“I’m not,” she hissed, frantically looking around to make sure no one was listening. “I just…, I’m fine.”
Before she knew it, she was posing next to Scarlett with Kyle and Hunter beside her. Glancing at Kyle, she said, “Thanks for getting my car to me last night. I really appreciate it. And the ride.” Shaking her head, she added, “And for not passing judgment.”
Chuckling, Kyle said, “No worries. I’ve been in similar situations a time or two.”
Somehow she doubted they were that similar, but Courtney opted to simply smile and nod.
Pictures seemed to take forever and then they were all ushered back inside. Dean made no attempt to talk to her and she wasn’t sure if she was pissed off or relieved. He could at least inquire if she was okay without bringing up the kiss, right? He was always the responsible one – making sure everyone was all right and he wasn’t even trying to find out?
Okay, drama queen, make up your mind. Do you want to talk to him or not?
Damn, she hated when her conscience reminded her of how crazy she was most of the time.
Back inside the country club, the bridal party–which only consisted of the bride and groom, Courtney, and Mason’s cousin Sam–was taken to a private suite for the remainder of the cocktail hour. There were trays of hors d'oeuvres for them to nosh on along with champagne and anything else they wanted to drink.
“Please stick with water,” Scarlett murmured as they were helping themselves to the food.
“Don’t worry. Lesson learned.”
It kind of bothered her that Scarlett was almost reprimanding her, but considering it was her wedding day, Courtney let it pass. Within thirty minutes, the group was being ushered out of the suite and down to the event hall for them to be announced into the reception.
Things were kind of a blur after that – walking into the room, the announcements, the first dance…there were a hundred people in attendance and they all joined them on the dance floor.
“I hope you don’t mind,” Sam said at the end of the first song, “but I’m going to go find Shelby.”
“Go for it,” she said easily. No reason for the man not to dance with his fiancée. Although, now it left her alone in the middle of the floor. She went to follow him when someone tapped her on her shoulder. With a smile, she turned and saw Kyle holding his hand out to her.
“Care to dance?”
Placing her hand in his, she said, “I’d love to.” They danced through the next two songs and were going for a third when Dean approached. Her heart sank and she knew there was nowhere for her to go if he asked her to dance.
Which he did.
Once Kyle was gone and she realized the song playing was a ballad, she really felt nervous. Dean wrapped one arm around her and took her hand in his as they began to sway to the music.
And he felt just as good as she remembered.
And smelled even better.
Part of her hoped she had imagined it all–or had exaggerated it thanks to the wine–but no such luck. Neither spoke for so long it was starting to get awkward.
“Your sister looks beautiful,” she finally said to break the silence.
He nodded. “She’s always been beautiful. But this pregnancy has really made her look radiant.” Smiling at her, he said, “I know this wasn’t the wedding she wanted. Scarlett’s more low-key and I know she was a little self-conscious about being so far along in…well, you know.”
Unable to help herself, she laughed softly. “Dress shopping was a challenge; that’s for sure. But even with all of Mrs. Bishop’s demands, I still think they managed to have it be a little more intimate than the circus his mom was pushing for.”
“It’s not every day that Magnolia Sound royalty gets married.”
Pulling back slightly, Courtney grinned as she studied him. “Oh, my God, did you just make a joke?”
“I’ve been known to have a sense of humor,” he said with a careless shrug. Then he leaned in close. “And you know exactly what I’m talking about.”
Yeah, Mason Bishop came from a very prominent family and people tended to hold them in reverence. It was a huge stumbling block for Mason and Scarlett, but they ultimately got over it.
Well, Scarlett did and the baby she was carrying certainly helped.
They were back to being silent before Dean asked, “So how are you doing today? Feeling any better?”
It wasn’t like she could pretend she didn’t hear him, so with a bit of a frown–and a ton of embarrassment–she said, “Much, thanks. I guess everything’s just hitting me hard, but…once I see Scarlett off for her honeymoon and my parents leave for their big ghost hunting trip and I get on the road…” She shrugged. “It will be like I’m starting a new adventure, right?”
He eyed her warily. “You sound…much better than you did last night about the whole thing.”
If he was fishing for her to rehash what she said, it wasn’t going to happen.
“Do I?” Another shrug. “I guess I was just in a funk last night.”
There was a flash of annoyance on Dean’s face. “A funk? Seriously?”
“What? What would you call it?” Before he could answer, she went on. “I mean, I guess you could say it was a pity party for one, but…I’m good now. No amount of worrying is going to change anything, and I’m sure once I get settled in Raleigh, I’ll feel better. Sure it’s hard meeting people and making friends at my age, but I’ll go join a gym and download a dating app and go from there.”
“A dating…?” He muttered a curse. “Do you have any idea how unreliable those things are? And without a friend to go with you, it’s not safe to meet some strange guy alone! You need to be responsible, Courtney!”
“Geez, relax, Dad,” she said sarcastically. “I know that. I never said I was going to arrive in Raleigh and go out with the first guy who swipes right. Trust me, I know better than that.”
