Chapter 367
The Biker Alpha Who Became My Second Chance Mate
Chapter 367
Athena
“But now people know exactly when and where to be,” Derek countered. “That’s the point of clear communication. ”
“We all have brains, Derek. We can figure out ‘dinner in thirty minutes‘ without a PowerPoint presentation. ”
“I never made a PowerPoint p>
“You would if you could,” Kiara interrupted.
Sarah fell into step beside me, gently bouncing Liam who was starting to fuss. “They’ve been like this for the entire rehearsal p>
“I know,” I said. “ It’s kind of amazing. They can’t seem to agree on anything p>
“But they also can’t seem to stop talking to each other, ” Sarah pointed out. “Notice how they always end up near each other? Even
when they’re arguing? ”
She was right. Even now, walking to the parking lot, Derek and Kiara were side by side, still bickering about the merits of detailed planning versus spontaneity, but neither of them made any move to walk away.
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Leah caught up to us, linking her arm through mine. “Okay, so here’s what I’m thinking. We need to create situations where they have to work together. Sarah, you’re the matron of honor in spirit, what if you tell them they need to coordinate their toasts? ”
“ Oh, that’s good,” Sarah said, her eyes lighting up. “And Athena, you could say you need them to work together on some last–minute
wedding details. ”
“I like where this is going,” I said grinning, like it wasn’t my plan from the begining. “What about seating arrangements? Maybe they
need to collaborate on where everyone sits at the reception. ”
‘Perfect, Leah said. “And I’ll casually mention that the maid of honor and best man traditionally share a dance at the reception. You
know, for photos. ”
‘ Is that even a thing? ” Sarah asked.
‘It is now,” Leah said with a wink.
‘Think they’ll figure it out? ” I asked.
“Eventually, Sarah said with a knowing smile. “Some people just take the long way around p>
The rehearsal dinner was held at an Italian restaurant we’d rented out for the evening. The room was warm and intimate, with
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Chapter 367
candles on every table and soft music playing in the background.
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Everyone was more relaxed now that the formal rehearsal was over, and the wine was flowing freely (except for me, I was stuck with
sparkling water, but I didn’t mind p>
ear.
Tristan kept his hand on my thigh throughout dinner, occasionally leaning over to kiss my temple or whisper something sweet in my
Being legally married to him for months now hadn’t diminished the excitement at all, if anything, it had intensified it. Every day I got
to wake up as Mrs. Hayes felt like a gift.
Lily was showing off her flower girl skills to anyone who would watch, re–enacting her walk down the aisle with dramatic flair. Orion and Sarah looked on with proud parent smiles, while Liam slept peacefully in the portable bassinet beside their table.
I placed my hand on my belly, feeling the gentle flutter of movement that had become more frequent over the past few weeks. Our
baby. Our little miracle.
“You okay?” Tristan asked softly, noticing my hand on my stomach.
“Perfect,” I said. “Just … taking it all in. How lucky we are p>
“The luckiest,” he agreed, covering my hand with his.
Across the table, Derek and Kiara were at it again.
“I’m just saying,” Derek was saying, “that if you’re going to give a toast, you should prepare remarks in advance. Write them down,
practice them, make sure you’re not going to ramble p>
“Ramble? ” Kiara said indignantly. “I don’t ramble. I speak passionately and authentically p>
“That’s literally what rambling is. ”
“No, rambling is when you don’t have a point. I always have a point p>
“Do you though? ”
“ Yes! My point is that weddings are about love and joy and celebrating two people committing to each other. They’re not about hitting
arbitrary time markers or following rigid structures p>
“ Structure isn’t the enemy of spontaneity, Kiara. You can have both p>
‘Not the way you do it. You’d probably schedule when people are allowed to cry during the ceremony p>
“That’s, that’s not even… Derek stopped, took a breath, and seemed to reset himself. “ You know what? Fine. Give your rambling,
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unstructured toast. I’m sure it’ll be… heartfelt p>
‘It will be, Kiara said firmly. “And people will actually feel something when I’m done, not just relief that they can finally move on to
the next agenda item p>
I saw my opportunity and seized it. “Actually, you two should probably coordinate your toasts. Make sure you’re not covering the same stories or themes. Derek, why don’t you and Kiara meet up this week to go over what you’re planning to say? ”
Both of them looked at me with matching expressions of horror.
“That’s … I don’t think that’s necessary,” Derek started.
“It’s totally necessary,” Sarah chimed in, right on cue. “You don’t want to repeat the same words. That would be awkward p>
“Plus,” Leah added, sliding into the chair next to Kiara, “you two need to work on your reception entrance together. The maid of honor and best man are announced as a pair. You should practice your walk p>
“ Our walk?” Kiara repeated. “We just walk in. How hard can it be p>
“You’d be surprised,” I said innocently. “Remember how you were ‘walking too fast‘ earlier? ”
Derek fought a smile while Kiara shot me a look that promised retribution later.
“Fine,” she said. “One meeting. To coordinate toasts. That’s it p>
“And the entrance,” Leah reminded her.
“And the entrance,” Kiara agreed reluctantly.
“And you’ll need to practice your dance,” Sarah added, her face the picture of innocence as she adjusted Liam’s blanket.
‘Our what?” Derek and Kiara said in unison.
“Your dance,” Sarah repeated. “The maid of honor and best man traditionally share a dance after the bride and groom’s first dance. For
photos p>
“I’ve never heard of that,” Derek said suspiciously.
“It’s definitely a thing,” Leah assured him. “Very traditional. And besides, Athena wants it. The babies are craving it p>
I could see Derek and Kiara exchanging skeptical looks, but neither of them wanted to argue since the babies were mentioned.
They looked at me and I nodded innocently while touching my tummy.
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“One dance,” Kiara finally said. “But I’m not doing anything choreographed p>
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Derek said dryly. “Though a little choreography never hurt anyone p>
“Oh my god p>
“I’m kidding,” Derek said quickly, though his eyes were dancing with amusement. “We’ll just … sway or whatever people do p>
“Sway or whatever,” Kiara repeated. “How romantic. ”
“It’s not supposed to be romantic. It’s supposed to be traditional. And for the babies p>
“Of course. How could I forget about your love of tradition and structure. I’m only doing this for the babies. ”
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Sara Lili
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.