And then Uncle Alberto was escorting Ella down the aisle, and no one was even looking at Liv anymore.
Four months of worry, and the big reveal had gone without a hitch.
*
“There you are. I must talk to you.” Nonna Hazel grabbed Liv’s arm, pulling her away from the waiter before Liv could grab a goat cheese tartlet from his tray.
Liv’s stomach growled in protest. She hadn’t eaten breakfast or lunch, too nervous about her parents’ reaction to the tattoo. Now that she no longer had to worry, she was ravenous. “One second, Nonna. I really need to eat something.”
“Not one second! Now!” Nonna clamped down tighter on Liv’s arm.
“Ow! Okay.”
Nonna pulled her across the tent to a deserted nook behind the wedding cake, moving so fast Liv spilled half her Peach Bellini. Liv massaged her wrist. Nonna might look frail, but there was nothing wrong with her grip strength.
“What’s up?” Liv asked.
Nonna shook her head, her gaze falling to Liv’s left arm. “Oh, Bella. What have you done?”
The tattoo. She should’ve known there would be some fallout.
She took a sip of her drink as an excuse to think over her response. The last thing she needed was Nonna stirring her parents up. “I know it’s a bit…nontraditional. But lots of people are getting tattoos these days.”
“I know. I know. You young people get the tattoos of the Sanskrit letters or the Carpe Diem. But you do not write the name of your love on your skin. Everyone knows this is bad luck!”
Liv stifled a laugh. “It’s okay, Nonna. Nothing bad has happened. I promise.”
“Not yet!” Nonna said, in the same spooky voice she used when she predicted the future. “But your relationship will have terrible trials. I see how much you love Caleb, and I fear you will lose him.” She grabbed Liv in a hug. “My poor, poor Bella.”
Liv breathed in the scent of roses and baby powder, and shivered.
“What’s wrong with Livvy now?” Matt asked cheerfully.
Nonna Hazel let go of Liv, and the shaky feeling disappeared, along with the overpowering stench of Nonna’s perfume.
“Bad luck,” Nonna pronounced ominously, pointing at the tattoo, but with Matt grinning his she’s-crazy-and-I-love-it grin, the spooky voice lost its power. Now that Liv thought about it, Nonna’s superstition was a stroke of luck. When she and Caleb broke up, she’d have something to blame it on.
“Come on, Nonna.” Matt said. “You don’t really believe that, do you?”
Nonna rubbed the cornicello charm on the silver chain that hung from her neck—the one she’d once told Liv she wore as protection from the evil eye. “Is the truth.”
“So you have scientific evidence to back it up?”
“I do not need this scientific evidence. I know. The same way I know that your love will come, soon, back into your life.”
“My what?” Matt swallowed abruptly.
“The woman you will marry.” Nonna Hazel smiled serenely, patted Matt on the shoulder, and wandered off towards the bar.
Matt stood there like he couldn’t remember how to move, and the longer Liv watched him the more uneasy she grew. “What’s wrong, Matty? Since when do you buy into Nonna’s crazy I-can-see-the-future act?”
“I don’t.” He chugged half his beer. “It’s that voice. When she uses that I’m-talking-to-the-spirits voice it’s like I’m five years old, sleeping with the light on so Nonno Augusto’s ghost doesn’t come for me.”
“Well, you’re twenty-three now. I think you’re safe.”
“Yeah.” Matt tipped his beer back again, surveying the crowd warily, like he expected this mysterious woman Nonna Hazel had mentioned to materialize in the middle of the crowded dance floor.
Liv frowned. “Is there…someone specific you’re worried about?”
“No. Of course not.”
“Then relax. But maybe stay away from the bridesmaids. Ella’s friends are as crazy as she is, and they all want to be married yesterday. That bouquet toss is going to be worse than the David Lance sample sale.”
“Don’t worry about me.” Now that he’d finished his beer, Matt sounded like himself again. “Concentrate on yourself. What are you gonna do to counter your bad tattoo juju? Maybe I should get you a cornicello necklace like Nonna’s. You can be twins.”
