Their situation was unique. Between only ever being friends and her past history with his brother, his twin brother, nothing was black and white. There was a lot of gray area.
Another bridesmaid disappeared around the corner. She moved up another step and she noticed her breathing was becoming shallow pants as the line of women in coral dresses got shorter.
Behind her, Katie whispered to Bailey that she hoped she didn’t trip. If Eliza made it to her designated spot without passing out or throwing up she’d consider it a victory. Tripping she could recover from. Vomit and unconsciousness…not so much.
Amber gracefully turned the corner like she’d walked runways in Milan and Eliza was on deck. She kept her eyes on Aunt Wendy who would be motioning for her to go. Eliza had to give it to the woman, just like Jess, Wendy had a style all her own and embraced it. She didn’t let her age or her tall, five-foot-nine frame stop her from wearing bold, bright patterns and dying her hair in fun and experimental ways.
Today she was wearing a lime green skirt paired with a fuchsia top that was patterned with small sunflowers. Her shoulder length hair was died platinum blonde with a streak of purple in it. And her fingernails and high heels were matching bright yellow. It shouldn’t have worked, but on Wendy it did.
Those yellow nails waved for Eliza to step forward. She took a deep breath and forced herself to put one foot in front of the other. She’d planned to lock eyes immediately on her target. Nate. But when she turned the corner to the courtyard, she lost her nerve.
What if she did see regret when she looked into his eyes?
Did she really want to stand in front of a crowd of people, even if none of them were looking at her, with that weighing on her?
No. No, she did not. So instead of looking his way, she made a conscious effort not to. Instead she took in the space—that was truly majestic—and the people that had gathered to share Becca and Brian’s day.
The first thing that hit her was that the energy in the air was magical. That was the only way to describe it. Was it because the bride and groom’s story was so sweet and everyone here loved them so much and were so happy for them? Or was it the setting? Getting married at a castle did add a fairytale element to the occasion. Whatever it was, it felt like fairy dust had been sprinkled over the entire event.
The second thing that drew her attention was that over half of the bridal party was wearing sunglasses and she’d forgotten to stop by her room and grab hers. She’d been so preoccupied worrying about seeing Nate again, it had completely slipped her mind.
The next thing she noticed was that the contestant that Becca had been paired with in Fairytale Love was here. Colton McCord had become somewhat of a reality show darling, or whatever the male term for that was, since his stint on the show. And Eliza wasn’t surprised. Colton had been her favorite, outside of Becca and Brian of course. He’d done several more shows since then, some dating and some adventure style, and Eliza had watched them all. Besides movies, reality shows were her go-to entertainment. He was sitting next to a blonde that Eliza didn’t recognize from any of the dating shows he’d been on, but she easily could have been on one of them. She was gorgeous.
As she continued down the long aisle she smiled at the people she knew from home and blushed when Nana Holmes winked at her. She wasn’t sure what the older woman had thought was going to happen when she’d orchestrated the shenanigans the previous night, but she doubted it was what had happened. Eliza grinned, most likely sheepishly, at the matriarch of the Holmes family, and to her surprise Nana wagged her brows.
Okay, maybe what happened was exactly what Nana thought would happen.
Eliza hoped that her chest and neck weren’t turning red with the embarrassment she felt. She didn’t want Nana Holmes to see that reaction and read any more into things than she already had. More importantly, she didn’t want her skin to clash with her coral dress. Jess had worked wonders on her hair and makeup and she didn’t want a silly blush to detract from it.
The rest of the short walk to her spot was over before she knew it. Her mind was distracted with trying to control her body’s response and when she glanced up to see how far she had to go, she was only a couple of feet away from Nate. Her heart sank when his lips didn’t turn up in a smile, or even a grin when their eyes met. But it floated right back up when in his eyes she didn’t see regret, she saw…desire.
She could definitely work with desire.
