Her face dropped. “Kind of. I mean, I was accepted, yes. But I only lasted a semester. It wasn’t for me. I’m all about the Fine Arts. I like to paint. I love the feel of the brush gliding over the blank canvas, creating anything your mind can imagine. It’s all I ever wanted to do. I just wanted to study that, but their classes pushed all the digital stuff, and the belief was that painting should be considered a side gig. And that might be true for some folks. The digital part might be a better career path for them, but it wasn’t what I needed.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, so I found a business course that I thought would be helpful to me running the gallery. You know, so I could do the books and all the administrative stuff. I want to know everything about my business, top to bottom. That’s where I met my USA BFF.”
“Your what?”
“Oh, my USA BFF. Best friend forever. Alison. I figure since I have one close gal-pal in Canada, and one in the US, then Ali is my USA BFF and Mia is my Canadian BFF. Alison helps out with my online gallery stuff.”
There were a few moments of silence. Hailee sat sipping her water and Dom couldn’t help but watch as she fumbled around with her bottle and tried to avoid his stare. Tired of the silence, he spoke before he thought.
“Do you still talk to Mia?”
Dom knew Mia from back home. He had been buddies with her brother Mikey for many years.
“Yeah.” Hailee shrugged and made a funny face, with her lips sort of puffed out. She looked guilty.
“And she never told you I got traded to Pittsburgh? I guess it never came up in conversation?” He should be offended, but he was more intrigued.
“Nope. Never came up in conversation.” She looked at the clock before making an obvious subject change. “I think we’d better get going. We don’t want to be late.” Before he could say anything else, she crossed the room and grabbed a leather jacket off the coat rack.
That’s when he saw them. She had tattoos on the backs of both legs. The ribbons started at, he assumed, her thighs — the dress was hiding that area — but they were drawn as if they crisscrossed under her skin like shoelaces do until they reached her calves. A delicate pink bow sat on each one. He completely forgot whatever they were talking about as he ogled her.
“Do these shoes look okay?” She spun around, directing his attention to her shoes.
“Yeah, sure. I mean I’m not fashion expert, but I like them.” What was not to like about a woman in high heels?
It felt like old times, except for the huge wedge between them. This being friends thing was going to be difficult if she didn’t let him in a little bit. He should be the one bitter; instead, he couldn’t remember what life was like without her.
He helped her into his Ford Raptor and the drive to the wedding made his palms sweat. They were quiet most of the way, so he opted for turning up the radio versus too much small talk.
“So, you looking forward to this? Weddings are always pretty fun, right?” he asked.
“Yeah, I mean, I guess.” She didn’t sound too convincing.
“For the record, I wasn’t too sure how this was going to go today, but I’m glad you agreed to go with me.” He glanced over at her and smiled.
Her voice was tiny and barely audible over the pop music playing on the radio. “But why?”
“Why, what?”
“Of all people, why would you want to be at a wedding with me? After what I did to you? Dominic, don’t start being modest now, you know damn well you could have brought any girl you wanted to this thing.” She wasn’t laughing or smiling; she was dead serious.
“But I don’t want to go to this with just any girl. Yeah, we’ve had things happen, and weddings might be a sore spot with us, but I still wouldn’t want to be here with anyone but you. I’m glad we’re getting the chance to reconnect. No matter what the extent. Plus, I have a reputation to uphold. I need a super-hot girl on my arm,”—he winked at her—“and you are the hottest girl I know. Seriously. Especially in that dress.” He let out a low whistle.
“Stop it,” she whined. Her cheeks darkened and a small smile crept onto her face.
“Now, the church service I could do without. The reception is the fun part.”
“I agree about the reception, but I’ve always liked church weddings. There’s just something so romantic about them. The music and the tradition. I don’t know what it is, exactly…” Her voice trailed off.
He inhaled deeply, and quietly let out a long, calming breath. This was going to be a tricky day.
“Well, looks like we’re here.” He found a close parking spot, then got. “Hang on, I’ll help you out.”
