It didn’t escape Lucas that both introductions held no connection to her. Danny’s uncle. Not my date. And my dad’s daughter instead of my sister or my half-sister. He was assuming this was the second sister she’d referred to in their previous conversation. Something told him that there were very few relationships she claimed without hesitation. Danny’s mom was the one she was probably the most comfortable and eager to claim.
“Nice to meet you.” Alicia shook the hand he held out then turned to point to a spot in the far corner of the huge back yard. “They’re meeting there for the pictures.”
“Okay. We’ll be there in just a few minutes.”
Alicia left them and headed toward where the wedding party had gathered at the back of the chairs. People were beginning to get up and mill around.
“Guess we’d better go do this,” Brooke said with a sigh.
Mindful of the long stretch of grass between where they were and where they needed to be, Lucas once again offered her his arm. She took it after the briefest hesitation, and this time he knew he hadn’t imagined it. He wondered if her reactions were because it was him or if she was this way with all men. A part of him really hoped that maybe it was just him. Because then it would mean that she was experiencing some of the same confusions he was where their interactions were concerned.
As the wedding party began to make their way to the spot as well, Lucas guided her toward them. He noticed that Trent was walking alongside Victoria. She held onto his arm as they walked since she was in heels like her sister. Danny ran on ahead with Sarah following him as fast as her legs would allow.
“Don’t fall and mess your dress, Sarah!” Staci called out as the little girl dashed after Danny.
“Small world, Lucas,” Philip said as they joined the group. “I certainly didn’t expect to run into you here.”
“Same here. I didn’t realize who Brooke was related to when I made contact with her.”
“Sorry to hear about Lincoln.”
Though Philip hadn’t known Lincoln like some of the others had, Lucas appreciated the thought. They had initially met at a Christian businessman’s dinner several years earlier and then discovered they attended the same church. They hadn’t had any business dealings but had interacted at church events over the years.
Before they could continue the conversation, the photographer, and his assistant began to give instructions for how things would unfold.
“We’ll start with the family ones, so if you need to go you can.”
“I can take care of that for you,” Lucas offered, holding his hand out for Brooke’s purse. “You probably don’t want that in the pictures.”
“True. Thanks.” She slid the strap off her shoulder and handed it to him. “Danny! Let me see you.”
Danny jogged over to where they stood. Brooke tucked his shirt back in and straightened his suspenders and bowtie. “Now no more running around until the pictures are all done. Okay? You need to pay attention so you don’t slow things down.”
“’kay, Mom.”
“Let’s go get this done,” Brooke said as she took Danny’s hand.
Lucas stood back, watching as the photographer arranged the family members around the bride and groom. Alicia hung back until Brooke’s mom motioned for her to join them. It was interesting that the one person who should have had a problem with this young woman’s presence didn’t seem to.
The photographer worked quickly and except for having to get after Sarah once to stand still, things went fairly smoothly. Lucas realized as he watched that Staci had no family present. Everyone there for the family pictures was related to Eric.
“Lucas, why don’t you join us?”
It may have been her mom issuing the invitation, but Lucas’s gaze went to where Brooke stood, waiting for what she might feel about the suggestion. “These are just for family, Mrs. McKinley.”
“And you’re family. After all, you’re Danny’s uncle.” She motioned him forward.
Not wanting to delay things, Lucas walked toward the group. He glanced at the photographer for instruction.
“The little guy’s yours?” the photographer asked.
Though while not technically true, Lucas nodded.
“Go stand there beside him and his mom.”
Hoping Brooke wouldn’t hate him—he certainly hadn’t planned for this to happen—Lucas positioned himself behind Danny and Brooke. He shifted her purse to his other hand and rested his free hand on Danny’s shoulder. The boy looked up at him and grinned.
Suddenly it was Lincoln grinning at him. They were both ten again, and Lincoln was wanting him—daring him—to try the new ramp he’d made. Or the tire swing he’d put up over the lake. Or to race him to the top of the tree.
What are you? A scaredy cat?
“Eyes here!”
The photographer’s words pulled Lucas from his drift back in time. Looking over, he tried to pull up what he hoped looked like a decent semblance of a smile. The last thing he wanted to do was spoil the McKinley family photos.
“Okay, Mrs. McKinley, I think we’ve covered the list you wanted of pictures,” the photographer said, addressing Brooke’s mom. “Anything more you wanted before we move on to the wedding party?”
When her mom glanced at them and then back to the photographer, Lucas got a funny feeling in his gut.
“Actually, I’d like a picture of my girls and their dates.”
“I don’t have a date, Mom,” Victoria piped up.
“Well, your partner for the wedding then.”
“So you want a picture of me and Philip?”
Brooke’s mom put her hands on her hips as she frowned at Victoria. “Fine, I want pictures of you with Trent and Brooke and Lucas.” She turned her gaze on Brooke. “Probably the only picture I’ll ever get of you with a man dressed up so nicely.”
“Are you saying I date slobs, Mom?”
Lucas heard a snort of laughter and looked over to see Eric turning away from his mom, a huge grin on his face.
