“He’ll be fine.” I won’t mention what Rod thinks of Shane because I don’t want to push the envelope and rekindle Finn’s jealousy of Rod or even spark a new one regarding Shane. That’s all I need.
Sparks loudly takes a breath and says, “I have to go. I’m sorry. Good luck tomorrow. I want a picture of you in that dress. I know you’ll look beautiful.”
“We’ll see about that.” Before he can argue, I say, “Goodnight, Sparks.”
“Night, Becks.” I hang up before I start begging him to tell me he loves me.
If he still does.
CHAPTER 22
Following a Saturday morning filled with running errands spanning from the mundane to the bizarre, it’s only 20 minutes until the ceremony before we all realize just how busy we’ve been.
After handing off my small clutch purse, holding my hotel key cards and phone to Val for safekeeping, I go to Morgan’s suite. I smile as Tonya opens the door and makes a quick exit, yelling she has one last errand that she has to do. Walking into the suite, my hands fly to my mouth as I gasp. “Morgan, you look beautiful!” Her white dress has a sweetheart neckline and an empire waist, which helps disguise her growing belly. The hemline skims her feet. She’s wearing a sprig of white flowers in her up-do, with diamond earrings adorning her ears.
When she sees me, her eyes look as if they’re going to fall out of her head. “Had, so do you! Your hair is so pretty up like that in braids! Tonya did an awesome job!”
Grinning, I reply, “She did. I actually have pretty hair now!”
Morgan’s gaze zips up and down me. “That dress on you. Wow. It’s perfect. I’m so glad I have good taste because you probably would’ve worn something resembling Alice’s dress on the Brady Bunch.”
I roll my eyes. Then, looking down to my chest, I grumble, “My big fear with it is that my boobs are going to fall out during the dances. I apologize ahead of time for ruining your big day.” When I ensure that they won’t pop of my dress, I look up as she abstractedly laughs, and I notice her trembling.
“You’re shaking!” I giggle and grab her hands to steady them. “I thought you said you weren’t nervous anymore!”
She anxiously frowns. “I am. It hit me an hour ago when I put my dress on.” She closes her eyes. “I can’t do this.”
Gripping her hands, I try to be stern when I say, “Yes you can. I’m here. Take deep breaths and think of being married to Ivan at the end of all this craziness.”
Slowly nodding, she says, “You’re right. Yes.” She opens her eyes, and I take a loud, demonstrative breath and she follows me. We then exhale together with a laugh. “There you go. Feel better?”
“Yes. Thank you. You’re my rock, Hadley.” Her eyes fill with tears and I frantically wave at her face.
“Stop! Your makeup will run!”
“It’s waterproof!” She giggles and takes another steady breath. “I don’t know what I’d do without your friendship. You’ve been there for me and I want to be there for you, too. I just want you to know I love you. I’ll do anything to protect you.”
“Aw, Morgan! That’s so damn…” I back up, fanning my face. “You’re going to make me cry now!”
She takes my hands again and steadfastly says, “We’re sisters.”
I nod in agreement. “For life.” Leaning in, careful to not mess anything up, I gently hug her, but she holds me tight anyway. I deftly pry myself off her so I really don’t wrinkle her dress and cheerfully say, “Okay. Go kick some matrimonial ass!”
She laughs with me and says, “I can’t wait until it’s your turn to do this. I’ll be right there for you, too.”
I glance at the bed and she angles her head to look at me. “It’s going to happen. I can promise you that.”
I sadly smile. “No you can’t, but I’m grateful you’re so supportive.”
“I am. I want you to be happy. Don’t forget that.”
“I won’t.” Opening the door for Morgan, we meet a rushed Tonya in the hallway. Her dress is almost the same color as mine, but is strapless and not lightly sparkling like mine. I also think it’s a little small since her cups nearly runneth over. Rod is for sure going to stroke out from holding his tongue once he sees her.
Tonya says, “Ready, big sis?” That paradox almost makes me laugh out loud. I can’t even bite my lip to keep me from laughing or I’ll screw up my lipstick I wore just for Morgan’s happy day.
