“I think I’m never going to forget you, Mac Walsh.”
Our eyes stayed locked, our hands linked, my arm still around her, silent, drinking each other in, examining all those beautiful little things and pretending it was for the first time.
When the limo stopped, I wanted to call to Twain to take us around the block one more time. But I stopped myself. Today wasn’t about me. And it wasn’t about Alice. There was a couple waiting on us and they mattered more to me than almost anyone else in the world.
“Shall we?” I murmured, nodding toward the door, still not looking away.
“Find me afterward, stranger,” she whispered.
Twain opened the door and the atmosphere got sucked out into the vacuum of the New York afternoon. I let her go first and followed, stepping out onto Tenth Avenue in front of the massive state building.
There, in front of the doors, stood our friends gathered in a group. They turned at Twain’s shout and a chorus of cheers erupted at the sight of us. I grinned, but only had my eyes on Sam. He broke away from the group and strode toward me, enveloping me in a crushing hug.
“Thanks, brother,” I said into his ear.
“Come on, Mac,” he said, pulling back and holding me at arm’s length. “I’d never get married without you by my side.” Then he faked a jab at my chin and pulled me into the group gathering around us.
I hugged Beck, muttering apologies in her ear, and then apologized again a dozen times to everyone, and got waved off by the lot.
“Thank you,” Keegan said, shaking my hand. “I don’t know how much more I could have taken of Jules.”
We headed inside to the room that Sam had reserved. It was small, simple. Just an aisle with pews on either side, empty. A minister at the front of the room.
All plans were forgotten. We paired up however we wanted. Twain danced Sarah down the aisle, spinning the country girl in circles. Kylie ran with Henry, laughing and shrieking. Keegan hoisted Mason onto his shoulders and they walked as a massive seven-foot-tall beast in great steps, Mason calling for help and hanging on for dear life, as the party dissolved into peals of laughter. I offered my arm and walked Alice, the one I was supposed to have, down the aisle, her beautiful brown eyes staring up at me as the wedding march played.
And at long last it was time. We gathered around the bemused minister in a group, nobody on anyone’s specific side, just together, and watched as Sam lifted Beck into his arms and carried her down the aisle.
He set her down in the right spot and lifted her veil back. The minister began to speak the customary words: “We are gathered here today—”
I barely listened to him. I kept an arm tight around Alice and watched the pure, blinding love in our friends’ eyes as they held each other’s hands. And when it came time to kiss the bride, Sam bent Beck backward, kissing her in a deep plunge as the photographer clicked away and we cheered them on.
In the instant that Beck and Sam’s wedding became final, I looked down at Alice and felt her looking back up at me. And for the first time in my life, I made an internal promise, to myself and to the woman I loved. One day, that will be us.
24
Alice
The line was long; it always was. But the Knights had their private booth at the Black Shade, and besides nobody was saying no to Beck and Sam, still dressed in their wedding finery, anyway.
We’d just come from their favorite restaurant, a divey one-room Thai kitchen in the Village. The food was fantastic, the laughter loud. And it only increased as we moved on to the natural location for the wedding’s afterparty — the bar where fate had pushed Beck and Sam together again, leading them toward the kiss that spelled the beginning of the end to their ‘professional’ relationship.
It was also, coincidentally, where Mac had punched Daniel in the face and ruined my Saturday night. That was so long ago. As I entered the Black Shade with Mac’s hand in mine, I could hardly believe how much I’d changed since that night. And how much Mac had too.
We went back upstairs to that same VIP table and gathered around, still talking about the wedding, about the trip, giving play-by-plays of the rehearsal dinner again and again. Mac, Twain, and I regaled the others with the very true story of the disaster in Tuzas, and, with the danger long gone, I could actually look back and laugh at the memory of Twain screaming behind the wheel of a stolen car.
As the others talked, moving on to giving Keegan shit about Jules, I leaned closer to Mac.
“Remember the last time we were here?” I asked.
He gave a soft chuckle. “Barely. But I know I hardly gave the best first impression.”
“I thought you were a crazy drunk. Though a ridiculously attractive one at that.”
He looked down at me. “And I thought you were the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.”
I rolled my eyes, but grinned at the compliment. “Yeah, you made that pretty clear.” I paused. “Was there a reason you were so trashed that night when everyone else was sober? Going into this week, I kinda expected you to be a full-blown alcoholic.”
Mac bit his lip and I was afraid I’d gone too far, that he’d close up again and change the subject. But then he glanced at the others to make sure nobody was paying attention, gave a deep sigh, and said, “That night I’d learned an old friend of mine had died.”
