The Boy Next Door

Chapter 26

"Have you seen her?" I ask while pulling the curling iron out of my hair. I watch Aiden fix the cuffs links on his blazer, the red dress shirt he's wearing underneath pops against the contrasting outer black material of the blazer.

"No. Mom will probably keep her in that room until it's time for her to walk outside." He says as I unplug the iron. My fingers rake through the loose curls before moving through my over stuffed make-up pouch.

We haven't seen Alex since breakfast this morning, their mother practically making her walk and eat so she could start getting ready for today. The rest of us hung out on the couch, much to Mrs. Carter's dismay, before we began getting ready.

"Tell me why people are already here." Adrian voices, our heads turning to look at him as he leans against the bathroom door.

"Why are you here?" Aiden asks while spraying on his cologne, clearly not giving much attention to his brother.

I finish applying mascara before picking up my phone. "The wedding starts in like thirty minutes, when did you want them to be here?" I question with a laugh.

He curls his lip up at me playfully, "I don't need my entire family here right now, it's enough of them as it is." He says while shifting his tie, his brown curls resting just at the base of his neck.

"If you're implying dad's side of the family, I doubt many of them will be here." Aiden says while making his way out the bathroom. I begin to tune out their conversation, my thoughts growing as I wonder what's the disconnect between them and that side of the family.

Nothing I should dwell on, so after finishing the last few touches I slip on my heels and we begin making our way downstairs. As we enter the backyard, the sun warms me as I take in all the filled in seats. It didn't register how many chairs we're out here until now.

Walking down the cobblestone aisle, we were stopped multiple times as many of their family members rose from their seats to talk. Surprised looks washed over a few of their faces as Aiden introduced me.

They seemed to like me as the amount of hugs and compliments I received could possibly fill a book. "You really haven't brought a woman to meet your family before, have you?" I ask as we claim our seats in the front row.

"Nope," Adrian answers while popping the 'p', "consider yourself special." I grin lightly, although I'm still curious as to why.

"They had no reason to meet," he says while squeezing my hand. "They weren't anything serious, so I never brought them around."

"You brought them around Alex?" I question further. She seemed relatively happy to know I was actually his girlfriend.

"No," he chuckles, "Alex is just nosy and finds out everything." Adrian agrees with this comment, a soft hum coming from him as he nods his head.

Looking ahead, I watch Harrison rock in place as he talks with his best man. Each encounter I've had with Harrison, he's carried himself very coolly, although I can practically feel his nerves in this moment.

"How long have they been together?" I whisper as I catch a glimpse of Mrs. Carter coming down the aisle.

"Three years?" He says, although it comes out more of a question he must think about longer. "Yeah, I think three years."

Mrs. Carter takes her seat on the other side of Aiden, and not a minute later the first bridesmaid walks down; the dusty rose color of their dresses complimenting the green scenery well.

The flower girl and ring bearer walk down together, their expressions serious as they concentrate in their task. I silently gawk over how cute they are until the change in music causes us all to stand.