“I’m saying you don’t date. Period. So no arguments. I’m going to have proof that you got dressed up and actually let a real live man accompany you to a social event.” She turned back to Victoria. “And you, young lady, I want a picture of you with an escort and it’s not going to be Philip.”
Lucas saw Brooke and Victoria share a frustrated look.
“Okay, if that’s settled,” the photographer said with a tolerant smile on his face. “Up first. Brooke and her date.”
Lucas held Brooke’s purse out to Danny. “Hold onto that for your mom, please.”
Danny took it, looking as if he were trying to suppress a grin.
The photographer moved them into position. “Lucas, if you could just stand slightly angled and Brooke, you too.”
Lucas slipped his arm around Brooke’s waist as she rested her hand on his chest. She looked up at him, exasperation clear on her face. “It’s like a dumb prom picture. She was going to get it one way or another.”
“You want one of you two looking at each other or the camera?”
Brooke turned her head to face the camera so quickly that Lucas almost laughed. He turned his gaze to the photographer and smiled when prompted.
The photographer took a couple of shots but seemed to sense the irritation flowing off Brooke in waves…tsunami-sized waves. They only did the one pose before he let them go.
“Victoria, you’re next.” Her mom’s tone allowed for no argument.
Brooke’s sister marched over to where they had been standing. “I’m not doing that pose that Brooke and Lucas just did. For the record.”
“How about I get down on one knee…” Trent let the words trail off as Victoria shot a glare at him.
It was so familiar to the one he’d seen on Brooke’s face Lucas almost laughed.
“I was just going to suggest doing it that way so the photographer could get all of your lovely dress in the photo and still get my head. Although now that I think about it, y
ou’d probably rather a photo of your dress and me without a head.”
“You’ve got that right,” Victoria said, but the grin she gave him took the bite out of the words. “Fine, you can do it this time—this time and only this time for my mother—and I will not be sitting on your knee.”
“Ahhh…” Trent lowered himself to one knee and then cocked his head at Victoria.
With a huff, Victoria walked toward him and then swung back around to face the photographer. Lucas waited for the photographer to say something as Victoria had taken up a position right in front of Trent’s knee. There was a good six or more inches between the two of them.
“Over to your left just a bit, Victoria, if you would.”
With a glance at the group around them, Victoria obviously decided it was better to not stall any longer. She took a step to her left that brought her in line with Trent.
He leaned forward and said something to her which made her smile at him. Lucas wondered if they heard the click of the camera in that instant.
But then the photographer called out, “Eyes here!”
Once those shots were done to Mrs. McKinley’s satisfaction, the photographer moved on to the wedding party and bride and groom shots.
Lucas was happy to hang around, but Brooke took her purse from Danny and after telling him to listen to the photographer, suggested they go back to the guests.
He offered his arm once again and together they walked toward the house.
“Thanks for putting up with Mom’s requests.”
“Wasn’t a hardship,” Lucas assured her. “I’ve been asked to do worse things in my life.”
He sensed her gaze on him and looked down. She seemed about to say something, but ended up looking away as they approached the large paved patio that was now covered with a variety of tables. People milled around with small plates filled with food.
“Guess cocktail hour is underway,” Brooke observed as they joined the crowd.
For the next thirty minutes, they mingled with the guests, but eventually, Lucas found himself standing once again with the BlackThorpe guys, and Brooke had disappeared.
“So, are you dating Eric’s sister?” a tall man with dark hair and eyes asked him.
CHAPTER TWELVE
YEAH, Than needs to know if you’re his competition,” Trent said with a laugh. “He’s got his eye on her.”
“He’s got his eye on every woman,” Justin remarked. He was all muscles. Even the expensive suit he was wearing couldn’t hide them.
“You are so right, my friend,” Than said with a grin and a lift of one dark brow. “You just never know when the right one will suddenly appear. I rule out no available woman.”
“I really don’t think Eric would approve of you dating his sister any more than he would have you dating Staci,” Trent said.
“You wanted to date Staci?” Lucas asked.
Than shrugged. “Never got that far. First time I met her she was already clearly smitten with Eric. Her loss.” He looked back to Lucas. “So? You dating Brooke?”
“The answer to that would be no. I think she’s tolerating me in her life at the moment simply because of her son and my connection to him.”
“Well, if there’s any interest on your part, at least you’re in a better position than any man has been in the years I’ve known her,” Trent said with a grin. But then it faded as he sighed. “Of course, I’ve been having my own battles with a McKinley sister.”
“Did none of you guys bring dates?” Lucas asked as he glanced around the group.
“Are you kidding?” Justin asked. “Bringing a date to a wedding is the worst thing to do. They get all kinds of ideas about their own romantic future with you regardless if you’ve been dating for one week or a year. And man, somehow the groom manages to make all other men look like unromantic schmucks. Yeah, i definitely was going to go solo at this gig even if I did have a girlfriend.”
The other men nodded to be in agreement—except for Trent. Lucas thought it rather funny that it was the opposite with him and Brooke. She clearly found the whole wedding thing overrated while it was putting all kind of weird thoughts into his head. He’d barely known this woman a week and already thoughts of her were messing with him.