I put a hand over my mouth. “Oh my god, Mac. I had no idea.”
He nodded. “I didn’t tell anyone, but I’ll admit I went a bit overboard.” He hesitated again, and then said, “His name was Sammy Dedric and he was my best friend in Ireland before he got bogged down with a girl. We fell out and lost touch. I hadn’t talked to him in close to a decade.”
I didn’t know what to say. “I’m so sorry, Mac.”
He pulled me closer to him. “Don’t worry about it, love. The boys chose their path. I’m not going to let them affect mine anymore.” He said it more to himself than to me. There was a story there I didn’t know, but hopefully one day I’d find out. We had a lot to talk about, Mac and me. But all that mattered now was that he sounded content.
He pulled back and looked down at me, his handsome face examining mine. Then he pecked me on the lips and said, “I’ve got to go for a moment, love. Just for a bit.”
I nodded and he stood, waving to Sam to join him. Sam whispered something to Beck, and the two went off to conspire.
Beck had gotten up to let Sam out of the booth and instead of sitting back down, she joined me, taking Mac’s empty place.
“So,” I asked, “was this everything you wanted?”
Beck looked over our friends, having a heated debate about strippers again for some reason, and then out over the dance floor and the bar that held so many memories. She had the trace of tears in her eyes when she turned to me. “Alice, this was the best day of my entire life.”
I did a fist pump. “Mission accomplished. In a really roundabout way.”
“You did great, Alice.” She put an arm around me and pulled me into a hug. I squeezed her back. “Thank you,” she whispered in my ear.
“You deserve the best,” I replied.
Just then, the dance music slowed to a low beat, and the DJ came on the mic. “All right, all right, people. Tonight we have a special request from one of our favorite regulars. So we’re going to slow this down a bit and clear the floor.”
Our tables’ attention diverted to the dance floor. What was going on? We didn’t have to wonder long. Sam appeared at Beck’s side and offered his hand.
“May I have this dance?” he asked.
She smiled up at him and took his hand. He led her away, down the stairs, and on to the cleared dance floor. The group stood at the balcony and cheered.
The DJ said, “Give it up for the newly wed Sam and Beck Callahan!”
The Black Shade exploded into applause and cheers as Sam whisked Beck onto the dance floor. A light guitar began to play as the couple began their first dance. When the singing started, I gasped and jerked around to look
at the booth.
The singing was live, and the singer? Mac. He stood shadowed in the darkness, but I recognized his shape instantly. He sang into the microphone, deep and smooth and beautiful.
* * *
Since first I saw the love light in your eyes
I dreamt the world held not but joy for me
And now that I hold you to my heart
I never dreamed but what I dreamed of thee
* * *
I love you as I've never loved before
Since first I met you on the village green
Come to me e'er my dreams of love are o'er
I love you as I loved you when you were sweet
When you were sweet sixteen
* * *
Last night I dreamt I held your hand in mine
And once again you were my happy bride
I kissed you as I did in Auld Lang Syne
As to the church we wandered side by side
* * *
I love you as I've never loved before
Since first I met you on the village green
Come to me e'er my dreams of love are o'er
I love you as I loved you when you were sweet
When you were sweet sixteen
* * *
When he finished, the room applauded again and Beck and Sam waved and gave short bows. An upbeat song began to blast again and the floor filled up. Our group left the VIP area and joined Beck and Sam on the floor.
I hung back a bit though, waiting for Mac to finish with the DJ. When he saw me waiting for him, he smiled sheepishly.
“I haven’t sung for people in a long time,” he admitted. “That’s an old Irish love song.”
“It was amazing,” I said. “I knew I’d get to hear that voice eventually.”
We only had a moment though because Beck and Sam had left the dance floor and come over. Beck gave Mac a big hug, whispering something in his ear. He laughed and murmured something back to her before shaking Sam’s hand.
“The best of luck to ya both,” he said.
I stood next to him, our arms pressed together, as Sam went to join Mason and Keegan at the bar and Beck joined Kylie and Sarah on the dance floor. The girls started dancing in a group, jumping and singing with the music. I watched them and marveled at how lucky I’d been, to have these friends and this moment.
And, of course, the guy beside me.
“You want to get out of here?” Mac asked in my ear.
I glanced up at him, staring into those piercing green eyes, memorizing every shade and pattern. I took his hand, and then I gave it a soft kiss and let it fall. “With you? I’m sorry, stranger, but I’m here with my girls.”
I shot him a wink and he grinned after me as I walked away and joined Beck and the others on the floor. They whooped at the sight of me and pulled me into the circle.