“Swipe…?” And yeah, he looked ready to punch someone. Releasing her, Dean took a step back and she was certain he was going to walk away, but instead, he grabbed her hand and pulled her off the dance floor with him.
“Hey! Where are we going?” she asked, stumbling behind him in her stilettos to keep up. They walked by the tables and the guests and the bar and were out of the room before she knew it. Figuring he wanted to talk to her without the loud music, Courtney was certain they’d stop.
Nope.
He kept walking with his grip tightly on her hand until they were outside. The sun had almost set and no one else was around and now she imagined he wanted a place where he could yell and lecture her without an audience.
Like something a big brother or parent would do.
They were out on the club’s boardwalk when she finally pulled her hand free.
“I’m not walking on the boardwalk in these heels,” she said defiantly. “So say whatever it is you have to say so I can go back inside. They’re going to be serving dinner soon and I need to be at the head table with everyone.”
Rather than respond right away, Dean raked a hand through his dark hair as he paced in front of her. When he finally stopped, he was a little bit breathless and a whole lot annoyed. “Do you remember anything you said to me last night?”
“Um…”
“Less than twenty-four hours ago you were all ‘here I am with no job and no prospects and I have to move across the state and hope I find something!’ and ‘Nothing goes my way and no one wants me,’ and now you’re just okay with it? Just like that and you’re over it? How is that possible?” he demanded.
She’d never been on the receiving end of Dean’s anger and she didn’t know what to make of it. “I didn’t say I was okay with it. I’m just saying…”
“You were crying, Courtney! And now you’re all smiles and ready to go on an adventure? Do you even care about anyone? Don’t you have anything more than superficial feelings for your friends and family?”
Okay, that was hitting a little below the belt…
“Wha
t are you even talking about? Of course I have feelings for all of them! I’m devastated to be leaving them all behind, but this is how it has to be!” she yelled, hating how worked up she was. “Maybe you’re okay with staying here and doing the same thing day in and day out, but I’m not! I can’t sit here and keep watching all my friends move on with their lives while I’m standing still! There! Is that what you want? Are you happy now that I’m not smiling or being optimistic? Geez, Dean!” She turned away but he grasped her arm and spun her back around.
“What is it that you want, Court, huh? Because I’ve got to tell you, it’s not like there’s a lot of people here in town doing anything so spectacular that you should be jealous of! You hit a rough patch. So what? It happens to everyone and there’s no mass exodus of people leaving Magnolia because they’re not getting their way!”
Her eyes went wide as she stared at him in shock. Was he for real? “So…what…you think I’m doing this because I’m pouting? Because I’m jealous?” she all but screamed.
“Seems that way to me…”
He was just a little too smug. A little too arrogant and it rubbed her completely the wrong way.
“You know what I want, Dean? Huh?” she mimicked. “I want…passion and excitement! I want to have more than living in my parents’ house and dating the same guys! I want a great love like Scarlett and Mason have, and someone who actually gives a damn about me as more than a friend!” She was breathless by the time she finished and this time she pulled her arm free and took a step back. “Don’t you dare judge me. You have no right.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” he said, advancing on her. “I think after last night, I have at least a little bit of a right.”
He couldn’t possibly mean…
She took another step back but the heel of her shoe snagged on the wood of the boardwalk and she began to fall backwards. Dean’s arm banded around her, hauling her close. His expression was fierce, possessive, and it was the most exciting thing she’d ever seen.
“This time, I want you to remember,” he all but growled as his lips claimed hers.
He had no idea what possessed him to do what he was doing, but now that he was kissing Courtney, Dean was pretty sure he didn’t want to stop.
And from the way she was suddenly wrapped around him, it didn’t feel like she wanted him to stop either.
Thank God.
His hand reached up and anchored into her hair and he knew he was messing it up but he didn’t care. Right now his only concern was making sure she didn’t forget how they’d kissed. She tilted her head and grabbed onto the lapels of his suit and groaned–or maybe it was him. It was hard to tell because they were both a little frantic. Last night, her kiss had been about seduction, while his was…
Dammit.
Instantly, he broke the kiss and took one step back and then another.
What the hell am I doing?
His kiss was about proving a point and punishing her for not remembering the one last night and he was suddenly ashamed of his behavior.
“Courtney, listen, I…”
“You know what? Let’s just…forget it. I really need to get back,” she said, and yeah, he heard the slight tremor in her voice.
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “Come on. I’ll walk with you.”
She shook her head as she put more space between them. “I’d really rather you didn’t.” And without another word, he watched her walk away.
There was no way for him not to go after her–after all, this was his sister’s wedding and he needed to get back inside too–but the least he could do was give her a head start. His eyes never looked away until she walked through the large french doors. Once she was out of sight, Dean called himself every name in the book.
Last night, she’d been slightly drunk and more than a little emotional and the smart thing to do was to forget how she had kissed him.
But he couldn’t.
Something about the things she said and the way she looked at him told him it wasn’t quite an impulsive move on her part–that maybe it was something she’d been thinking about.
