Angie experienced the uniqueness of Meghan and Alex’s union the moment she saw them together for the first time. Sometimes, you just know when the universe does something fantastic. Not only did those two finding each other feel right, the happy couple triggered a domino effect of extraordinary that wove through a number of lives.
Getting this day right was going to be her crowning moment as an event planner. Only a royal wedding could be anywhere near as challenging and exciting as this one.
Her phone buzzed with an incoming message. The dog was in place and ready to go. Whew. Not that she was worried. Brody saw to it that Zeus enjoyed her own Boston adventure. And for shits and grins, he’d asked the dog minders to take a buttload of pictures that he was going to put in a digital photo album for Alex and Meghan. A sort of ‘My Boston Vacation’ from the dog’s point of view. She knew they were gonna love it.
When Brody saw them, he waved and headed their way with Heather rocking along beside him in the bronze-colored lace dress they’d helped her pick out. The transformation over just a few days in the woman was breathtaking. The way the damn dog trainer swaggered told Angie he was having himself a satisfied alpha moment. Men. Jeez.
Checking out the well-matched couple as they approached, she had to give it up for the guy. The longish dirty blond hair and male model facial scruff made for some serious eye candy. Especially on a body which all the ladies wagged their brows over. No debate necessary. The guy was unbelievably smokin’ hot. Brody’s book nerd charm and ‘aw, shucks’ manners almost made the whole package a study in overkill.
Sniggering to herself, she toyed with the notion of innocently commenting about Jensen’s good looks in front of Parker but instantly thought better of it. Her ass wouldn’t survive his reaction.
“Mornin’, ladies,” Brody drawled with a two-finger salute that could only have been better if he’d worn a cowboy hat. Looking around, he gave Angie a quizzical look. “Did I stumble into the man-free zone? Where is everyone?”
Tori came toward them. Actually, she kind of furiously stomped while she held the front of her dress out of the way of her feet. Angie watched her friend’s red shoes pound the stone floor outside the lounge where the bridal party was staging. Wasn’t hard to visualize puffs of steam shooting from the top of her head like The Little Engine That Could.
Sparing Brody less than a glance, she did an air kiss with Heather and gave her a brilliant smile. Exclaiming, “You look fantastic!” she twirled her finger to cue Brody’s gal to spin around. Tori was right. Heather looked fan-fucking-tastic.
Lacey stuck her head out of the door to the lounge, saw Brody, and threw up her hands. “Thank god, you’re here. Cameron wants you to call him. He said ASAP, please.”
Brody smirked. “He can cool his jets. I’m a little busy here.”
“Actually, he was quite insistent that you call. Said I should tell you it’s about a case you guys have going on. I guess he’s tracking something?”
Angie saw Tori straighten and glance sharply at Brody. The air suddenly seemed heavy with something she couldn’t pin down. Heather noticed too. It was obvious in the way she watched the interplay between Lacey and the dog trainer. A rush of concern slithered along her nerves. What could possibly be more important than the wedding?
MEGHAN COULDN’T REMEMBER ever laughing so hard as she doubled over and slapped a hand on her thigh when a spasm of cackling giggles burst free.
“Stop! Stop!” she shrieked. “You’ll make me have to pee, and I don’t think that’s possible in this dress.”
With a deep chuckle, Alex’s uncle wiped his nose with a handkerchief and grinned at her. “Ah, Meghan. You are a delight. I envy my nephew and that’s saying a lot. I hope you laugh like this with him.”
She flashed the collared priest a brilliant smile. “Oh, my God, Uncle Ed. He’s got the most outrageous sense of humor, and now that I’ve met his whole family, I see where he got it from.”
The last time she’d been in a room alone with this man, the conversation was heavy and serious, but today, Father Ed was on fire and taking names as he worked his man-of-the-cloth comedy routine.
They were at the back of a small, private chapel tucked away in the cavernous cathedral, where in just a short time, she’d be making the long walk down an aisle more than three hundred feet long. This less-intimidating space was the complete opposite of the main church and just what she needed to calm her nervous energy.