“Pass.” She slanted him a superior smile, pretending she hadn’t been as freaked out by Nonna’s performance as he’d been. “I don’t need a cornicello. This tattoo has brought me nothing but good luck.”
*
Caleb should have been relieved. He was sitting between Rafe and Alex, finishing his second beer, with only a few more hours of the reception to get through. Then one more night in a hotel room with Liv, and he’d be a free man.
But instead of planning his next date with Joslyn, his gaze was locked onto the dance floor, where Liv was rocking out to a popular eighties song. She closed her eyes, threw her head back, and moved where the music took her, wild and free and beautiful. When was the last time he’d let himself go like that?
Never. He couldn’t allow himself that kind of freedom.
But he could watch Liv and imagine what it would be like. The adrenaline flowing through him, better than any drug. He’d pull her close, and—
Shit. He jerked his gaze away.
“Drink this. Immediately.” Matt set a full pint glass in front of him.
“Thanks, Voretti.”
He reached for the lifesaving alcohol, but Rafe got there first. “That was supposed to be my beer.”
Matt shrugged. “Caleb looked like he needed it more than you.”
“Actually, Caleb doesn’t need it.”
At the sound of Liv’s voice, Caleb jumped. The flimsy chair he was sitting in decided to refold itself, and he barely managed to grab it before it hit the floor. He leaned against the back, affecting an I-meant-to-do-that pose, but the Voretti brothers were howling with laughter.
“All right there, buddy?” Rafe grinned at Caleb over the pint glass he’d stolen.
“Fine.” Caleb hurled a string of mental curses at the chair. Then a few at himself. He didn’t have to let Liv affect him this way.
“Well, you’re about to be a lot better.” Liv grabbed his hand. “C’mon, stud. It’s time to get your groove on.”
“Sorry, Livvy.” Matt smirked. “Caleb doesn’t have a groove.”
“Everybody has a groove.”
“Not me.” Caleb grabbed Rafe’s beer with his free hand—desperate times—and took a gulp. “I don’t dance.”
“Nice try. But I saw you dancing with Nonna.”
“You don’t say no to Nonna Hazel.”
“You don’t say no to me, either.” She shouldn’t have had the upper body strength to do it, but she somehow managed to haul him a step closer to the dance floor. “Come on. Show me what you’ve got.”
“Seriously. I don’t dance.” He tried to pull away, but her grip got tighter.
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re strung way too tight?”
“You. Every day.”
“I make a good point.”
Rafe grabbed his beer. “Sorry dude, but you’re not getting out of this. Livvy loves to dance.”
Caleb gave his friend a dirty look, but Rafe was too busy drinking beer and chortling to notice. “One dance,” he told Liv. “And don’t expect any crazy moves.”
She tugged him toward the dance floor. “Don’t worry. I just want you to be yourself out there.”
Something about the way she said it gave him pause. But there was no time to figure out what she meant because they’d reached the dance floor. Get Lucky was blasting from the speakers, but instead of getting down to the beat, Liv rested her hands on his shoulders and swayed.
“What are you doing?”
“I thought we’d start out slow.” She grinned. “Don’t want you to pull a muscle or anything. At your age, who knows how long the recovery would take.”<
br />
He tried to take offense. If he was pissed, he wouldn’t notice the heat of her skin moving straight through his shirt, like the fabric had melted away. The fresh scent wafting from her hair when she tossed her head. The creamy skin displayed by that strapless dress.
His name in bold script on her bicep. A goad. A promise.
I’m yours. Take me.
He pushed her out of his arms before he did something stupid. “Come on, Livvy. Let’s see your moves.”
“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.” She shimmied her hips for a second.
He managed a fumbling sort of sidestep that was almost in sync with the beat.
“You’re thinking too much. Turn that big brain off and feel the music.”
“Okay,” he lied.
“Close your eyes.”
That was actually a good idea. If he closed his eyes he wouldn’t see the flush working up Liv’s skin. Wouldn’t wonder if it was from physical exertion or if it was because of him.