* * *
Nate was struggling to keep his expression blank as he watched Eliza walk down the aisle. With every step she took his heart pounded harder in his chest and his entire body vibrated with one thought and one thought only, mine. Since almost everyone he knew was sitting in chairs directly in front of him, it would be better if he kept his feelings to himself for now.
He had to squint to see her because of the sun that was directly in his eyes. He’d been so intent on remembering the sunglasses he’d gotten at Whisper Lake Rentals that he’d forgotten his own. Which was extremely out of character for him. He didn’t forget things. Ever. But Eliza turned him inside out and upside down and he loved it. He loved her.
As she scanned the crowd that was gathered he took the time to study her. Her hair was down and it reminded him of when she’d been running late for first period and would come to class with her hair damp because she hadn’t had time to dry it. By the end of class it would look like it did now. Soft and wavy. He’d wanted to thread his fingers in it then and he wanted to now as well. Her green eyes were even more vivid than normal and framed by long, dark lashes. Her cheeks glowed and he’d love to think that the time they’d spent together last night had put it there, but he knew some of it had to be makeup.
She still hadn’t looked in his direction when he saw a blush creep up her skin, the flush that he loved seeing and being the inspiration for. His eyes shot to where she was looking and he saw it was the row his family was seated in. When he saw his brother staring at her, undressing her with his eyes and practically drooling, he felt a rage that he could honestly say he’d never thought he was capable of feeling towards Neil. But that was secondary to the searing pain he felt from Eliza blushing under his brother’s attention. It was worse than when he’d been shot three times in combat.
His eyes darted back towards her and that’s when he saw his nana wagging her brows at Eliza like she was Groucho Marx. He sliced his gaze back to the woman he loved and then back to his grandma and he quickly realized that Eliza was blushing at his nana’s antics, not at his brother’s overt sexual stare.
Relief washed over him. He took a breath he hadn’t even known he was holding. The power that this woman held over him was terrifying, but he wouldn’t change it for anything. What he felt for Eliza, the good and the bad was all worth it. She was worth it.
When she finally made her way to him and their eyes met, it was all he could do not to wrap his arms around her and kiss her like his life depended on it, because it felt like it did. Her lips turned up in a private smile and his heart expanded to the point of aching.
She turned to take her place in front of him and he noticed when she did her eyes scrunched at the harsh sunlight and she sucked in a sharp breath. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out the glasses he’d gotten for her and slipped them into her hand as he leaned forward and whispered, “I thought you might need these.”
She looked down and when she saw what he’d given her, her gaze shot back to his.
“Put them on.” He mouthed subtly. He knew if she didn’t she’d get a migraine, and he’d known there was a decent chance she’d forget her own.
He noticed her hand shaking as she did what he’d suggested and his mind flashed with the way they’d shaken the night before as she’d unbuttoned his shirt. For the rest of his life, he’d never forget her innocent seduction that was equal parts erotic and endearing.
The music changed and the bride appeared at the opposite side of the courtyard. Everyone’s attention was towards her but his rem
ained on Eliza. How he’d spent so many years without her in his life boggled his mind. So much had happened. He’d graduated college, Ranger Training, Sniper School, HALO and Ranger First Responder. He’d been deployed eight times and completed countless missions. After his enlistment had ended, he’d immediately been recruited by the CIA as a cyber terrorism expert. His life had not been boring by any stretch of the imagination.
But he felt like he’d been running on power save mode the entire time. It was like he’d been sleepwalking through his own life and hadn’t even realized it until he walked into the dental office and saw her come around the corner in her white lab coat. In that moment, he woke up. He was alive. Aware. Since Eliza came back into his life he was living, not just surviving.
When the officiant asked who gives this woman, Becca’s father replied, “Her mother and I do.” Her father then proceeded to lift his daughter’s veil and kiss her cheek. When he did, Nate had a flash of Eliza’s father doing the same thing.
