Avery had been in town all week, but he hadn’t seen her. Angie hadn’t spent a lot of time with her either, and not because Avery hadn’t invited her along on her various day trips. Angie hadn’t gone into specific details, but she’d mentioned that Monday night Avery had once again given her a hard time about her decision to make some career changes. Until Avery was willing to at least keep her opinion to herself, Angie didn’t want to have any extended visits with her sister, which was why she’d turned down all of Avery’s invitations.
“What do you want to do?” It wasn’t uncommon for him to spend long periods of time with people he didn’t want to be around. It kind of went with the job. Judging by what Angie had shared, he feared Avery would be one of those people. But he liked Sean and Mia, and more importantly, he cared about Angie and enjoyed making her happy.
Her fingertips moved up his fingers before making tiny circles on his hand. Much like the sight of the bare skin, the caress transported his mind back to their time in bed this morning. She’d done something similar with her fingers on his chest after they’d made love.
“I want to go. It’s been over forty-eight hours since I saw Natalie. And I haven’t seen Sean’s sister since the spring, and I like Taylor.” Angie stopped her caress and laced her fingers with his. “I don’t think Avery will say anything with you and Taylor there.”
There was a slight change in the noise inside the church, and Dakota looked back toward the door where the cause stood. Everyone seemed to have their eyes fixed on Gage and Maryann as they walked down the center aisle. Gage appeared unaffected by all the attention, but there was no missing the blush on Maryann’s cheeks. He waited to see if any of the reporters from outside followed the couple inside, but the door remained closed. Once the well-known musician and his wife sat, the noise in the church shifted again as guests went back to their previous conversations while they waited for the ceremony to begin.
“Looks like the reporters are staying outside.” He tried adjusting his position, but it didn’t help. The wooden pews were not designed with comfort in mind.
“I’ll reserve judgment until the ceremony starts. They might be waiting out there hoping to get a picture and a statement from Mia.”
He hadn’t seen Mia and Sean so far, but he knew they were coming.
“When I see Mia, I’ll let her know we’ll be over tomorrow.”
Dakota was again in the process of trying to get a little more comfortable when Striker and his best man, Mack, joined Father Perkins at the altar.
“I’m surprised Mack is here,” Angie whispered. “Didn’t Jessie only come home from the hospital a few days ago?”
Mack had taken this week off as well as next so he could be home with his wife and family. And if the wedding was for anyone other than Striker, Dakota knew his friend would be at home right now helping Jessie take care of the twins and Grace. But Striker and Mack had been close friends since elementary school, and Mack never let his friends down.
“Mack’s sister is over at the house in case Jessie needs any help. And Mack told me he’s only staying at the reception long enough to give the best man speech and see them cut the cake.” If he had a newborn baby at home, he wouldn’t want to be away any longer than necessary either.
Until now the sound of quiet conversations had filled the church, but with Striker and the priest waiting, Joyce, the pianist, started playing. On cue, the doors into the church’s main foyer opened, and an adorable vision in white came down the aisle accompanied by a young boy dressed in a tuxedo matching Striker’s and Mack’s. As if she’d done it a million times, Kerry, Ella’s niece and flower girl, smiled as she slowly made her way to the altar. The ring bearer didn’t share Kerry’s smiles. Instead, he looked about ready to cry. Still, he successfully reached Striker and Mack without breaking into tears or running off in search of his parents. Cat and Tony came next, followed by Kelsey on the arm of a man he didn’t know. Striker and the man resembled each other, though, and since his friend didn’t have any brothers, Dakota pegged the guy with Kelsey as Striker’s cousin.
Once Claire, Ella’s older sister and maid of honor, reached the rest of the wedding party, the music changed and the guests stood. Moments later Ella and her father started down the aisle.
Whenever he saw Ella, she appeared happy. Today the word happy didn’t do justice to the way she looked. Dakota glanced back at Striker. The man’s expression mirrored Ella’s. The previous year the couple had hit a rough patch in their relationship, but everyone here today could see how in love they were.
Relationships weren’t easy. He knew it firsthand. He’d once thought he’d found the woman he would spend the rest of his life with. When Sherrilyn called off their engagement four months before the wedding, it had been like a knife through the chest. It wasn’t until several months later that he’d recognized all the signs suggesting they weren’t right for each other. Regardless of his failed engagement, one of these days he wanted what his parents and Mack had and Striker was about to have. It was way too early to know if this new relationship with Angie would ever get that far, but he wanted to find out.
Chapter Fourteen
“I’d never tell Mia this because her wedding was beautiful, but it was too big. I think she had something like three hundred guests at the reception.”
He didn’t know how many guests Ella and Striker expected tonight, but even though this was the largest ballroom at the Hawthorne Hotel, there was no way it could comfortably hold that many people. The room at the Harbor House where Mia and Sean had their reception had been at least twice as large as this one.
Angie reached for her glass of wine but didn’t pick it up. “I’d rather have something more like this, or maybe even the private ceremony my sister had on Martha’s Vineyard.”
