Bonus point, thanks to Kyle being the best man, she wouldn’t have to walk side by side with Kean, and risk biting each other’s heads off before they exited the church.
She got a little emotional when her eyes settled on a smiling, drool-worthy Adam. He mouthed a ‘thank you’ when their eyes met, and she smiled at him. Her clients appreciating her efforts had always been the best reward, but this time, it was even better. She tried to ignore the fact that Meatball was right behind her, and hoped the dog wouldn’t suddenly decide to bite her butt or gnaw on her ankle. She turned to make sure the animal was at a safe distance, and Sophie looked up at her with her adorable, dimpled smile.
“Am I doing it wight, Auntie Charli?” she asked, her eyes wide with innocence. Maybe she’d been a bit too strict with the girl, and forgotten she was not even four yet and that this was only supposed to be fun.
She smiled. “You’re perfect.”
Sophie rewarded her with another dazzling smile, while she scattered handful of petals with her chubby hands. “Daddy, look at me. I’m throwing flowers like Auntie Charli teached me! I’m perfect!”
The guests and the priest laughed at her exclamation, and Adam nodded as he smiled at his daughter. “Yes, you are, baby girl. Absolutely perfect.”
He lifted his eyes from his little girl and stared at Ellie. At that very moment, Charli wished someone would look at her the way Adam was looking at his bride-to-be. His dark eyes, so similar to his older brother’s, softened and filled with warmth and love. His smile lit up his face under the scruff Ellie had forbidden him to shave off for the wedding, and when Ethan placed Ellie’s hand in Adam’s, it looked as if the rest of the world had disappeared. The couple stared at each other as if they were on a deserted island, just the two of them and the love they felt for each other. It was sickeningly beautiful and romantic, and her vision blurred as traitorous tears veiled her eyes. She’d never been emotional at weddings; they’d always been just another event she’d had to plan, another task in her diary. This time it was different though. Seeing the way her friend’s face lit up when Adam took her hand, the love that permeated each word of their vows, and the genuine smiles that cracked their faces when they were finally declared husband and wife, made her realize all that she was missing. For a fraction of a second, when they kissed and the church erupted into a round of applause, Charli wished she could experience that kind of happiness, too.
She surreptitiously wiped a tear from under her eyes, before it could cause any damage to the work of art Nicole had done, but when a strong hand squeezed her forearm, she realized she hadn’t been as inconspicuous as she’d thought. Kyle was staring at her with his head tilted to the side and a cute smile.
“So what? I got a little emotional, sue me.”
His smile got even wider at her defensive remark. “There’s no need to hide your emotions. Your best friend just got married—it’s okay to be emotional.” He offered his arm. “Shall we?”
She nodded, and they followed Ellie and Adam down the aisle, toward the dark wooden doors that were now wide open.
“Has anyone told you you look gorgeous?” Kyle whispered in her ear.
Charli chuckled. “Sorry, I might be old-fashioned, but you’re a bit too young for me.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m not trying to hit on you. I just wanted to show we all appreciated your hard work on making this wedding perfect, in case neither of my idiotic brothers does it.”
“Well, in that case, thank you. You’re quite handsome yourself.”
He smiled coyly. She had to admit he really was beautiful. He looked very much like his brothers, only his eyes were a deep shade of blue, and his face was smooth and clean-shaven, unlike his brothers’. But nobody would think they weren’t related.
They stepped outside, and cheers erupted as white and burgundy paper petals filled the air, falling all around the bride and groom. Sophie squealed as she danced in the shower of petals, and as soon as the last one fell to the ground, she tugged on Ellie’s hand while holding onto Adam’s at the same time.
“Can I call you Mommy now?”
Ellie’s face softened into a smile and tears sparkled in her eyes. “Of course, sweetie,” she said with a trembling voice.
