Page 29 of Face Off

Cade descended the castle steps before Briggs could respond. He wore dark faded jeans and a white button-down with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, looking more relaxed than any man responsible for a wedding his mother was calling the event of the year, four professional hockey players in the wedding party, the entire Bennett bloodline, and Briggs should’ve looked.

Bliss followed him in a pale pink sundress, already crying.

“We’ve been here nine seconds,” Rider said.

“I’m getting married.”

“On Saturday.”

“I’m preparing.”

She reached Briggs first. He dropped Lyric’s forgotten suitcase beside him and lifted Bliss from the ground as she wrapped both arms around his neck.

“My beautiful bride,” he announced. “Have you reconsidered the groom?”

Cade continued down the steps. “Put her down.”

“I’m offering options.”

“You’re offering to lose a limb if you don’t put her down.”

Lyric released a disgusted breath beside me. “Does he ever stop performing?”

Briggs heard her. His smile remained, but his arms loosened around Bliss before he returned her carefully to the ground.

Bliss looked toward Lyric, the happiness in her expression tightening around the edges. “He’s excited, Lyric. We have been close friends for too long for him to be anything but excited.”

“He’s always excited. It’s exhausting.”

Cade stopped beside Briggs. Rider looked down and rubbed his mouth while I watched the familiar little shift move through my teammate’s shoulders.

Briggs made himself smaller around Lyric. A man that size shouldn’t have known how to disappear, yet she had taught him.

He reached for her hand. “Come on. You’ll feel better after we check in.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’ve been annoyed since the airport.”

“Maybe because you’ve been screaming since the airport.”

“I wasn’t screaming.”

“You don’t understand how loud you are.”

Briggs released her hand before she could pull it away. His gaze moved toward the castle doors, and I knew he was calculating how quickly he could apologize for a problem she created.

I looked at him over the top of my sunglasses. “Creí que habíamos quedado en que la diabla no era bienvenida aquí.”

His eyes closed as he shook his head once before answering in Spanish. “Pórtate bien, hermano.”

Lyric looked between us. “It’s incredibly rude to speak a different language when the rest of us can’t understand you.”

Bliss had just lifted the champagne flute a server handed her near the entrance. She choked and turned quickly enough to spit the wine into the grass instead of across her dress.

“Fucking shit,” Cade muttered as he caught her elbow.

Rider dragged one hand over his face. “We made it almost ten minutes.”