The Wedding Dance

by S. J. McCoy

  “Thanks, Miss. Good night, guys.

  ~ ~ ~

  Michael walked back down Main with his hands in his pockets. He couldn’t help but notice the difference between Missy and Megan. Missy was obviously happy and looking forward to getting married. Even with her dad just out of hospital and the fact that he wouldn’t be at her wedding, there was no mistaking the fact that she was happy. Megan, on the other hand, didn’t seem happy at all. It wasn’t just that she was quiet—that wasn’t so unusual—she really was withdrawn. She seemed lost in her own thoughts much of the time and jumped whenever he spoke to her. He’d asked and asked if there was anything wrong, but she told him no every time. She made excuses about being nervous, even tried to make him laugh, but he wasn’t buying it. There was something going on with her and he needed to know what it was.

  Instead of heading straight home, he decided to stop in at the Boathouse. Ben was always good for a word of advice when he needed it. He was giving her away after all. He wouldn’t mind a word with Kenzie either. She might have some idea what was going on. He smiled to himself—once she got over giving him shit for coming out without Megan.

  He walked in through the bar and was surprised to see Jack and Emma sitting there, chatting away with Ben. He grinned when they spotted him.

  Ben raised an eyebrow. “I thought you’d be home getting ready for tomorrow.”

  He shrugged. “Good to see you, too, mate!”

  Ben shook his head. “You’re not getting all touchy on me are you?”

  Michael laughed. “Course not. It’d just be nice if for once someone would greet me with a, hey, Michael, it’s good to see you!”

  “Hey, Michael, it’s good to see you,” said Jack.

  Michael high-fived him. “Thanks, mate. It’s good to see you, too.”

  Emma hugged him. “How are you? Are you excited yet?”

  He nodded.

  Ben gave him a puzzled look. “You don’t sound it.”

  He shrugged. “I am. I’m just not so sure about Megan.”

  Emma laughed. “Don’t be silly. She’s over the moon. She could hardly contain herself last time I saw her.”

  “Yeah, but how long ago was that?”

  Emma frowned. “Umm, it’s been a couple of weeks since we had lunch.”

  Michael nodded. “Yeah, it’s only gone south in the last week.”

  “What do you mean, gone south?” asked Ben.

  He shrugged. “I dunno.”

  Kenzie came over to join them. She gave him a mock scowl. “Haven’t I told you before that I will rip your balls off if I find you in here without my sister?” She couldn’t help laughing.

  Michael held a hand up. “Many a time! And no worries—I believe you. I wouldn’t dare. Except…” he hesitated, but decided to go for it. “If I didn’t come without her. I couldn’t ask you what was up with her. Could I?”

  Kenzie’s smile was gone in an instant. “What do you mean? There’s nothing up with her!”

  Michael was a little taken aback. “Your reaction makes me think there’s something—and it makes me think that you don’t want to tell me either. What’s going on, Kenzie?”

  Her smile was back, but it was as fake a smile as he’d ever seen. “I don’t know what you mean. She’s fine. I just get a little defensive about her, sorry, but you do know that.”

  He nodded. She was fobbing him off, he knew it. “She’s not right though. Something’s up with her, I know it.”

  “She’s nervous, Michael. What do you expect?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t expect anything. But I was kind of hoping that a couple of days before we get married, she might seem happy about it. Might, you know, smile occasionally?”

  Kenzie’s face softened. “Are you sure it’s not you that’s getting nervous? She’s fine. She loves you to pieces. Get over it. If I were you I’d go on home to her.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, you’re right.” He looked at Emma and Jack. “I guess I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

  Jack smiled at him. “You will. And don’t sweat it, Michael. Megan’s probably just nervous.”

  “Yeah.” He felt pretty dumb; maybe he was just looking for problems that weren’t really there.

  As he made his way back across the parking lot, he met Chase and Eddie heading into the bar. “Hey, guys.”

  “Michael.” Chase nodded at him and kept on walking. That was weird.

  “Have you got a minute? I wanted to talk to you about the set list for Saturday,” he said.

