by Toni Aleo
He just couldn’t fuck it up or get distracted.
Eyes on the prize.
The NHL.
Mekena Preston felt like she was slowly but surely going to freak the hell out.
As she stood in the middle of this amazing mansion, her eyes were wide as saucers while she gazed around in complete bewilderment.
She was insane.
Why she thought she could do this was beyond her.
But she just couldn’t say no to her best friend’s sister-in-law.
Earlier this year when Lucy Sinclair had asked her to take some family pictures of her and her boyfriend, along with her daughter, Mekena had known it would be a breeze. She loved doing beach shots, and that was one of the main things that helped her move from her home in Nashville, Tennessee to Fort Lauderdale. That and the fact that she had a place to live and a job waiting for her.
She still wasn’t sure she had made the right choice, picking up and leaving everything she had known. She had only been in Fort Lauderdale a little over a year, and she was happy, she guessed. She wanted to say that she was living the life. That she was out being a normal almost twenty-one-year-old girl, shopping, living on the beach, and partying. But actually, that was so far from the truth, it wasn’t even funny.
But at least she was happy…ish.
When Mekena wasn’t in the studio or on the beach taking pictures, she was at her house playing Scrabble with her aunt or watching reruns of Outlander and Gilmore Girls while cuddling with Mr. Right. Sadly, Mr. Right was not of the human male variety but really a very grumpy white Scottish Fold that had her heart. He had been her baby since she was fourteen, and while he was very cantankerous and kind of a dick, she loved him.
She was content with her life. Though, sometimes she felt like she ran from her problems, and she couldn’t stand that. If there was one thing about Mekena Preston, it was that she didn’t like to fail.
She was too smart for that.
Finishing at the top of her class, with a GPA of 4.0 all through middle and high school, Mekena had planned to be very successful. She wanted to be a doctor, or at least, she thought she had. After one year at Bellevue University, she decided she wasn’t made for the university life. It surprised everyone in her family. They’d all thought they’d be calling her “Doctor” one day, but it just didn’t feel right. She wasn’t sure why, she’d thought it was her goal, she had chosen the school of her dreams because it had a great medical program that offered her a wonderful scholarship, her older sister was also going there, and it was so close to home. It was everything she wanted, but it just fell flat.
It didn’t live up to her dreams.
Maybe it wasn’t her dream.
Or maybe it was because of what happened.
All she knew was that when she had a camera in her hand, her eye pressed to the viewfinder of her Nikon, she felt at home. She felt her imagination come alive with each click of her finger.
So she’d left.
Packed up, didn’t re-enroll, put Mr. Right in his carrier, and went to Florida, despite her parents begging her to reconsider. Despite her fear of going somewhere that was so unfamiliar to her. Yeah, she knew her aunt Libby, and Mekena had been to Fort Lauderdale before, but never in her life had she thought she would move there and start a life.
Sometimes, it didn’t feel right, but she couldn’t think of that right now. Not when she was supposed to be paying attention and taking notes on the lighting in the huge, gorgeous mansion. This would be her first indoor wedding. She had done outdoor weddings galore and even more outdoor shoots along with some studio shoots, but not an indoor wedding. And it was easy to say, she was shaking in her boots.
Or really, her supercute vintage Mary Jane’s.
She wasn’t sure why she was nervous; she should be ready. She had gone to a one-year program for photography, acing every class since she retained information like none other, and she had been learning about photography since she was young. Her very first gift from Aunt Libby had been a Polaroid camera that used to be hers and had been all over the world. It was awesome, and Mekena yearned to do the same thing—to travel the world and take pictures. She wasn’t a one-trick pony. She loved all types of photography, so she knew what she was doing. She did, but apparently, her body wasn’t listening to her brain at that moment.
Unfortunately, that happened a lot.
