A Vine Mess (Love on the Vine #4)

32. Liam

When I woke up the next morning, the morning of my brother’s wedding day, I was surprisingly…refreshed.

Considering the lack of sleep Ella and I had gotten the night before, I should’ve been exhausted and sore, but all I felt was energized.

Once today was over, Ella and I could return to Michigan and never look back. Except to see Mom and Gramps, I’d never have to come out west again save on the road trips Ella and I would inevitably take. There was peace in that.

The ceremony was at noon, and Ella and I had accidentally slept until ten, so we rose and quickly got ready. Since I’d refused to come out here for tux fittings and generally anything that had to do with today but the actual ceremony itself, I’d sent my mom my measurements and she took care of making sure I had something to wear that matched the rest of the groomsmen, a group of which consisted of a bunch of my brother’s equally as entitled frat bros .

But my bespoke, cream-colored tux paled in comparison to Ella’s outfit. Today, she wore a pink slip dress that fell to her ankles. The fabric was delicate and adorned with numerous wildflowers. With her hair curled and pinned to one side, makeup subdued, and delicate gold jewelry, she was a fucking vision.

Ella was wealthy, but she didn’t feel the need to flaunt it, something I’d always admired. Hell the entire Delatou family was wealthy—richer than even my family—but you’d never know it from the way they acted. I wondered how different my life would be if I’d been raised by people more like Leon and Lena instead of my own parents. Mom did what she could but my father was a tyrant.

“Once again,” I said, shaking myself from my thoughts and pressing a quick, soft kiss to her lips to avoid smearing her lipstick, “we have to get out of here before I take you back to bed.”

“I’ve grown quite fond of that bed,” she said, giving the mattress a little pat as she walked by it. “In fact, I think we should get a four post bed just like it.”

I paused at the promise in those words, at the plans for a future she’d supplied in such an off-handed comment.

I pointed a finger at her, then gripped her hand. “We will be discussing that further at a later date. For now, let’s go get this wedding over with so we can get the fuck out of here.”

“Lead the way, Wills.”

When we reached the main lobby of the hotel, we were greeted by my mom at the foot of the stairs.

“Oh, finally,” she breathed when she saw me. “We were beginning to think you’d run away or something.”

I laughed, kissing her cheek. “I definitely considered it. ”

“Well thank you for being here,” she said, smiling up at me. “If not for them , then at least for me and your grandfather.”

“You and Gramps are the only reasons I’m here.”

My mom’s expression softened, and as I had many times over the course of my life, I once again wondered why she continued to remain shackled to a man who was no better than a piece of chewed up gum stuck to the bottom of her shoe. More than anything, I wanted my mom to be happy, and I just didn’t think she was. She’d gotten really fucking good at pretending, though.

Sammy appeared in the doorway of a room off to the side, and I could practically see the steam pouring from his ears as he waved me over. After squeezing Ella’s hand a final time, I reluctantly walked to him.

“About fucking time,” he grumbled, though he pasted on a fake smile and made a show of hugging me for the photographer stationed nearby, capturing every moment of this joyous occasion. “We have to be out there like…now.”

“Then I’m right on time,” I grinned as I pulled away, though my cheeks felt brittle and liable to crack under the force of it.

“Whatever,” Sammy said with an eye roll. “Follow me so we can line up.”

I did as I was told, walking behind him and his buddies through a door on the far side of the room, which opened onto a receiving area at the back of the atrium where the ceremony was being held.

Yeah, as if this place wasn’t pretentious enough as it was, there was a fucking atrium on the grounds.

The Delatous would never .

The groomsmen quickly paired off with the bridesmaids, assumingly having been alerted ahead of time who they were walking down the aisle with. With a jolt, I realized as best man and maid of honor, I would be stuck next to Mellie for much of the formal parts of the evening.

Fuck me.

“Hello, William,” Mellie said as she sidled up to me. Though the silhouette of each was different, all the bridesmaids wore dresses in a burgundy color that, with Mellie’s pale coloring, didn’t do her any favors. Nor did the heavy eyeshadow I thought was meant to be a smokey eye but missed the mark.

I squared my shoulders, resolving to be cordial, and said, “I actually go by Liam.”

Okay, so much for cordial.

“Apologies,” she said. “I haven’t seen you in so long. You could’ve changed your whole name by now. Your last name is still Danvers, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” I gritted out, trying my damnedest to hold it together.

I didn’t understand how I hadn’t seen it before everything fell apart. How I hadn’t caught onto her scheming and underhandedness. How like my father and Sammy and other players in this world she was. Fuck, was I glad I had gotten out. Before, everything Mellie did was magical to me, and I’d thought myself lucky that she was even giving me the time of day.

Now, it took all my self-control not to shrug her off when she slipped her hand through my proffered elbow.

Sammy walked down the aisle with Mom, Dad, and Mellie’s mom, kissing both of the women on their cheeks before taking his position at the altar.

The harpist began strumming, and the procession began, four pairings going before it was my and Mellie’s turn.

I did my best to smile and appear happy as we made our way toward the altar, but I could tell I was failing miserably. Mellie, meanwhile, was eating up the attention, a bright grin on her face, offering little waves to the friends and family we passed. Almost as if she was saying, “See? Liam and I look so good together.” As though she was trying to convince me.

She must’ve read my mind, because she said, “This should’ve been us,” through her smile. “It still can be.”

We reached the end of the aisle, and a moment before we parted, I whispered, “Never.”

I took up my spot next to Sammy as Mellie did the same on Char’s side, her lower lip jutting out in a pout briefly before she schooled her expression into that of happiness and excitement for her younger sister.

The harpist launched into the wedding march, and the guests rose to their feet, turning to watch as Char and her father came down the aisle.

I didn’t give a fuck about her, or this whole charade.

