I shielded my eyes from the bright afternoon sun and peered around the parking area. I spotted him at the far end of the lot, leaning against the bike with his arms crossed over his chest. The short sleeves of his black t-shirt slid up to display all but the shoulders of his bronzed, muscular arms. His face was tipped toward the sun. The light made his hair glow like a golden halo. With a casual indifference his head lulled my way. There was no denying the guy was hot. That didn’t change the fact that he was a self-centered ass.
Still ... my mind wandered as I walked over. Did he seem happy to see me? Anxious for me to get to him? I toyed with the idea of opening myself up to his emotions but quickly decided against it. Whatever he felt for me—good, bad, or indifferent—I really didn’t want to know. It could ruin our arrangement and that was all that was holding me together as of late. For the sake of my mental well being I decided to take Rowan’s cool detachment at face value.
He held out my keys and reached for the Frappucino. “Trade ya?”
As soon as his hand closed around the cup, I snatched mine away. We couldn’t have any lingering touches that might add credibility to Sophia’s claims.
Rowan’s flaxen brows lowered and one side of his mouth pulled back in amusement. “Much appreciation for the drink, lass.”
I shoved the keys into the pocket of my khaki work pants. “Okay look, I accept that you were a pirate a few centuries ago, but I’m not buying the lingo. Truth be told I think you force it.”
He cocked his head to the side and peered at me from behind his sunglasses. “Well, aren’t you a treat today. I’m inclined not to share my little gift if you’re going to be nasty.”
Panic churned my stomach at the idea of going the rest of the day without a moment’s relief. “Sorry,” I murmured and scuffed my tennis shoe against the pavement. “Rough day.”
“Then let’s get this over with quickly.” He took a quick swig of his drink and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. “Before you feel the need to tell me about it.”
I shot him a glare that he ignored as he reached out and caught my hand.
“What are you doing?” Mild hysteria morphed my voice into a high-pitched squawk and I ripped my hand out of his grasp.
His eyebrows nearly shot off his head. He kept his voice low and even as he tried to break through my fog of crazy. “You remember how this works, yes? I have to touch you if you want me to work my magic. Or, you can continue to act like a loon, in which case I’ll scamper meself off and leave you to that.”
“You grabbed my hand. There’s … meaning behind that.” My cheeks and ears burned bright red. “I just don’t want anything to be misconstrued here.”
A wry smirk curled its way across his lips. “That’s what you’re worried about? What other people think?” Before I could answer he smacked his hand down on my face. His palm mashed my nose to the side. “What about this? Could this be misconstrued in anyway?”
“I hate you,” I muttered from behind his hand.
“Yeah, I’m not your biggest fan either,” he grumbled.
Rowan kept his hand plastered to my face as he gave me the emotional sedation I needed. My frayed nerves calmed and the pain lessened—for the moment. I exhaled a relieved, cleansing breath.
Rowan didn’t linger. Quick and unceremoniously he yanked his hand off my face like a suction cup. “I’m sure I’ll be seeing ya tonight, Mo Chroi.”
He vanished in a cloud of smoke.
Sophia was obviously wrong. Rowan didn’t see me as his kindred spirit. All I was to him was a burden to bear and that was okay by me.
CHAPTER Fifteen
Bing.
“Attention Airscape travelers; there has been a gate change. Flight 183 departing to Orlando is now at Gate 45. Thank you.”
Her banner rustled and Alaina dropped it below her chin. “What did that say? Was that her flight? I wasn’t listening. Do we need to move? If so we should hurry!” She was so excited if she were a puppy she would’ve already piddled on the floor.
Kendall smoothed her hand over Alaina’s long auburn waves. “That wasn’t us. We’re right where we need to be. Breathe, Lani.”
“Oh! Good!” Up went the banner. “Let me know when she gets off the plane. I can’t see anything back here.”
I couldn’t help but stare. “Alaina, isn’t all this … ” I waved my arm at the spectacle that was Alaina, “ … a bit much?”