Thinking he was in priest mode when he asked her to accompany him to the chapel, she’d been pleasantly surprised when all they did was crack jokes and make up scandalous ditties.
“Meeting the folks gave you a whole new perspective then?” a smiling Cristián Marquez asked when he peeked his head into the room.
“Mr. Marquez!” Megan yelped with delight when she saw him. Loving Alex’s mom and dad was easier than falling asleep. They were the coolest parents ever. Next to her own, of course. “Are you the search party looking for the missing bride?”
She stood from the hardwood chair Uncle Ed brought out and gave her father-in-law both hands when he gestured for them.
“Miss O’Brien, you were never missing. Alex tagged you with an implant when you were sleeping. Didn’t you know?” The light of mischief in his eyes made her giggle. “GPS.” He chortled. “The possessive husband’s best friend.”
“Oh, god. Please don’t give him any ideas!”
Kissing her on the cheek, he stepped back with her hands in his and spread their arms wide. The appreciative smile as he studied her dress made Meghan blush. Cristián Marquez wasn’t a stupid man. He knew what he saw was chosen specifically for his son’s pleasure.
Carefully spinning her around, Meghan was grateful that her train was pinned up so she could walk around without tripping. Facing his smiling face once again, she felt the blush turn to flames on her cheeks.
Releasing her hands, he turned to his grinning brother and dryly remarked, “Do any of the guests know CPR?”
CPR? My word. That sounded serious. Ever helpful, she started awkwardly and mumbled, “My brother is an EMT.”
Both men looked at her and laughed. Was she missing something?
“Well, good,” Cristián drawled. “Tell him to come prepared, my dear, because when my son gets an eyeful of what you’re wearing? He’s going to swallow his damn tongue.”
She was momentarily perplexed when the two good-looking Marquez men broke out into gales of laughter. And then she understood.
“Holy cannoli.” Eduardo chortled with a thunderous slap on his brother’s back. “Hope that boy you and your beautiful wife made doesn’t embarrass the hell out of you when he gets a load of his bride.”
As their laughter eased, Alex’s father turned serious and looked at her with a thoughtful stare. “You’re probably tired of hearing us say this,” he spoke somberly. “But thank you. Thank you for bringing my son back to life.”
“I didn’t do anything, Mr. Marquez. Truly. Alex got there on his own. I just pushed a little.”
“Ah Jesus, Meghan. You did more than push. I don’t know if you can understand this, but when someone who was born to great things loses that promise, it’s a terrible thing for the people who love him to witness. Whatever you did to bring Alex out of the darkness and into the light restored the man we knew and gave us all such wonderful hope for the future.”
She wasn’t sure she could stop from weeping. “Your son is the best man I’ve ever known. They say a girl looks for a husband with all the best qualities of her father. Alex takes those qualities and elevates them. I’m the luckiest woman who ever lived. He is everything.” She glanced at Eduardo. “Being his wife is a sacred covenant that I will honor all the days of my life.”
And she meant it too.
“Now that he’s back, I predict even greater things in my nephew’s future. Why, if Alex had the itch, he could run for president and probably win too!”
“He’d have the military vote for sure. And probabl
y the women’s vote as well.”
Meghan agreed and nodded with a smile. There was some truth in the humorous jest. She could totally see the Major swaggering into national office on a wave of integrity, pure grit, and brains out the ass. Probably what the country needed. And then she flashed on an image of her hunky husband slam fucking her from behind as she bent over the presidential desk in the Oval Office.
Aargh. Enough. She’d been without him in her bed for weeks and the only way to put an end to this sleeping alone bullshit was to marry the man.
“Gentlemen,” she said. “Can I get married now? Seriously. I’ve waited long enough.”
Both men beamed at her and nodded.
Father Ed offered a blessing, kissed her on both cheeks, and smiled into her eyes. “Prepare yourself, my dear.” She thought he was being all spiritual and stuff. And then he drawled, “You’re about to become a Valleja-Marquez. And we take our family craziness seriously!”
