrianna as your wife.”
“Everything happens for a reason, Mike,” I said. “I’m glad you’re here too. Real glad.”
We were interrupted by a knock on the hotel room door.
“Who is it God dammit!” Mike hollered. “We were in the middle of a moment here,” he mumbled a stream of curses as he walked towards the door and pulled it open. “Who the hell are you?” Mike asked.
I stepped around Mike and glanced at the man on the other end.
“Jarvis? What’re you doing here?” I asked Vic’s lawyer. I clenched my fists at my sides as I stared at him, baffled as to what had brought this man to Mexico. Nothing good ever came from a visit with your lawyer, especially on the day of your wedding. That was in another country.
“You know this clown?” Mike asked, looking over his shoulder, sticking his thumb towards Mr. Jarvis.
“He’s Vic’s attorney.”
“For fuck’s sake!” Mike turned around and glared at him. “We’re in the middle of a wedding here.”
“I need a moment of Mr. Bianci’s time.”
Mike glanced back at me. “You okay with that?”
“It’s fine,” I said, motioning for Mr. Jarvis to come inside. He made his way into my hotel room, towards the small table overlooking the ocean and set his briefcase on top of it, popping it open. He pulled out a folder, opened it, and handed me the papers.
My eyes drifted down to the papers then back to his eyes.
“What’s this?”
“A gift from your father-in-law,” he replied.