Still, though, she shuddered with fear as she sucked in a deep breath and bit the inside of her cheek while she gazed around. Everything in the house looked completely original, as if it were still the 1800s. It was beautiful, and as Mekena followed behind Lucy, she snapped pictures of the little things. The gold of the staircase, the uneven brick, even the cracks along the floor. It was the imperfectness of the home that thrilled her. She loved the thought that even though the house had cracks, it still stood in all its beautiful glory. She wished she could be more like the house.
Instead, the imaginary caution tape she was convinced was wrapped around her was strangling her more with every second that passed.
Blowing out a calming breath, she let her camera hang around her neck as she followed Lucy Sinclair while she moved her hand up and down in the direction of the stairs. Lucy was such a beautiful woman, favoring her brothers more so than Mekena had ever seen. Her hair was lighter than usual, but her blazing green eyes were breathtaking. Usually, Lucy had a very bad case of resting bitch face, but every time Mekena saw her now, she was grinning.
“So you think I should come down here? I don’t know. I don’t like how it is two staircases. Should Benji come down the other one?”
Benji Paxton, who was currently carrying their daughter on his shoulders, looked over at his bride. While the grin on Lucy’s face was unstoppable, Benji’s was gorgeous. He loved Lucy and their daughter something insane, and everyone knew it. His love radiated off him. It was stunning.
“It doesn’t work like that, does it?”
They both looked back at their wedding planner, Grace Justice. Grace was one of those women a person easily respected upon meeting. She was refined, lovely, and so damn smart. This wasn’t her first rodeo, and Mekena was sure Grace wasn’t shaking with nerves like she was. As Grace pressed her palms into her hips, Mekena couldn’t help but idolize the woman. She was perfect. “Not really. I’ve done over two hundred weddings here, it looks fine. I promise.”
That clearly puzzled Lucy as she nodded, her eyes looking back at the stairs. As Lucy bit into her lip, gazing up and down the stairs, Mekena caught Benji grinning at his bride, his eyes full of all sorts of love for her. It kind of warmed Mekena’s heart. She could still remember doing their engagement shots like it was only yesterday. It had been only ten months ago, but it had been such a memorable experience. Since then, they had moved in together, gotten legally married, and Benji had adopted Lucy’s daughter, Angie. Their life was moving along beautifully, and now, Benji wanted to give Lucy the wedding she deserved. His words, not Mekena’s.
And just like that, she was swooning.
Clearing her throat, Lucy shook her head, her brows coming together. “I don’t know. Maybe I should come out from underneath?”
Sensing her anxiety, Benji came beside her and took her hand. “Hey, I’ve got an idea.”
“Yeah?” she asked, looking up at him and their daughter.
“How about you come down one side, right after Angie comes down the other to meet Jace?”
Angie lit up, bouncing on his shoulders. “Yes! Mom, that would be awesome! Then we can have, like, bluebirds flying in the sky, dropping glitter around us!”
Benji grinned at his daughter’s crazy idea and nodded. “That too. I’m sure Mrs. Justice can make that happen.”
Grace’s eyes widened, and then she laughed. “I can try.”
Lucy’s face curved in a grin as she shook her head. “Yeah, I’m sure she can. Yes, I love it. You’re so smart, Paxton.”
He came in close, and she tilted her head back as he met her lips with hi
s. “Don’t you forget it either, Paxton.”
As Mekena imagined the little girl and her mother coming down the stairs, a grin covered her face as Lucy looked back at her. “Do you think that would look good, Mekena?”
She nodded eagerly. “Yes, I do.”
Grace looked over to her and then smiled. “I forgot you were back there. You’re so quiet!”
Mekena’s cheeks reddened as she nodded. “I get that a lot.”
Grace gave her a grin before smacking her hands together. “Well, that’s solved. Let’s move on. You’ll come down the stairs, and the back doors will be opened and we’ll marry you right there.”
Mekena scoped out everything, deciding where she would stand to get the best shots. As Grace talked about the flowers, Mekena moved around, looking through her lens and taking test shots. When she noticed Benji nuzzling Angie’s cheek, she snapped a quick photo and smiled.
That man loved his daughter.
“What do you think, Mekena?”