“No. Yes.” She takes a deep breath and more resolutely says, “Yes. I’m so ready.” Tonya and I smile, and we each take a hold of Morgan’s hands, walking her to the elevator, where their dad is waiting. Their mother had gone downstairs to make sure Ivan was out of sight and to get the go-ahead from the minister. We had to keep that woman busy because she was driving us all bonkers with how jumpy she has been. Understandable, I guess. I won’t know if my mother is jumpy or not since she won’t be at my wedding. If there ever is one.
We walk out of the hotel lobby, onto the beach and into the late afternoon sunshine, stopping at the partition set up to conceal Morgan before walking down the beach aisle.
Turning, I grab her hand and smile. The music starts and I whisper to her, “You got this. Now go marry the love of your life and don’t look back.”
She quickly nods, smiling, but looking like she’s going to bolt. I squeeze her shaking hand and as the minister gives us the green light, Tonya begins her walk down the aisle with Ivan’s brother Derrick.
Shane stands next to me and holding his arm out, I squeeze Morgan’s hand once more before I let go and take his arm. As we wait for Tonya and Derrick to step aside when they reach the end of the aisle, Shane whispers, “I was right.”
“What do you mean?” I whisper back, looking at his face, thoroughly confused at what I missed.
“I knew you’d look phenomenal in this dress, too.”
I look down to the sand in front of us and uncomfortably mumble, “Oh. Thank you.”
Lifting my gaze, the minister nods at us and we walk forward. Shane whispers, “Anytime.”
I hold onto his arm as everyone looks on, smiling, which eases my nerves somewhat and I timidly smile. A pretty, instrumental song plays in the background and the waves peacefully roll to the music’s gentle rhythm. It’s all so beautiful, but Shane isn’t the one I wanted to be walking with down an aisle.
When we reach the minister, we break away and go to our designated posts. Looking through the guests, I subtly catch Rod smiling at me, and I raise my eyebrows and nod, hoping he knows that I’m teasing him about Tonya. Message received because his eyes bug out as his mouth falls open in disgust, I think. I move my small bouquet of white tulips to hide my quiet laughter.
Lowering my flowers, I swiftly scan the rest of the small crowd. No Finn. Disappointment engulfs me, even though I knew he wouldn’t be here. I suddenly and inexplicably feel alone.
Glancing at Ivan in his white suit, I watch him fidgeting and nervously pulling at his pale blue tie, and I smile. He’s taking the leap of faith that I’ve asked Finn several times to take, but he’s declined. I’m in awe of Ivan for stepping up and marrying the love of his life, refusing to let her get away.
The music changes, everyone rises and we all expectantly look to the end of the aisle. Morgan is beaming on the arm of her dad. My eyes fill with tears as they take a step forward to her destiny, as corny as it sounds. However, isn’t that part of getting married—the lovefest of heightened emotions running rampant, the flowing tears rivaling the flow of the champagne? Except for Finnigan Robert Wilder, isn’t that what everyone aspires to in their relationships? If not, then what’s the point of it all? Maybe I’m narrow-minded and old-fashioned, but that’s me, and just like my adrenaline junky boyfriend, that’s him. I just hope we can somehow reconcile our mismatched auras.
Stopping before the minister and next to Ivan, Morgan’s dad gives her a kiss and places her hand in Ivan’s. Ivan smiles and blinks away his tears, which only makes mine worse. I brush my cheeks with
my hand, praying that my makeup is indeed waterproof. Would Finn actually cry during our wedding? Hopefully, he wouldn’t be crying for the wrong reasons.
Turning around, Morgan hands me her bouquet and we smile at each other, hers much more confidant now. I peer into the audience again and see Rod smiling at me. I return the smile and look to the happy couple, feeling so overjoyed for them. They soon exchange vows and rings, making it official. As they kiss and become Mr. and Mrs. Kammer, everyone claps.
“Yeah, Morticia!” Oh, Rod. I giggle through my tears as I hand Morgan her flowers and watch them happily leave the altar.
I meet Shane once more, linking my arm with his as we walk to the end of the sandy aisle. Tonya and I immediately make our way to the couple, throwing our arms around them in a big group hug.
