by Cindi Madsen
Her dark hair was down around her shoulders and she was wearing earrings that glittered in the sunlight. The purple dress she had on showed off her toned legs and hugged her curves.
The supply of oxygen to his brain cut off, and he was pretty sure his heart had stopped a couple of beats ago.
“Dude, you’re practically drooling.” Jill patted his back. “You can go say hi, you know.”
Sure. If he could remember how to walk. Dani had always been pretty, but now she was the kind of beautiful that practically hurt to look at. That pep talk he’d given himself earlier about not thinking of Dani in any way that involved her body or his was totally ineffective now.
Somehow he managed to make his feet work. He swallowed when he reached her, unable to say anything more than, “Wow.”
“Wow for the backwards dress?” She twisted so he could see the draping that showed off lots of bronze skin.
His pulse cranked up a couple more notches. “I underestimated the backwards dress. Not a mistake I’ll make again.”
“And look at you.” She reached up and ran her hand down his face. He felt her touch all the way to his toes. “You shaved.”
He cleared his throat. “Figured I’d make my sister happy on her special, over-hyped day.”
Dani’s redder-than-normal lips curved into a smile. “Makes me happy, too. You can’t use your face as a weapon anymore. How will you torture me now?”
“I’m sure I’ll find something else, don’t you worry.”
She moved her fingers up through his hair, and everything inside him turned to mush. “No more hobo fiancé. I’m glad you didn’t go too short, though. I like it a little long.”
“Oh, Wes, there you are.” Mom strode over to them, arms swinging. “Sorry to interrupt, but have you seen your father?” She held up a flower. “Gotta put this boutonniere on him and then I need to check on the girls and the preacher and the ceremony’s getting so close and I feel like there’s something else I’m forgetting.” She put a hand on the top of her head and glanced around. Between her harried look and the way she was running her words together, he could tell she was starting to crack.
So despite the fact he desperately wanted to stay by Dani and finish the moment he hoped they were having, he held out his hand. “Give me the flower thing. I’ll find Dad and check on the guys and the preacher.” He turned to Dani, putting his hand on her hip. Tonight he was going to use any and every excuse he could to touch her. “We’re sitting up near the front. You’ll see the reserved chairs.”
“Actually,” Mom said. “I could use Dani if that’s okay. My hands are shaking so badly, and it’ll be good to have another set of eyes when we do the last-minute preps on Audrey and the girls.”
Wes raised his eyebrows at Dani, silently asking her if it was okay. When it came to his family, she’d gone along with a lot, and he already owed her for that.
“It’s fine,” she said. “You go, and I’ll see you in a few minutes. Save me a seat?”
Wes leaned in and whispered, “Thank you.”
Then he kissed her cheek.
Because he was losing his mind, apparently.
…
Dani struggled to keep up with Kathleen as she rushed to the stairs. Her thoughts were still on Wes and how amazing he looked in that suit and tie. Not like it was a newsflash he was hot, but this was a new drool-worthy, forget-your-own-name level. Maybe good-looking and great personality didn’t automatically equal crazy passion, but maybe that kind of romantic chemistry was horribly overrated. After all, it’d fade eventually, and wasn’t it more important to be able to stand the person you were with? That would never fade with Wes.
Dani was so lost in her thoughts, she almost slammed into Kathleen when she abruptly stopped.
“I forgot to pull the stuff for the punch out of the freezer. I’m not even sure it’ll thaw in time for the reception.” She spun around. “I’ll take care of that. Can you go in and see if the girls need anything?”
Before Dani could suggest they switch duties, Kathleen was hurrying down the stairs, muttering to herself.
Dani could hear voices coming from the door to her right. She knocked and went in.
A cloud of hairspray hung heavy in the air and there was a bustle of activity, the rustle of tulle and satin.
Audrey glanced over her shoulder at Dani. She was a vision in white satin and lace, her blond hair pinned up in curls. The next instant she was hugging Dani so tightly she thought she was going to crush her rib cage. “I’m so glad you’re here.” She pulled back, fanning her eyes with her hand. “Oh no, I’m going to cry again. Jill!”
