She knew what he wanted before he even opened his mouth. Renay had spent so much time dodging Bryce Donaldson. It had been nothing but bad luck that had brought him back into her sphere. She had purchased a lot in a new development, built her house exactly the way she wanted it for her and her daughter, Aaliyah, only to have Bryce’s best friend, Drew, move in next door. What were the odds? In a large city like Tucson, Arizona, not very high. And yet here she was, acting as maid of honor at Drew’s wedding where, of course, Bryce was the best man.
Renay watched him as he approached her from across the back yard of Drew’s home. Behind Bryce, Amanda looked at her with concern, but Drew put his arm around his new wife and whispered something that made her relax. Her eyes flicked back to Bryce with his ‘I-own-the-world’ swagger, sun-bleached hair, and bright blue eyes. He was definitely good looking, but he knew it. There wasn’t any visible change from when she had met him all those years ago.
“Hi,” he said, leaning against the table that she was standing beside. “I couldn’t help but notice you.”
“Yeah, it’d be pretty difficult not to notice the tall black woman in the formal dress that you had to escort down the aisle.”
Bryce blinked, clearly thrown off his game, but his smile returned quickly. “You left out the most beautiful woman in the back yard.”
Renay stifled a sigh as she tried to avoid eye contact. “In my experience, the bride is always the most beautiful woman at a wedding – as it should be.”
Again, he seemed to be unsure how to proceed, but he wasn’t one to be easily discouraged. “You seem to be immune to men,” he chuckled as he loosened his tie.
“Not all men.” Her eyes slid over to him. “Just you.”
He straightened at that. “Now you shouldn’t believe everything Amanda tells you. She barely knows me.”
“Oh, I’m not taking Amanda’s word for it. It’s personal experience that has made me immune to the wonderful Bryce Donaldson.” Her eyes flashed and her lips tilted in pleasure as she finally got to lay into the man who had changed her life.
“Wait. We’ve met before?” He took a step backwards, clearly ready to make a hasty retreat.
“We sure have.”
Bryce tried to muster up his most charming smile, but there was fear in his eyes. “I’m sure you’re mistaken. After all, it would be hard to forget someone like you.”
“No, we definitely met. It was about fourteen years ago at a party on the University of Arizona campus.”
He let out a disbelieving chuckle. “That’s a long time ago to remember meeting me. I think I should be flattered.”
Her eyes narrowed. “No, you shouldn’t. By the way, have you met my daughter? She’s thirteen, and she’s Emily’s best friend.”
Bryce paled instantly. “I believe I have. Will you excuse me?”
She nearly laughed as she watched him escape. It hadn’t been her intent to bring Aaliyah into the conversation, but it wasn’t surprising that it had created that reaction. It had been exactly what she had imagined for the past thirteen years.
Amanda was watching her, so she moved towards the bride to ease her mind.
“What did you say to Bryce?” Amanda asked.
“You know how guys like that are. All I had to do was mention my daughter, and he was out of there.” Renay hugged her tightly. “Not all men are as wonderful as yours.”
“And not all men are as terrible as Aaliyah’s dad,” Amanda answered softly in her ear. “Don’t let one bad experience prevent you from finding real love.”
Amanda had no idea. “When I find my Drew I’ll know,” Renay said, pulling out of the embrace.
One of Drew’s twins ran up at that moment asking about cake and capturing Amanda’s attention. Renay was relieved to have the conversation end.
Watching the romance between Amanda and Drew had made her question some of her life choices. She had a beautiful and intelligent daughter, a successful career, and she was blessed to still have her mother in good health and nearby. Even so, some nights she felt loneliness creep in.
“Come on, Ms. Simmons! It’s time for the bouquet toss!” Emily tugged at her arm. Renay allowed herself to be pulled along, even though the last thing she wanted was to be selected for the next bride, especially after running into Bryce again. She obviously couldn’t trust her own judgement about men.
She stood with the rest of the single women. There weren’t many in the small back yard wedding. Drew’s mom, Aaliyah, Emily, and Renay made up the small group, and the only ones who seemed to be interested were the two young teens.
Renay folded her arms across her chest, but wouldn’t you know it, the dang bouquet smacked her square in the chest and fell at her feet. After a moment of uncertainty, Emily scooped it up with a cry of victory. Renay smiled at her obvious joy at getting the flowers. Someone should enjoy the prize.
When it was time for the garter toss, Renay was relieved that Bryce was missing altogether. Not surprising really. The last thing a playboy like him would want is to catch the garter in the hopes of marriage being on the horizon.
After the SUV pulled away with the newlyweds in it, Renay helped Drew and Amanda’s family clean up. Then she pried her daughter away from her best friend to go home. The walk next door was short, but her feet ached from wearing heels all day. At five feet nine inches, she didn’t often wear the torture devices, and when she did, she would usually bring additional shoes to change into. Knowing that Bryce would be there, she hadn’t brought any extra shoes, and she didn’t even want to understand the psychology behind that decision. It was surely another example of why she was better off on her own.
“It was a pretty wedding, wasn’t it, Mom?” Aaliyah sighed as she flopped onto the couch. “I can’t wait to plan my own wedding.”
“Let’s not be in too big of a hurry!” She ran her hand lightly over her daughter’s braided hair. Looking at her sweet face, she realized that her little girl was vanishing and being replaced by a young lady.
“Oh, Mom!” Aaliyah rolled her eyes, but smiled. Renay sat next to her, and her daughter sat up and leaned into her side. “Maybe I can help you plan your wedding!” She slid her gaze up to her mom’s face with a mischievous smile.
“Ha, ha. That will never happen.”
Aaliyah sat up. “But why not? You’re beautiful, smart, and successful! Any guy would be lucky to have you.”
“Unfortunately, he’s going to have to be someone pretty special for me to bring into our lives, because I don’t have only me to think about. He’s got to be someone who would be a good father as well as a good husband.” She pulled her daughter in tightly. “Maybe one day it could happen, but it’s not my priority, Baby Girl.”
Aaliyah sighed and stood up. She started walking towards her bedroom, but her gait was a little too casual for Renay’s liking. “I don’t know. Getting married wasn’t Mr. Gordan’s priority either, but Violet prayed for a mom, and God gave them Amanda.” She flashed a smile over her shoulder. “It might be time for me to start having a longer prayer time.”
Renay chucked a throw pillow at her daughter, but it bounced off the wall as she turned the corner of the hall, giggling all the way to her room.