But with his eyes closed, his other senses roared to life. The bass crawled into his head and pounded against his synapses, forcing him into motion.
It felt good to let his body do what it wanted for once. His hips moved and his arms waved, and he didn’t think about anything but the driving beat.
The song ended.
He opened his eyes. Liv grinned at him, wide and approving, like he’d come over to the dark side.
He froze.
“Come on.” Her smile turned dark. Seductive. “I know you liked that.”
“That’s not the point.”
“Actually, it is. Seriously, Caleb. You’re not hurting anyone. You’re dancing.”
She was right. He wasn’t shooting up in the back of some seedy club like his old man used to. He was dancing at a wedding attended by his best friends. The only people in the world he could count on to have his back. He wasn’t strung out or out-of-control. When he’d been moving to the music, he’d been relaxed for the first time in…forever.
The next song started.
“Well?” Liv held a hand out to him, eyebrows raised.
He laced his fingers with hers. Pulled her close.
This was their last night together. He was going to experience it to the fullest.
CHAPTER 15
LIV WASN’T SURE how long she’d been dancing with Caleb. One song blended into another, impossible to focus on because her awareness was centered on the man in front of her. He was so alive. Like he’d been hiding behind his staid Captain Integrity mask for the last twenty-five years, and she was only now seeing the real Caleb.
The hour grew late. The DJ switched from a fast dance track to a slow ballad.
Caleb stopped. He threw a nervous glance from her to the empty table where he’d been sitting.
No way. She wasn’t going to let him turn back into Captain Integrity now.
She pulled him close. Rested her head on his shoulder.
For a second he was still. Then his arms came around her. Once he’d made his decision, there was nothing tentative about him. He held her like she belonged to him. And, in that moment, she did. She closed her eyes and breathed in his clean, strong scent, and forgot about everything else.
The music stopped, replaced by the DJ’s voice. “Okay, all you unmarried ladies! Head to the center of the dance floor for the bouquet toss!”
Liv barely suppressed a growl. Ella had the worst timing in the entire world.
She forced her eyes open. “I’m afraid that’s my cue to disappear.”
Caleb’s arms tightened around her like he was never going to let her go. Certainly not tomorrow, no matter what their agreement had been.
Their agreement.
She peeled her body off Caleb’s. “I should…” What was wrong with her? She’d actually forgotten they weren’t a real couple for a second. “I have to…”
He pushed her away, gently. “Okay, bunny. Run and hide.”
Without his warmth plastered against her, she shivered. “You’d be running too if you’d seen the way Heather was eyeing that bouquet.”
“I don’t run.” Caleb’s gaze burned into her.”
“Come on!” The DJ’s voice burst over the speakers. “I know we have more single ladies than that.”
Liv took off, not sure if she was running from the bouquet toss or Caleb. She’d almost reached the bathrooms, a step behind Keri, who’d obviously had the same idea, when someone grabbed her arm. She choked on the overwhelming scent of peaches, and cursed herself for being so distracted that she’d lost track of Ella’s whereabouts.
“No way. You girls aren’t getting out of it that easily.” Ella laughed, like the idea of anyone trying to avoid the bouquet toss was ridiculous.
“I have to pee,” Liv tried.
“I’m sure you can hold it for five minutes.” With Liv in one claw and Keri in the other, Ella started toward the dance floor.
“I’m engaged, remember?” Keri flashed the diamond ring on her left hand like it was a blingy get-out-of-jail-free card.
Ella laughed again. “Don’t worry. Until you have a wedding band on, you’re still technically single. Some people never actually go through with the wedding, you know. And you and Sean haven’t even set a date.”
“We’re waiting until I finish medical school.” Keri slanted Liv an exasperated look, like it was Liv’s fault Bridezilla had caught them.
“Hmm,” Ella said, like she had her doubts. She dragged Liv and Keri those last few feet forward, and the angry bridesmaids surrounded them.