Jill came over with a tissue, dabbing at her sister’s eyes. “Deep breaths. I’ll grab the powder and we’ll touch you up, but then we need to go.”
As Jill brushed past, she leaned in and whispered, “Sophie’s zipper is stuck. We’re not telling Audrey yet, hoping we’ll get it fixed in time. Could you go see if you can get it for me while I take care of Audrey?”
Go help Sophie. Sure. Not awkward at all.
She slowly approached Sophie, who was dabbing her eyes with a tissue. Apparently everyone was crying.
Dani stared for a moment, wondering how she’d gotten roped into this. She hesitantly reached out and patted Sophie’s shoulder. “It’s okay. We’ll get your dress fixed, no need to cry.”
Sophie glanced up at her and sighed. “I’m not crying because of the dress. I’m just…” She gestured around the room. “I was supposed to be doing this in a few weeks. I was going to have the ceremony of my dreams with the man of my dreams.”
An icy knot formed in Dani’s stomach. “I’m sure you’ll still have it someday.”
“Not when the man of my dreams is with someone else.” Sophie dabbed at the tears that spilled out of her eyes. “I’m sorry, that came across as bitchy. I’m not trying to be, I swear, but I didn’t expect to have such a hard time with it.” She took a shuddering breath. “Can you block me from Audrey so she doesn’t see I’m falling apart?”
Dani moved her body between Audrey and Sophie. “I’m sorry, too. I don’t know what to say.” What she wanted to say was, You dumped him and now he’s mine and you can’t have him. But he wasn’t hers, not really, and she’d suspected from the moment she’d gotten to Charlotte that part of Wes did belong to Sophie. Maybe all of him.
Needing something else to focus on, she told Sophie to turn around and then stared at the zipper. Some of the satiny green material had gotten lodged in the side. Dani gently tugged the tab up and down, but it didn’t move. She was tempted to really yank, but if Sophie’s dress got torn, who was going to believe it wasn’t because Wes’s current fiancée was jealous of his old one? Especially since it was a little true.
Dani managed to get the fabric out, but the zipper’s tab would only go down, not up.
Kathleen poked her head in the room. “We’re supposed to go out now. Everyone ready?”
Sophie cast a worried glance over her shoulder at Dani.
Dani, in turn, glanced around for something to help, like the answer would magically appear. The pencil on the desk caught her eye. Once, when the lock on her college apartment got stuck, Wes had come to help her fix it. He’d brought this graphite lubricant tube and put it in the lock to get the tumblers working again.
Audrey was standing up, running her hands along her skirt. Jill shot a questioning, wide-eyed look at Dani. She grabbed the pencil, rubbed it up and down the zipper, worried in the end all she’d have was a dress with gray smudges on it that still wouldn’t zip.
A deep breath and then she pulled on the tab. It snagged for a second but then caught and slid up, nice and smooth. A sigh of relief escaped her lips. “Ready.”
Sophie started to step forward, but then turned back and whispered, “Thank you, Dani.”
It wasn’t Take care of Wes for me, or You’re the one who’s right for him, or any of the dramatic scenes you see in the movies, but the genuineness of Sophie’s voice and t
he sad smile sent a pang of guilt through her. She hadn’t told Wes that there was no reason to get over the girl he wasn’t over. But she needed to.
After she told him, he’d probably want to go declare his love to Sophie and kiss her, right then and there, which would be confusing, since everyone thought he was engaged to her.
Wes and I have gotten ourselves into a royal mess this time.
…
Wes kept glancing at Dani during the ceremony. She’d told him everything was fine when he asked, but now she was twisting her “engagement ring” around her finger, the diamond winking in the sunlight every time it got to the top.
He reached over and took her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. She looked at him—she’d done something to her eyes to make them stand out even more, the purple highlighting the dark brown of her irises, and his stomach twisted just looking at her. It was like a switch had been flipped and there was no way to turn it off now. Damn, he was falling.
