“At my sister’s wedding, my brother-in-law got hammered.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Fall down, pour him into the car drunk. Michelle told me it took him two days to sober up.”
“What an ass,” Avery said.
“Yeah. They’re divorced now. Took her some time to get over him.”
“Trina cared for her late husband, but it wasn’t anything like her love for Wade. Which is a blessing, all things considered.”
Liam took the opening to learn a little more. “Reed implied that he died.”
Avery kept her eyes glued in front of her. “Killed by his own dad. Doesn’t get more dramatic than that.”
Chills ran up his arms. “You’re kidding.”
“Nope. It was all over the papers last year.” She nodded toward the mother of the groom, who stood to the side of where the ceremony was going to take place the next day. “Vicki didn’t heed the threats of Trina’s former father-in-law and ended up kidnapped. I think that’s why she’s so butt hurt about Trina. Not that any of it was Trina’s fault.”
“Kidnapping and murder?”
“Money does crazy things to people.”
He sighed. “Makes me happy I don’t have much.”
Avery grinned. “You didn’t like the private jet?”
“I didn’t say that. But not at the risk of someone killing someone I loved for it.”
“Those are the risks when dating someone who has a big bank account.”
Liam rested his arm around Avery’s shoulders. “Trying to scare me off again?”
“Stating facts.”
“I’ve been warned.”
She turned to him then, eyes stoic. “You’re really okay with all of this?”
“The wedding?” he asked, confused.
“Not just the wedding. The jets, the private cars, celebrities?”
“The question isn’t if I’m okay with it so much as are you? I can’t compete with any of this, so there’s no use trying. Doesn’t mean I can’t buy a meal or a round or two.”
She offered a soft smile.
“I’ve been crushing on you long before I realized this was in your back pocket.”
That smile grew. “Crushing?”
“What’s the matter, hasn’t anyone ever crushed on you before?”
“Maybe in junior high.”
He envisioned short skirts and attitude. “I bet you had all the boys wrapped.”
“What do you mean, had?”
Liam leaned his head back and laughed.
Saturday was a blur. Twice Avery flushed out Liam to check on him, even though she told him she wouldn’t. Between bridesmaid duties and the chaos of getting ready for such a big event, Avery had a hard time breathing.
When the hour finally came and Shannon, Lori, and Avery surrounded Trina right before walking down the aisle, there were misty eyes all around.
Trina wore her dark, long hair down and draped to the side. Her slim-fitted dress was a bright contrast to her dark complexion. The off the shoulder neckline matched that of her bridal party’s dresses.
Avery and the girls wore dusty gray three-quarter-length gowns by Ralph Lauren, with shoes that would be a part of Avery’s collection for years. They’d made a pact when Lori had married that the bridesmaids’ dresses would probably be mothballed in six months, but the shoes had to last. So far, Avery was pleased with her collection.
Even though the venue was closed to the public, that didn’t stop security from being everywhere.
A massive canopy had been lifted above the outside seating for the ceremony to discourage media helicopters from flying overhead. Not that it completely stopped the paparazzi from trying.
Avery poked her head around the corner of the courtyard and took in the guests. “That’s a lot of people,” she said to the girls.
The wedding coordinator slipped around the corner. “You ladies ready?”
Avery turned to Trina and her father.
Trina offered a thumbs-up.
Music quieted the guests, and Wade and his groomsmen made their way to the spotlight.
One at a time, Shannon and Lori slowly preceded Trina to the front of the celebrity packed crowd.
When it was Avery’s turn, she painted on a smile and concentrated on walking slowly. She spotted Liam next to Reed and a few of their friends. Even through the mass of people, she read Liam’s lips as he mouthed the word beautiful.
Her cheeks grew hot and her eyes lowered to the ground as she walked past him.
No matter how good she might look, nothing would upstage what came next.
The second Trina rounded the corner, Avery heard Wade’s heartfelt swish of air escape from his lungs. She turned to look at the groom and saw tears in his eyes. For the first time in well over a year, Avery felt moisture sting the backs of hers. The love Wade had for her friend was palpable. In that moment, she knew this was a marriage that would last.
Thirty-eight minutes later, after Trina and Wade had delivered their own vows to each other and the minister had given his blessing, and all the I dos and kiss the bride were over, Avery sighed as if she had been the one getting married.
She had two minutes to breathe while she signed as a witness on their marriage certificate and kissed the bride and groom. Then they were whisked off for pictures.
Liam stood to the side and brought her a glass of champagne.
“You took my breath away,” he told her.
She touched his tie. “You clean up pretty well yourself.” Most men in suits did nothing for her. Her father had worn one every day to work, and Bernie never went anywhere without one. She couldn’t remember if Bernie owned a T-shirt. Probably not. Liam, on the other hand, filled his out perfectly. Avery wondered what he would look like in a suit tailored only for him.
“Avery?”
She handed Liam her wine and moved beside the wedding party and smiled for the camera.