He’d seen pictures on Facebook of Eliza’s weddings. The first one had been in a courtroom and it looked like it was just her ex-husband and two witnesses. The second had been more traditional, but the pictures of her walking down the aisle were of her alone. Her father had not accompanied her, so he hadn’t given her away.
It had stuck out to Nate for some reason at the time and now as he saw the emotion in Becca’s face he wondered if Eliza had wanted that moment and hadn’t had it. If it was up to him, she’d get another chance at it. Soon.
As the ceremony began, he placed his hand on her lower back. No one could see his hand there, except maybe Josh, but he seemed focused on not looking at Bailey who looked just as focused on not looking at him.
He felt a tremor run down her body as he rubbed his thumb in a small circle. It made him want to feel her skin to skin, no barriers. Last night had been amazing, but it wasn’t how he wanted to love her. He wanted to take his time and kiss every inch of her body. He wanted to worship her.
Tonight, he hoped he would get that chance. He needed to get her alone, come clean about the night that had haunted him for the past decade, and then, if she could find it in her heart to forgive him, he was going to show her exactly how he’d wanted to love her last night, and every night for the rest of his life.
Chapter 19
“Colton, this is one of my oldest friends, Eliza Young. She is a dentist and we grew up next door to each other and used to play doctor.” She paused and then burst out laughing. “Wait! That sounded bad.”
Colton chuckled as he shook Eliza’s hand.
“It’s so nice to meet you.” Eliza tried to play it cool as she was introduced to Colton McCord.
It was so odd to be speaking to someone in real life that you’d only seen on television. It had happened to her twice in the past few weeks. Last Thursday, Virginia Valentine had come into the office, her office, for a cleaning. She’d heard that the country music superstar had recently moved to Harper’s Crossing and was engaged to Dax Archer who worked with Nate, but hearing about something and walking in to see someone you’ve been a fan of for years, were two very different things.
Chase Malone was a famous rock star now, but he’d grown up in Harper’s Crossing, and had dated Becca’s sister Krista, who was now his wife, so it was different. She’d known him before he was a celebrity.
“Nice to meet you as well.” Colton’s voice sounded exactly the same as it did on TV and Eliza was sure that his deep voice and sexy southern drawl had definitely helped his insta-fame status. Of course the fact that he was a blonde and built cowboy probably had something to do with it too.
Becca was still a little flustered and shaking her head as she turned to Colton’s plus one. “And this is Mia James. She was an assistant director on Fairytale Love.”
Eliza shook Mia’s hand as Becca enthused, “I didn’t know you two were together. That’s great!”
“We’re not,” they said in unison then looked at each other and smiled. It was more of a brother-sister smile than a sexual-tension smile.
“We’re actually working together again.” Colton explained in a diplomatic tone.
Mia grinned at him with a knowing look of appreciation, but then sighed and launched into an explanation. “Yes. We are. But only because Colton saved my job, my sanity and my life. I’m going to name my first child after him.”
Aunt Wendy “woohooed” and was waving Becca over to the cake table, but Becca held up her hand gesturing to give her one minute. The reception had been running smoothly, but it was two hours in and this was the first time Eliza had seen Becca. She hadn’t stopped since the DJ had announced Mr. and Mrs. Brian Scott.
“Okay,” Becca reached out and grabbed Mia’s arm. “I have to know what’s going on and I have about one minute before Aunt Wendy comes and drags me away. Talk fast.”
Mia was up to the challenge. She took a breath and said. “I pitched a show to the network and it got greenlit before I’d actually approached Colton about doing it. Which was a problem since the show is called Claiming Colton. When I called and told him about the project, he told me he was done doing reality shows, especially dating ones. That he wanted to move on with his life and I started crying. Sobbing, actually.