She looked over to where Lucy was watching her, and she blushed. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t listening.”
Lucy smiled. “Do you think we should come more out on the porch or stay inside? What will be better for you?”
Walking to where they were, she looked around and shrugged. “Either is fine. The lighting will be beautiful and complement you, I’m sure.”
“Oh, hush.” Lucy waved modestly, and Mekena smirked.
“It will look amazing, I just know it,” she said confidently. She just wished she felt an ounce of it. Mekena had no doubt that Lucy would look phenomenal, but she worried she’d mess something up. She just couldn’t afford to do so. Her reputation had to stay intact; she valued it way more than she cared to admit.
Lucy nodded before looking back at Grace. “Let’s do inside.”
“Awesome.” Grace nodded as Lucy went to Benji and then in the direction of the reception hall. Turning to follow, Mekena noticed she had fallen into step with Grace as she grinned down at her. In her heels, Grace was well over three inches taller than Mekena’s 5’3”. Plus, she looked like a million bucks while Mekena looked like a nun.
“How long have you been in the business, Mekena?”
She gave her a small smile as Mekena’s heart jumped up into her throat. “A little over a year, but I’ve taken pictures my whole life.”
“Oh! I thought you’d been doing this for a while.”
“Just a year,” she said with a smile as her heart warmed at the compliment.
“Is this a new venture for you, then?”
Mekena shrugged. “Not really. I’ve always loved taking pictures, but I decided to pursue it hard-core when I dropped out of college at the beginning of the summer.”
Grace’s face scrunched up in confusion. “How old are you?”
“Almost twenty-one.”
Grace laughed. “Oh, I thought you were older!”
“I get that a lot,” she said once more, not the least bit offended. She knew that she didn’t look her age, and she was okay with that. She wanted to be taken seriously, which was why she dressed like a businesswoman and not some early twenties party girl. She wanted to succeed; she wanted to be the best at her craft.
“You seem wise beyond your years.”
“My aunt Libby tells me that a lot.”
“Well, obviously because Aunt Libby knows her stuff,” Grace added, sending Mekena a wink. “You’re not from around here, are you? Out-of-towner?”
Mekena shook her head. “Actually, I grew up here, right outside of Franklin, but I recently moved to Florida.”
“Ah, that’s too bad.”
Mekena’s brows came together. “It is?”
“Yeah, my son, who is nineteen almost twenty, is moving back home. You’d be perfect for him.”
Her face flushed red as she let out a little giggle. Grace Justice was not trying to hook her up with her son, who Mekena was sure was just as gorgeous as she was. “Wow, you’re even prettier when you’re smiling,” Grace complimented. “He’s cute, you know.”
Mekena laughed. “I don’t doubt it.”
“No, really, not sounding weird, but he is gorgeous. I have good genes, which means good babies in the future.”
Mekena choked on her laughter, shaking her head. “Not weird at all.”
Grace laughed. “You know what?”
“What?”
“I’ve decided I’m gonna talk you into never leaving Nashville.”
Snickering, Mekena shook her head. “One, you aren’t old enough to have a twenty-year-old, and two, Florida is my home.”
She was lying through her teeth, but what else could she say? She was wrapped in that bright yellow caution tape and on the mend from a shitty breakup that sent her running away from all her problems? Nope. She’d lied and felt a little giddy that someone said she was pretty today.
“Well, I’ll have to change that, or better yet, Ryan will.”
Why was she still giggling? “Please, you’re going to make me snort.”
Grace grinned. “You should smile more.”
She smiled a little more as she nodded before Grace was asked a question, leaving Mekena alone with her thoughts. She used to smile a lot, all the time, actually. Well, not all the time. But for a good solid month, it was every day.
When he made her smile.
But just like this house, some things were a relic of the past. And not everything could be restored.
When Mekena got into the Kia Rio she was renting while in Tennessee, she exhaled hard, the stress and nervousness of being with her clients and Grace Justice still weighing heavily on her. Letting her head fall back, she let out a hard breath once more before she whispered, “I can do this.”
