Chapter 437 - Wedding Rehearsal Dinner (M&H) (2)

Derek arrived at the rehearsal dinner and glanced around. He saw Hunter, Mia, Madeline, two wedding planners, Nathan, Jake, Grace, two guys, and a girl to which he assumed are part of Mia's family.

He wondered if Angela will be here. She is Ashton's sister so... probably, but at the same time she is not related to Mia or Hunter so… maybe not.

Derek was not sure if he wants to see Angela. Part of him wanted her to come so that he can clear up a few things with himself because he was unable to stop thinking about her. He wondered if he was nearly-obsessing about Angela only because he messed up by making a move on her without thinking or if there is more to it. If he didn't run his mouth and just went with the flow of bedding her, would Angela still invade his thoughts? Derek was not sure.

Derek was painfully aware that if Angela showed up, he wouldn't know how to act or what to say. What does a guy say after such a disaster?

On that day, Derek committed two offenses. First, he treated an innocent girl like a hookup, and second, he broke the unspoken bro-code by going after a sister of a close friend. Maybe he could find an excuse for his behavior by saying that he didn't know Angela was a virgin, but the bro-code violation was a serious offense on its own.

The only good thing in that fiasco is that it seems Angela didn't tell a soul about it because if Ashton found out that Derek made a move on his sister and was a jerk about it… Ashton would blow a fuse.

"Hey, Derek!", Hunter exclaimed and waved at Derek to join him and Jake.

"Am I early?", Derek asked as they shook hands.

"No, no… You are on time, but it seems that everyone wants to be late."

"Others will be here shortly.", Jake assured Hunter who was shifting from one leg to another.

"Nervous?", Derek asked Hunter.

"Yes and no. I mean… Mia is the girl for me, and I only hope not to mess this up."

"How do you know that she is the girl for you?", Derek asked.

A goofy smile spread on Hunter's face, like always when he thinks about Mia. "I can't explain it without sounding like an enamored teenager, but I knew it the moment I saw her. The attraction was undeniable and everything about her was perfect. Mia is the piece of me I was missing, and I didn't know about it until she walked into my life. She was like a ray of sunshine and I knew that if I let go, I will regret it for the rest of my life. I know I sound crazy, but when it hits you, you will know. From day one, Mia was like a beacon I was unable to resist, and I didn't care who she was or from where she is, the only thing I knew was that I can't stay away from her. When we are together I am excited and at peace, and when we are apart I can't stop thinking about her…"

Derek listened to Hunter's chatter and Hunter's every word struck a chord. It sounded just how Derek felt about Angela. From the moment they shook hands at the hospital, Derek was attracted to Angela, like a moth to a flame. The big difference between Hunter's and Derek's situation is that Hunter treated Mia well while Derek messed up royally. And to make things worse, Derek can't even talk about it with anyone because if Ashton finds out, he will kill him.

Mia approached the group with Roberto by her side. "Hunter, can you introduce Roberto to the guys?"

Hunter's goofy smile widened. "Yes, my love." He gave Mia a light kiss on the lips and she walked away with a giggle that made Derek, Jake, and Roberto roll their eyes.

Jake stifled a laugh and shook hands with Roberto. "We have something in common already. We gag at the lovey-dovey mood Mia and Hunter spread around. I have a girlfriend and we get along great, yet I still get nauseous when I spend too much time with those two. I'm Jake."

"We can all try not to gag at their public displays of affection.", Roberto responded. "I am Roberto, Mia's half-brother."

Roberto shook hands with Derek and Hunter told them that Roberto will also be one of the groomsmen.

As if on cue, Derek's head snapped toward the entry door and he saw Ashton and Sabrina walk in with Angela who was two steps behind them. Angela walked with her head low.

Derek held his breath. Angela was beautiful. Her golden-brown hair was tied in a high ponytail and it flowed as she walked… the loose light blue tunic fell freely after touching her breasts and mental images of a pink bra, full breasts, and perky nipples flashed in his mind… gray jeans fit well around her gorgeous legs and he remembered the smoothness of her skin… Oh, God! This will be difficult.