They were early, so there was no rush, but Dom still jogged around the truck to get Hailee. Opening her door, he held out his hand to her.
She wrapped her delicate fingers around his and stepped down from the truck. “Thanks.”
Once she was safely on the ground, he held his arm out to her like a gentleman, and she looped her arm in his. “Ready?”
She nodded. “Dominic, this is a really big event for your team. I think we can put everything that’s happened between us aside for today, and just enjoy the day.”
“Sweet-tart, I already have, but it means a lot to hear you say that.” It would’ve been so easy to lean over and kiss her head, but they had a truce for today, and he had to be careful not to do anything to mess that up.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Hailee
Walking into the church brought back more memories than she had hoped, of what she wanted her own wedding to be like. This was supposed to be easier than it was turning out to be. She had always wanted a big church wedding. It would’ve been a big Italian wedding, with her and Dominic’s families both of Italian heritage. The big, long service, the huge reception with tons of relatives, and more food than necessary to feed everyone living in Vaughn.
“You okay?” Dominic leaned down towards her and asked.
They stood in the church lobby and she must’ve been looking around for longer than she thought. She waved him off and shrugged as if it were nothing. “Yeah, of course. What a beautiful church this is.”
Dominic nodded and took her hand. His was strong and warm; she’d missed how it felt when he held hers. She wasn’t supposed to miss it. She wasn’t supposed to miss any of this. But Hailee didn’t pull away. They had a truce today and it was the one time she would get to feel like this again. She felt secure, happy, and content. It wouldn’t change anything, but it was nice.
She looked from the floor up to him; the April sunlight shone through the doors and illuminated his face. He was grinning at her, not the usual playboy, flirty grin, but a kinder, softer grin. His rugged face glowed as he looked at her. Swallowing hard, she was caught up in the moment and wanted nothing more than his warm lips on hers. She could feel herself being pulled towards him. His hand was still softly wrapped around hers. Slowly she closed the distance between them. Tipping up her head the slightest bit…
“Dom!” Someone called as he walked in the church doors.
Startled, she quickly pulled away. The man was tall, with dark hair and a goofy grin on his face. She thought she recognized him. On his arm was a short, petite brunette. She was dressed trendy and was very pretty. Hailee did notice, however, that the brunette nervously hung onto him, even as he moved from her to give Dominic a hug.
“Patrick, hey. How’s it going?” Dominic hugged his friend.
“You remember my wife, Gia?” He introduced his clingy companion.
“Of course I do. Nice to see you again, Gia. This is my date, Hailee. Hailee, this is my teammate Patrick and his wife Gia.”
Patrick looked at her with an appraising look, then back at Dominic. His face relaxed and he put out his hand to her. “Nice to meet you, Hailee.”
He obviously recognized her from the bachelor party but wasn’t letting on. “You too, Patrick.” She nodded with a smile at Gia who hadn’t moved from his side.
“There they
are!” a male voice boomed. Two men and a classically gorgeous brunette appeared from the church’s back room.
“Gia,” the girl said in a voice that was quiet but didn’t mask her excitement. The classic beauty ran and hugged Gia.
“Hailee, let me introduce the groom. This is the one and only Tyler Kidd.” Dominic grinned, and half hugged and cupped the shoulder of one of the men. “He’s also our team captain. And this handsome guy next to him with the great hair, second best to mine of course, is Kris Lafleur. That beauty over there is his wife, Kat. This group of guys right here greeted me with open arms when I was a rookie.”
“And they’ve been inseparable ever since,” Kat said, with a laugh.
“Well, except for that one time.” Kris cleared his throat. Kat hit him lightly with her purse. “But that was a misunderstanding and ancient history,” he said with a smile, and he pulled his wife close, planting a kiss on her cheek.
They were like a family. Dominic seemed to be part of a really good group. Hailee’s chest warmed at the sight of it, and she smiled at them. “It’s very nice to meet you all.”