Chuckling as he left her with his brother, Meghan slipped her hand through Cristián’s offered arm. They walked slowly down the long stone hallway together.
“Thank you for making Alex.”
He turned his face and kissed her forehead. “My wife will tell you it was our absolute pleasure. Took a bit of an effort—not that I’m complaining.”
She busted out a laugh at the naughty innuendo. Yep. Like father, like son.
“Just before he left her at the door to the bridal room, he quirked a silly grin. “Now, go get married and then get busy making us some grandbabies. If you don’t come back from Spain with a round belly, I’m going to have a talk with my son because clearly he isn’t doing something right.”
“Dad,” she offered with a tiny smile. It was the first time calling him that. “We’re certainly going to give it an All-American, red apple pie and ice cream effort.”
“That’s all we can ask for.”
“Where have you been?” Tori snapped when Meghan walked into the room.
Raising an eyebrow at her tone, she immediately asked what was wrong because something so clearly was.
“Are you all right, sweetie?” Meghan gently asked her friend. “You seem a bit frazzled.”
She saw Tori’s hesitation and knew why. Dumping a load of whatever on a bride as she’s about to walk the aisle was a really selfish and shitty move. But Meghan didn’t care about that. She needed to know what was wrong.
“Oh, yeah. No. I’m good, Irish. No worries. Sorry if I sounded like a bitch. The baby had a rough night, and I guess not getting enough sleep is catching up with me.”
“Where was Draegyn? Couldn’t he help you?”
“Uh, of course. My husband is brilliant with Daniel.”
Victoria’s wan smile and limp praise didn’t convince Meghan. What in the damn hell was going on with them?
“So, what’s the real problem then? Not enough sleep doesn’t sound like your kind of excuse.”
The emotions flashing across Tori’s face ignited genuine concern inside Meghan.
“I’d sleep better if my bed wasn’t so big. And empty.”
What? The? Fuck?
No. Seriously. WHAT THE FUCK?
“Tori,” she murmured as she wrapped an arm about the smaller woman’s shoulders. “Do you need the Major to have a talk with Drae?”
Victoria’s answering expression was one of horror and embarrassment. Damn. She’d said the wrong thing.
“No! No, no, no. Shit, Irish. My bad. Forget I said anything. PMS. I’ll be fine.”
She wanted to continue talking, but she was suddenly surrounded by happy, excited women who were enthusiastically pushing her through an obstacle course of bridal preparedness. Helping Tori would have to wait.
After what looked, sounded, and felt like the frantic backstage shenanigans at a fashion show, she’d been primped, powdered, and lip glossed to bridal perfection. When the women were satisfied she was ready, they backed off and formed a semi-circle behind her as she looked in the antique cheval mirror. Meghan gasped at her reflection.
“Mo stoirín,” her mother exclaimed. “You look magnificent!”
She didn’t know how to react.
With her hair piled in soft curls and studded with delicate crystals sparkling through the sheer veil gliding gracefully down her back, she looked like a Celtic angel. Wearing the same delicate pearl earrings she gave the girls, only hers hung from a cluster of rubies and diamonds, the cut of the dress with its off-the-shoulder sleeves and sexy, sweetheart neckline was quite dramatic. The clever fit of the stunning gown made her boobs look fantastic even without a push-up bra.
They’d swirled the beautifully beaded train around her feet, and when Angie pressed an enormous bouquet of red roses into her hands, the pop of color completed the breathtaking bridal couture. What she saw was exactly the vision Meghan created in her head. Everything was perfect.
Her father-in-law was right. The Major was going to vapor lock.
The room was silent. Eventually, cracking a joke seemed like the thing to do, so she caught everyone’s reflection in the mirror and quipped, “Will someone go make sure he brushes his hair and remembers to put the tie on instead of jamming it in his pocket?”
They all knew Alex and laughed easily. Despite her best efforts and a closet set up like the Garanimals mix and match he remembered as a kid, the man was a hopeless mess. Not a slob. Just clueless and baffled by things like hairstyles and clothes with some rhyme or reason.