Eventually, we all gather at the request of the photographer for the photos on the beach. It’s an hour of smiling and laughing, which makes it difficult for the subdued shots. It’s especially hard to keep a restrained smile when Rod is making silly faces and insinuating gestures for me to see. I had to pose with Shane for some, which was a little disconcerting, but he actually tried to make me laugh again and since I was in a giggly mood from Rod, I did laugh. I imagine in most of the pictures, I’ll be laughing. I guess that isn’t so bad. I could’ve blinked a lot or not smiled at all.
As soon as pictures are done, we go to the hotel’s ballroom for the reception. Right away, Morgan and Ivan take the dance floor. I thought for sure Rod would make them dance to a rap song, but he didn’t. Their dance is followed by the father/bride and mother/groom dances.
Rod then calls for the bridal party to join in. Shane smirks, holding out his arm for me, as he had done earlier, and he leads me to the dance floor with the rest of the bridal party. When I put my arms around his neck, he says, “I couldn’t wait to dance with you.” What?
“Why?”
“Because I wanted to see what it felt like to hold you.”
“Oh.” Oh, God. Greg Rodwell was right? Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, I tuck a wisp of hair behind my ear and glance around us, catching Rod’s eye from behind the DJ table. I wish he would come rescue me. Thankfully, he recognizes my panic and tries to give me a calming smile.
I ask Shane, “Don’t you have a date?”
He shrugs. “She’s here somewhere.”
I hope she’s running for the hills. What a jerk.
Shane says, “We’re not really dating. She’s just here with me, so she can do what she wants.”
“Oh.”
“I saw on TV that your boyfriend is jumping off that bridge this year.”
“Yeah. He is.”
“Are you going there to watch him?”
“I haven’t thought about it yet. Probably not.”
“That’s insane of him, if you ask me.”
“It is,” I agree, but add, “He loves it, though. It’s who he is and it makes him happy.”
“Shouldn’t you be making him happy, and not some damn bridge?”
I slightly wince, yet assert, “I told him to do it, so he’s doing it with my blessing.”
The song ends and I drop my hands from his shoulders as another slow song plays, with Rod inviting everyone to join in. Before I can make my escape, Shane clutches my arm and leans in. “Do you think I can have another dance?”
“Um, sure.” Damn Rod for making me dance with Shane again! I glare at the DJ table and when Rod looks my way, he mouths, “Sorry!” He offers me a huge, toothy grin, but I really want to strangle his throat right now.
Shane’s cologne smells nice, but it’s so foreign to me. He doesn’t smell like home.
Dancing next to Ivan and Morgan, Shane and Ivan laugh at something one of them had said. Under different circumstances, I’d think this was the most boring dance partner I’ve ever had, but I’m relieved not having to suffer through anymore bridge talk for the time being.
“Can I cut in?”
The low voice in my ear causes the hair on the back of my neck to stand and for my heart to take off in a 50-yard dash. I whip my head up to see my savior, my reason for living.
My Sparks.
The huge, answering smile I give Finn elicits an identical one from him. “Yes!” I squeal, probably leaving Shane feeling slighted, but I don’t care. I swiftly move out of Shane’s grasp and throw my arms around Finn’s neck, and he lifts me up from the floor as we tightly hug.
In his arms, I ask, “When did you get here?”
His mouth is next to my ear. “I’ve been here. I caught the wedding. I got here late and I didn’t want to interrupt.”
He sets me down, but I don’t let go of his neck. “You were here during pictures and everything?”
“Yeah. I stayed in the back.”
Sparks puts his arms around my waist and draws me to him. As we slowly begin to dance together, I notice Rod watching us, and I try not to grin like an idiot, pursing my lips and shaking my head at him. He nods and gives me a knowing smirk. That ass knew Finn was standing behind me as I was about to commit his own murder.
Greg Rodwell is…awesome.
I frown at Sparks’ answer as my fingers slide up into his hair. “I wish I would’ve known you were here. I’m sorry you had to go through that. I’m sure you were bored.”
His gaze becomes more transfixed and his pupils appear to dilate as I gently tousle his hair. “No. I enjoyed watching you.” When his fingers graze the bare skin of my back, making me tingle, his dark eyes drop to my nearly-exposed chest, deliberately roaming over me. I involuntarily breathe faster, wishing his hands and lips were exploring me, too.
