But I didn’t know. Truly.
Without turning back to Lilly and Tori, holding a steady gaze on Eli, I said, “And I was always curious about him.”
It was his turn to be surprised now. “You were?”
I nodded sincerely.
After a moment, Tori let out a fluttery swoon. “You two are so dreamy. What a story.”
“And you’ve been together ever since?” Lilly asked.
A wave of emotions passed over him. Hope, regret, and then something soft and vulnerable. “There have been a lot of ups and downs,” he told them without looking away from me. “But we’re here now.”
A soft smile formed on my lips and I nodded once before we both turned back to our companions.
“They’re so cute,” Lilly said to Tori, and then in unison, they both said, “They should come to the wedding.”
My body physically retreated from the two girls. A little fib over lunch was one thing, but dragging this out into one of the most important events of their lives felt flat-out unethical.
“Please say you will,” Tori said to us both.
Lilly nodded vigorously. “With a story like that, you two have got to be some kind of good-luck charm.”
I turned to Eli and gave a subtle shake of my head, but his mouth was already moving. “We’d love to.”
Chapter Forty-Four
The Eliza Jane hotel was on the north end of the Quarter, and while we could have walked there, the rain had been on and off all day and we decided it was best not to arrive to the wedding of two strangers looking like wet rats with humidity-induced swamp ass.
Eli watched me while we sat in the back seat of our cab. “Two dresses in one weekend,” he said wistfully.
My cheeks warmed. I still wasn’t used to Eli being so vocal, especially when it came to me.
Since he’d walked down to my and Ruby’s room to pick me up—as though we were on a real date—he’d kept at least one hand on me. I tried to fight him on going to the wedding, but he simply said it would be rude to back out now and I supposed he wasn’t wrong.
Over the course of the day, he’d slipped into what felt like a familiar role. Like, there was never a time when we didn’t hold hands, and it was normal for him to look for me first in every room. I’d become so used to being Brody’s secret that I didn’t even think to take Eli’s hand in public until he took mine.
I didn’t hear from Hollis or Ruby, but Hollis’s suitcase was open on a luggage rack when I went to Ruby’s room to get ready and there was a third toothbrush in the bathroom. I took that as a sign of at least one good thing. Before we left, Eli moved my suitcase over to his room so I could give Hollis and Ruby privacy and hopefully avoid theinevitably uncomfortable reunion with my grandmother for a little while longer.
Thankfully, I’d packed another dress. Red A-line with a form-fitting boned bodice, a scoop neck, and thick straps. It was simple, but when I tried it on, it had felt like the kind of dress I’d want to wear for years to come. I opened the small silk pouch where I kept my limited collection of jewelry and dumped it out on the bed to find the yellow gold wedding band I’d held on to for all these years and slipped it on my right ring finger.
Once we got out of the cab, Eli and I stood on the sidewalk, each waiting for the other to go inside first.
“We could just go to dinner,” I said.
“We’ll eat dinner at the reception,” he said as he took my hand and led me behind a slew of other guests. “Come on, Vera. Play pretend with me. For one night.”
We were directed out to the courtyard, where chairs were set up under a canopy of botanicals and palm trees.
The ceremony was short and had a few Jewish wedding traditions to honor Lilly’s side of the family. Otherwise, the event was deeply nontraditional and casual. Not in an irreverent way, but in the sense that even though we’d spent only thirty minutes with the brides this afternoon, I felt as though we knew them.
While Tori said her vows to a tearful Lilly, Eli mindlessly took my right hand. His fingers brushed over my ring and the recognition on his face was immediate when he looked down.
He pursed his lips for a minute before sliding the ring off my right hand. My lips parted as I looked up to him, the sounds of the ceremony dulling as the moment seemed to become only us. Then he took my left hand and slid the band onto my left ring finger.
“We’ve got to play the part,” he explained quietly.
Before I could respond, the officiant reintroduced the brides to their loved ones and we were standing and clapping. My eyes were full of tears I didn’t know I’d begun to shed.