A corner of the banner curled out. Moss green eyes peeked out at me. “Absolutely not! I’ve never met my future mother-in-law before! I want her to recognize me as the bride and—more importantly—I want her to like me!”
“Well, first of all,” I clasped my hands together and pressed them to my lips, “there are four people picking her up from the airport. One is her betrothed son. Two are her daughters. I’m fairly certain my mother is clever enough to figure out that the girl here she didn’t give birth to is the bride. But perhaps you could explain to me how the veil, bride-to-be t-shirt, and gigantic sparkly ‘O’Brien-Garrett Wedding or Bust’ sign are supposed to make her like you?”
Alaina lowered the sign once more. It thumped to the ground under the weight of all that glitter and left a sparkly pile on the floor. “Because, I want her to think I’m a normal girl up-to-date on all the current nuptial traditions and customs, and not a three century old ex-Spirit Guide that has no place marrying her son.”
“I think it’s safe to say that won’t be the first conclusion she comes to,” I chuckled and checked the time on my phone. Her plane would land any minute now.
“I think her get up was a great idea,” Gabe added through a giant mouthful. “Got us free Cinnabons!”
“Ah, yes. The true reason to announce your impending nuptials publicly every chance you get—to get free crap.”
Gabe nudged me with his big, meaty shoulder. “Come on, Cee. You know if it was your wedding you’d be embracing all the goofy, fun traditions, too.”
Kendall sucked in a shocked breath. Alaina’s hand fluttered up to her mouth. Gabe seemed unaffected and took another huge bite of Cinnabon. The ring Caleb gave me seemed to burn its painful reminder against my skin.
Not wanting to ruin this moment for Alaina, I swallowed my emotions and forced on a big, jovial grin. “Well, I’m not! So no worries there!” Even I winced at the insane shriek that came out of my mouth. I cleared my throat and attempted to sound normal. “Hey, look, Mom’s flight status just changed to arrived.”
Gabe brushed the crumbs of his hands on his khaki shorts and nodded in the direction of the escalators. “I think this is her flight coming down now.”
Alaina bounced on the balls of her feet, as her excitement reached a boiling point. She held her poster board high and shook it side to side. Rainbow glitter rained down.
Kendall spotted her first and waved her arm to catch Mom’s eye. “There she is! Mom!”
A smile spread across my face. I had no idea just how much I’d missed her until that very moment. Her warm grin beamed down at us as she waved back and stepped onto the escalator. Keni looked like a carbon copy of our Mom. Same blue eyes, same delicate features, same porcelain skin, and same slender dancer physiques. The only difference—other than age—was that Mom kept her platinum locks in a chin-length bob.
She reached the bottom of the escalator and hurried to us with open arms. The black carry-on bag slung over her shoulder bobbed against her hip. “My babies!”
Keni rushed to meet her. Mom’s arms locked around her in a firm hug. She pulled back and took Keni’s face in her hands. “I’ve missed that face. You’re letting your hair grow back out!” Kendall shook her head to allow Mom to see the full effect of her almost shoulder length ‘do. “I like it! For the life of me I don’t know why you hacked it off in the first place.”
Mom turned to Gabe, which allowed Kendall a moment to shoot me a grimace. I answered with an understanding nod.
The truthful answer of, “Well, Mother, I lost interest in my luxurious l
ocks after a demon tangled his hand in it and utilized it to torture me,” failed the appropriate airport conversation test.
“Gabe Allen, look at you!” Mom gave him a playful slap to his enormous chest before she wrapped her arms around him. “My little boy all grown up and getting married!” She peered up at him, her expression suddenly serious. “Don’t tell anyone I’m old enough to have a married son or they’re going to stop believing I’m twenty-seven.”
“Your secret’s safe with me.” He grinned and bent his head to plant a kiss on her cheek. “It’s good to see you, Mom. I’m really glad you came.”
“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.” Pride radiated from her smile.
I took a deep breath a second before her gaze settled on me. Would she sense a difference? Would my pain be apparent to her? Maybe the edge to my demeanor would be unmistakable?