Derek was unable to look away as she walked with Sabrina toward Mia and Madeline, and he watched them as they chatted while looking at some notebook. He saw that Angela frowned and she bit her lower lip. Is she unhappy about something? He wished to talk to her, and hug her worries away, but he knew that was not a good idea, and he forced himself to focus on Hunter who was talking about his love for Mia again.

No matter how much Derek's desire swelled to look at Angela and to get close to her, he reminded himself that Ashton is present and if he catches Derek staring at Angela, he will risk alerting Ashton that something happened, and sparks will fly.

A few minutes later, Liz approached Hunter and the group with the notepad in her hand. "Madeline wants you to confirm the pairings for the walk before dinner starts…" She was in her role of maid of honor. "We will do a practice walk and then the dinner will be served…"

The guys gathered around Hunter who was holding the notepad, and they looked at the page that said:

[0: Hunter at the altar with Mike (best man) and Liz (maid of honor);

1: Max and Olivia;

2: Ash and Rina;

3: Q and Bri;

4: Jake and Grace;

5: Derek and Angela; <- Roberto instead of Derek

6: Roberto and Andrea; <- Derek instead of Roberto

7: Mia and Fabricio.]

Roberto and Derek both frowned, but for different reasons.

Derek was wrapping his head around this information. It seems that he was paired up with Angela, but it got changed. Did Angela do this? Why would she do that? It's just a little walk and they don't even need to talk, damnit!

Derek told himself to stay cool. It does not matter if this change happened because of Angela or someone else. It's probably better that he stays away from that girl because nothing good can come out of it. How Derek sees it, the best-case scenario is that they treat each other like nothing happened, or like strangers, and anything other than that means that Ashton will explode into rage.

"Which ones are Andrea and Angela?", Roberto asked Liz, pulling Derek out of his thoughts.

"The blonde in the red dress is Andrea… The girl in the blue tunic and jeans with brown hair up in a pony is Angela."

Derek watched as Liz gestured while answering Roberto's question.

Roberto's lips lifted into a smile. "Sweet."

"You fancy Angela?", Hunter asked suspiciously, and Derek felt like someone stabbed him in the back. Right in the middle.

Roberto shrugged. "I definitely prefer to be matched with Angela compared to the other one which is more mature. Angela has a good figure and looks sweet, and for more than that… Ask me again later. I'm going to introduce myself."

Roberto straightened the collar of his shirt, ran his hand through his hair, and blew into his palm to check his breath before walking toward Angela.

"Should we tell him that she is Ashton's sister?", Jake asked Hunter in a whisper.

"Uhm… I'm not going to meddle.", Hunter responded and glanced at Derek. "You are fine with that? ... Derek?"

Derek was glaring at Roberto and his head snapped toward Hunter when he heard his name. "What?"

Hunter rolled his eyes. "You look like you are about to pounce at Roberto to stop him from going there. We all saw you hitting it off with Angela in the hospital. Why are you acting like strangers now?" After two seconds of no response from Derek, Hunter's eyes widened. "Don't tell me that something happened… Dude… You are going to ruin my wedding."

"Nothing happened.", Derek mumbled while avoiding Hunter's gaze. "Stop imagining things."

Jake scrutinized Derek. Even a blind person could see that something happened.

"Yeah, right…", Jake said sarcastically and then his lips stretched into a malicious smile. He turned to Hunter. "You heard our man Derek. Nothing happened. They had a good time in the hospital and that's it. They didn't go beyond a friendly chat with some light flirting. Do you see? Roberto is making a move on Angela and Derek is completely fine with that."

Hunter got Jake's hint and he decided to play along. "Well, they are about the same age and Roberto has an impressive background with some mad skills. If I'm a girl, I don't know if I could resist him."

Derek glared at Hunter and Jake. "What are you trying to pull here? What happened with ruining your wedding?"

Hunter shrugged. "Did I say something that could ruin my wedding?"

"Nothing can ruin this wedding, not when I am the best man!", Mike said as he approached the group, and they changed the topic back to the wedding preparations and the bachelor's party, but Derek was unable to stop his eyes drifting toward Angela who was talking to Roberto.

Angela was smiling, and Derek could see that her smile was not as warm as it was when she spoke to him… two weeks ago. Derek was glad to see that Roberto does not impact Angela the way he does.

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