“I think it’s almost time,” Angie murmured. To her and Alex’s mothers, she said, “Ladies, I believe you’re up next.”
“Is everyone in place?” Stephanie asked.
“Yeah and you should get a move on too. Sophie just took her seat and the O’Brien boys are pewed up and getting antsy.”
“Meghan. Shugah,” she drawled. “I can’t wait to have you for a niece.”
Tori snickered. “Gotta marry Calder first, Mom.”
Meghan and Stephanie looked at each other and smiled. Meghan winked, and Stephanie nodded. She blew the woman a kiss and off she went.
Oh, my god, she thought. This is really happening.
Ashleigh came to her side and put her hand around Meghan’s waist. In the mirror, they could not have looked more different. The petite woman was elegantly dressed in a dark green gown with her long blond hair floating around her shoulders and hanging down her back. A corsage of red roses and crystal-studded stephanotis matched the flowers in Meghan’s bouquet.
They smiled at each other in the mirror. No words necessary. And then the woman who loved Alex as much as she did went to take her place of honor in the church leaving Meghan with her mom and the girls.
Deval knocked politely on the carved wooden door and stuck his head in with a hand covering his eyes. “Mom? The sexton is having a fit. Says we gotta stick to the schedule. Something about ringing the bells on time.”
Maggie O’Brien was barely holding it together. They had to make this quick before both of them lost it.
“Meggie.”
“Ma.”
They locked eyes in the mirror. Her mom mouthed, “I love you,” bit her lip, and practically ran from the room.
And then it was just her girls.
Lacey, the sweet and brave.
Victoria, the audacious and big-hearted.
And Angelina, or She Who Makes the Trouble.
They were the perfect bridesmaids. She let them each choose whatever style dress they wanted as long as they all wore the exact same red color. Looking like pretty maids dressed in red, all in a row, they grinned at each other in the mirror.
“All right, Mrs. Marquez. Let’s get the sacred anointing thing out of the way so we can get the party started.”
She smiled at Lacey.
With a grumpy pout, she muttered, “When does the bride get to know where the reception is?”
Angie snickered. “When you get there, Red, and not one second before.”
“Will I know where I am?” she asked.
“Oh. Absolutely!” The happiness in Angie’s tone told her she was going to love this last surprise.
Tori handed everyone their flowers. Beautiful white roses with a single red rose at the center, the long stems wrapped in red and white ribbons.
The picture she saw in her mind’s eye when she knew what type of wedding she wanted was complete.
With an enormous grin, she winked and chirped, “Justice!”
They answered with a round of laughing, “Woot-woot’s,” and escorted her to the church vestibule. Meghan hung back at the last second and waved them on. She saw her da waiting by the door and wanted to spend a moment alone with him
As the girls started their walk down the long aisle, she took in the sight her handsome father made in his elegant black suit and dark green tie. She adjusted his boutonnière and smiled.
“Ready?” she asked.
He surprised her with a teary-eyed response. “Well, Meggie. Let’s not wait for that.”
She was swallowing tears when he gave her his arm and covered the hand she slipped through with his. As they approached the door at the back of the church, she got her first good look at the magnificent cathedral all fancied up just for her. Flowers and ribbons were everywhere she looked, and the three hundred guests packing the front of the church were starting to stand and look in their direction.
Her eyes searched until she saw her Major at the end of the long aisle, waiting for her at the altar. When the pipe organ started playing the majestic “Trumpet Voluntary,” all the butterflies in her stomach fluttered to a stop.
How they got down the aisle, she’ll never know. She never felt her feet on the floor. All her attention focused on the tall, handsome man with the eyes burning with pleasure who looked like he was ready to march down the aisle toward her and grab hold.
When they reached the altar, her father kissed her on both cheeks, squeezed her hand, and then placed it firmly in the strong, firm grip of her intended. With a solemn nod to Alex, he said, “I’m trusting you to treasure my only daughter, Major.”
Sanctuary (Family Justice Book 3) Page 46