Trina had opted for an oversize round table to accommodate their wedding party and significant others. Considering Avery hadn’t seen much of Liam the entire weekend, it was nice to have him sitting next to her instead of across the tent next to some Kardashian wannabe.
Food rolled out in courses, and she knew from experience that if they didn’t eat quickly, the guests would descend and make it hard to chew.
“Did you help with the guest list?” Liam asked close to her ear.
“I did.”
He glanced over his shoulder. “Is that Steven Tyler?”
Avery lifted a fork to her lips. “Yup.”
“Doesn’t that make you a little giddy?”
She looked again. “Sure does.”
“I’d love to know the story of how Wade and him met.”
Without missing a beat, Avery lifted her voice. “Hey, Wade . . . how did you meet Steven Tyler?”
Liam nudged her under the table.
“The Grammys. Three years ago. Had a complete fan moment backstage, and we’ve been friends ever since.”
“What does a Wade Thomas fan moment look like?” Reed asked.
“There was stuttering involved. It wasn’t pretty.”
“Good to know you’re not unaffected,” Liam told him.
“This guy was a complete dork for years once we went big,” Gus, Wade’s best man, said.
“I’m much better at playing it cool now.”
During their limited dinner conversation, Avery sensed Liam start to relax.
Once the dinner plates left the table and settings were in place for cake later in the evening, Avery and Liam mingled around the room and were introduced to dozens of people. Reed stood by a tall, olive skinned woman she’d never met before. He motioned them over when he caught her staring.
“I don’t think you’ve met Sasha.”
The woman wore Versace. The black dress stuck to her like a glove. The angle and cut crossed over the front of her body in an asymmetrical way that only a woman as lean and fit as this one could pull off.
Avery had instant arm envy. The woman didn’t appear to have an ounce of fat on her.
“I have not. I’m Avery.” They shook hands.
“I know.” Her exotic voice matched her dress. “You must be Liam Holt.”
“I am.” He seemed as surprised to hear his name coming from her lips as Avery was.
“Sasha is Trina’s late husband’s half sister,” Avery explained to Liam. She’d leave the rest of the woman’s significance in Trina’s life for a later conversation.
Sasha had played an intricate role in stopping Ruslan Petrov from hiring any more killers to cover up his crimes. Intricate meant being nearly killed by the man’s hands while the authorities rushed in at the last minute and put a bullet in him. If it wasn’t for her, he would have fled and still been alive to cause misery and pain to Trina and everyone she held dear. Including Avery.
“I feel the need to thank you,” Avery said.
“That isn’t necessary.”
“Sasha is occasionally helping with our security team, so hopefully we can convince her to join us outside of work.”
“That would be great, and you can tell me where you got that dress. Versace, right?”
“Paris.” A woman of one-word answers.
“It’s stunning.”
“Thank you. If you’ll excuse me.” And she was gone.
Reed moved closer once she walked away. “I’m surprised she came.”
“She’s intense” was Liam’s take on the woman.
“I don’t remember putting her down on the table assignments,” Avery said.
“She refused. Said she would witness the wedding, blend in at the reception, and drill security to make sure they were doing their job while everyone ate.” Reed glanced around the room.
“And is security doing a good job?” Liam asked.
Reed looked down his nose at him. “Our team never fails.”
Liam patted Reed’s back. “I feel safer.”
“Good to know. Now let me find my wife. I wanna dance.”
Later, after Avery delivered a toast alongside Gus, and the obligatory wedding party dance after Trina and Wade took the stage, Liam claimed her as his for the rest of the night.
He lost his tie, ditched the jacket, and swung her around the dance floor.
There wasn’t any of the bumping and grinding that went along with the club scene here. Just good moves with dips and turns for the rock and roll, and plenty of line dancing and two-stepping when the country hits were sung.
Flushed and breathless, Avery pleaded to step away from the crowd.
Liam tugged her hand toward the back of the covered dance floor and out into the night.
“You’re crazy out there.”
He did a little shuffle. “Love to dance.”
“I can tell.”
Liam slid a hand around her waist and swung her in a circle when some of the other guests walked by.
Avery glanced at them and laughed.
“I think that was Faith and Tim.”
Liam wasn’t listening. He wrapped his arms around her waist and walked behind her until they were on the edge of the manicured outdoor space, overlooking the moonlit valley below.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Avery said once they stopped walking.
“Peaceful. I managed to take a walk before everything started today. Wade has quite the spread.”
“Texas has grown on me a little,” Avery admitted. “But I wouldn’t want to live here.”
“City girl?”
“I like where I live. But I don’t think I’ll be there forever.”
She felt Liam’s breath against her ear.
“Where else would you go?”
“Somewhere, anywhere. What about you? Ever wanted to live somewhere different?”
“I haven’t really thought about it. My family is close by, my business is in LA.”
She held his arms, which wrapped around her shoulders, keeping the cool evening air away from her bare skin. “I guess that’s the difference between a close family and what I have.”
“Is it really that bad?”
Avery thought about the measures she’d gone through, marrying Bernie for a short, contracted time for a massive payoff to get out from under her parents’ financial thumbs. “It’s not good.”