Falling for his best friend.
It would’ve been a good thing if he didn’t know that she’d never fall for him back.
He swallowed his feelings, a bitter taste in his mouth, and returned his attention to Audrey and Matthew, reciting their vows in front of the preacher.
Then there were the I Dos and the pronouncing of man and wife. They kissed and the audience cheered.
Mom swiped tears from her cheeks, then leaned over, smiling at him and Dani. “You two are next.”
Wes was saved from having to respond to that by everyone standing for the couple as they walked back down the aisle, hand in hand. Then people headed over to the reception area, and it was a blur of movement, caterers filling drinks and bringing food, and dozens of conversations filling the air.
Dani was quiet, and for the first time in years, he had no idea what to say to her. Finally, he decided to go for simple. “You okay?”
She set down her water glass, nodded, and then poked at the chicken on her plate with her fork.
Geez, it’s like pulling teeth. He talked to Mom and Dad for a couple of minutes, then glanced at Dani again.
“Do anything interesting this morning?”
“I went to the Levine Museum, actually,” she said.
“Let me guess where you spent the most time. The Good Samaritan Chapel.”
Finally he got a smile. “You know me too well. And the most amazing thing happened in there.” Her face lit up as she told him about the couple she’d met at the museum.
Wes squeezed her hand. “You put on a tough front, Dani Vega, but then you almost cry over a couple’s love story.”
She frowned at him. “I wasn’t about to cry.” One shoulder lifted in a half shrug. “But it was a lovely story.” She dropped her fork and leaned in, keeping her voice low. “I guess it just got me thinking… And then I see your parents, and how Jill and her husband are, not to mention Audrey and Matthew, and I know it’s stupid but…” She shook her head. “Never mind.”
“What?” He tugged on her hand until she looked at him again.
“Sometimes I worry I won’t ever have that. My mom was alone for most of her life. Yes, she had me, and now she has my abuela, but that’s different. And I don’t have a kid or even a pet.” She shrugged again, like it was no big deal, but he could hear in her voice that she was genuinely worried. “Just ignore me. I guess I’m not immune to getting emotional at weddings.”
Now the sun was setting, and the white lights Mom had him drape everywhere yesterday were on, softly lighting Dani’s features. He held her gaze for a moment, then put his elbow on the table and moved closer to her. “No matter what happens or who comes into our lives, we’ll always have each other. Whatever you need. Whenever. Even if I’ve got to come with a cane or a walker.”
One of her eyebrows arched higher than the other. “What if you end up married to a girl who hates me?” she whispered.
“Even then,” he said, firm, not bothering to whisper back. “She accepts that you’re part of my life or she’s not a part of mine.”
Dani’s eyes shone with unshed tears, and his chest tightened. She blinked quickly and smiled. “If I ever have a boyfriend again, the same rule applies to him.”
If. Like she’d have trouble finding someone.
The microphone squealed and Jill took it to deliver her maid of honor toast. Matthew’s college buddy followed, making his toast, and then Audrey and Matthew had their first dance as husband and wife.
When the next song started up, Wes stood and held out his hand to Dani. “Come dance with me.”
Her hand slipped into his, like it was meant to be there, and he led her onto the floor with the other couples. She hooked her fingers behind his neck and swayed to the music. Figuring he could get away with dancing close, he slid his arms tighter around her waist until there wasn’t any space between them.
He could feel her chest rise and fall against his, and the rest of the dance party faded away to a blur. Being here with her was no longer about making anyone jealous or keeping his family off his case. It was about having her in his arms and soaking in every moment while he could. “I’ve had so much fun the past few days; I don’t want to think about the fact that I have to go home tomorrow,” she said.
Wes exhaled a shaky breath. “Me neither.” I want you to stay forever. He’d avoided commitment or even dating the last few months, so the thought surprised him. But it was true. He didn’t realize how much he’d missed her since she moved away, and now he didn’t want to let her go back to Arkansas.