Though, the words didn’t seem to generate conviction in her heart.
She was nervous.
Very nervous.
Grunting, she sat up and started the car just as her phone began to ring. Clicking for it to come in through the Bluetooth, she saw it was her best friend, and she smiled before hitting answer.
“Avery Sinclair, to whatever do I owe the honor of hearing from you on this splendid day?”
Avery groaned. “Oh Lord, I don’t know why you’re so nervous. You’ll do great!”
Mekena smiled as she turned onto the main highway and started toward her parents’ home, where she was staying. “Do I sound that terrified?”
Before she could answer, Avery’s daughter Ashlyn’s voice filled the phone, “Mama! ’ook!”
“I see that crazy bird. Go get it. Oh, Ash, look! Papaw River is gonna get you!”
The sweet little baby let out a squeal, causing Mekena to smile as Avery laughed into the phone. “God, I love being here.”
“Glad you are,” Mekena mumbled.
“Please, you love seeing your parents.”
“Yup, that’s about it,” she said dryly as Ashlyn’s giggles filled the phone along with the sounds of a bear who Mekena assumed was Papaw River. But Mekena couldn’t help but grin. Being home should be as exciting for her as she was sure it was for Ashlyn and Avery, but her feelings were far from it. She didn’t want to be here. She wanted to go back to Florida, back to the solace and protection of knowing she wouldn’t have to see her sister or even him.
But being in Tennessee for the wedding of Lucy and Benji Paxton meant she would not only see her sister, but also he who must not be named too.
Yes, that was a Harry Potter pun, and no, she didn’t care because it fit him well.
Mekena squeezed the wheel a little tighter as Avery said, “Come on, you haven’t seen your mom or dad in a year.”
“Over a year, and I know this. But she’s here, and no matter how many times I tell my mom I don’t want to see her, she won’t listen. She invited her over for dinner last night. So Mr. Right and I went to the park.”
“You took a cat to the park? Please tell me you had him on a leash.”
Appalled, Mekena gasped. “Of course, I did! What if he ran away?
”
Avery laughed. Hard. “He’s a cow cat.”
“How dare you talk of Mr. Right like that. Yes, he could lose a few pounds, but he is adorably round.”
Actually, he was obese, and the vet threatened his early demise if Mekena didn’t put him on a diet. But how could she not give him the extra tuna he cried for? She was human. She couldn’t deny someone happiness!
“Round and borderline appearing on My 600-lb Life are two different things, Mekena. I’m surprised you found a harness that fits him.”
It was a dog harness, but she wouldn’t admit that to Avery. “Don’t worry about that, you body shamer, you!”
That had them both laughing, and it felt good. She was strung tight with her nerves about the wedding, running into her sister, and then seeing him, so smiling and laughing with her best friend was just what she needed.
“Why don’t you come on out to Autumn and River’s? Come hang out for a bit?”
“I wish,” she said sadly. “I gotta report back to Aunt Libby and also make sure she doesn’t kill my dad. You know how they hate each other.”
Avery snorted. “She hasn’t tried to knife him yet?”
Rolling her eyes, Mekena smiled. Avery had been subjected to the lovely tale of her aunt going after her father with a knife one Christmas when he alleged she was a lesbian. Aunt Libby did not bat for the other team, but she also wouldn’t settle. She was waiting for Mr. Right. Not the cat, but the man, and she was content. But Mekena’s father was convinced otherwise. Plus, there was some bad blood between them that wouldn’t ever be washed away. “Thankfully, I convinced her to leave her blade at home.”
“Darn!” Avery laughed. “I would have loved to see that.”
“The less bloodshed, the better,” she joked, and Avery giggled.
“Guess we should save the bloodshed for your sister?”
Mekena’s lips pressed together. “I haven’t killed her yet, so I doubt I will.”
“Too bad,” Avery decided, and Mekena smiled. “But really, how are you holding up?”
“I’m vertical.”