Adam picked up his daughter and hugged Ellie with his free arm. He kissed Sophie’s temple, then Ellie’s, and Charli waved at Adam’s mother, who’d taken care of her bag for her, so she could retrieve her phone and snap a picture of the family. It would be perfect in a silver frame in the center of their living room. When she worked as a wedding planner, she would usually take unofficial pictures and videos throughout the wedding that she would later put on a DVD as her personal gift to the happy couple. It was an idea she’d come up with and that she was sure none of the people at Golden Gate Events would be doing anymore, now that she’d left. She wanted to do the same for her friend, knowing Ellie would love to have a special gift with the best memories of her special day.
She took a couple of pictures of the trio before Meatball photobombed the third and she had to take a step back, afraid the dog would jump at her. No matter how many times Ellie had reassured her the golden retriever was harmless and as sweet as you could get, she was still determined to put as much distance between herself and the beast as possible. Kyle chuckled when she crashed into him, and put his hands on her arms to steady her.
“Whoa, I thought you said I wasn’t your type, and here you are throwing yourself at me.” The way he held her was totally innocent, but she shook him off anyway. The last thing she needed was for Adam to think she was trying to seduce his baby brother.
“Don’t go getting your boxers in a twist, boy. Unless you’ve aged eight years in the last ten minutes, you’re still not my type.”
He laughed, and when Kean approached them, looking quite scrumptious in his tux, she decided it was time to get back into wedding planner mode.
“Okay, we need to get moving now. We have a schedule to follow.”
Kyle gave her a salute, with a “Yes, ma’am,” while Kean only rolled his eyes.
“This isn’t a conference. There’s no schedule.”
Charli brought a hand to her heart. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you had a Master’s in wedding planning, on top of the one from the Bob the Builder Academy. My bad.”
Kyle laughed, and Kean grumbled as he walked away. She pulled her notebook out of her bag and proceeded to tick off the things they’d already accomplished and memorize the ones that still needed her attention.
Getting the bride and groom to the reception was next on the list, so she set off toward them, keeping an eye on Meatball just in case the dog decided to lunge for her.
* * *
Kean stood on the far side of his parents’ living room later that evening, staring at the happy couple dancing away on the makeshift dance floor. Sophie, who apparently had a bad case of sugar high, hopped around them in her frilly flower girl dress she’d said she’d never take off, while Meatball spun in circles, waggling her tail and wanting to join in the fun. His heart squeezed at the sight of the happiness on his brother’s face, as well as on his new bride’s. Not because he wasn’t happy for him—hell, Adam had been through painful times no person so young should ever have to experience, and he deserved all the happiness he could get. But Kean wanted that happiness for himself, too. He remembered experiencing the same feeling—envy perhaps?—when Adam married Hannah. They’d been childhood sweethearts, and everyone knew they’d get married one day, but back then he’d hoped to attend his middle brother’s wedding sporting a ring of his own and with Paige hanging off his arm, maybe pregnant with their baby to make it even more perfect. Too bad his high-school sweetheart dumped him in their third year of college because she wanted to become a nurse and work for Doctors Without Borders.
And now his little brother had not only managed to get out of the pit of hell he’d fallen into when Hannah died, but he’d fallen in love again and found the most perfect stepmother fo
r Sophie. He had it all, and Kean had nothing. Was it so wrong to want a family instead of enjoying jumping from one bed to the other, looking for simple, no-strings-attached fun and physical release, the way other men his age did? At nearly thirty-two, he just wanted the white picket fence and waking up next to the same woman every day. It wasn’t too much to ask for, was it?
Laughter rumbled in the room at Sophie’s funny antics, and when Adam scooped her up from the floor and lifted her in the air, bringing her to his face for a big kiss, Kean had to look away. Because at that moment, he wished he was the one cradling a little girl to his chest. A little princess who’d look up to him for everything, who’d ask him to read her bedtime stories and to take her riding in the woods. A baby girl he would spoil rotten, just the way he enjoyed spoiling his only niece.
Dreaming about it wouldn’t make a baby appear out of nowhere, though. And finding a woman who wanted more than just some casual fling had turned out to be harder than he’d thought. He shook his head and finally left the room when Ellie joined in on the hug and the three of them all danced together, laughing like the happy family they were going to be.
