Zayne Lennox had become a pro at pretending things were okay when they really weren't, so as the sun rose on the day of Daniel and Brielle's wedding, he went out with his normal smile and joking disposition as they ate breakfast before the three of them went off to shower and get dressed in their best. The three of them took a selfie, with Zach and Elias kneeling down to be closer to Zayne's height, and then off they went.
Brinxton had to spend the morning with Daniel and his brothers, though he could get some relief whenever his sister needed help with something. Brinxton had gotten messages of apologies from his friends, saying they would support him on whoever he wanted to spend time with. Brielle could tell that he was in his head though, so she tried to give him some small things to do to keep him away from Daniel and busy. They were simple things, like grabbing the pastries from the delivery person for each getting ready room and putting the boutonnieres in the men's dressing room at the venue.
Eventually she handed him a champagne glass with a mimosa in it. "Go get dressed and try to have some fun. I know you don't like Daniel but his brothers are sweet. If I see any red hair from my window as the guests come into the garden, I'll let you know."
Brinxton did as she ordered and tried to have a good time with Daniel's brothers. James and Garrett did try to include him in the fun, and Brinxton knew Zayne had told him how great they had both been after the accident, bringing over things like heating pads, ice packs, heated blankets, and easy to make food even after Daniel had left him.
They had a photographer taking photos as they finished getting dressed and got their boutonnieres on. Then they took some posed photos of the groomsmen with the groom. There was another photographer in with the bride and her bridesmaids. Eventually guests started to flow into the garden the wedding was taking place in.
Zayne decided not to take the wheelchair into the garden, but it was in the back of his car for the cocktail hour and reception. He walked in with a cane made of cherry stained wood. It was carved to look like a wolf on the top. They found seats in the middle with their parents and Aspen, and waited for everything to start.
Daniel came down into the garden first with his dad to stand at the altar waiting. From where Brinxton was behind a bunch of bushes, he could see where Zayne and the others were sitting. He wouldn't be able to talk to them until later though. Everyone got into line as Brielle had set up the day before, and when the music started, they began the procession.
Everyone stood when it was time for the bride to enter. Brielle looked stunning in her gown. It was a beautiful ivory color that was covered in lace with a sweetheart neck, chiffon off the shoulder sleeves, and a long ball gown. Her dark hair was half up in a decorative bun while the rest fell down her back in curls. She went for makeup that matched the jewel tones of the bridesmaids' dresses and groomsmens vests on her eyes and a more natural lip.
Once the guests were sitting again, the ceremony began. They had readings, the lighting of candles, pouring sand into a container, and then the vows. All through that, Zayne couldn't help but keep glancing over at Brinxton. His vest was a rich jewel toned blue and they made his eyes stand out even more than normal. Anytime they caught each other's eye, Zayne would smile at him.
He may have been upset about what happened the night before, but something about looking him in the eye just made Zayne want to smile. It was probably because he was completely and irrevocably in love with the man. For Brinxton's part, he spent most of the ceremony miserably ruminating on what had transpired and trying to figure out how he could have handled it better while forcing himself to smile neutrally for the photos. Daniel noticed that he was distracted and got a nasty smirk on his face when Brielle had turned to get the ring for the exchange.
Finally, the reverend announced Daniel and Brielle as husband and wife, and everyone cheered and started blowing bubbles as the couple kissed. Brielle and Daniel walked back down the aisle to all of the bubbles around them, and then their entourage exited in order and towards the gardens where they were to take photos.
Zach went to get Zayne's wheelchair once they were onto the patio area where the cocktail hour was. Zayne tried various hors d'oeuvres but didn't drink much. He spoke with some of the people he knew, and stuck with his family most of the time.
A little over an hour later, it was time to go into the reception area, which was inside the building where there was a ballroom. They found their seats and the bridal party was all announced before the newest Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Williamson came in to join the party. Zach didn't even wait for Daniel and Brielle to sit down before he started to gently hit his fork against his wine glass, and others joined in. It was meant to make the bride and groom kiss at the reception, and Zach was doing it just to annoy Daniel, but Brielle was a good sport about it.
They listened to speeches and then got into dinner. Brielle's taste was impeccable and everything was delicious. Then they got through the normal rituals, like cake cutting, first dance, and bouquet throwing. The guys all made sure Zach was the one to catch the garter, much to his amusement.
Once it was finally time for cake and dancing, it seemed like Zayne was never quite able to catch Brinxton. Daniel had him off on some errand or another, all under the guise of it was what his sister asked for, though Brielle had wanted Brinxton to go off and find Zayne and maybe even dance with him, and she had told her husband that.
Zayne was of course disappointed to not be able to find Brinxton but he tried to handle it as best he could. He danced with his sister and a few of their friends, and he even danced with Zach at one point. Of course, he had to be careful in his dance steps, but luckily most of them were slow songs, or his partners were happy to go slower for him.
At some point Zach, Zayne, and Elias took some shots with Daniel, though Zayne only drank one of them. The photographer captured all four of them taking the shots before he moved onto the next guests and left them to chat with each other.
When Daniel started to run out of things to get Brinxton to do as they came to the second part of the reception, he sent one of his friends over to keep him occupied, whether by drinking or flirting. He didn't care which.
Brinxton tried his best to get away from the guy, but he was persistent and damned impossible to redirect. Brinxton suspected what this man's mission really was but he really needed to get Zayne alone for a few moments so he could try to make amends, and try to explain how he felt. Something told him that the window to make things right was closing and he didn't like that feeling at all. He could feel the panic slowly rising at the idea of Zayne not being part of his life anymore.
Zayne was finding that keeping up the act of being okay was more tiring than he remembered it being. He didn't know if it was because he wasn't as young anymore, or if it was just an inherent part of chronic illness and pain. He could see that Brinxton was busy, though he didn't pick up on how annoyed he was by it.
He was just beginning to wonder if it might be time to call it a night, even though there was still another hour and a half of the reception, when he turned and bumped into a mutual friend he knew from society. Carter had always been closer to Daniel, but Zayne had gotten along with him fine and it had been a while since he had seen him.
"Zayne!" Carter cried, a smile on his face. "I'm surprised to see you here and acting buddy buddy with Danny again!"
Zayne shrugged. "Well, time heals most wounds, and I prefer to move forward and on rather than dwelling on it."
"That's such a mature way to view it," Carter replied as Zach came up to join his twin. "I'm glad to hear that. I thought after the cheating you would never speak to him again."
Zach frowned at that, though he didn't look anywhere near as surprised as Zayne did. Zayne sat there looking at Carter like he had just told him aliens had invaded the wedding. "The what?" Zayne finally asked once he found his voice again.
"You didn't know?" Carter asked. "Daniel swore you knew. Him and I only slept together once, but he was seeing a couple of other people too, the last...oh, six months you were together? I believe it was six months. Three people total from what I know, two men and one woman. Not Brielle, of course. She wouldn't be anyone's side piece of anything!"
Zayne felt like his entire body went cold and he was sick to his stomach. Honestly, he wasn't angry at Carter. Carter had always had some loose morals, and he wasn't the one who had made a commitment to him. Hell, he couldn't even bring himself to be angry at Daniel. Daniel didn't matter in the grand scheme of things anymore, except how he was connected to Brinxton now. Still, learning that the last six months of his relationship had been a lie was hitting him hard.
"I didn't," Zayne admitted. "But thank you. It certainly puts things into perspective."
"Sorry," Carter said to him and then slunk away.
"I'm gonna kill him," Zach said and was getting ready to do so when Zayne stopped him.
