Foolish Summer | ✔

29 • S T E P H E N • 👰🏾🤵🏽

Brad was wiping at his eyes before my mom even came out. He must've really been in love with her. A grown man wouldn't break down like that over nothing.

I tried to be more opened to the idea of Brad as a step-father. He was kind of cool, I guessed. He was a better running partner than Dev—Brad didn't need frequent breaks to catch his breath.

Being civil with Brad also kept my mom in a good mood, too. It had only been a week since our talk, but there were some improvements to our relationship. Especially when it came to girls.

I thought she'd say no when I asked her if I could bring LaToya to the wedding. Toya liked any reason to dress up and basically begged me to bring her. Toya and I were just friends. She claimed she was done with men and would just focus on herself for a while. Besides, my head was still occupied by another girl.

I wasn't expecting to see Waverly at my mom's wedding—or ever again, if I was being honest. But there she was. Sitting with her family at the back of the room. The frames of her glasses were gold and matched her earrings.

We were stuck in a staring contest. I wanted to know what she was thinking. She probably hated me. I wondered how many apologies it'd take to make for what I said the last time I saw her.

Everything she said that night was the truth. I got scared and pushed her away. The fact that she called me out on it only made it worse. She knew things about me I didn't even know myself.

I definitely owe my mom and Brad an apology. A lot could happen in two months.

The only thing able to to tear my eyes away from Waverly was my mom. The back door opened and the guest stood, some pulled out their phones. All eyes were on my mom as she walked down the aisle with her dad.

A live singer sang a song about love as my mom took her place at the alter. She and Brad grinned at each other, both of them and laughing and misty-eyed.

I glanced back at Waverly and her eyes were on my mom and Brad. She didn't look my way for the rest of the ceremony.

• • •

After a teary vow exchange and some PDA I wished I could delete from my brain, the guest moved to the main ballroom while the rest of us had to go out back to take pictures.

It stopped raining, thankfully, and everything was dry already.

"How many more pictures does this woman need?" I said through a wide grin as I posed with my mom.

"That's what the ceremony was missing, a complaint from my loving son." Unlike mine, her smile wasn't forced. She was cloud nine. I didn't think there was anything I could've said to upset her that day.

The first chance I got, I snuck away to the ballroom to get away from the photographer. There were buffet tables and seating on one end and a dancefloor with a DJ on the other.

Waverly was sitting at a table by herself. Perfect, I thought. I took two steps in her direction and froze. Someone sat down next to her with a plat full of appetizers. LaToya.

I spotted Dev at the chocolate fountain and pulled him away. "What the hell, man? I got chocolate on my shirt."

"Toya is talking to Waverly." I said, turning my back to them so they wouldn't catch me staring.

Dev stoped messing with the chocolate stain on his white dress shirt and glanced around the ballroom before his eyes landed on the two girls behind me.

"Damn. What do you think they're talking about?"

All that stuff I said to Toya after that Christmas party came to mind. Would she tell Waverly how I really felt about her? Would that be a bad thing?