  Eddie stopped and smiled. “Yeah, what’s up? Do you want to make any changes?”

  Chase looked uncomfortable. “I thought we had everything covered?”

  They did; Michael was just using it as an excuse to talk to him for a minute—to see if he knew anything. “I just wanted to make sure. Have you talked to Megan...?”

  Now Chase looked guilty as hell! There was no mistaking it. “About what? Why?”

  Eddie gave him a puzzled look. “Does she have any special songs she wants adding?”

  Michael looked at him then back at Chase. “What’s going on, mate?”

  Chase shrugged. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  Michael knew he was lying. He also knew he wasn’t going to get anything out of him. “I think you do.”

  Chase met his gaze. “Michael, I’m sorry. I don’t want to get caught up in the middle. I’ll say the same to you as I said to Megan. You should be talking to each other, not to anyone else.”

  Michael nodded. It was true. The only trouble was, Megan wouldn’t talk to him!

  He blew out a sigh. “Easier said than done, mate. She’s hiding something; I just don’t know what.”

  Chase nodded. “Talk to her. That’s all I can say, and it’s the best way I can help.”

  Michael nodded. “Thanks, mate. I’ll see ya.” He started for home. Chase was right. He needed to talk to her. And this time he wasn’t going to take any excuses. He needed to know what was wrong.

  ~ ~ ~

  Megan made her way back downstairs. She’d let Ollie sleep in Ethan’s room, though she wasn’t sure they’d do any sleeping. She shrugged. They were both too excited. Ethan was excited that they were flying to Vegas tomorrow. Ollie knew something was up and was excited whatever it might be. She was a little concerned about leaving him up at the stables while they were gone, but she knew it was the best option. He loved going up there. He hung out with Lily’s dog, Jake, whenever she went riding—but that was a couple of hours at a time, not a couple of weeks. After Vegas, she and Michael were going to Aruba for ten days. Ethan was going to stay with Michael’s parents. He’d wanted Ollie to go with him, but she didn’t want to disrupt their life that much. The girls who worked at the barn were going to care for both dogs over the weekend, and Lily would be back on Sunday. She was happy to keep Ollie.

  She went into the kitchen and sat at one of the stools at the counter. Right now she wanted a drink! But that wasn’t an option. She should be happy. This should be the happiest time of her life. She was getting married to the man she loved—making their family a reality. She covered her face with her hands. Their family. Michael, herself, Ethan…and the baby. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it after she’d talked to Chase on Sunday. She’d had to know. She’d gone over to their place and Kenzie had gone to the pharmacy for a pregnancy test kit. She’d hated herself as she sat in their kitchen letting the minute tick by until the little stick would tell her. She’d hated herself because she knew she should be sharing the moment with Michael—not hiding it from him! She’d hated herself even more when she’d seen the word in the little box; Pregnant.

  She should be so happy. Part of her was. Part of her just wanted to cry all the time. She didn’t want to get married because she was pregnant! The little voice of reason kept telling her it wasn’t like that. The logical part of her knew it wasn’t like that. But not the emotional part of her, the part that still took over far too often. That part had been shaped—w
arped—by her childhood and by the miserable years she’d spent with Adrian. It kept repeating—screaming—I don’t want to get married because I’m expecting a baby!

  The sound of the front door opening brought her back to reality. She realized she was shaking. There were tears streaming down her face. She wiped them away quickly and tried to compose herself before Michael came into the kitchen. The look on his face told her that something was wrong—very wrong.

  “What’s the matter, Meggie?”

  She shook her head. “Nothing. I’m fine. Just getting a little emotional.”

  He came to her and put his hands on her shoulders. “Look at me, little one.”

  She slowly looked up to meet his gaze. A fresh wave of tears came as she saw all the love and concern in his eyes. “Please tell me what’s wrong? I’m scared. I’m starting to think that maybe you don’t want to marry me.” He gave her a weak smile. “But I learned my lesson about not assuming I know what you’re thinking. So please, put me out of my misery? Just tell me. If you don’t love me anymore, that’s okay. You being happy is what matters most to me.”

