I watch Sloane glow from the back of the ballroom, champagne flute warm in my hand, and wonder if anyone else can see how perfect she looks tonight. Her auburn hair is twisted into something elegant I could never pull off, her dress a soft blush that makes her skin luminous. Owen stands beside her, his hand on her lower back, beaming like he won the lottery. He did, really. Ten years of watching them together hasn't made it any easier. Ten years since that awful double-blind setup where Sloane dragged me along as her safety net and Owen brought his older brother Kieran. Ten years since I sat across from a man who looked at me like I was the only person in the room and felt something crack open inside my chest. Ten years of pretending I didn't. "You're lurking." I don't turn around. I know his voice better than I should. "I'm observing. It's different." Kieran moves beside me, close enough that I can smell his cologne—something dark and woody that makes my stomach tighten. "You've been observing from the same corner for twenty minutes." "Maybe I like this corner." "Maybe you're avoiding the happy couple." I finally look at him. That's a mistake. It's always a mistake. Kieran is taller than Owen, broader through the shoulders, with dark hair that's slightly too long and eyes that see too much. He's wearing a navy suit that fits him perfectly, and I hate that I noticed. "I'm the maid of honor," I say. "I'm not avoiding anyone." "Right." His gaze drops to my mouth for just a second. "That why you look like you want to run?" "I don't—" His hand closes around my wrist. Not hard, but firm enough that my pulse jumps. "Come with me." "Kieran—" "Now, Ivy." He's already moving, pulling me toward the hallway, and I should dig in my heels. I should make a scene. I should do anything except follow him past the bathrooms, past the coat check, all the way to the bridal suite at the end of the hall. The door closes behind us. The lock clicks. "What are you doing?" My voice sounds breathless even to my own ears. Kieran turns to face me, and there's something in his expression I've never seen before. Something raw and desperate and completely unguarded. "I'm done pretending," he says.