She reached up and ran her hand down his cheek again. “Still can’t get over this.”
If she were going to do that every time he shaved, he’d start doing it every day. Obviously she didn’t know what she was doing to him. He had to start silently listing state capitals in his head to keep himself under control. He definitely shouldn’t be thinking about how amazing her body felt pressed against his.
He moved his hands, grazing the soft skin on her back. The backwards dress suddenly became his favorite thing ever.
Dani looked up into his eyes, and he wondered for a heart-stopping second if she were going to ask what he was doing and pull away.
But then she dropped her head on his shoulder. He soaked in the moment, inhaling her perfume and daring to brush his fingers across her skin again. “Can we just freeze this moment for a while?” she asked.
Wes barely resisted the urge to kiss the top of her head. He could probably play it off as acting, but could he do it without then tipping her chin up and kissing her for real?
The music cut off, and he’d never despised the ending of a song so much. Dani lifted her head, her body still pressed against his. Something flickered through her gaze and his posture tensed.
“Wes, I need to tell you something.”
“Everyone!” The screech of the microphone shattered the silence. Audrey stood up front, her arm around her brand-new husband. “Matthew and I just want to thank you all for coming. Planning a wedding involved more than I ever knew it would, and I just want to thank my family for helping me pull off such a beautiful one. We’ve always been very close, and they mean the world to me. And that includes my brother and my sister-in-law-to-be. Dani, Wes, come up here.”
Dani stiffened.
Audrey waved toward them. “Come on, you guys. Get up here already.”
…
The last thing Dani wanted was to go up there. But everyone was already staring at her and Wes, and she wasn’t sure what else to do. She gripped his hand, taking comfort in the way his fingers automatically wrapped around hers.
The crowd parted as they made their way to the podium in front, where the band was set up and Audrey was holding the mic. Wes led her to the stage, and she could feel heat crawling up her neck and into her face.
Her hands ached to have a basketball in them. Something to distract her from all the stares. Audrey grinned, radiating happiness. “Now when my brother brought his new fiancée home, I was so wrapped up in my
own stuff, I’m afraid I didn’t give her a proper welcome into our family. So I wanted to propose a toast.” She lifted a fluted glass. “To Wes and Dani. May your dreams all come true, like mine have today.”
The crowd responded with hear, hear, echoing the toast.
Dani spotted Kathleen in the crowd, beaming up at them.
Look how happy she is. She’s going to hate me when she finds out Wes and I aren’t getting married. But then he’ll get back together with Sophie and they’ll all get over it. Tears pricked her eyes and she swallowed a lump in her throat.
Except me.
Audrey thrust the mic toward Wes.
He shook his head and whispered, “It’s your day.”
“I know, and I want you to say something.” She practically jabbed it into his nose.
Wes reluctantly took the mic. He glanced at Dani, at his parents, and then his eyes drifted over the rest of the crowd.
Dani noticed Sophie standing off to the side, face pale. Back on the dance floor, she’d been about to tell Wes exactly how his ex felt, but this speech had cut her off. Now she worried it was going to ruin any shot they had at getting back together, and it would be all her fault. But what was she supposed to do? Take the mic and tell everyone this wasn’t real and that he belonged with Sophie? Maybe if this were a movie and she were a better person, but there was no way in hell she was doing that.
Wes lifted the mic to his mouth and turned on the charm for the crowd. “First of all, I want to say congrats to Audrey and Matthew. I know you guys are going to have a great life together. Just remember to have some adventures along the way, so the stress of everyday life doesn’t get you down.” He looked at his sister and smiled, the affection in his eyes clear. “Take some chances once in a while. Do something impulsive. No getting boring on me.”
Audrey raised an eyebrow, but she was smiling back at Wes. She gave a little nod.
“As for Dani…” Wes let go of her hand and slid his arm around her waist. “She’s been my best friend for a long time. And I…” His eyes locked onto hers and her heart caught. “I love her like crazy, and I’m so glad she said yes.”
Awws went through the audience.