Some of the faces were vaguely familiar from that night at the club, but even if they remembered her, she would never admit that. One of the unwritten rules was never to acknowledge any customers outside the club, and most especially not when their women were present. Not that she’d done anything more than dance in front of any of these guys, but no way did she want to be the cause of relationship trouble.
“Don’t forget me.” Kaden entered the church with a young blonde hanging off his arm.
“How could we forget you, Kaden?” Tyler said.
“Trust me, we’ve tried,” Patrick joked, and he received a middle finger from Kaden.
“Boys please. In case you haven’t noticed, we are in a church.” A tall woman with dark hair entered the vestibule with a handsome man. She wore a long red dress and her hair flowed down her exposed shoulders. Confidence radiated from her.
“Mel!” Tyler hugged her. “Conner, good to see you.” Ty shook her husband’s hand.
“Happy wedding day, Ty.” She smiled.
“Thanks, I’m so glad you guys could make it.”
“Mel,” Dominic said. “This is Hailee, my date.”
Before Dominic could say any more, Mel shook Hailee’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Hailee. I’m Melanie, the guys’ PR person. I’m also the bride’s boss. These goofballs are like little brothers to me, but I’ve always got to have my eye on them and keep them in line.” She laughed. “But isn’t that what big sisters do?”
“Yeah, I guess it is.” Hailee liked her. Mel seemed strong but also genuine.
“You boys behave now. We’re going to go in and find a seat. See you in there, Ty!” She smiled before she walked into the church.
Kaden grinned. “Everyone, this, is my date, Lexie.”
They all greeted Kaden’s date, as other family and friends started to file into the church.
“Ty, I think we better get you to the front room before Paige gets here. You don’t want to risk seeing her before the ceremony,” Kris suggested.
“And I need to go wait on Ian and the nanny,” Kat said. “I’ll see you guys in the church.” She kissed Kris and then hurried out to the parking lot.
“Yeah Kris, you’re right. I’ll see you all in a bit.” Tyler was escorted to the front room by Kris. Pat and Gia followed them, taking their seats in the church.
“Well, guess we should go in, too” Kaden said, turning to Dom. “See you in there, bro. Want us to save you space?”
Dominic nodded. “Yeah, we’ll be there in a minute.” Once they were alone, he turned to Hailee and softly spoke. “What exactly happened before?”
“It was… a… moment. I, ugh, I really don’t want to talk about it right now. We should go meet up with your friends if we want to sit with them.” She didn’t know what happened back there. She had wanted him to kiss her, that’s for sure. Maybe it was the romance of a wedding, maybe it was the way he had looked at her. Maybe she just wanted him to. She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the doors of the church. “C’mon.”
The church was decorated in white and light blue. The sun illuminated the pews and the altar. They slid in next to Kaden and Lexi. Soon the church was full of guests and the whole team was here, sitting on Tyler’s side. Kris stood up at the altar with Tyler, and Kat slid into the pew next to Patrick and Gia.
Faint music played and the maid of honor started down the aisle. She was dressed in a beautiful light blue dress that accented her red hair, and carried white lilies. She was followed by a toddler. He looked to be about three years old. His dark shaggy hair fell into his eyes, and his eyes sparkled. The wedding guests cooed and sighed as he carried the ring pillow, but his focus was on the altar, on Kris. There was no doubt in her mind that he was Kris and Kat’s son.
The little boy hurried up next to Kris and hugged his leg, then looked out into the pews. “Mama!” he called with a grin. The guests collectively laughed.
The faint music stopped, the guests hushed, and the keyboardist started to play The Wedding March. Hailee loved that tune. She turned, along with the entire congregation, to see Paige standing at the back of the church with her father.
Hailee had never met her, but she was beautiful. In all white, she was the epitome of what every bride wanted to look like. They all stood as she walked smiling down the aisle. She looked over at the team with a grin and a nod.
Hailee’s heart pulled when Paige reached the altar and Tyler took her hand in his. Their love was obvious, the way it lit up the church. Hailee’s whole body warmed as Dominic slid his strong hand over hers. She couldn’t help but meet his glance before moving her stare back to the ceremony.
