held his hand throughout the ceremony, fighting back tears. It didn’t
matter that it was Scott getting married and that he and Kathy were beginning a
family together. Weddings were always a time of hopeful beginnings, and she
wished the best for the bridge and groom.
Pronounced man and wife, Scott and
Kathy made their way back down the rose-petal-strewn aisle. Kathy’s eyes
seemed to deliberately seek Sunny’s out and, finding them, hold for a moment. Kathy,
she thought, your union with Scott doesn’t need my blessing. I just hope it
works for you both. Even so, she smiled in encouragement. Kathy smiled back,
eyes moist. Scott leaned his head forward to peer past his bride. When his
light blue gaze lighted on Sunny, then on Roger beside her, his expression
transformed. Roger’s hand tightened on her own. She thought she heard him
swear beneath his breath. The moment passed, however, and everyone cheered the
new couple as they disappeared into the shadowed interior of the house.
* * *
Sunny watched Roger dance with her
sister. Like the manner of his walk, he danced with earthbound grace and
dignity. When asked where he’d learned, he had told her it was part of his
physical therapy. He’d actually had to learn balance again. Quite obviously,
he’d regained it and then some. Sunny couldn’t wait to dance with him again.
“Well, well, Sunny-girl, you look
ravishing, as always.”
Sunny stepped into Scott’s line of
sight, trying to distract him from Roger, as his attention had moved
immediately from her to the dancing on the patio. If he started making remarks
about Roger she wouldn’t be able to keep silent about it, wedding day or not.
But despite his tone when he greeted her, and his straying focus, Scott
maintained a courteous demeanor, nodding at people who passed with a
bridegroom’s smile. Thankfully, he disregarded Roger as a topic of discussion.
“Kathy looks lovely, doesn’t she?”
Sunny said.
Scott made a noise through his nose.
“Oh come on, you don’t mean that.”
Sunny bit the inside of her cheek.
“I do. Have you looked at her today? She’s shining. I’m sure she’s happy.
How has she been feeling?”
Scott shrugged. “Not bad. Not sick
anymore, so that’s good.”
“Any names picked out?”
“Nah. Not yet,” he commented,
raising the glass in his hand to take a drink as he watched his new wife
speaking with someone in the grass. Sunny watched her, too. She really did
look both lovely and happy. She wasn’t wearing a wedding gown, but a very
becoming dress of pale blue cut in just such a way that any bump was discreetly
disguised.
“This is a good thing, Scott. A
great thing. It really is.”
He made another noise, which she
chose to ignore.
“She does look beautiful,” said
Sunny.
“Hope she doesn’t blimp up,” Scott
said, turning to face Sunny, the scent of alcohol strong on his breath.
Sunny’s eyes flew wide in anger on
Kathy’s behalf. “Scott! You really are a bastard, you know that?” she rebuked
him in an undertone. “What are you drinking?”
Lifting his glass, he sniffed at it.
“I dunno. Whiskey and something, I think. Smells like it. Wanna dance?”
She didn’t, not with him anyway, but
she didn’t want to create a scene by refusing, either. Jessica had claimed
Roger again, so Sunny wordlessly stepped out onto the patio with her ex-husband
as the music began. She might even have hoped it would go well, until she felt
his hand sliding along the back of her dress.
“That’s my ass, Scott. My waist is
up here,” she said, yanking his hand up where it belonged.
“Sorry,” he said, not sounding in the
least contrite.
Throughout the dance, he continually
jerked her close, forcing her to keep stepping back, making for an awkward
performance of what should have been a series of simple maneuvers. When he
pulled her close
matter that it was Scott getting married and that he and Kathy were beginning a
family together. Weddings were always a time of hopeful beginnings, and she
wished the best for the bridge and groom.
Pronounced man and wife, Scott and
Kathy made their way back down the rose-petal-strewn aisle. Kathy’s eyes
seemed to deliberately seek Sunny’s out and, finding them, hold for a moment. Kathy,
she thought, your union with Scott doesn’t need my blessing. I just hope it
works for you both. Even so, she smiled in encouragement. Kathy smiled back,
eyes moist. Scott leaned his head forward to peer past his bride. When his
light blue gaze lighted on Sunny, then on Roger beside her, his expression
transformed. Roger’s hand tightened on her own. She thought she heard him
swear beneath his breath. The moment passed, however, and everyone cheered the
new couple as they disappeared into the shadowed interior of the house.
* * *
Sunny watched Roger dance with her
sister. Like the manner of his walk, he danced with earthbound grace and
dignity. When asked where he’d learned, he had told her it was part of his
physical therapy. He’d actually had to learn balance again. Quite obviously,
he’d regained it and then some. Sunny couldn’t wait to dance with him again.
“Well, well, Sunny-girl, you look
ravishing, as always.”
Sunny stepped into Scott’s line of
sight, trying to distract him from Roger, as his attention had moved
immediately from her to the dancing on the patio. If he started making remarks
about Roger she wouldn’t be able to keep silent about it, wedding day or not.
But despite his tone when he greeted her, and his straying focus, Scott
maintained a courteous demeanor, nodding at people who passed with a
bridegroom’s smile. Thankfully, he disregarded Roger as a topic of discussion.
“Kathy looks lovely, doesn’t she?”
Sunny said.
Scott made a noise through his nose.
“Oh come on, you don’t mean that.”
Sunny bit the inside of her cheek.
“I do. Have you looked at her today? She’s shining. I’m sure she’s happy.
How has she been feeling?”
Scott shrugged. “Not bad. Not sick
anymore, so that’s good.”
“Any names picked out?”
“Nah. Not yet,” he commented,
raising the glass in his hand to take a drink as he watched his new wife
speaking with someone in the grass. Sunny watched her, too. She really did
look both lovely and happy. She wasn’t wearing a wedding gown, but a very
becoming dress of pale blue cut in just such a way that any bump was discreetly
disguised.
“This is a good thing, Scott. A
great thing. It really is.”
He made another noise, which she
chose to ignore.
“She does look beautiful,” said
Sunny.
“Hope she doesn’t blimp up,” Scott
said, turning to face Sunny, the scent of alcohol strong on his breath.
Sunny’s eyes flew wide in anger on
Kathy’s behalf. “Scott! You really are a bastard, you know that?” she rebuked
him in an undertone. “What are you drinking?”
Lifting his glass, he sniffed at it.
“I dunno. Whiskey and something, I think. Smells like it. Wanna dance?”
She didn’t, not with him anyway, but
she didn’t want to create a scene by refusing, either. Jessica had claimed
Roger again, so Sunny wordlessly stepped out onto the patio with her ex-husband
as the music began. She might even have hoped it would go well, until she felt
his hand sliding along the back of her dress.
“That’s my ass, Scott. My waist is
up here,” she said, yanking his hand up where it belonged.
“Sorry,” he said, not sounding in the
least contrite.
Throughout the dance, he continually
jerked her close, forcing her to keep stepping back, making for an awkward
performance of what should have been a series of simple maneuvers. When he
pulled her close
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