  She flung herself into his arms. “You silly man! Of course I still love you. I do want to marry you…but…but…”

  “But what, Meggie? Please tell me?”

  “I’m pregnant!”

  He stared at her in disbelief.

  “I’m sorry!”

  “Sorry? But why? Isn’t that what we want?”

  “Yes, but not until we’re married!”

  He held her shoulders and leaned back to look into her eyes. “I don’t understand. We nearly are married. Just a couple of days to go.”

  She nodded; she couldn’t stop the tears that were streaming down her face. “Yes, but Michael, I don’t want us to get married because I’m pregnant.”

  He cocked his head to one side. “We’re not. We’re getting married because we love each other and because we want to spend the rest of our lives together.”

  She nodded. She was being ridiculous and she knew it. “I…I…I’m sorry. I think I’m just hormonal or something.”

  He hugged her to his chest. “You must be, Meggie. This is wonderful. It’s something to celebrate, not something to cry over.”

  She nodded again. He was right. She needed to stop it, to get over her silly hang-up about it. As she rested her cheek against his chest, she just hoped that she could.

  Chapter Eleven

  Chase smiled at Kenzie when she came into the kitchen. “Good morning, lover.”

  She smiled, but didn’t reply.

  He knew better. He handed her a coffee. “Here, work on that. I’m making omelets.”

  She took the coffee and sipped it before smiling again. “Mmm, thank you.”

  Chase waited until the mug was empty; he knew there was no point attempting conversation before she was fully caffeinated. He poured her a refill and finished up the omelets.

  Once they were both seated at the little table, he smiled. “How are you feeling?”

  She smiled back. He loved how soft she looked when she smiled like that. “Almost human.”

  He laughed. “Well, that’s a good place to start, I guess.”

  She nodded. “I’m worried about Megan.”

  “Me too. I ran into Michael last night.”

  She looked up at him, finally seeming awake. “What did he say? He was in the bar early on, asking if anything was up with Megan.”

  Chase nodded. “He was asking me the same thing. And I’m sorry, Kenz, but I think I made things worse.”

  She frowned. “How?”

  “I told him he needed to talk to her! He could tell I knew something he didn’t—and neither of us liked that! I said from the start that she should talk to him.”

  “I know. And you’re right. But when she gets worked up about things, reason goes out the window. For such a smart girl, she can be pretty dumb sometimes.”

  “You’re not mad at me?” Chase had half expected her to bitch him out for not keeping Megan’s secret better.

  She came around the table and sat in his lap. “If I wanted to be mad at anyone it would be Megan. But I can’t be. She’s coping as best she can, but after Adrian—well, she’s a bit fucked up, I guess!”

  Chase nodded. That about summed it up.

  “I’m glad you’re not mad at me. Megan put us both in a difficult situation,” she said.

  “She did, but at the same time, I’m glad she felt able to turn to us.”

  “Me too. I just hope things don’t get too screwy. I want to see them get married and figure out the details later.”

  Chase smiled. He liked that idea himself—and not just for Megan and Michael. “They’ll be fine, I’m sure.” He looked up at the clock on the wall. “What time do we need to be at the airport?”

  “Ten,” said Kenzie with a sigh. “I’d better get my butt moving. I said we’d be happy to go later, but Megan thought it was best if we went with them.”

  Chase smiled. “It is. You want to be with your sister while she gets ready for her wedding, and Eddie and I want to check out the venue.”

  “I know, I know.” She got up and made her way to the door. When she reached it, she turned and smiled at him. “It’s weird when you think about it, isn’t it?”

  “What is?” he asked.

  “That Megan and Michael, the librarian and the doctor, are turning to the two of us, the singer and the eternal fuckup, to help them sort themselves out.”

  He shook his head at her with a smile. “I resent being called a fuckup!”

  She laughed. “I meant me! You’re the singer!”

  He narrowed his eyes at her. “You should be though. Have you decided if you’re going to sing at the wedding? You know she wants you to.”