But she didn’t pull her hand away, and she couldn’t explain why. Especially when the preacher called for Tyler to kiss the bride. The ceremony was beautiful, and maybe it was the romance of it all, but Hailee was happy to be at Dom’s side. Even if it was just for today.
Leaving the pews, as they walked up the main aisle, the feeling of a sturdy hand sliding around her waist surprised her. Instead of moving away, she leaned into it. Her emotions were taking over at this point, her head was spinning. Cool air and a long ride to the reception should help that.
It was a beautiful spring day in Pittsburgh. The sun was still shining and there was a nice breeze. Tyler and Paige kissed out front on the church steps, as guests snapped pictures and cheered. This was all so perfect, almost surreal.
“It’s not that far to the reception, only a few minutes. You ready?” Dominic asked, as Tyler and Paige drove away in their limo.
Not that far away? So much for a nice long ride to clear my head. “Yeah, let’s go.” Hailee walked ahead of Dominic to his truck. Taking a few deep breaths, the air cooled her insides. Hopping up into his truck, she got settled before he could help her.
Was she being cold to him after all the mixed signals she’d given him at the church? She was battling her emotions and only wanted to put a little space between them, not to hurt him. Before she could decide, she turned the radio up and started to sing along with the songs. Lucky for her, each song that came on was one she knew for the most part. She’d miss a word or phrase here and there, but making up her own worked just as well. It was better than talking about why she had almost kissed him.
He was right, and it only took a few songs of her bad singing before they got to the reception. The hall was already filling up by the time they arrived. Tables were full of laughing family and friends. The music was playing, but no one was dancing yet.
The bride and groom weren’t expected to arrive for a little while, and folks were already taking advantage of the open bar and appetizers being passed around. Hailee took it all in, trying to decipher which guests were Renegades.
“Yo, Zanetti! Over here!” Kaden called from a corner table. “We have two seats left.”
Dominic squeezed Hailee’s hand. “You okay sitting wit
h them?”
Looking over the table, she didn’t recognize many more people than Kaden, but she was sure they were all teammates. “It’s your party with your friends. I’ll sit wherever you want to.”
“But I want to know what you think.”
Hailee looked around. It didn’t matter where they sat or who they were with, as long as he was at her side. “Yes, it’s fine with me.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Dominic
Dom held Hailee’s hand and moved towards the table where Kaden sat. Her hand was clammy and cool; she was nervous, even though she said she was fine. Obviously she forgets how well I know her. “I’ll introduce you to the guys. I think you’ll like them. Don’t worry.”
“Who said I’m worried?” She squared off her shoulders and smiled.
Dom couldn’t help but look her over in that dress and smile at that determined look on her face. She is too damn cute. His mind went back to that moment in the church. She wanted me to kiss her. There was no doubt in his mind. And he almost had. Still holding her hand, they approached the table. “Thanks for saving us seats, Kaden.”
Dom pulled out Hailee’s chair for her. “Can I get you something to drink from the bar?” He sat down next to her.
“No, I’m good with water for now.”
The server came by and filled all the water glasses on the table. Another came with a tray of hors d’oeuvres. Dom grabbed a few and set them between him and Hailee; he knew her better than to think she’d take any herself. “Okay, let’s get the introductions out of the way here. Everyone, this is my date, Hailee.” He started around the table. “You’ve met Kaden and Lexi. The blond surfer-boy looking guy next to him is Sam, and his wife is Trina. They have a new baby girl at home; she’s only a few months old. Next to them is Torin, and is that his date, Jase?” Dom teased. “Just messing with you. Hailee, these two knuckleheads are Torin and Jase. Two of the newer guys on the team.”
Torin stood up and put out his hand to her. “Very nice to meet you, Hailee.”
“Wow, a gentleman.” She smiled. “Nice to meet you too, Torin.” She stood up a bit and shook his hand over the table.
Shutout (The Renegades Series Book 5) Page 15