Wicked as Lies (Wicked & Devoted #3) - Shayla Black Page 0,39
to the back of the garden-style venue, she caught sight of Josiah and Ashley holding hands, acting as if they were the only two people in the room. On the other side of the open space, Cutter and Rebecca did roughly the same thing. Tessa was grateful for the excuse to wrap her hand around Zy’s steely arm and press close.
When they found the reception hall, Zy tried to skirt the receiving line, but Dr. Waxman caught sight of him and waved him over.
“Chase! I thought that was you.”
“Great to see you, Doctor.” His smile was counterfeit. “Beautiful wedding. I’m happy for Kendra and her groom.”
“Thanks. I’m surprised to see you here.” The older man laughed. “I guess you’re representing your family tonight? Jennifer told me your folks couldn’t make it because your dad was summoned to DC for a senate hearing on Monday.”
Tessa tried to hide her surprise. Why would Zy’s dad be testifying on Capitol Hill?
“Sounds about right.” Zy shrugged noncommittally. “Beautiful event.”
“It was. You know, there was a time Jennifer and your mother hoped that you and Kendra…” He smiled tightly. “But she’s happy with Brian. And…is this lovely lady your date?”
He held out his hand to her, and she automatically took it. “Tessa Lawrence.”
Zy leaned in and dropped his voice. “We’re here working for Colonel Edgington and his sons.”
Comprehension dawned on his lined face, and he clapped Zy’s shoulder. “Good to hear. I knew the man was smart.”
“Thanks. I don’t want to hold up the line. Congratulations.”
Before Waxman could say anything else, Zy yanked her out of the receiving line and led her into the expansive ballroom draped in white, accented by arrangements of greenery and white hydrangeas that cascaded from the ceiling, along with massive chandeliers. Similar bouquets dotted the linen-draped tables, along with pale candles and crystal.
“Fuck,” he muttered as he led them to a table to the right of the bridal party’s and seated her.
“You’ve more than met the man. Your father is friends with him?”
“I— Well, it’s…” He sighed as he sat. “Yeah. At least they used to be. I don’t know anymore.”
“If they’d hoped at one time that you and Kendra might get together—”
He snorted. “That was never going to happen.”
“But you knew her.”
“I did.”
Tessa tried not to be hurt that he wasn’t forthcoming. After all, they weren’t a couple; his past was none of her business. But she didn’t like him being tight-lipped. Was he ashamed of something? Or did he not trust her? “Look, it’s none of my business, but—”
“My father was fucking Kendra, okay? The summer after I turned sixteen, I caught them together. In bed.”
“Oh, my god.” She gaped. “But Kendra is your age…”
“A year younger, actually.”
His father had been having sex with his friend’s fifteen-year-old daughter? “What did you do?”
“If you’re asking me whether I told anyone, I didn’t. No one would have believed me. When I asked Kendra what the hell was going on, she told me she’d wanted better sex than her bumbling boyfriend could give her and that my dad was very accommodating.”
Tessa felt sick to her stomach for him. “You must have been disillusioned.”
After all, her own father’s choices hadn’t been anywhere near that horrible, and their relationship was still rocky.
“About who my dad is?” He leveled a cynical stare her way. “No. Unfortunately, he didn’t surprise me at all.”
Just then, other people sat down at their table, full of chatter. She and Zy fell silent, which was fine. Tessa didn’t know what to say.
After a scrumptious dinner, the new Mr. and Mrs. cut their wedding cake and danced, all smiles. Tessa could hardly reconcile that the fresh-faced bride in front of her had allowed a grown man to defile her at fifteen. And if his dad’s behavior hadn’t shocked Zy, what did that say about their relationship?
Tessa made small talk with a woman who sat beside her, a distant cousin of the groom’s. Around her, music played, people laughed, family gathered, and love abounded. All she could feel was Zy’s big, silent presence beside her as he kept a watchful eye on the festivities, doing his job judiciously.
Josiah and Ashley pretended lust during a slow dance. If she’d only looked at their body language, Tessa would have believed them. But their astute gazes told a different story… Cutter and Rebecca seemingly argued in a back corner. Afterward, he propped himself against a wall while she scanned the room, acting as if she’d rather ignore him. Tessa wished she had any idea