“Whatever.” Call me a bad friend, but I had way more pressing worries than Steele’s issues with a woman he claimed to hate. Today was the end of Lanie’s two weeks on the island. We hadn’t talked about it, but the deadline hung over us all week; even last night it wasn’t far from my mind.
At noon, I picked up Easton’s mother and brothers, Max and Zane, from the airport. Big E was the middle child. I knew all of them from my junior hockey days. We’d played on opposing teams. Mrs. Black was a lovely woman, the consummate hockey mom. Always ready with a needle and thread, even duct tape, if last-minute repairs were needed.
At five p.m., I was standing on the lawn, escorting guests to their seats, and attempting to calm down Easton. The guy was about to lose his cookies and his composure. He was a fucking mess, to put it not so politely.
His brothers had opted not to be groomsmen because their attendance had been touch-and-go up until the last minute due to conflicts, but they’d made it here and were enjoying zero responsibilities. In fact, they were standing in the shade talking with different players, while I was sweating my ass off.
Despite my other duties, I had one eye constantly scanning the area for glimpses of Lanie. She was striking in a flowered sundress in orange and pink, probably one bought for the original wedding. I noticed most of the staff were dressed accordingly. While the color scheme had seemed bizarre at first, it actually worked. I liked it.
Juniper was the maid of honor and Axel was the best man. Steele and I were groomsmen, while Geneva and Cin were bridesmaids. Someone’s idea of an evil joke was to pair Steele and Cin together. I’m not sure who made that decision, but I’d put my money on Easton.
Fifteen minutes before the wedding was to start, almost everyone had taken their seats. Easton escorted his mom to the front row where his brothers already sat. Fran, who, along with Howard, was a former in-law of Caro, also sat in the front row. I guess they were more like parents to Caro than her real parents.
I wasn’t much for weddings. In fact, I avoided them at all costs. Considering the divorce rate, the amount of money spent on these ceremonies was crazy stupid, but no one asked me. But I had a good feeling about Easton and Caro. They’d gone through hell to get to this moment, and their marriage would go the distance if any marriage did.
The wedding was about to begin. Axel and Easton took their places in front of an arbor decorated with orange and pink roses.
I walked behind the last row of chairs and waited. Geneva took my arm and smiled up at me. I smiled back. Steele stood behind me with Cin. I heard them arguing quietly about his boutonniere being on crooked.
Geneva turned around and hissed, “Give it a rest.”
The two immediately lapsed into an embarrassed silence.
“Thanks,” I whispered.
“Anytime,” she shot back.
I caught Lanie’s eye and winked. She stood discreetly on the other side of the block of chairs somewhat behind a six-foot bouquet of flowers. She was the hottest female on the island in my biased opinion. I knew she’d been nervous about being in pictures and the press being here, but Easton and Caro had insisted the venue was secured by Ethan Parker’s security team, and the press wouldn’t be allowed inside, nor would cell phones or cameras.
I used all the willpower I possessed to draw my gaze back to the aisle I was supposed to be walking down.
“Slow down, it’s not a horse race,” Geneva chastised me.
“Aren’t you the bossy one today.”
“Ask Axel. I’m always the bossy one.”
Her words had the desired effect. I smiled and relaxed a little. I didn’t have a fucking clue what I was so nervous about. I wasn’t the one tying the knot.
We paused in front of the arbor. I moved to stand beside Axel, and Geneva stood opposite us. My attention turned toward Steele and Cin. Steele’s jaw was tight, and a muscle twitched in his jaw, while Cin smiled brilliantly as if she were walking the red carpet at a Hollywood premier. Steele took his place next to me.
“Relax and smile,” I ordered, elbowing him sharply.
His forced smile didn’t reach his eyes. I glanced past Steele and Axel to catch sight of the groom. Easton was pale, almost green. I prayed the dumb shit didn’t throw up at his wedding and become a viral video of the worst hockey grooms or something equally appalling.
