2 | SOME MOONS AGO

VINCE

I couldn’t help but rewind all the memories I had of her in my mind. Joy had been the only woman I had regretted not getting to know properly. And that was all because of a stupid agreement.

I had always wondered if she had faked her name. Little had I known she was more similar to me than I had thought. When I had introduced myself as Vince, she had said her name was Joy, both being the shortened versions of our names.

"What's her full name?"

"Joyce Gale," Jordan quickly answered.

Joyce Gale. I exhaled and folded my arms over my chest. For a year since I had last seen her, I had thought only of her, had wished if I could reverse time and get to do things differently between us.

But that had been all a long time ago. Five years ago.

"Man, no.” Jordan’s voice pulled my attention back to him. “She’s not your type.”

Funny. I had said the same thing to myself when I had first touched her smooth skin.

“She doesn't even look at guys in that manner,” Jordan said. “She once admitted she'd rather sleep with a skunk than marry men like us."

"Men like us?" I knitted his brows together, disturbed. What the fuck did that mean? That did not sound like the girl I knew or had known.

Jordan shrugged, giving a sly smile. "Arrogant. Way too rich. Flirtatious. Promiscuous. Narcissistic."

"Funny. Seems like you’re describing yourself."

“As if you’re any better,” he scoffed, and I rolled my eyes.

I took a deep breath and went for it. "Do you remember the girl I told you about, the one I met in Paris?"

Jordan nodded, but then paused, his eyes narrowing at Joyce before forcing them back on me with shock. Jordan had known about the mysterious woman that had me, of all people, swooning over her.

"I think that's her."

“You think?” He chided, “You better hope she isn’t.”

I shook my head and corrected, "I am sure that's her. But why the hell are you so opposed to the idea of her being that woman?"

His lips parted, but he didn’t speak. And I understood why. Not that Jordan worried about Joyce being Joy. He was terrified at the thought of another woman like Olivia ruining me. But I was certain Joy was nothing like Liv.

I was about to speak, but my words were cut off as the music played louder, showing the bride’s arrival. I exchanged a small nod with my best friend before turning back to the event.

The moment Aubrey paced through the aisle, everyone stood up, while I looked at Jordan’s expression instead. His eyes were filled with affection and desire. Both the bride and groom refused to lose their eye contact, as if they were talking to each other via an invisible string.

That was the kind of love any of us would be lucky to have.

I tried to focus on the ceremony, but my attention kept drifting to where Joy was. All I could fucking think of was Joyce Gale: her emerald eyes and lavender scent. I had craved her scent. Neither a girl nor a perfume could ever match up to that extremely soothing odour that had melted me, had made me lose my control, had addicted me.

Does she remember me? I stared at her, unable to steer my gaze away.

With a sudden flick of her eyes, she met my gaze (surely to me gawking) and her eyes rounded in shock. She remembered me. But what I didn’t understand was the look of fear in them. Or maybe I was just misreading it.

She immediately averted her eyes, regaining her composure, as if she hadn’t seen me. Oh, man, I had screwed up pretty badly.

***

JOY

The sounds of the soft music, children giggling, people gossiping and everything around me were making me a little anxious. I had never been good at weddings, which was why I had had to convince Aubrey to not make me a bridesmaid. I knew it unsettled her, but she understood. She fucking understood me.

The moment Aubrey walked in with her hand around her father's arm, everyone stood up. He guided her down the aisle, just like I had imagined. Bill was a brilliant father once . . . but sometimes, realities change people. It wasn’t too late for him to mend things with his daughter.

He handed Aubrey over to the tall, muscular figure at the centre of the stage, nodding at her. Jordan had his dark hair gelled to perfection and a huge smile glued to his lips, while his eyes refused to move from Aubrey. He extended a hand, and she accepted.

The stage was enormous, and was decorated with wreaths of green foliages and white and pink flowers, white net curtains draped between the pillars of the stage.

Jordan and Aubrey held their hands and took their vows together, vows that would bond their souls for eternity, as many preferred to say.

Staring into each other's eyes and promising to stay by each other's side was a very intimate moment, an enormous commitment I would avoid for as long as I could. Knowing that from then on, everything you would do is for your other half was exquisite. But at the same time, nothing frightened me more than the vulnerability that came with it.

My entire attention was stuck on the lovely couple's holy matrimony until my gaze shifted to the man standing behind Jordan and my entire world crumbled. It was Vincent Brown, the man I hated the most. And I hated the fact that I didn’t truly hate him.

This was the exact nightmare I had hoped to never live through. Aubrey had told me he wouldn’t be at the wedding. She had said he had some business in Sydney, which was why I was here.

Vince wore a blue tuxedo. His undercut hair was flipped back, and he looked devilishly attractive, no doubt. He pressed his brows together while he stared at me. Oh god, he knew it was me.

I forcefully shifted my attention back to the major attraction of the event, trying my best to control the shivers working up and down my body.

After the bride and groom's passionate kiss, they headed for the reception table. During the different ceremonies, I knew deep down that Vincent was watching me, his gaze nerve-wracking, penetrating.

The staring part was okay, because I thought I could handle it, until it wasn't. It was vexing me.

Later, after the dinner and the speeches, I felt relieved, not finding Vincent anywhere around. He had probably left for work. I had successfully avoided him. For years, I had tried my best to not blow the fact that I was Aubrey’s best friend. The rehearsal dinner, the family gatherings—I had avoided all the events that he had attended.

I stood by the altar beside Jordan’s sister, Joanne, with her twins running around the altar, racing after one another, while Jordan and Aubrey sneaked off to get ready to leave. The dance floor was occupied and so was the dining room.

"Sometimes, I dread the thought of bringing another child into my life when there are already two monsters eating my head," Joanne said, sipping from her glass of orange juice.

"Seeing you dread it, I dread it.” I shrugged my head.

"It's not like I hate it.” She went on, “Sometimes I wish I could have some time for myself, which seems like a dream now. The times I'm not taking care of them, I'm either freelancing or searching for the next thing to clean up after my kids. I can't even talk to Harper about this. He’s a great dad, and he works his ass off to keep up with the business."

"All this sounds suffocating." I looked at Joanne from my peripheral vision, my brows pressed together.

"It is.” She sighed. “But on the plus side, I love them. The moment these kids hug me or call me Mom, it feels . . . I don't know how to explain it. It's one of those things in the world that has no rational explanation."

I wished if all mothers thought the same. My mother didn’t, which was why she had run off with some random college guy.

"You do an exceptional job at handling things. Harper and your kids are lucky to have you." I smiled at her before looking back at her kids, who were now running toward the tables with the food set up. “Oh, shoot!”

"Oh, no . . . No!" Joanne ran after them, yelling.

I burst into a fit of laughter, watching her pull one twin by the ears while the other scampered off into the house. God, I couldn’t even imagine the things those devils put her through.

"It's been a long time . . ."

A hoarse voice reached my ears, and I whirled around on my heels to glance. My breath hitched in my throat. My eyes landed on his silvery ones and my breathing quickened. I had hoped to never see him again.

"Joy,” he said in a soft voice.

Oh, fuck!