The house was nearly empty now, and only the closest friends and family members remained. Nearly everyone in town had shown up at the house, even if they weren’t on the guest list, just to congratulate them and bring gifts or food, in the good old-fashioned small-town way he’d grown used to and loved. They’d stayed for a drink and to eat some pastries his mother and Jenna had made, but left shortly afterward, for Charli’s peace of mind. She’d nearly gone ballistic when she’d seen groups of people showing up, and her cool, no-nonsense party planner façade had cracked. Her eye had stopped twitching only when his mother, Jenna, Lauren, and Adam had reassured her the visitors weren’t going to stay for the main reception, that it was only a display of affection people in Spring did to celebrate the couple’s special day.
Apart from that little hiccup, though, it had been a great wedding. He had to give Charli credit—she’d managed to put together something awesome in such a short time, which he was sure hadn’t been easy. No wonder Ellie had never had any doubts that her friend would pull it off and had been the most easy-going and relaxed bride that ever existed. Charli had done a great job, even though she’d made it her mission to be a pain in his ass.
As he walked toward the kitchen, thinking perhaps he could check if there were any of his mother’s mini cupcakes left, he noticed the front door was open. His eyes landed on Charli’s hourglass silhouette on the porch, wearing nothing over the beautiful burgundy bridesmaid gown which, with its lace sleeves, couldn’t be keeping her very warm. At some point during the reception, she’d freed her hair from its intricate hairdo, and now it was hanging in dark waves down to the middle of her back.
She tipped back a full glass of wine, and when she placed the flute on the floor, her shoulders lifted as she heaved a sigh. She leaned on the wooden railing and stared at something in the distance. She looked lost and alone, and he was feeling more or less the same, so he reached for a half-full bottle of champagne on a nearby table and took two flutes, then walked out onto the porch, pulling the door closed behind him.
Chapter 7
“You looked like you could use another drink.” Kean handed her a glass, and Charli smiled weakly as she took it. “Fancy some company?”
He filled her glass and then his, before putting the bottle on the floor. She shrugged and tipped her head back, gulping down the full content of the glass without even taking a breath. Kean’s eyes widened. Well, he hadn’t pegged her for an alcoholic.
“Um… would you like another one?” He handed her his glass as a joke, and his jaw dropped when she stole it from his hand, raising it in thanks.
“I don’t usually drink this much, in case you’re wondering,” she said, and took a sip from the glass. At least this time she didn’t gulp it down, but stopped to savor it before she swallowed. Then she picked up the bottle from the floor and topped up her glass.
“I just needed some time out. I couldn’t take all that happiness and lovey-dovey stuff any longer.” She leaned against the wooden railing again and stared up at the starry sky. They’d been lucky to get such a great day for February. Adam was sure Hannah was behind the strangely clear day they’d had. He’d said he knew his wife would’ve wanted his special day to be perfect.
Kean took a step closer. “Not a die-hard romantic, are you?”
Charli lifted a shoulder. “I’m so happy for Ellie, really I am. She’s like a sister to me, and after all she’s been through, she deserves to get a fairy-tale marriage.” She sniffed, and as uncomfortable as seeing a woman cry made him, something warm fluttered in his chest. He was tempted to reach out and hug her, but he crushed the urge as soon as it formed. “But pretending I’m doing great while my life is imploding is taking up all my energy.”
“What do you mean, your life is imploding? I thought you had a successful career in the city? Ellie mentioned something about a promotion you were going to get, and let me tell you, you did an amazing job with their wedding.”
“Ha.” She shook her head, then sipped from her flute, swirling the wine in her mouth as she kept her gaze focused on the sky. “I wish my boss could hear you now. Perhaps she wouldn’t have given my promotion to my cheating lowlife of a boyfriend just because he’d gotten into her pants.” She lifted her index finger in front of her and scrunched up her nose. “Wait, make it ex-boyfriend. And actually, she was wearing a skirt, but you get the picture.”
“Ouch. You were dating a colleague?”
Charli nodded. “I actually helped him get into the company, and he knew how important that promotion was for me. He knew I wanted it more than anything else in the world. I’d been Penelope’s slave for nearly five years and I was sure she’d appreciate my hard work and make me a partner but, apparently, I’m missing a piece of flesh somewhere in the lower departments.”
