If there’s an answer out there, I’m determined to find it before this weekend is over because I’d give anything for a little bit of attention from her. Even if she were to just say hi.
3
Hope
“Oh my God, Kellan totally checked you out.” Hannah squeezes my arm and giggles softly.
Nudging her with my elbow, I glance over my shoulder at Kellan and smile. He smiles in return and I quickly turn back to the parade. He’s changed a lot of since the last time I saw him; definitely more rugged and handsome, even if he is covered in head to toe St. Patrick’s Day get up. What’s crazy is that he truly is Irish. You can tell by the dark ginger hair and the accent. I used to love listening to him talk. When I moved to Arizona, I lost touch with him. Back then, he was dating a girl none of us really liked, but we put up with her anyway. From what I can tell, he’s not with her anymore.
I lean in closer to Hannah. “He’s not still dating that Bridget girl, is he?”
She scoffs. “Hell no. That ended a long time ago. He’s single right now.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Kellan laugh and carry on with the guys. Why do I even care if he’s single? Maybe it’s the Jell-O shots making me think of him in ways I shouldn’t. Shaking my head, I focus back on the parade. The last thing I need is to think of anything other than getting through the wedding and getting back home. Unfortunately, my body doesn’t seem to agree. Every few seconds, I catch myself looking over at Kellan. And thank God he doesn’t notice.
Hallie totally abandoned her bridesmaids to stand with Stewart. “I’m starting to think us bridesmaids are going to have to celebrate on our own,” I laugh, shaking my head at Hallie. Stewart has his arm around her shoulders and she looks so happy as she talks to the guys.
Hannah giggles. “Yeah, I’m starting to realize that now. No worries though. We’re getting ready to go to the pub and grab a bite to eat. My boyfriend’s meeting us there.”
“Why isn’t he here now?” I ask.
She nods over at Stewart. “Stu and Andy don’t exactly get along really well. You see, Andy’s a prosecutor whereas Stewart’s a defense attorney. Andy works for your father. That’s how I met him.”
“Wow,” I gasp, eyes wide with surprise. “I didn’t know that.”
I hate that I’ve been so out of the loop with my family. It makes me feel bad.
Hallie giggles. “It’s okay, cuz. I know you’ve been too busy in Arizona to pay attention to my life. Anyway, back to the guys, they’ve gone head to head a few times in court. Guess their disagreements carried over into their personal lives.”
“That’s insane,” I say, “who would’ve thought you and your sister would be with enemies?”
Hannah shrugs. “It sucks, but I can’t help it. I love Andy, just like Hallie loves Stewart. However, our family get togethers have been quite interesting. My parents get a kick out of watching Andy and Stewart disagree on things.”
It’s my turn to scoff. “It’s better than coming into town just to hear your mother gripe about how old she’s getting without grandbabies. I swear, she’s getting on my nerves. She’s already threatened to have one of her friend’s sons be my date to Hallie’s wedding.”
Hannah rolls her eyes. “That sounds like Aunt Jane.”
“Girls, let’s go,” Hallie shouts. Hannah and I both look her way and she waves for us to follow the group. Kellan turns his crystal blue eyes my way and smiles at me again and I can’t help but smile back. Damn Hallie for making me take all those shots. All my senses seem to have left me. The girls and I follow the guys to the closest Irish pub which is jam-packed with people. Luckily, Kellan walks up to the bar and shakes hands with the guy standing behind it. He has the same dark, auburn hair as Kellan, but nowhere near as good looking.
It’s so loud with all the music that Hannah has to basically scream in my ear. “That’s Declan, the owner. He’s Kellan’s cousin. We’re supposed to get a private room in the back.” And just then, Kellan waves for all of us to follow him. We bypass all the people to a back hallway and up a set of stairs into a separate room that has a pool table, jukebox, and a large screen TV over a private bar. There’s even a young guy behind the bar, probably in his early twenties, dressed in all green, including his hair.
The guys all flock the bar, but Kellan stays back and walks over to me and Hannah. “So, what do you think?” he asks, waving a hand about the room. “Not too shabby, is it?”