“Axe,” I whispered, “tell him a joke or something before he hurls all over the place.”
Axel leaned toward Easton and said something in his ear. Whatever he said got a smile out of our buddy, hopefully distracting him from his nervousness.
Juniper walked up the aisle, and I noticed Ziggy eyeing her as she passed him. Those two had a thing, but none of my concern. Heath followed, carrying the ring on an orange pillow. He was stone-cold serious about his task. Behind him and in direct contrast to her brother, Hailey skipped along, throwing out pink and orange flower petals. She beamed at the guests, causing many to smile back. She was adorable. I didn’t envy Easton when that girl was old enough to date. I’d be cleaning an assault rifle whenever a teenage boy came to the door to pick her up. Wasn’t there a country song about that?
I heard the exclamations and turned my attention to the back patio of the inn. The guests stood and turned as Caro emerged from inside the inn on the arm of her former father-in-law, Howard.
My heart caught in my throat, and I tried to clear it. What the fuck was wrong with me? This was just a wedding. I heard a sniff and caught Steele dabbing his eyes. I guess I wasn’t the only guy affected by how radiant Caro was. I swear to God, the sun was reflecting off her like she was an angel. The dress was awesome. It was long and white and had lots of lace, but it wasn’t overdone. It was actually pretty simple and elegant. I’d never seen Caro look so beautiful. Easton was grinning from ear to ear as if he’d won the lottery. Maybe that’s how it felt to marry the love of your life. Regret flooded me as I worried I’d never feel those feelings.
One last time, my gaze strayed to Lanie. She’d come out from behind the flowers and was blinking back tears. Our eyes met, and so many emotions were conveyed without one word. I’d never be able to explain what I was experiencing to anyone else, but Lanie knew. I saw it in her eyes.
I love you. I mouthed the words.
I love you, too.
At that moment, Caro and Howard had reached Easton, and the wedding party turned to face the justice of the peace. Reluctantly, I turned with them. The rest of the ceremony was a blur as I listened to the words and imagined they were being said to Lanie and me. I’d never been the sappy type, but Lanie had broken all my previous beliefs about myself.
The bride and groom kissed and strolled down the aisle, waving and smiling as our rowdy group of friends and guests cheered.
I grinned from ear to ear and naturally sought Lanie again. She was gone, probably inside to help Mandy. Masking my disappointment, I joined the group of well-wishers on the lawn to congratulate my buddy and former roommate.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Man in a Tux
~~Delaney~~
* * *
I’d always loved a man in a tux. What woman didn’t? Kaden in a tux was about the best thing I’d ever seen. He’d slicked back his longish hair somewhat, yet unruly strands kept falling across his face, and he’d shove them back behind his ears.
Someone had trimmed his beard. There’d probably been a barber on-site in the afternoon. I’d been too busy helping with preparations to notice what the guys were up to. The guest list had been limited to one hundred, and even then, it was a lot to handle for Mandy and her crew. I was her girl Friday, running around performing last-minute tasks and fetching stuff, being available whenever needed.
Once the ceremony started, I’d watched from behind a large bouquet of roses placed on a plastic Greek-styled pedestal. Caro was beautiful, the kids adorable, and the wedding was perfect, despite everything, including the colors, the mystical justice of the peace, and the last-minute preparations.
; As soon as the ceremony ended, I hustled back inside to help Mandy. There was so much to do, if I’d ever considered being a wedding planner—which I hadn’t—I’d have changed my mind.
Mandy insisted I take the rest of the night off. The caterers would handle food and drink, and Brody and she would take care of the rest. I was reluctant to do so but she was persistent and wore me down.
As if on cue, Kaden appeared and pulled me into his arms. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve been here all night.”
“But not with me. I’ve missed you.”
“I missed you, too.”
“Are you leaving tomorrow?”
“No, I’ll help clean up. I’m hoping to be on the road Monday.”
“You won’t change your mind?”
“I can’t. Don’t you see that?”