“I didn’t mean to, but I’ve been working for this opportunity for eight years and I had a lot of other personal stuff going on too.” A pained look flashed in her eyes but it was gone as fast as it had appeared. “Colton heard me crying and said he’d do it. I told him no and thought I’d talked him out of it before getting off the phone. I went to bed that night not knowing what I was going to do. But the next morning I got a call from the producer with a tentative budget. Colton had spoken to his agent and signed the contract which included a stipulation that I direct.” Mia’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m directing.”
From the way she said the word it was obvious to Eliza that it meant a great deal to her.
“So, I told her she owed me one and she agreed to be my plus one.” Colton teased.
“Wow, well I can’t wait to watch the show and I’m so glad you both could come! It was great seeing you again.” Becca hugged them both and they all said their goodbyes as Colton explained he and Mia weren’t staying in Whisper Lake. They were headed to the airport and back to Texas where the show was going to be filmed in his hometown of Wishing Well.
Before they left, Mia tried to recruit Eliza as one of the women that would be attempting to “claim” Colton but she politely declined. There was only one man that she wanted to claim, and he wasn’t a cowboy from Texas. He was a bodyguard from Harper’s Crossing.
As soon as they were gone, Becca hugged her and rushed off to see what Wendy needed and Eliza found herself alone. Again. She’d thought that after Nate’s romantic gesture today, which she believed should go down as one of the most romantic gestures of all time in the Guinness Book of World Records, not to mention his impromptu backrub during the ceremony, she and Nate would have at least talked at the reception.
But she’d been wrong.
It had started off promising. After the processional, he’d told her that they needed to talk later and he asked her to come to his room after the reception. She’d agreed. That was two hours ago and he hadn’t spoken to her since.
At first, she’d thought that it was just a logistical issue. The table that the wedding party was seated at was long and she was at one end with the bridesmaids and he was at the other with the groomsmen. But after dinner, he’d still kept his distance.
He hadn’t even asked her to dance. Not once. And she’d seen his moves at the fundraiser. It wasn’t that he couldn’t dance. He just didn’t want to dance with her.
So, she’d danced with Grandpa J who was technically Sophie Hunter-Sloan’s grandfather but had adopted the whole town as “his kids.” Everyone loved and adored him. He was the Colonel to the guys who all looked up to and respected him and Grandpa J to the girls, who all adored and respected him. He’d been trying to avoid the
M&M sisters, who were the guestbook attendants that Becca had not oversold when she’d described their colorful character. They were very bold in their pursuit of “their man” Grandpa J. She’d also danced with Josh, and Brian’s brother Brendan. Of course, she’d gone out and shaken her tail feather with Becca’s sisters and cousins-in-law. She’d had fun, but all she really wanted was to be with Nate.
It was killing her that he was so close, yet so far. She’d caught him staring at her several times, and she’d wanted to go talk to him, but Neil was behaving himself tonight and she hadn’t wanted to rock the boat. She liked smooth sailing.
“Can I have this dance?”
Speak of the devil.
She turned and saw Neil holding out his hand. He didn’t look or smell drunk, in fact his eyes were clearer than she’d seen him since she’d moved back home. And he didn’t look like he was putting on a show. He just looked normal.
“Sure,” she said as she put her hand in his.
They walked to the middle of the dance floor and she was relieved when he placed one hand in the middle of her back and the other held her hand, keeping an appropriate distance between them. As he stepped off his left foot and led her in a waltz she remembered that he had skills on the dance floor. The first dance they’d gone to as sophomores he’d explained that he and Nate had taken ballroom dancing when they were kids. His mom had insisted on it. It was so strange to remember something you’d always known but forgotten.
The music stopped and he asked her if he could have another dance, and then another and another. It wasn’t until the fourth song that he slowed their pace and said that he needed to talk to her about the night of her birthday.
“Okay,” she answered hesitantly as she looked around and saw that the dance floor was fairly empty. Only Becca’s parents and two other couples were still dancing. But no one was paying attention to anyone or anything except for their partners.
All He Desires – Nate & Eliza (Crossroads Book 12) Page 16