“You guys socially impaired?”
Lucas turned to see Alex Thorpe had joined them.
“It’s like a BlackThorpe cluster with a little Hamilton thrown in.” Alex grinned. “You boys need to be mingling. Lots of single ladies here from what I’m hearing.”
“Are your sisters among those single ladies you’re encouraging us to mingle with?”
“Hands off my sisters, Than.”
As he joined the guys in laughing at Alex’s response, Lucas’s gaze moved across the guests, looking for Brooke. It didn’t take long to find her standing with Victoria and her mom. When she suddenly looked in his direction, their gazes meeting across the distance, Lucas got the feeling that she’d been aware of where he was, hadn’t needed to look for him.
He smiled at her and after excusing himself from the group of guys, headed in her direction. Though he wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d moved on by the time he got to where she’d been standing, she hadn’t.
“Having a good time?” Brooke asked him as he came to a stop at her side.
“Sure. Those BlackThorpe guys are something else. Than—I think that’s his name—was wondering if you were off the market.”
Brooke rolled her eyes. “Than chases anything in a skirt. And when I say anything, I mean anything. I’ve seen him flirting with sixty-year-old women and then turn around and flirt with a twenty-year-old.”
“He’s even flirted with me,” Victoria commented. “When I called him on it he said that to him every woman is beautiful and deserves to be made to feel special.”
“Well, I, for one, would never date a man like that. Who wants a guy who flirts with every woman he meets to make her feel special? How does that make his own girl feel like she’s special to him?” Brooke looked at him, an eyebrow arched.
Lucas pressed a hand to his chest. “You’re asking me? I’m not like that. And from what I’ve seen, guys like that tend to fall like a ton of bricks and then have to work twice as hard to convince the woman they love that they’re serious.”
“I certainly hope I’m around to see it when it happens,” Brooke said.
The announcement for dinner came and soon Lucas found himself at a table inside a huge white tent with Brooke, Alicia, Marcus and the rest of the BlackThorpe gang. Somehow Than had managed to get himself seated on the other side of Brooke, and to Lucas’s right was Adrianne. Than probably thought he was safer sitting next to Brooke than either Adrianne or Melanie.
The clinking of glasses drew Lucas’s attention to the head table. It looked like Eric had no problem indulging the wishes of the crowd as he drew Staci to her feet and dipped her for a lingering kiss.
Lucas had thought he’d just endure the wedding when Brooke had first invited him, that the most fun part would just be hanging out with her and Danny. And while that part was true, having other people he knew at the wedding had made it that much more enjoyable.
The meal drew to a close and speeches began. Settling in, Lucas draped his arm across the back of Brooke’s seat. He waited for her to object, but she just gave him a quick glance and turned back to where Trent was sharing some stories about Eric.
When it came time for the tossing of the garter and the bouquet, Lucas had no intention of going but ended up being cajoled into participating. The funny thing about the guys’ part of this ritual was that they were more apt to avoid trying to snag the garter than to grab it out of the air.
And this group of men was no different. The garter flew through the air and landed on the ground, smack in the middle of a wide circle of men. Finally, Trent marched bravely into the middle of the group and plucked it from the ground.
“Always gotta be the one picking up after you guys,” Trent said with a grin. He twirle
d the garter on a finger as he meandered back to his seat beside Victoria at the head table.
Lucas was pretty sure that Victoria would be avoiding the bouquet at all costs after Trent had caught the garter.
“You’re up next,” Lucas said with a grin at Brooke as he settled back down next to her.
Brooke crossed her arms. “I think not.”
“At least in your group there will actually be people trying to catch it.”
She laughed. “True enough.”
“So go support your brother and Staci.”
“Okay, fine. But if I end up catching that thing somehow, there’s going to be a retoss.”
Lucas laughed as she stalked toward the gathering of women. She took up a position at the very back of the group and wasn’t participating at all in the friendly jostling going on in front of her. He noticed that she was joined by Victoria and even Alicia was in the rear with them.
Staci stood in front of the head table with the bouquet in hand. She glanced over her shoulder and then turned her back to the group and whipped the bouquet into the air. Whipped is the only word Lucas could think to use because that puppy flew over the hands of all the reaching women to hit Brooke on the head. From there it fell to the side and, from what he could see, Victoria instinctively reached out to catch it.
She held it for about two seconds before dropping it on the ground.
“Too late,” the emcee announced over the speakers. “I believe the bouquet catcher is none other than the groom’s sister. Victoria.”
Brooke stooped to pick up the bouquet and held it out to her sister. Lucas didn’t need to see her face to know that she was likely taking great joy in her sister’s predicament.
“How about we have a picture of the two lucky catchers?”
The crowd cheered the emcee’s suggestion even as Victoria shook her head. Finally, she reached out and snatched the bouquet from her sister’s hands and marched through the throng of women to where Trent waited.
“That should have been yours,” Lucas said as Brooke sat back down beside him, a smug look on her face.
Forever My Love: A Christian Romance (The McKinleys Book 2) Page 11