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Shelley will be with us, I promise. This is all about keepin’ us together.”
    He closes the distance between them. Without another word, he pulls her to him and kisses her with lips, a peek of tongue, and … I think I hear some breathless sighs coming from the guests. Nobody can take their eyes off that sensual kiss full of passion.
    Don’t fall for it! I want to scream, but I can tell it’s no use. Her bridal bouquet falls to the ground as she wraps her arms around his neck.
    I glance at the girl behind me. The Omigod girl is all dreamy-eyed as she watches the make-out session. All the girls are looking like that. I can just imagine their minds racing, wondering if they’ll have as much chemistry with their boyfriends/husbands one day. With that thought, I glance at Luis again.
    He’s looking right at me, and a shock wave runs through me. So what if we have chemistry. Chemistry doesn’t miraculously turn bad boys into good ones.
    “I’m mad at you for keeping something important from me,” Brittany says to Alex, although her conviction has definitely been compromised after that kiss.
    “I know,” Alex says. “I promise I have no other secrets.”
    “But I do,” she says. “As long as we’re spilling secrets I might as well tell you mine.” She looks down at her stomach and places her hand over her midsection. When she looks back up at him, her eyes are glassy. “Alex, I’m pregnant.”
    My stomach clenches in response.

7
    Luis
    When I objected to the wedding, I didn’t know it would turn into the Fuentes Family Circus. I just wanted Alex to come clean to Brittany.
    That’s it.
    I had no clue my soon-to-be sister-in-law is pregnant. Oh man, seeing our ma’s face when Brittany announced the news was classic—her face turned bright red.
    I’m glad it’s over, though. Brittany said “I do” and my brother said “I do” and she didn’t toss the arras back at him, and Brittany Ellis is now Brittany Fuentes.
    My brother is going to be a father … man, I can’t believe it. Neither can he. After the initial shock, he hasn’t stopped smiling, and at one point he even knelt down and kissed Brittany’s stomach over her wedding dress.
    I look across the room at everyone dancing on the moonlit dance floor having fun.
    Mi’amá comes up to me. She’s still flushed, but I can’t be sure if it’s from the shocking news she’s going to be a grandmother, the fact that I saw my cousin Jorge make her do shots of tequila, or if the realization hit that she just married off one of her three kids.
    I’ve already danced with all of my female cousins at least twice. And Brittany’s single friends who didn’t bring a date. One girl was seriously on the prowl and grabbed my ass a few times while we were dancing. I think she’s one of Brittany’s sorority sisters. She has no clue I’m fifteen, because she asked me what frat I was in.
    I look over at Nikki Cruz, the one person who’s not having fun.
    She’s sitting at one of the tables by herself. I swear the chick looks like she’d be happier taking a final exam than being at this wedding.
    I head over to her. “You might want to think of smilin’ at some point tonight,” I tell her. “It’s a weddin’, you know.”
    She looks up at me with big eyes that I swear are made of brown silk. It’s dark out, but the lights make her eyes shine.
    “Smiling is overrated,” she says.
    “How would you know if you haven’t tried it?” I take the chair next to her and straddle it. “Come on, I dare you.”
    “Go away.”
    She’s bitter, and trying her hardest to have a shitty time tonight.
    I fold my arms on the back of the chair. “Did you know smilin’ reduces the level of stress hormones in your body like epinephrine and dopamine? Seriously, even a fake smile’ll help. Try it.”
    She ignores me, so I cup my hands over my mouth and do something I haven’t done in years—barnyard sounds. I start with my imitation of a sheep and end with an