“I don’t have any more exes on the island,” he said. “How about you?”
“Nope. None for me. And hopefully this isn’t too much family overload for you. It shouldn’t be massive, but the Bond family alone will take up a great number. Then there are coworkers and friends. There are probably going to be a hundred and fifty people here, but for the Bond family, that is small.”
“What about Amanda’s family?” he asked.
“Last I knew Amanda only had her sister coming in terms of family. At least that is the word from who showed up at the bridal shower. It seems like all my cousins are finding mates with small families.”
He didn’t know much about anyone else, but it did ring true for him too. “I don’t think my family is all that small, but we just aren’t close,” he said. His mother had a few siblings; his father did too. He had plenty of cousins, but again, no one that kept in touch and he was fine with it.
They took their seats to watch the ceremony. The room had filled up quickly. When the music began, he looked up at the altar and noticed Drew almost bouncing he was so excited, as the first bridesmaid came down the aisle. Just two by the looks of it since Drew’s brothers, Bode and Coy, were the groomsmen.
“That is Mac’s fiancée, Sidney, that just walked down. And here comes Hunter’s wife, Kayla.”
“So keeping it in the family,” he whispered back.
“Those girls were roommates and best friends before they found their significant others.”
He hadn’t realized that but then thought back to how his wedding was with Ellen. Adam was his best man, and he had two other groomsmen. The significant others of friends of Ellen’s. People he didn’t talk to anymore.
He hadn’t only lost his wife, but also the friends they’d had. It amazed him how no one contacted him anymore and he wondered why. If they couldn’t bear it, or out of sight out of mind.
When Amanda made her way down on the arm of Hunter, he realized how much this family stuck together. He didn’t know the situation in Amanda’s family, but the Bond family had a role in everything to make up for it for the bride.
Drew had a grin from ear to ear and Seth was reminded of his own wedding day. But instead of feeling melancholy for being at the first wedding since his wife had died, he glanced down when he felt Ava grab and squeeze his hand. There was hope for him and his future. That she understood and she was there for him too.
“How are you doing?” Ava asked him an hour later when they were sitting at their table alone for the moment. They were seated with her brothers and parents. Her brothers didn’t have dates and were at the bar, her parents mingling.
Hors d’oeuvres were set up and being walked around while the wedding party was having pictures taken. Dinner would be soon, but for now he and Ava were enjoying each other and a drink.
“I’m fine,” he said. “Why do you ask?”
“Because you were staring at the front and not moving. I got the feeling you were having flashbacks and it never occurred to me that could happen.”
“I was,” he said. “Not in a bad way. More like I had an epiphany.”
“And what was that?” she asked.
He didn’t have a chance to say anything though when the first of the Bond family came over to talk that he hadn’t met yet. “So are you going to introduce me?” the man said.
“Seth, this is Jarrett Bond. Mac’s brother. The one that is a state trooper on the north end.”
“Nice to meet you,” Seth said, shaking hands with the tall man. It seemed like all the Bonds were big men.
“Just wanted to come and say thank you for watching out for our cousin. I heard you got everything under control relatively fast for her. If you need anything, I’m not far away.”
“Thanks, Jarrett,” Ava said. “Hopefully we can put this all behind us soon.”
Jarrett had nodded his head and left, but several more family members came over through the course of the night getting introductions and thanking him.
Hours later, Hailey rushed over, pulled out a chair and sat. “Hey, sorry it took me so long to come say hi. You know what it’s like at these functions. Everyone wants your ear for something. How have you been?” Hailey asked Ava.
“Hanging in there,” she said. “No word on anything?”
Hailey grinned. “I got the last of your debt cleared up a few days ago. We’ll get the official letter in a week or so they said. Once I’ve got it, I’ll start moving on getting it all cleared from your credit reports. But you no longer have that debt that you didn’t incur hanging over your head. As for who did it, I haven’t heard anything. You’d have to get an update from Griffin there.”
“That’s a relief,” she said. “And I’m sure Griffin will call me if he has anything.”
“It sure is. Thanks again, Seth, for all your help. If you hadn’t acted as fast as you did or called Ava in personally and got the ball rolling properly, it might not have gone as smoothly.”
“Just doing my job,” he said. Ava’s family was thanking him a lot tonight. It was almost getting uncomfortable.
“This was smooth?” Ava asked. “I’d hate to think what it’d be like if it wasn’t.”
“You don’t want to know,” Hailey said. “I’ll touch base with you soon. I’m getting waved over there. No rest for the weary. I should be off the clock, but I never am when we’ve got these big family functions.”
“That is probably why she is so thin,” Ava said. “She never sits still.”
“Your family is almost overboard with their gratitude toward