“Celeste, my little Celeste.” I nestled into her arms and inhaled her soft, flowery perfume. She plucked the nagging thought from my mind and whispered in my ear, “Your Grams told me you and that boy broke up. I’m sorry, honey.”
She leaned back and used her index finger to tilt my chin up. Her gaze scoured my face, “You doing okay with it?”
My voice caught in my throat. Kid Celeste wanted to burst out in hysterical sobs and unload the whole sordid tale on her. To let her hold me, rock me, and murmur some wonderful Mommy words of wisdom designed to make everything all better. But I was a warrior now and had made the right decision. I couldn’t let myself second-guess that. The savage looking version of myself I saw only in a dream refused to let those tears fall.
“Yeah, Mom, I am. It’s hard, but I know it’s for the best.”
Mom pressed her palm gently to my cheek. “That’s a very grown up way to look at it. It’ll get easier, I promise.”
Her arms slid away from me too soon. My inner child kicked my inner warrior in the shin for the missed opportunity.
Alaina whipped her sign in Kendall’s direction and dove at our mother. The gaudy banner lashed across my sister’s thighs and showered glitter all over her.
“Mom! Can I call you Mom? It’s so great to meet you!” Alaina grasped our mother in a tight bear hug.
“And this must be Alaina?” Mom chuckled. “Could you loosen your grip just a little, sweetie? So I can see your pretty face … and maybe breathe?”
“Oh! Sorry!” Alaina retracted her death grip and clasped her hands behind her back. I smirked. Alaina’s expression gave away her internal struggle to not latch on again like an overzealous koala bear.
Mom held her at arms distance—a wise idea—and cocked her head to the side to admire the bride to be. “Aren’t you a vision? A regular blushing bride.”
She glanced over her cardigan-clad shoulder at Gabe. “You did good, son. She looks like a keeper. ”
Gabe grinned and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, she’s all right.” The indifference of his words held no weight against the love that emanated off of him as he gazed at his future bride.
I had that once. Only for a moment.
My heart constricted in a tight fist of pain. I bit down on the inside of my cheek hard enough to draw blood. I couldn’t do this ... couldn’t let myself fall apart and ruin things for Gabe and Alaina. It occurred to me that I might want to ask a certain blond pirate to be my date for the wedding. That way he could give me a much needed boost if the displays of love and affection left me curled up in the fetal position whimpering beside the aisle.
“So, tell me about yourself, Alaina. I want to know everything about the girl that won my boy’s heart.”
Not everything, I mused to myself.
“I’m twenty-three!” Alaina blurted a few octaves too loud. Mom winced in surprise. “Exactly twenty-two months older than Gabe which is a perfectly acceptable and not at all unusual age difference!”
“That’s true,” Mom said slowly and looked to me with confusion.
I smiled back in a way I hoped she read as ‘nope, nothing out of the ordinary going on here’.
Gabe wrapped an arm around his petite—and now visibly sweating—redhead to point her in the direction of baggage claim. “How about if we get Mom’s bags and get her home? She needs to get settled in before all the festivities begin, right?”
A wide-eyed Alaina nodded, but kept her lips pressed together in a tight line. I recognized the look of someone holding their crazy in. I wore it often myself.
Mom hooked arms with Kendall and me as we trailed the happy couple out.
“She seems … sweet,” Mom stated diplomatically.
“She is, Mom,” I confirmed. “She’s just nervous about meeting you.”
“There’s no time for nerves! Lots to do!” She raised her shoulders when she grinned, a gesture that made her look more like a teenager than a mom. “So, what’s first on the agenda?”
Wedding Planner Kendall fielded that question. She plucked her phone from her purse and tapped open her schedule. “Alaina’s final dress fitting is tonight. Celeste and I can also pick up our dresses and make sure they don’t need any further alterations. Tonight the football team is picking Gabe up at nine for a special Bachelor Party they planned for him. Tomorrow is spa day for us girls followed by decorating the hall.”
Mom and Keni squealed and giggled their excitement.
I cringed. “What time is the fitting?”