  Kenzie shrugged. She had that stony look that made him regret bringing it up. “I don’t have to decide yet; she’s happy to let me see how I feel on the day.”

  “Sorry, I know. I’d just love to hear you, that’s all. I can’t help encouraging you to sing whenever I get the chance.”

  Her face softened. “I know. You’re too good to me.”

  “I just love you, that’s all.”

  “I know,” she smiled. “I really do know it. I just hope you know how much I love you.”

  He grinned. “Maybe you can show me when get to our hotel room?”

  She laughed. “If you want to join me, I can show you in the shower right now.”

  He stood. He wasn’t going to turn down an offer like that!

  ~ ~ ~

  Gabe took Renée’s hand as they walked across the parking lot at the airport.

  “I wish it was us getting married,” she said.

  He nodded. “It will be, soon enough.”

  She laughed. “I won’t be soon enough. It can’t come soon enough. I just want my divorce to hurry up and come through.”

  He smiled at her. “It can’t be too far away now.”

  “I hope not.”

  He gave her a puzzled look. “Would you want to get married in Vegas?”

  She shook her head vigorously. “I would not! I mean, no offense to Megan and Michael or Missy and Dan, but it’s not my style. When Eric and I got married it was a quick trip to the courthouse and that was it.” She smiled up at him, “It didn’t bother me, but with you, it’s different. It does matter. I want us to do it right.”

  He smiled. “We will. We’ll do whatever you want.”

  “Aw, thanks Gabe…Oh, look. There’s Kenzie and Chase. Who else is coming with us?”

  “Michael, Megan, you and me, Kenzie and Chase and, I think, Chase’s bandmate Eddie…”

  “And April!” Renée finished for him. “I wanted her to come with us, since she doesn’t know too many people, and it means Ethan and Marcus will be together, too.”

  Gabe nodded. That made sense.

  Once they were inside the FBO building, Gabe spotted April sitting by the windows with Marcus. She stood with a smile when she spotted them.
>
  The others came to join them and it seemed everyone was talking at once. Gabe smiled at Chase and nodded at Eddie. They were like Kenzie. People he wouldn’t have given the time of day to in his old life, yet now he knew them, he liked them. He had to wonder about how stuck-up he must have become in his life as a New York attorney. He smiled some more; there was no chance of him being stuck-up now, not with Renée around!

  “How’s it going, Gabe?” asked Chase.

  He nodded. “I’m doing great. How about you? Are you ready to play us all some good music?”

  Chase nodded. “We sure are.”

  He looked at Eddie. “I thought you’d have all your equipment?”

  “We do. We just got finished loading it with Smoke.”

  Kenzie turned to them and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, no one warned me I was expected to be a roadie as well as a bridesmaid this weekend!”

  Gabe laughed. “You’re a woman of many talents; that’s the trouble, Kenzie.”

  She made a face at him. “I guess.”

  Renée turned to greet Eddie. “Hey. Have you met April before?” she asked.

  Gabe didn’t miss Eddie’s reaction, the slight hint of pink that tinged his ears as he smiled and held out his hand. “Not officially. Nice to meet you. I’m Eddie.”

  Gabe felt sorry for April as she shook Eddie’s hand. She looked thoroughly embarrassed, but he wasn’t sure why. “It’s a pleasure,” she mumbled.

  Gabe saw the look Renée exchanged with Kenzie, but he didn’t know what it meant. He’d have to ask her later. He spotted Michael and Megan enter the building, then Ethan barreled through the doors and came running over. He looked around at the group of them standing there.

  “Hello!”

  Gabe laughed. “Hey, monkey!”

  Ethan grinned. “Hi, Uncle Gabe.” He looked around again. “This is awesome! I’ve got two aunties and two uncles, and once Dad and Meggie get married it’ll be official.” Gabe loved the little guy as he went to join Marcus who was standing shyly beside his mom. “And I’ve got a new best buddy, too.”

  Michael and Megan joined them. Gabe knew straight off the bat that something was amiss. He raised an eyebrow at Michael, but he just gave a little shrug, then smiled around at everyone.