It wasn’t any of his business, but he couldn’t let the comment go either. “What private ceremony?”
She scooted her chair closer and leaned in. “Mia and Sean got married on Martha’s Vineyard a few weeks before the ceremony at St. Mark’s because they didn’t want the media spoiling the day.”
Considering the scene he remembered from their wedding day and the one outside the church today, he couldn’t say he blamed the couple. “I don’t blame them. I wouldn’t want the craziness that surrounded them then either.”
They hadn’t discussed their plans for after the reception yet. He assumed she’d be spending the night with him again. More than once, though, he’d assumed something and had it come back to bite him in the ass, so he tried to avoid it. “You’re welcome to stay with me tonight. We can stop at your place and get your clothes after this. But if you want me to just drop you off after the reception, I will.”
She slipped her free hand under the table and ran it across his thigh, not stopping until she reached the junction between leg and torso. “I’ve been looking forward to a late-night swim all day.” Angie moved her hand to the right and settled over his zipper. Whatever blood was pumping through his brain made a swift detour south.
“But let’s make a quick stop at my house when we get back so I can grab some clothes. Then we can head straight to my sister’s house tomorrow afternoon.” She kissed his cheek before using her other hand to lift her wineglass to her lips.
If she planned on torturing him tonight, he was going to give it right back to her. Like she’d done, Dakota moved his hand under the table and flicked the dress’s split apart. The move earned him a sideways look from Angie, but she gave no indication he should put his hands back on the table. Slowly he traced a path up her inner thigh. He’d almost reached his final destination when Mia and Sean arrived at the table.
“Did Daniella Nault stop you outside too?” Mia sat down in the chair Sean pulled out for her.
Under the table, Angie patted his hand. “No, we must have gotten inside before she arrived.” She clasped both hands on the table in front of her. “Was she at the church? I didn’t see her.”
The fact that he had no idea
who they were talking about must have been evident on his face, because rather than answer her sister, Mia said, “Daniella Nault is a reporter for The Star Report magazine.”
When they’d entered the hotel, there hadn’t been any media outside yet.
“I don’t think she was at St. Mark’s, but I wasn’t really looking for her either. When we spotted all the people waiting for Gage out front, we used the back door to get in the church.”
“And you didn’t think to share that the church has a back door?”
Mia shrugged. “Sorry, it didn’t occur to me to tell you. So are you coming by tomorrow?” Before Angie could answer, she held up a hand. “Before you say yes or no, Avery’s plans changed. She isn’t meeting Rae Ann in Boston.”
Angie and Mia exchanged a look he couldn’t read but left no doubt in his mind the two sisters were communicating some tidbit of knowledge they didn’t want to share with either him or Sean.
“We’re coming. What time should we get there?”
Sometime between the maid of honor’s speech and the best man’s speech, Angie slipped her hand under the table and settled it on his thigh again. It remained there throughout much of dinner. When she and Mia had left the table a moment ago, she’d finally moved it. Without her hand there, he felt somehow incomplete and lonely. And considering he sat in a room filled with people and Sean was across the table from him, he shouldn’t feel lonely.
“I hope you’re ready for more craziness like what was outside the church this morning,” Sean said from across the table. “Now that the media knows Angie is involved with someone, they’re going to try to learn everything they can about you.”
Dakota stopped searching for Angie and focused his attention on Sean. “Yeah, I had a similar thought while we were inside the church. Any suggestions for dealing with the reporters?”
Although the media didn’t bother Mia as much on a daily basis anymore, they’d printed more than one story featuring pictures of her and Sean.
“Say as little as possible.”
That he could do.
“With Angie taking a break from acting, the media will eventually lose interest in her. At least that’s how it was for Mia. Yeah, they still bug her occasionally, but nothing like when we first met. And from the sound of it, Angie plans on sticking around here and writing. Between you and me, I never pictured her as a writer, but Mia says Angie’s been doing it since she was young.”
“Hey, I know how to knit and sew. We all have hidden talents.”
“You can knit?” Angie placed a glass of wine in front of him before she took her seat. “Gram tried showing me when I was about seven or eight, but I couldn’t get the hang of it.”
She took a sip of her drink, and when she pulled the glass away, a droplet of wine remained on her bottom lip. If they were alone, he’d lean closer and lick the liquid off. Unfortunately, this was not the time or place.
“Maybe you can try teaching me.” Picking up her fork, she closed her mouth around a bite of cake, and Dakota could do nothing but stare as the memory of where those lips had been this morning materialized. Much like earlier in the evening, his body reacted, and he wondered if anyone other than Mia and Sean would say anything if they left now.
Dakota dropped his eyes to his watch and then reached for his ice water. Not that he expected a cold drink to help cool him down.
“Hey, if I have to dance at least once before we go, you do too.” Sean’s comment had Dakota looking his way. Sean’s smile told him the guy had a damn good idea of what was going through his head.
“It’s a wedding, not a funeral. We need to dance.” Mia grabbed Sean’s hand and stood up. “C’mon, I love this song.”
