Kit and Ivy: A Red Team Wedding Novella by Elaine Levine

one.”
    “Yeah. I’ve had three guys ask me to sit with them.”
    “Um. No.” Ivy shook her head. “Try five of them.”
    “That’s ridiculous. I’m glad you’re putting me at the kids’ table.”
    Ivy winced. “I didn’t, actually.”
    “What?”
    “There is no kids’ table. There’s just Zavi and Casey. Casey will be with us. And Zavi will be with Mandy and Rocco.”
    Selena crossed her arms and frowned down at the bride. “Who did you put me with?”
    “Owen.”
    “Seriously? Owen?”
    “And Val.”
    “Crap.”
    “And a couple of my friends. You met them at the party.” Ivy looked at her. “And Max.”  
    Selena forced herself to smile.
    Ivy’s eyes narrowed. “What are you doing?” she asked.
    “That’s my happy smile. This is your day. I’ll sit wherever the hell you want me.”
    Ivy’s phone rang. She hurried into the other room to answer it. “Hi, Kit. No, you can’t see me. Okay. Just a minute.” She came back into the room and pulled her robe on. “I’ll be right back.”
    “Is everything all right?”
    Ivy nodded. “Kit just asked if I could come out and see him for a minute.”
    Ivy hurried out into the hallway, shutting the door behind her. The women gathered in the short hall that led to the bedroom door, hoping to overhear their conversation. Ivy’s mom waited a little distance from them.
    “What’s going on?” Mandy asked, looking at Fiona, who was closest to the door.  
    Fiona shrugged. “I can’t hear.”
    “I know what it is,” Helen’s voice came softly into the group. “When Kit invited us out for the wedding, I told him I was going to bring Ivy my grandmother’s diamond and aquamarine earrings. Something blue, you know. He said he was going to have a necklace made to match.” Ivy’s mom had a soft, wistful smile and eyes that were impossibly sad. “I can’t believe I couldn’t see in the boy who stole my daughter’s heart, the man he could become. What a fool I was.”
    Mandy gave Helen a hug. “It’s not like life comes with a user guide. You’re here now. Kit’s right—don’t look back.”
    The door opened. Ivy and Casey stepped in. Ivy was wearing a beautiful pearl necklace with a big, tear-shaped, light blue stone hanging from the center. The necklace would hang perfectly in the V of her wedding dress. Casey also wore a new pearl necklace. Hers was shorter, made from smaller pearls. Instead of a teardrop pendant, her center blue stone was a round, bezel-set stone. It was a beautiful complement to her pale coloring.
    Ivy’s mom came forward and hugged her daughter. “Look, Mom, it matches the earrings you gave me.” She glanced down at her necklace. “Kit said he picked the teardrop because it would symbolize the transformation of our tears from something sad to something beautiful.”
    Selena was more moved than she wanted to admit. “Wow. It’s gonna be weird when he’s handing my ass to me somewhere down the line to remember the bastard has such a poetic side.” The girls laughed.
    Ivy hugged Casey. “And look what he gave Casey. Isn’t it beautiful?” She touched her daughter’s necklace.  
    “I’ve never had something this nice,” Casey said, reverently holding the necklace forward for the others to inspect it. Ivy wiped at her tears.  
    “Okay. Enough of that.” Mandy grabbed her hand and led her back into the bathroom. “You’re going to ruin your makeup!”
    “Casey, come help me straighten the room,” Helen called her granddaughter over.  
    Selena slipped out of the room. The estrogen was playing havoc with her nerves. She thought she’d head down and see if Eden needed any help. She saw Eden, Tank, and Blade step out the front door as she came into the main hallway. At the far end of the hall, Owen was just stepping out of his wing. He wore the same black and white tux Max had. His blond hair was brushed back from his face. His jaw was clean-shaven. His eyes caught hers.  
    Selena cursed silently. Facing