“My sister and I are eleven months apart. For a long time people thought we were twins. You’ll love her, and Cassandra . . . that kid has my number.”
“How often do you see them?”
Liam laughed. “They live with me.”
Avery leaned back to look at him. “Really?”
“Michelle’s ex left without financial support. She was out of choices. Not that she needed to ask. I offered.”
“What about your parents? Couldn’t she move in with them?”
Liam’s smile faded. “My mother has Alzheimer’s.”
“I’m so sorry.”
He kissed the top of her head. “It’s okay. Right after Cassandra was born, she was diagnosed. It’s been a slow, steady decline. My dad kept up with her care for a while, but last year we had to hire help during the day so he could work. He encouraged my sister to move in with him, but the stress of a five-year-old is too much day in and day out.”
“I can’t imagine.”
He tilted his head. “My parents love us unconditionally and with every ounce of their being. I can’t imagine that you’ve lived a life without that anchor.”
“Don’t feel sorry for me. It no longer rules me. Do I wish it was different? Yes. But it isn’t. Now I take my parents in small doses and leave when it’s unbearable.”
Liam turned her around and rested his hands around her waist. “They’re missing out. You’re a special lady.”
“You hardly know me.”
“That’s changing rapidly. Besides, if I wasn’t figuring that out on my own, your friends have all told me.”
“They’re biased.”
He brushed his hand along her chin and watched his fingers as he traced them down her neck and shoulder. The touch was more intimate than if they were naked and skin to skin.
Avery shivered.
“Are you cold?”
“No.”
His eyes smiled, and he leaned closer and touched his lips to hers.
Avery closed her eyes and melted. Like every time he kissed her, there wasn’t a rush or any urgency. Only the movement of his mouth on hers, the slow request for her to open and let him inside. Her body quivered and her mind went blank.
What was it about this man that was so different from any other? Was it the fact that he wasn’t rushing? Or maybe it was the way he slowly ran his hands over her back, as if he were memorizing her. Maybe the difference was how much she knew about him. Since before Bernie, she hadn’t bothered to know more than a first name and a short sexual history. Family history and desires for the future only shortened the time she spent with the previous men in her life.
This one was different.
Liam was different.
Following his leisurely pace, Avery stroked his back and squeezed his shoulders when he nipped at her bottom lip. He heated every cell that begged for his attention.
His fingers squeezed her hips but didn’t move lower. As the bases went, he hadn’t rounded second, and she wanted a home run in the worst way.
Avery pressed closer and knew without any doubt Liam had all the working parts fired up and ready.
Unlike the man holding her, she let her hands drop lower on his hips until his firm ass filled her palms.
Liam stalled, his mouth open over hers, eyes closed. “Careful, Princess.”
The huskiness of his voice empowered her. “Why?”
He gripped her hips and brought her as close as two standing bodies, fully clothed, could get. “My control is painfully close to snapping.”
“Have you considered that I might want that?”
Liam opened his smoky eyes. “I didn’t force my hand at you bringing me here for this.”
There was something he wasn’t saying; she could see it in his gaze.
Noise from the reception cut in through the night. “Now isn’t the time,” he told her.
She wanted to argue but knew he was right. Avery swallowed and shifted her weight.
His grip stopped her. “Never think, for one second, that I don’t want you. That I haven’t dreamt of peeling each layer of your clothing off your skin and kissing every bare spot until you can’t take the torture any longer.”
Her chest lifted with every short breath she took.
He pressed his lips to hers, eyes wide open.
“You’re not like any man I’ve ever met,” she whispered when he released her lips.
Liam smiled as if she’d just given him a gift. “Good.”
Monday was met with a gallon of coffee and a hard-on.
“You mean to tell me you were at Wade Thomas’s ranch the whole weekend?” Michelle stared at him across the table at six in the morning.
“I was.”
“Holy cow. Who is this woman you’re dating?”
Are we dating?
“Avery Grant.” He wondered if that was her maiden name or her ex’s.
“Do you have a picture of her?”
Liam fired up his phone and pulled up a text from Shannon. She’d added him to a group text where she’d sent a dozen pictures taken over the weekend.
He pulled up a shot from during the rehearsal dinner and twisted his phone toward his sister.
Michelle squealed. “Oh my God! That is Wade Thomas.”
Sipping his coffee, he said, “Avery is the blonde standing next to me.”
His sister expanded the picture on the phone and glanced at him. “She’s gorgeous.”
“I noticed that.”
“Her skin is flawless. What is she, twenty-fourish?”
Liam thought about that for a second, did a little math based on the timeline of her past. “I think she’s in her early thirties.”
“Kids?”
“No.”
“Ever married?”
“Once.”
Michelle zoomed out and flipped through the pictures on the thread. “That’s good.”
“Is it?”
“Yeah. A woman previously married isn’t rushing to put a ring back on and makes a better decision the second time around.”
Chasing Shadows (First Wives Book 3) Page 12