“What I see is a stubborn woman who’ll be running the rest of her life. She’ll always be wondering about that road not taken.”
“I won’t deny I’ll regret my decision.”
“Then don’t do it.” He put his hands on my shoulders and gazed into my eyes.
I shook my head sadly. “Kaden, please don’t do this. I feel shitty enough as it is.”
“Don’t you do this.” His voice cracked, and I pushed away from him. The last thing I wanted was to fight with him when our time together was limited.
“Stop. We have two nights left together. My mind is made up. Please, don’t make it worse.”
“But—”
I held my index finger up to his lips to silence him. His blue eyes burned with frustration. “Please, let’s enjoy the evening. Wasn’t the ceremony beautiful?”
He inhaled and exhaled slowly, and his expression softened. “Yeah, it was. I was wishing it’d been the two of us up there instead.”
“Don’t talk like that.” My voice cracked, betraying how crappy I felt about all of this. I didn’t want to go. I didn’t want to walk away from the best thing that’d ever happened to me and ever would happen to me. Yet I had to. If something happened to Kaden because of me, I’d never forgive myself.
“Let’s get a drink.” I tugged on his coat sleeve. “Have I ever told you how awesomely hot you are in a tux?” I made a show of looking him up and down, and he in turn made a show of preening in front of me like a banty rooster. Not that I’d ever seen a banty rooster preen. I was so not a farm girl. Big city girl here.
“You’re awesomely hot in anything and nothing,” he countered.
“Ditto.”
He pulled me into his arms, not caring who saw us, and kissed the hell out of me until the catcalls and rude remarks from his teammates drove us apart.
“Drink?”
“Yeah, drink.” We strolled hand in hand to the small bar set up on one corner of the lawn, talking with people as we made our way over there.
After wine for me and beer for him, we filled our plates from the buffet and sat at a table for the wedding party. My stomach reminded me I hadn’t eaten all day, and I dug in.
* * *
We danced the night away, but by midnight, very few of us were left. The bride and groom hadn’t made their exit yet, and we didn’t mind sticking around.
I noticed a woman lurking in the shadows. She was dressed in a uniform similar to the caterers, but I found it odd she was hanging near the dance floor rather than the buffet table. I dismissed her, assuming she was probably assigned the duty of picking up glasses and plates.
I ignored my concerns as part and parcel of the paranoia I’d come to live with this past year. The next time I glanced over my shoulder, she was talking to Ziggy and Cave. Maybe she was a fan who’d crashed the party.
Our eyes met, and hers grew wide with what I swore was recognition. When she caught me staring, she purposely turned her back on me.
I tugged on Kaden’s sleeve to get his attention. “Who is that talking to Cave?”
“Her? I think she’s part of the photographer’s staff. Why?”
“It’s nothing.” I shook off my unease. The photographer was packing up, and I’d stayed out of every shot and in the background. Once they were gone, I’d breathe easier. I snuck another peek, and the woman was following her boss around the side of the inn toward the parking lot. Breathing more easily, I turned away until movement in her direction caught my eye. She lifted her camera directly at me and shot off a few pictures, then she hurried purposefully after her boss.
I pushed my chair backward, ramming into Isaac Wolfe’s knee. I ignored his yelp of surprise as he jumped back to get out of my way. I scrambled to get free of the maze of chairs and instead tangled my legs in them and fell on my ass.
“Lanie, are you okay?” Kaden reached down for me and helped me to my feet. He buddies gathered around, studying me warily.
“Where’d she go?” I spun around, scanning for the woman who I was certain was a reporter. She’d vanished, as if she’d never existed.
“Lanie, calm down. You’re in a panic. Take a deep breath.” Kaden put a hand on my arm, but I pushed it away. Elbowing through the crowd, I ran as fast as possible in my heels, but they sank into the soft grass. I turned my ankle and fell. Kaden helped me up. I shook free of him, kicked off my shoes, and sprinted after the woman. By the time I was at the inn’s parking area, I saw the taillights of a car disappearing around the corner.