“Five,” Keni chirped with a toss of her hair.
I glanced down at my phone. If I timed it right I could get an emotional pick me up from Rowan before embarking to the land of ruffles, satin, and lace.
CHAPTER sixteen
I don’t do pink. More than that, I don’t do flowery. But there I stood in both of those things. I turned my head to one side and then the other. My reflection didn’t lie. I looked like a big pink shower loofah. The fuchsia, A-lined dress stopped just above my knees. Satin fabric hugged my torso then exploded out in a wide, poofy skirt. Big, pink flowers lined the bottom of the dress. The matching choker made it look as though one of the flowers leapt off the dress and suctioned itself to my neck like a leech. Nothing about this ensemble was in any way flattering.
Then again, maybe I reflected my bad mood onto the dress. Rowan ignored all my attempts—of both modern communication means and beating on his apartment door like a ticked off orangutan—to get a hold of him. Without his emotional booster shot I was a walking, talking little grey rain cloud that could easily make the jump to raging storm with even the slightest provocation.
The dressing room curtain swooshed across its rod as Kendall slid it back and gasped. “Oh! You look so pretty!”
I rolled my eyes. “No, I don’t. I look like I fought a Cotton Candy demon and lost. Yet this same dress looks sensational on you. How is that fair?”
She waved off my words with a flick of her hand. I noticed her nails were already the matching shade of pink. “You know what would really make this outfit though? My wings! How great would they look with this? I could even spray them with pink glitter!”
“Your wings are not a fashion accessory, Kendall.”
“I know.” She pouted. “Just sayin’…”
“Come on out girls! Let’s have a look-see!” Grams called.
Vicki’s Bridal served free champagne. Grams celebrated this discovery by polishing off a whole bottle by herself. She had since tried on every veil and loudly declared this her new favorite hangout. The bingo hall would be very disappointed.
Kendall led the way out of the dressing room area. She bounded out to where Grams and Mom sat and went up on point to twirl for them. Her dress fanned out around her. They oohed and aahed accordingly.
I shuffled out behind her and tried to blend into the rack of prom dresses. Mom took one look at me, grimaced and bit down on her lower lip.
Gram’s face pinched in distaste. “You sure you’re wearing that neck flower right, Celeste? Darn thing’s as big as your head. Doesn’t look like that on Kendall.”
“Now, Gla
dys, I think she looks lovely.” Mom knew me well enough to know if she didn’t speak up I’d tear the flower off and mash it into the floor with the heel of my tennis shoe. “Celeste, why don’t you go see if Alaina needs help getting into her dress?”
Sure Mom was patronizing me, but what did it matter? I looked like a tool. A second before I turned away I caught a glimpse of my grandmother’s decorated leg. “Grams, why are you wearing six garters?”
Her leopard print muumuu slid up her thigh and she hoisted her leg in the air. “I’m trying to decide which one to get to wear for Dr. Allyn. I’m thinking the black and pink. Which do you like? Julia isn’t being any help at all.”
“No, Julia isn’t.” My mom picked up a dress magazine and flipped through it to drive that point home.
I decided to follow Mom’s lead and avoid the question all together. “You’re right, Mom. Alaina probably could use some help.”
Kendall chimed in with an exuberant response. “I like the pink with purple ribbon, Grams. But you’re right, the black and pink is more your style.”
“Thank you, Kendall.” Grams put her leg down and slid off the unwanted garters.
I paused beside my sister and whispered, “Way to go, sis. You just gave our seventy-two year old grandmother tips on what she should wear for naughty fun with her sixty-five year old boyfriend.”
Her angelic face fell as the horror of that realization sunk in.
I patted her shoulder. “Yep, you earned that mental image. Enjoy!”
Halfway down the hall I paused when I heard Grams mutter, “Seriously, that girl’s gonna walk down the aisle looking like her bouquet is attacking her.”
I filled my lungs to capacity and exhaled slowly. “Weddings are so friggin’ magical.”
Sacrifice (The Gryphon Series Book 3) Page 9