Liv took one look at Heather’s if-you-touch-the-bouquet-you’ll-wish-you-were-never-born glare, and finally got Nonna Hazel’s thing about the evil eye. She wouldn’t mind a cornicello about now. At the very least, she could jab the pointy end into Heather’s eye if attacked.
“If I end up in a fight,” Keri muttered, “I’m sending you my hospital bill. And I’ll bet you anything that Heather chick has multi-drug-resistant staph lurking under those acrylics.”
“Stand in the back with me. It’ll be fine.” Liv led Keri toward the rear, as far as possible from Heather.
Ella had already positioned herself ten feet away from the group, with her back to them. She glanced behind her, trying to line up her shot, and Heather shoved in front of the other bridesmaid, throwing her arms up.
The bouquet sailed so high it almost hit one of the support wires rigged through the top of the tent. Heather jumped into the air with a savage cry. The peach roses sailed over her in a neat arc and smacked into Liv’s chest. Liv clamped her arms around them reflexively.
Something bit into her palm. She sucked in a breath as she pulled her hand free. Trust Ella to have a bouquet with thorns.
Keri smirked. “Congratulations!”
“You take it.” Liv thrust the flowers at her friend.
“No way.” Keri took her cell phone out of her shiny gold clutch. “Hold still. Now smile, Mrs. Ward. At least you’re getting married. I seemed to be doomed to a sad life of spinsterhood.”
Liv tried to grab Keri’s cell, but her friend danced out of reach. And then she was being smothered by the scent of peaches once again.
“Congratulations, sweetie!” Ella bounced up and down in front of her. “I’m so glad you caught it. I was worried about Heather, but I should’ve known she was no match for fate. This proves it. You and Caleb are meant to be.”
What the…? Liv shook her head, trying to clear out her ears. It had almost sounded like Ella had given her blessing to Liv and Caleb’s relationship, but there was no way Liv’s evil cousin was being supportive. Maybe Ella’s perfume was making Liv hallucinate. “Aren’t you the one who said Caleb and I didn’t seem like a couple?”
Ella sighed. “I don’t say this a lot, but I was…you know.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Wrong.” She cleared her throat, and her voice returned to its normal volume. “I was worried, you know? Because Caleb is such a sweetie, and we all know the way you chew up men and spit the
m out. But now I can see you’re committed to him.” She laughed. “You made his name so big, everyone can see. What font size is that?”
“It’s, uh…” Liv took a deep breath—through her mouth instead of her nose—but it didn’t help.
“I don’t think they use font size at tattoo shops,” Keri said.
“Whatever. The point is, you’d better remember that I was the one who saved you from missing the bouquet toss. I want a big thank you at your wedding.”
Yep. Liv was definitely hallucinating, because she could see exactly what that wedding would look like. Sunset. A deserted beach. Her in a vintage corset and lace dress next to Caleb in a tuxedo. Her heart swelled, and she caught herself hugging the deadly bouquet to her chest.
Snap out of it. You’re having an allergic reaction.
She cleared her throat, vaguely aware that she was supposed to say something, but Ella was already chattering on. Something about how cute she and Caleb had been on the dance floor. “I never thought you’d fall for a guy like Caleb. You were always into those losers like CJ. But you did good. You and Caleb are going to be really happy together.” For once, Ella’s eyes weren’t glittering with malicious intent. She was actually trying to be nice.
And if she believed Liv and Caleb were together, everybody must believe it. Which meant Liv had gotten exactly what she wanted. So what was up with that weird tightening in her throat and the pressure building behind her eyes?
“Thanks, Ella.” She blinked, forcing the tears away. “Excuse me. I’m going to fix my makeup.”
“Wait!” Ella grabbed her arm. “You have to dance with Caleb first.”
The DJ’s voice came over the first strains of a slow ballad. “And now, Olivia Voretti will lead off our next dance with her escort, Caleb Ward. Watch closely, ladies and gentlemen. Do you see a wedding in their future?”
Nerves pinged down Liv’s spine. Caleb appeared through a break in the crowd. Ella relieved her of the bouquet, giving her no excuse to put off the inevitable.
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