Sparks slowly looks up to my face. “You are… There isn’t a word that describes how utterly beautiful you are. You’re breathtaking. This dress… Becks, you’re devastatingly gorgeous.”
I whisper, “Thank you.”
He says, “Please believe me when I tell you that.”
“I do believe you. I just don’t believe it myself.”
Resting his forehead against mine, he whispers, “You don’t even know what you’re doing to me.”
“I could probably guess.”
He replies, “Not even close, Becks. You have absolutely no idea.” I ease my head back so I can see his face. His expression is intense and nothing like I’ve ever seen on him before. It’s like he wants me to solve his cryptic riddle.
“Well, you don’t look so bad yourself.” I smile as I notice his light blue shirt with a dark blue tie, and gray pants, which coordinates with my dress. I whisper in his ear, “Actually, you’re pretty damn hot.”
He cocks his head and arches an eyebrow. “Am I?”
Nodding, I secure my arms around his neck and he pulls me closer to him. His cologne drifts between us, and the feel of his arms holding onto me makes my pulse race even faster than it already was. I love being with him like this. In his hair and in his arms are among my favorite places to be.
I rest my cheek on his chest, next to my tattoo, hearing him breathing just as fast as I am. I swallow and say up to him, “Thank you for rescuing me.”
“I’ll always come to your rescue.”
I happily smile. “I’m so glad you’re here. This means so much to me.”
“I wanted to be here with you.”
“I thought you said you’d be out of town?”
He moves his mouth closer to my ear. “I didn’t lie, Becks. I am out of town.”
I pull away from his chest. “You mean, you didn’t have to work?”
Finn smiles and bites his lip. “I said I had an assignment out of town. Not a lie. I’m here. On assignment.”
Incredulous, I ask, “You were planning on being here the whole time?”
He nods. “I didn’t want to get here too early because I might be seen, but I ended up getting stuck in traffic. I got here right before you walked down the aisle. I couldn’t take my eyes off of you the whole time.” His fingers grip my waist, but his thumb lightly brushes my bruise. “I like dancing with
you. I could hold you all night like this.”
I cringe. “My feet probably would get tired in these shoes.” We both laugh, and needing to feel his skin, I reach up and drag my fingers down his jaw, which makes his smile fade as his eyes to apprehensively widen. I plead, “Please don’t stop laughing. I love your smile.”
“You’re the only reason I have to smile.”
“No, I’m not. You have your…hobbies.”
“They don’t make me smile on the inside the way you do.”
I roll my eyes and can’t help giggling. “That’s so cheesy, Wilder.”
He lightly smiles again. “So? It’s still the truth.”
“What else is the truth? Didn’t you have something you were going to tell me?”
He pulls his lips into a sad smile and shakes his head. “It’s not Sunday.”
“You know you’re my only exception,” I remind him. Recognizing what I’m alluding to, his sad smile morphs into a sexy grin.
Since we’ve been lost in our own world, I only now notice the song has ended and everyone is breaking up around us. Rod announces dinner is being served.
Leaning down, Sparks says into my ear, “Will you save me another dance?”
Moving my mouth up to his ear, I whisper, “I’ll try to squeeze you in.” He stands and I grin at his mock frown.
Before dinner, Derrick and Tonya both give toasts. One of the trade-offs for wearing this dress was that I didn’t have to do any public speaking. Morgan was happy to accept that even with the possibility of my tits popping out for all to see. Damn her.
I notice everyone from our softball team is here, except for Ricky and Cara. Ricky’s been working the night shift and couldn’t get the day off, and Morgan said Cara claimed she had to work, too. Oh, darn.
No, really.
From my seat between Morgan and Tonya at the bridal party table, I see Finn actually sitting next to Rod. Val is on the other side of Sparks with her husband Paul. Looking over to me, Val blows me a kiss. I smile at her and pick at my green beans, trying to concentrate on eating so I don’t drop anything down into my boobs, but now nerves are taking ahold of me. Since Sparks is here, I’m afraid to propose to him. To ask him to be forever mine.
Igniting the Wild Sparks Page 38