Kean bit his bottom lip to keep a chuckle from escaping. Laughing at her right now wouldn’t be a tactful move, but her choice of words had been hilarious. “I’m sorry. It must have been tough.”
She shrugged. “What hurt the most was the fact I didn’t get the promotion. He was just an ultra-ambitious workaholic who made for an awful boyfriend, but it was fine for me because I could keep working even when we weren’t in the office. Our dates pretty much always involved some work-related stuff, and I thought it was the perfect relationship: absolutely no demands, no pouts if I said I had work to finish, and he wasn’t exactly eager to meet my family or put a ring on my finger either.”
“Well, that doesn’t sound like a very healthy relationship, but it sure must’ve hurt to know he was cheating on you. That he was sleeping with someone else.”
She brought the glass to her lips again and gulped down the remaining wine. He surreptitiously moved the bottle away with his foot, thinking he’d save her from a massive hangover tomorrow. Then he reached for her glass and put it on the wooden floor. When he straightened again she was looking at him with narrowed eyes.
“I don’t know what kind of exceptional tricks he did with her because, truth be told, he wasn’t exactly mind-blowing when it came to sex.” She brought a hand to cover her mouth as her eyes widened. “Oh, um… too much information, I guess. Oops. Sorry.” She lifted a shoulder and he couldn’t help smiling at her naughty and yet innocent expression.
“Then perhaps you’re better off without him.” He wondered how attractive their boss was and how important that job must have been to the guy because, honestly? You’d have to be crazy to cheat on such a hot woman. He frowned. Where had that thought come from?
“And without my job, and without my house. Well, at least I’ve still got my car.” She lowered her voice as she leaned back with her hands on the railing. He instinctively took a step closer so he wouldn’t miss her next words. “I obviously couldn’t work there anymore, so I quit the day I found him with his pants down in what should’ve been my office. I tho
ught it’d be easy for me to find a job with my excellent résumé, but apparently the event planning world in San Francisco and its surroundings is saturated. So I had to leave my apartment too, because I couldn’t afford the rent without a job, and I definitely wasn’t going to ask for Daddy’s money.”
“Well, wow. That sucks. I hadn’t realized you were—”
“Nobody knows. You’re actually the first person outside of my family I’ve told this to. Ellie thinks I’m using my vacation time that I hardly ever have time to use anyway, and that Donnie couldn’t come here because he’s busy doing my share of work. I didn’t want to ruin her special day with my sorry tale.”
“I’m sorry.” His hand lifted of its own volition, before he even realized it was a bad move, and rubbed her upper arm. She shivered, and he realized she must be freezing by now, wearing only that silky number and nothing else. “Perhaps we should carry on this conversation inside. It’s pretty chilly out here and I’m sure that dress is doing a poor job at shielding you from the cold.”
She shook her head, rubbing her arms to warm herself. “I’m not in the mood to watch any more smooching for the night.”
He shrugged out of his tux jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. She didn’t fight him, although he’d expected she would, and he let out a mental sigh of relief.
“Thanks. You’re a real gentleman.” Her voice came out as a whisper and cracked slightly on the last word. She sniffed, then hiccuped. Once, twice. On the third hiccup, Kean realized they were actually sobs, and had confirmation when she threw herself against him and wrapped her arms around his torso.
Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no. If crying women made him uneasy, drunk, sobbing women made him downright terrified.
“My life’s such a mess!” Her words were muffled as she spoke against his chest, into his white shirt that, considering the amount of makeup she was wearing, wouldn’t remain white for long. “I thought… I had… That I… That he…” More sobs followed the unintelligible words she was saying, and seeing as she didn’t seem to be about to pull herself together anytime soon, he hugged her and started rubbing his hands on her back in up and down strokes he’d learned were a perfect way to calm Sophie when she cried. He hoped the trick worked on grown-up women too, because this was getting extremely uncomfortable.
Unplanned Love: A Love In Spring novel Page 6
