Better late than never to the rehearsal dinner.

Aaron timed his entrance to the rehearsal dinner so as to be the last to get there. That way Alexa and Melissa could get there long before him and lessen the change of anyone putting two and two together.

“Great! You’re here, we can start” Daniel announced to everyone when Aaron took his place at the large table that had been set up for the rehearsal dinner.

“Sorry, just taking care of some business,” Aaron told Daniel. Aaron’s eye travelling to Alexa who had the grace to blush ever so slightly at the comment and take a sip of her wine.

“Everything all good at the company?” Daniel asked eagerly. He was an eager worker if a little naive.

“Oh nothing you need to worry about,” Aaron waved him off as he looked about for his seat.

Vinny had already claimed a seat in between Gillian and Bernice, an arm thrown over each of their shoulders. The boy was quick Aaron gave him credit for. Alexa and Daniel were seated together, of course, flanked on either side by their parents. As luck would have it though, there was a spare seat next to Melissa.

Always with good manners, Aaron asked, “this seat taken?” as he sat down next to attractive Asian.

Melissa indicated that there was no one sitting there and Aaron moved in next to her. She was dressed in a puffy white and purple cocktail dress that looked fetching with her tanned Asian skin. Her hair was swept back in a simple ponytail that allowed Aaron to take in her toned shoulders.

The evening began as soon as Aaron was seated. Daniel thanked them all for being a part of Alexa and his special day tomorrow. Aaron found himself tuning out to his long-winded speech about how much it meant to them to have them all there to support them and blah, blah, blah. Truth be told since he had started sleep with Daniel’s wife to be Alexa, he had placed the man firmly in the beta category in his mind. Good enough to work for him in his company but not leadership material.

When Daniel had, at last, finished speaking Melissa took the lull in preceding to lean in close to Aaron’s ear and say low enough for just the two of them, “you said Alexa was helping you look for your phone, not taking care of business.”

Damn it! Melissa was really too smart for her own good. Aaron had to come up with something to tell her and fast.