Devil vs. Angel

Chapter 2-2

I left Kyle to hang out with Alvin and found Kiana and Ada. They were the last ones up from the beach, both stunning in their fancy dresses. Ada’s was a soft coral color that fit tight over her chest and flared into an A-line dress. Her hair was twisted up and away from her face, adding elegance to her look. Kiana was in her signature lavender. A floor length gown instead of her usual suit, but she still looked professional and sexy. I couldn’t pull off either of those things, let alone both at the same time.

“Hey! You made it!” Ada said when she saw me.

I nodded and waited for them to reach me, accepting hugs from both of them.

I was so happy when I reconnected with Ada and Kiana. We were close growing up, but when I married Vince, I pulled away from everyone. Neither of them were married, and it was easier to spend time with Vince’s friends who were all married than to try to find a way to connect with my single friends who were out there kicking a*s and taking names. I wasn’t sure how they would take it when I called and asked if they wanted to get together, but both of them welcomed me back like we’d been best friends all along.

“Alvin is watching Kyle,” I explained.

Kiana’s face went from happy to see me to terrified. Her dark eyes went wide, and she scanned the reception area frantically. “Alvin was supposed to be working tonight. I don’t have a bartender if he’s with Kyle.”

I shook my head and put a hand on Kiana’s arm. “He is tending bar. Kyle is sitting at the bar with him. Alvin made Kyle a drink. Sprite and something blue and lemon juice.”

Kiana’s gaze snapped to the bar and the tension in her finally receded. At least a little. Kiana was always on edge during a wedding.

“Did you bring the cake?” she asked me.

I nodded. “It’s in the kitchen so the frosting doesn’t melt out here.”

Kiana nodded and moved around me to keep her eyes on the wedding. I didn’t take offense to her dismissal. I understood how she was. Opposites Attract was her life. She built it from the ground up and earned a reputation as one of the best destination wedding planners in Hawaii. She had that reputation because she worked her a*s off to make sure the brides and grooms who hired her had everything they could ever want and then some.

“Let’s go get a drink,” Ada said, slipping her arm through mine. “Then we can grab a table and talk. Unless you have to go.”

I shook my head. “Alvin said he’d watch Kyle for a little while so I could relax.”

Ada tilted her head to the side. “He did?”

I nodded, wondering why Ada was curious about that. Alvin watched David all the time. Kyle had to be easier than a toddler. Then again, he was a sullen seven year old, so maybe he wasn’t.

“That was pretty awesome of my big brother. Let’s take advantage of it before he calls uncle.”

I laughed and followed Ada to the bar. We waited until the wedding guests all had drinks, then got two glasses of wine from Alvin. Kyle was still sipping his drink, although it looked like it might be a second one. I didn’t ask, and neither of the boys volunteered that information.

Pushing it aside, I let Ada lead me to an empty table off to the side. It had a view of the bar so I could keep an eye on Kyle and could people watch the wedding guests.

“How was the ceremony?” I asked Ada.

She nodded and set her wine down. “They’re a really sweet couple. They met in high school, but didn’t connect until they were out of college and both moved back to their home town. I think they’re going to have a great life together.”

I eyed her closely, looking for a lie in there. “Do you feel that way about all of them?”

She smiled and scanned the crowd. “No. I hate to admit that, but I don’t. There are some couples who just don’t seem to fit.”

“Do you think they know it when they get married?”

Ada turned the full force of her gaze on me. “Are you asking if I knew you and Vince wouldn’t work out?”

Leave it to Ada to be so direct.

I took a deep breath and nodded, holding the air in my lungs.

“Yes, I did.”

I blew out my breath with her unexpected answer. “You did? Seriously?”

She nodded and looked out at the party instead of at me.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

She turned her focus back to me, her eyes sad. “You wouldn’t have listened. I love you, Bri, but you were so in love with him that you would have hated me if I said I thought your marriage was going to fall apart.”

“How…how did you know?”

She shrugged and looked away.

“Ada, please.”

She sighed. “Do you really want to hear this?”

Fear tightened my throat. What if he did something horrible, like kiss her? Or he made comments about me? Or—

“Fine,” she said, interrupting my runaway thoughts. “It was the way he looked at you. I’ve been around a lot of couples, even back then. I’ve studied the way men looked at women. The look in their eyes, and in hers, tells me if they’re going to last. There are some men who look at their bride-to-be as if they can’t believe she’s marrying them. Some like she’s the best thing in the world. Some like she’s perfection personified. And the same for her. If she looks at him the same way, then I know the marriage is going to work. You looked at Vince that way.”

The tightness from my throat drifted to my heart as I asked, “How did he look at me?”

She sighed again. “He looked at you like you were his sister. Like you were any woman. I got the feeling he didn’t care who you were as long as you were willing to marry him.”

I sucked in a sharp breath. Damn. That hurt. More than it should. I was over the death of my marriage, but hearing one of my best friends knew it was going to fail and didn’t try to stop me from making that mistake hurt.

“I’m sorry,” Ada whispered. “I shouldn’t have told you.”

I looked up at my friend and had to feel bad for her. The pain she felt was written all over her face. “It’s fine. I asked. And you’re probably right. All his friends were married, and I think he wanted to get married since they were. Half of them are divorced now, so maybe that played into his decision to leave me, but it doesn’t matter. It’s over.”

“And you’re better for it.”

I glanced over to where Kyle was talking to Alvin. “I hope so.”

“You are, hun. I know it. It might not feel like it right now, but in the long run, you’ll see.”

I gave her a tight smile and nodded. She was right, but it was still hard. Especially since Vince refused to pull his weight with Kyle. Not only was I a single mom, but I was a single mom without any help.

Moms all over did it, but I didn’t know if I was strong enough. I had to be both father and mother for Kyle, and make sure he knew he was loved by his father, even though I wasn’t entirely sure he was.

“Who’s that?” Ada asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

I turned toward where she nodded. A man in a suit approached Alvin, but every other guest was in a suit so I wasn’t sure why she was asking. “A guest?”

Ada shook her head. “He wasn’t at the ceremony. It’s a small wedding. I would have seen him.”

We watched as he spoke to Alvin. When Alvin turned and pointed to me, I stood. What the hell?

The man locked eyes on me and walked slowly across the reception to where I stood next to Ada. She gave me strength just by being there and supporting me. Strength it felt like I needed.

I glanced at Kyle, who was happily playing with the stir sticks on the bar top, ignoring me and everyone around. At least I knew he was safe.

“Ms. Dixon?”

“Yes,” I choked out.

“Ms. Briella Dixon?”

I nodded.

He handed over a thick envelope that I hadn’t noticed until he extended it to me. “You’ve been served, ma’am.”

“Served? What are you talking about?” I blurted, refusing to accept the envelope.

“Everything is inside, ma’am.”

“What is this about?”

The man sighed. “I don’t read them. I just deliver them.”

“I’m not taking that until I know what it’s about.”

The man shrugged and set the envelope on the table. “That’s fine. You were here and knew I was giving this to you. If you choose to ignore it or leave it behind, I’ve done my job.”

Then he turned and walked away, leaving whatever bomb was in the envelope behind.