Twice Smitten (A Modern Fairy Tale) Read Free

treated you like a queen.”
    The ache in Abigail’s chest started again. “He loved me.”
    “You loved him back.” Emma squeezed her hand.
    “And still something was missing. If only I knew what the heck it was. That’s why I’m here. I want to know what it is.” She squeezed Emma’s hand back. “I see it with you and Tobias, but for the life of me I can’t put my finger on it.”
    “You crashed his wedding,” Sasha said. “It might be safe to say the answer to the question is making you crazy.”
    This time Abigail could laugh. Heads turned at the sudden sound from the back pew, and then it was only Greg’s gaze that mattered. Surprise came first, but it was the genuine happiness that tied her stomach into knots. Nadine stood at the same time Greg made his way down the aisle. His mother caught him by the third pew. Greg bent down to her ear. The older woman nodded but got in one last good I-will-bury-you-where-no-one-will-find-you glare at Abigail and sat down.
    He slid onto the pew in front of them, facing her completely, smiling the smile that had made her wish for the missing it factor. The one that made Abigail wish her heart skipped because oh, my God he was smiling at her like that . Her heart only warmed because he looked so happy.
    “You came,” he said simply, his voice husky and familiar. “You brought the gang as I hoped.” He nodded to Sasha and Emma. The smile went lopsided with good ol’ boy charm. “Wearing black and broken hearts. Good friends as usual.”
    “You would notice.” Abigail smiled back at him. “Congratulations. Can’t wait to meet the lucky woman.”
    “You’d rather get your toenails pulled out with pliers.” He chuckled. “I can promise you’ll hate her down to her Chanel pearls, but I love her, Abby. I adore her down to her Chanel pearls.”
    There it is . The knot eased in her gut. Maybe guilt played a little part in her coming to the wedding. When you break someone’s heart into a million unidentifiable pieces, you worry about them. One might even feel like crap, too, for having done the breaking. One might think, maybe, I’ll be the one who screws him up for the rest of the world.
    So, Abigail might have skewed him. She had that effect on men, but he was fine. She let out a quiet breath. “She put that look on your face. I like her already,” and the words were sincere.
    The music grew louder and he turned his head to the front. Drew met his cousin’s gaze and tapped his watch. Greg stood. “That’s my cue.” He started to leave and stopped to lean over the pew. In a whisper, he added, “Watch out for my mom.”
    “Already alert.” He raised one hand in good-bye and then walked away without turning around. “That was so adult of me,” she said to her friends.
    “It was,” Emma agreed.
    Abigail nodded. “So you know what that means?”
    “You have to get incredibly drunk at the reception?” Sasha asked.
    “It’s the only way to balance the scales.” The hairs along Abigail’s arms stood up.
    Her gaze went straight to the front of the church. Instead of latching onto Greg, her gaze went to Drew. A slow smile started at the corner of his mouth. It seemed to promise debauchery and many, many sinful things she should not be thinking about her ex-fiancé’s cousin. Her heart skipped at the silent promise. He winked as the smile widened.
    Abigail blinked. “Bad idea.”
    “But we’re professionals at those,” Sasha said.
    Abigail tore her gaze from the smile. One bad idea she wouldn’t try a veni vedi vici method. Not even she was that masochistic.
    *****
    The male maturity noose was the first to go. Drew hated the things. He set the tie down next to the silver charger plate that held barely palatable breaded chicken. Yvonne, the bride, belted it down, but the reason could be how much the food cost and how long she’d probably went without eating to fit into the wedding gown.
    The designer’s name had been bandied about like she was an