And how weird was that? Courtney had never shown any interest in him before. She’d been in his life since she and Scarlett were in kindergarten together. He couldn’t remember a time when she wasn’t around. Still, it always seemed like she was way more comfortable around Kyle and Hunter than she ever was around him. He figured it was because of the age difference, but…
What if he was wrong?
What if he was just that freaking clueless that he never noticed?
Wasn’t part of her tirade last night about him being too blind to see and how he must be one of the idiots who didn’t want her?
And had he seriously just blown it again?
Cursing, he stalked back to the hotel and nearly ripped the glass doors off their hinges when he went in. He was determined to get to the bottom of this no matter what. If he had misread things and hurt her feelings, he didn’t know if he could forgive himself.
Right. That’s the only reason you’re chasing after her right now. It has nothing to do with how much you enjoyed kissing her or how attractive she is. Something you know you’ve noticed even if you don’t want to admit it out loud.
Ignoring the snarky voice of reason in his head, Dean walked back into the reception and was nearly tackled by his brother Hunter.
“Dude, where the hell have you been? They’re serving dinner and everyone’s been looking for you!”
“Oh, uh…just went out to get some air,” he mumbled. “Sorry.” Following his brother to their table, Dean looked around for any signs of Courtney. He hoped she came back in here and wasn’t hiding on account of him.
“Why are you standing?” his father asked. “Sit down.”
So he did.
“You feeling okay, Son? You don’t look so good.”
Where the hell was she? He looked toward the head table and saw Scarlett, Mason, and Sam, but no sign of Courtney.
“Well, shit.”
“What’s the matter?” his father asked.
Forcing himself to look away from the front of the room, he faked a smile. “Sorry. It’s nothing. Just…distracted, that’s all.”
“What’s on your mind? Anything I can help with?”
Great. Way to not draw attention to myself.
Shaking his head, Dean said, “It’s nothing, Dad. Really. Thanks.” Just then, their salads were served and he was thankful for the distraction.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of deep purple–the color of Courtney’s dress–and turned to see her whispering something in Scarlett’s ear as she sat down. She looked a little flustered, but other than that she looked…
Beautiful.
Sexy.
Tempting.
Yeah, that last one was messing with him the most.
“She certainly looks happy, doesn’t she?” his father asked.
It took Dean a minute to realize why his father made that statement and then he realized how he was still staring in that direction. “Uh…yeah. She does.”
“Hard to believe my baby girl is married and having a baby. It seems like only yesterday your mother and I were bringing her home.” He paused. “I wish she could have been here to see how beautiful our girl grew up to be.”
Turning, he saw his father’s eyes well with tears. Domenic Jones wasn’t an emotional man and the sight of him crying now was a little unnerving. Reaching over, he squeezed his shoulder. “I know, Dad. Me too. You know she would have loved seeing Scarlett today.”
His mother had been gone for over twenty years, but times like these–special occasions, holidays–made them really feel her absence.
Beside him, Domenic chuckled. “And she would have been over the moon at another grandbaby.”
Dean nodded.
“If you don’t get started soon, all your siblings will pass you by.”
It was an innocent enough comment–besides Scarlett, his brother Hun
ter already had a kid. He and his ex were co-parenting or whatever the hell it was called, but they were making it work for their son Eli. Still, that was two siblings with kids and Dean with…not even the possibility of one.
You have to actually have sex with someone for that to happen.
And when was the last time that happened, Stud?
He seriously wished his inner voice would shut the hell up.
“It’s not a contest, Dad,” he said lowly, stabbing his fork into his salad.
After that, luckily, the conversation turned to how happy Scarlett was and then all the fancy food they were being served for dinner and how they all couldn’t wait to go home and take off their tuxes. Dean mentally shook his head because here they were at a very fancy wedding, but it was essentially a guys’ table again and none of them enjoyed dressing up.
Could we be any more stereotypical?
By the time dinner was over and everyone was up and dancing again, he was beyond ready to get up and try to talk to Courtney again. So he stood up and scanned the room and watched as his father went to dance with Scarlett and his grandfather made a beeline for Courtney. He rolled his eyes but couldn’t help but be amused. His grandfather was smiling from ear to ear and so was she.
“Go figure,” Kyle said from beside him. “Gramps gets all the pretty girls.”
Dean turned his head so fast that he thought he pulled a muscle in his neck. “What?”
Kyle nodded toward the dance floor. “Gramps,” he said. “He’s dancing with Courtney and she looks all kinds of gorgeous in that gown. I mean, damn. She’s got the body of one of those classic pin-up chicks–all soft curves and…”
Dean smacked him in the back of the head. “What’s the matter with you?”
Rubbing his head, Kyle glared at him. “What the hell did you do that for?”
“Since when are you into Courtney? She’s practically like a sister to us!”
Ugh…pot? Meet kettle.
“I never said I was into her,” Kyle protested. “I was simply stating the obvious. I’ve always thought Court was pretty, but…yeah. She’s like a sister to me.” Then he paused. “And why are you suddenly so protective of her? It’s not like she’s ever been on your radar either.”
And Then One Day (Magnolia Sound Book 4) Page 3