She was gone.
And I might possibly be in deep shit.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Haunted
~~Kaden~~
* * *
I caught up with Lanie in the inn’s driveway. She wore a haunted expression as she stared down the road.
“What’s going on?” I was alarmed at her violent reaction and lightning-fast exit.
She jabbed her finger toward the driveway, talking so hysterically I wasn’t able to discern what the hell she was saying.
“Slow down. Take a deep breath. Tell me what’s wrong.”
“That woman. She looked at me like she recognized me, and I’m certain she got off some shots with me in them.”
Alarm swept through me. “What woman?”
“The one who was talking to Cave and Ziggy.”
“Lots of women were talking to Cave and Ziggy.” I didn’t recall one who stood out. In fact, I hadn’t paid them much attention at all.
“You said she worked for the photographer?” She spun around, frantically looking for God knew what.
“Oh, her. It’s nothing. Even if you’re in a few images, we’ll make sure they’re destroyed.”
“I have to go. I have to pack and get off this island now. But she might be on the ferry. She’s probably uploading those images right now. They’ll be all over the internet within a few minutes.”
“What’s going on?” Steele said from behind us. I turned, grateful for his calm presence.
“The photographer’s assistant took pictures with Lanie in them.”
“She recognized me.”
Steele frowned and furrowed his brow. “How do you know she recognized you?”
“I saw it in her eyes,” Lanie insisted.
“Lanie, you’re being paranoid. You’re not in danger,” I said, probably not the most supportive, encouraging comment to make, but I was in fear she’d run off like a frightened deer and in damage-control mode.
“Let’s go somewhere private and talk.” Steele jerked his head toward the inn.
“Good idea. We don’t want to call attention to this and ruin E’s party.”
“Uh, it might be too late,” Steele pointed out as my fellow Puck Brothers rounded the corner of the building, including Axel, Geneva, and Cin.
“What happened?” Axel demanded to know. The others gathered round, concern etched on every face.
“The photographer’s assistant took pictures of Lanie,” I blurted out before realizing how stupid that sounded.
“And that’s a problem?” Axel was confused, and rightfully so. I didn’t dare answer for Lanie. If she wanted to tell them the entire
truth, that was her call.
“She recognized me.” Lanie’s voice rose an octave or two, either from fear or frustration or both.
“So this is where the party went?” said Easton as he and Caro joined us. I noted with jealousy he’d changed from his tux into a T-shirt and jeans. Caro was in a sundress. No time for petty crap right now though. Delaney was in a state.
“Lanie was photographed and didn’t want to be,” Axel explained, even though he didn’t understand what the issue was.
“My real name is Delaney, and my friends call me Lanie.” All eyes were on her, and she fidgeted nervously, her eyes darting about.
“I don’t understand,” Easton said. He rubbed his eyes and sighed.
“I need to go.”
“Don’t run, honey. We’re in this together. We’ve got your back,” I spoke up, worried she’d bolt before we had a chance to talk this through.
“Yeah,” the group shouted in agreement.
“It’d be helpful if we knew why we had her back, but regardless, we’re in,” Easton said.
“I really need to go.” Lanie spun around. I reached for her, but she slipped out of my grasp and ran for the French door opening into her room.
I stared after her, helpless, not knowing what to do next. If I waited, she’d be gone. If I didn’t give her time to calm down and think rationally, she wouldn’t listen to what I had to say.
“Would someone please explain what’s going on here?” Easton prodded, and the rest of the group nodded, turning toward me.
“Is she running from someone or something? An abusive spouse or ex?” Caro’s concern was real, and she appeared to have forgotten all about this being her wedding night.
“There’s more to it. Way more.” I didn’t want to betray Lanie’s trust, but I also felt the more my friends knew at this point, the better we’d all be able to protect her. Or would we? We weren’t professional bodyguards or law enforcement. We prided ourselves on being tough hockey players, but we were truly out of our league in this situation.
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