Holiday Wishes Excerpt
One Click your copy of Holiday Wishes by S.L. Sterling here: https://amzn.to/3gZapcp
He stared at me from across the table, then he leaned in and whispered something to Devon, taking his eyes off me. He nodded in response to what Devon had said, and then those dark-blue eyes reverted to me as Devon glanced over at me. I watched as he picked up his fork and shoved a roasted potato into his mouth. Devon leaned in and said something, causing them both to laugh.
He smiled in my direction, but I just rolled my eyes, picked up my wineglass, and turned my attention to something Kenzie was saying.
The high-pitched tone of a spoon tapping on the side of the crystal wineglass pulled all of our attention, and our group quieted.
Kenzie’s' mom stood at the head of the table smiling down on everyone. She cleared her throat before speaking. "We are so happy all of you could attend the wedding of Kenzie and Devon. I know some of you have travelled far, but know that both Kenzie and Devon are thrilled to have their closest friends by their sides for their special day," Kenzie's mother said as she turned to look at her husband.
I reached across my plate and picked up my wineglass again, taking a sip of my favorite Moscato. As Alexandra went on talking about her daughter and future son-in-law, I watched Declan Brooks. There were no words to describe how much I hated him and couldn't figure out why the hell Kenzie would think it would be okay to invite him.
As I sat there glaring at him, I felt a sharp jab in my side. I looked over at Kenzie, seeing her eyes bulging. "Stop it," she whispered tight-jawed, so not to interrupt her mother's speech.
"What?" I mouthed back. "I'm not doing anything."
She glanced over at Devon and shook her head and turned back to me. "You don't need to make it so blatantly obvious that you hate him."
I shrugged and went back to drinking my wine, trying to ignore the fact that he was still sitting across from me.
When the speeches were over and we had finished dessert, we all got up to go into the adjoining room to party the night away. I had been the first to take off and was just about to the door when Kenzie called me over to the side.
"Harper, please do me a favor please and don't ruin my wedding."
"What do you mean? Why would you think I would do that?"
"Look, I'm not being a bridezilla or anything. I just don't want you to ruin my big day. It took a lot of planning, and I know your not thrilled about Declan being here."
I blew out a breath. "I promise I won't ruin your big day. It's just so hard seeing him again. How was I supposed to know that Devon still talked to him after all this time? I guess it just would have been nice to have some sort of, oh, I don't know… a warning, maybe."
"I know. Devon kept asking me if I'd told you. I guess I wanted you to be here so bad that I feared you would say no to me if you knew he was going to be the best man."
"Best man?" I asked, shock lining my voice. "You mean he is going to be my partner all day tomorrow?"
"Yes."
I blew out a breath and tried to calm my nerves. "Look, I wouldn't have done that to you. I would have still come to the wedding. I would have said no to being the maid of honor, if I knew he would be paired with me for all the festivities, but I wouldn't have not come," I bit out, knowing that in a few short hours I would have to be attached to his side for the wedding.
"Are you serious? You are my best friend. I wouldn't have allowed that to happen, but in all fairness to Declan, he is Devon's best friend."
"Perhaps I will talk to him. You know, tell him not to get any idea’s, maybe get some closure so I can move on before the wedding."
"No, no way. No closure until after the ceremony tomorrow. Better yet, no closure until we are on our way to the airport for our honeymoon. Then you can get as much closure as you like, as loud as you like, however you would like," she said, raising her eyebrows.
"What is that look supposed to mean?"
"What, you can't be serious. He is as hot as ever. Perhaps you'd like to take him for a spin or something," Kenzie said, jabbing me with her elbow and laughing.
Her attempt at humor wasn't appreciated nor was it funny. There was no way in hell I was doing anything with Declan Brookes, except getting the closure I needed and deserved.
I looked at Kenzie and smiled. "Fine, if I must wait."
"Yes, you must. Now let’s go party the night away. It’s my last night as a single woman, you know."