Tonight was Beck’s night and my place was by her side. There’d be plenty of time with Mac later.
Really, all the time in the world.
Epilogue
Mac
One Year Later
* * *
“We have to talk about it.”
“Why? What’s the point? You won’t be able to change my mind.”
“You can not be serious.” Alice glared at me, her hands on her hips. She was standing over me as I lounged on the couch in our living room, one leg resting along the back of it.
I fought a grin and raised an eyebrow, playing along. “I’m always serious, babe. Come on. I’ve changed quite a bit—”
“For the better,” she mumbled.
“But,” I continued patiently, “nobody changes that much.”
She threw her hands up, gestured around the living room. It was the same fifth floor apartment I’d lived in for years, but it showed all the signs of a new, feminine, addition to the household. Cut flowers and thick knit blankets and little odds and ends belonging to my love. I’d always loved my apartment, but now it felt much like the home I’d never truly had but always wanted.
“What are you talking about? We live together! We love each other! You can’t still be completely against marriage.”
I shrugged and rested my head back against the leather. “Sorry, Alice. Guess old habits die hard.” The grin played around the corners of my mouth. “You knew I was a stubborn bastard well before you invaded my life.”
She snorted and shook her head. “Took you back, you mean.” But any lingering annoyance from my customary bullheadedness was gone. She headed into the bathroom to change.
“I don’t remember it quite like that,” I called after her.
“Whatever!” she said back, muffled by fabric.
I grinned. How was it that I still even enjoyed our little bickerings? I nestled deeper into the couch. Damn, it was comfortable. I could stay here forever. Or at least the rest of the evening. Too bad we had plans.
“Beck and Sam are still going strong,” Alice reminded me, still in the bathroom.
I groaned. “Are we still on this?”
“Yes!”
I waved a hand through the air, physically batting away her argument. “Well that’s Beck and Sam. The universe wanted them together.”
Her head stuck out of the bathroom. “And what, in your expert opinion, does the universe say about us, Mac Walsh?”
I met her eye seriously. “It desperately wants a ring on your finger, but I’m not the type to let any celestial body boss me around.”
She rolled her eyes at my teasing smile. “One day I’m going to kill you,” she said. She left the bathroom and headed down the hall to our bedroom.
“Nah, you’d miss me too much,” I called after her.
When I didn’t hear a response, I hopped lightly off the couch and followed her in. Alice stood haloed in the sunlight streaming in from the window, beautiful in blue and examining herself in the mirror. She stopped when she saw me in the reflection. A flash of love sparked in her brown eyes and a smile curled her lips, but only briefly before she pulled a pout, still pretending we were fighting.
“You were supposed to say, ‘I’d miss you terribly, Mac, my one true love’,” I reminded her. I crossed the room until I stood behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her against me. Her hair pressed against my cheek and the scent brought me back to a hundred quiet conversations underneath the sheets, to shopping trips and nights out, and to sex, for hours, intimate and intense and passionate and loving, over and over across every part of the apartment.
She turned her head up to look me in the eye. “I thought we didn’t lie to each other.”
I frowned. “Was that a hard and fast rule?”
She rocked against me. “Yes, idiot.”
“Hmmm, I probably should have been paying more attention.”
She shook her head and I laughed, turning her so that I could kiss her, long and deep. Even a year later, it still felt like the first time. I pulled back and lost myself again in her brown eyes. She smiled up at me, gazing into mine.
“So marriage?” she asked, breaking the moment.
“Hell no!” I said, stepping back. “I’m a wild stallion, baby. You can’t tie this down.”
She scoffed and pushed me toward the door. “Go get ready, idiot. Sam will be pissed if we’re late for his dinner party.”
“And we wouldn’t want that,” I muttered. But I listened to her, giving her one last look around the door frame before she waved me away.
“Go!” she said. “I won’t be late again.”
I grinned to myself and went into my closet, getting out my suit. Tonight we’d eat with the Knights at Sam and Beck’s apartment. A lot had changed since that week in Mexico. Sam had set a precedent, and once I, of all people, followed him down the road to real relationships, many of the others did likewise. There were still a couple resisting, but I had a suspicion they’d come around in the end. We were turning to a new chapter in our lives. Together.
And I knew better than most not to fight fate. I glanc
ed over my shoulder, making sure Alice wasn’t behind me. When I saw the coast was clear, I reached into my sock drawer and pulled out the small box. None of the Knights would be beating me to the next engagement.
That spot was ours.
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The Groomsman: An Enemies-to-Lovers Romance (Billionaires of Club Tempest) Page 23