Instead, my eyes found Ella’s in the second row, and everything in me that had been whipped up in the last twenty minutes settled. I knew without a doubt I was looking at my forever, and while Mellie had serious delusions if she thought she and I would ever find ourselves wed, I could easily picture the day when I vowed myself to the second youngest Delatou daughter.

Hell, I’d marry her right this second if she’d let me. Shove my brother and his bride to the side and commandeer the entire affair, simply so I could forever call her mine in every sense of the word.

But if I knew Ella as well as I thought I did, she’d want something small and intimate. On the vineyard, probably. With a big floral arch that she designed herself, her sisters standing next to her. Funnily enough, when I imagined who would be by my side, I envisioned each of the partners of the Delatou women. Logan, Cal, Owen, and Ezra had been more like brothers to me than my own ever had.

I tried to pay attention to the ceremony, I really did, but it was difficult with Ella so close, her presence drawing my attention in like a lodestone. Rings and vows were exchanged, the officiant read that cliche 1 Corinthians Bible verse, Sammy and Char kissed, and just like that—it was over.

“We should talk later,” Mellie said as we moved back up the aisle.

“There’s nothing left to say,” I assured her.

“Please, Will—Liam,” she corrected. “Just give me a chance to explain myself.”

I’d never considered the possibility that she might owe me an apology, that I might deserve one, and suddenly, I found myself wanting it.

“Fine.”

Photos were interminable, mostly because my cheeks were fucking aching from faking a smile, and my entire body, every nerve ending, begged me to get Ella back in my arms.

At last, we entered the reception, and though I knew it would piss my father and brother off and raise all kinds of questions from the guests, I left my seat at the head table empty in favor of joining Ella and Gramps at theirs once again.

Before she could utter a single word, I hauled her against my body and crashed my mouth to hers.

It wasn’t an overly explicit kiss. There was no tongue, only an extended length of time where my lips remained pressed to hers, breathing her in, drinking in the sensations of being with her.

When I let her go, Ella swayed a little on her feet, but I steadied her with my hands on her hips.

“Hi,” I grinned.

“Hello to you too,” she said.

“That was some greeting,” Gramps said from behind me, and I turned to him, giving him a sheepish apology.

Now that the hard part was over, I could sit back and enjoy my time with my girl and Gramps. We chatted all through dinner, and when the speeches were out of the way—Dad gave one in my place because there was no way in fuck I was getting up there and saying anything nice about Sammy and Char—the DJ got the music going.

I was surprised by the selection—namely that it was all music from this century.

A slow song came on, and I pulled Ella to her feet, walking us to the center of the dance floor and wrapping her in my arms.

“I have to ask,” she said, though the way she gnawed on her lower lip told me she was nervous about the question she had.

“Yes?” I prompted.

“Did you and Mellie—” She stopped, shook her head, and started again. “Were you ever close to… this ?”

I shook my head, lifting my hands to cup her cheeks. “No, baby. We were—” I thought about the best way to phrase it without hurting Ella. Then again, I knew she’d understand. Knew she felt the rarity of what we had exactly as I did. “We were off more than we were on, and though I thought we were getting more serious at the end there, it wasn’t ever like this. Believe me when I say I have never felt for anyone the way I feel for you. And maybe it’s crazy to say, but I know without a doubt that the only woman I ever want to marry is you .”

Ella nodded, tears welling in those gorgeous green eyes, making them sparkle even brighter than normal.

“Happy tears?” I asked.

“Happy tears,” she confirmed.

The song ended, and something neither of us had any interest in dancing to began playing, so I led her off the floor.

“I’m going to go get us more drinks,” I told her. “Go hang out with Gramps and rest.”

“Rest?” she asked, quirking a brow. “For what, exactly?”

“Oh, I think you know, my dear. Let’s call it a repeat of last night. But this time”—I leaned in to whisper in her ear—“ I ’m tying you up.”

“Promises, promises,” she said, winking and disappearing into the crowd.

I made my way toward the bar, but I pulled up short when I caught my parents in my periphery, having what appeared to be a whispered argument. Dad was red in the face, visibly pissed off. That wasn’t shocking. What was, however, was the fact that my mom was shaking. With anger or fear, I couldn’t tell, and when my dad gripped her upper arm tightly and didn’t let go when she tried to pull away, I frankly didn’t give a fuck .

Before I reached them, Dad finally released her and disappeared.

“Mom,” I said, careful not to touch her when I reached her side. “Are you okay?”

Mom rested her hand against my cheek—against the beard I’d refused to shave simply on principle when Sam asked me to—and gave me a soft smile. “I’m leaving him, sweetheart. I’ve never been better.”

Any normal person probably would’ve been blindsided and hurt by the news that their parents were getting divorced, but not me. All I could do was grin at my mom and wrap her in my arms, whispering into her raven hair how proud of her I was.

“You can move to Michigan,” I whispered when we broke apart.

“I’ll consider it,” she said. “Depends if you’re giving me grandchildren anytime soon.”

She glanced pointedly over my shoulder, at where Ella and Gramps chatted at the table, as he tipped his head back and laughed loudly, Ella giggling behind her margarita glass.

“Maybe.”

“You love her.”

It wasn’t a question, but it was the second time in as many days that she’d brought it up.

“More than I ever thought possible.”

Mom nodded, and rose to kiss my cheek. “I love you, my boy. You’ve done beautifully, and I’m so proud of you.”

My nose stung with emotion and I croaked, “I love you too.”

“I think I might like Apple Blossom Bay,” she said almost absently as she wandered away. “We’ll talk more tomorrow. ”

As I continued my trip to the bar, I felt like I was floating. Everything was so…good. Perfect. Exactly as it should be.

Until Mellie stepped into my path and rained all over my parade.