With reluctance, Sean came to his feet. His friend hated dancing. Even at his own wedding reception, he’d done as little of it as possible.
“If you’re not here when we get back, see you both tomorrow.” With her final comment, Mia led Sean toward the dance floor.
Dakota watched Sean wrap his arms around his wife and pull her close. When Mia whispered something into his ear, Sean nodded before kissing her.
“Do you want to dance?” Mia was right, this was a wedding, and people usually danced at weddings.
Angie put her fork down next to the plate and took one more sip of her wine. “Sure.”
After finding an open spot, Angie put her arms around his neck and pressed her body against his. Despite the layers of clothes between them, his skin tingled wherever they touched, and his body was aware of every breath she took in. Although at least one hundred people surrounded them, it was like none of them existed. It was just the two of them moving as one to the music.
***
When her cell phone on the end table chirped, Angie considered ignoring it. Dakota was in the kitchen talking to a coworker, and since she’d seen Mia less than two hours ago, she doubted her sister would send her a message now.
If the message was from Mom, she’d rather deal with her later. The last few times they’d talked hadn’t been pleasant conversations. In fact, she was already dreading Mom’s visit in October, and it was still several weeks away.
The device chirped a second time, which meant she’d received a second message. Picking up the phone, she read the first text from Avery and then clicked on the link in the second one.
She groaned when the website for The Star Insider opened. Even worse, right below a picture of Gage and his wife arriving at the church, there was a picture of her and Dakota. Scrolling down, she passed the video uploaded to the site as well and scanned the story instead. Before she finished reading it, a third message from Avery popped up.
Nice job, sis. You’re also on Today Magazine’s website and Boston’s Channel Five’s website. I guess going to the wedding today was a good idea.
Her sister might think so, since it kept Angie in the public eye. She didn’t. Earlier Dakota had appeared unbothered by the cameras and reporters. Once he saw his face on the internet, he might have second thoughts about being with her. Not everyone liked being the center of attention. Her brother-in-law hated it. No one had been happier than him when the media stopped following Mia’s every move.
Thanks for letting me know. See you tomorrow.
Now was not the time to remind Avery she’d made up her mind and didn’t plan on returning to Los Angeles.
She was scrolling through the pictures on Today Magazine’s website when Dakota returned.
“Sorry about that.” He dropped back on the sofa and reached for the remote control.
“Everything okay?” Dakota rarely received calls when they were together, so if a coworker called on a Saturday night, it could be about something serious.
“Yeah, Jared wanted to tell me his daughter saw our picture on that entertainment show’s website. There are some making the rounds on different social media sites too.”
Well, at least she didn’t need to break the bad news to him. “I know. Avery sent me the links. Today Magazine has some up, and so does Channel Five News.” She passed him her cell phone. “Take a look.”
Without turning the baseball game back on, he put the remote down and scrolled through the pictures in silence. Like on the other media sites, pictures of Gage and his wife as well as Drew and Kelsey joined theirs.
She wanted to ask him how he felt about the situation. Instead, she bit down on the inside of her cheek and watched his face for any hint as to what was going through his head. Unfortunately, his expression gave nothing away.
An eternity passed before he handed the device back to her. “I hope the camera guy from the entertainment show got my good side. The photos on this site are crap. I could take a picture of the two of us together myself and it’d look better than what the photographer took.”
Unprepared for his comment, she laughed, releasing at least some of her nervousness. Before bringing up the other website, she glanced at the screen again. “I think they’re pretty good.” She handed the phone back to him so he could see what
The Star Insider had published. “Are you okay with this?” If she heard the nervous wobble in her voice, he had too.
Much like with the first site, he scrolled through the various pictures. “I’m not thrilled about it, but I expected it would happen eventually.”
Relief seeped through every inch of her body. “They’ll get bored with us quickly.” Unless an individual was regularly doing things to catch the media’s attention, reporters moved on to more interesting stories.
“Until they do, Jared and a few others at work are going to give me hell every day. Not that I blame them. I’d do the same to them if the tables were reversed.”
When he handed her back the phone, the website for The Star Insider was still open. She hadn’t thought about the comment Aimee made outside the church since they left the reporter behind. Aimee Trainor’s smiling face brought it back.
“There was talk in June that Devon Cash and I were together. We weren’t. At the church, I told Aimee we’re friends, but honestly, I can’t stand Devon. I’ve never worked with a man with a bigger ego. If his head gets much bigger, no one will be able to stand in the same room as him.”
“No need to explain. When you told the reporter the two of you were never involved, I believed you.” He reached for the remote control again. “Do you want to finish the game now or go for a swim and watch it after?”
The baseball game had been on while they were at the reception, and he’d recorded it so they could watch it later. When his friend called, the fourth inning had been about to start. “Let’s finish the game first. I have something else in mind for after our swim.”
***
Except to check the weather, Shane didn’t bother with the local news station. If he wanted to know what was going on, regardless of whether it was in the state or on the other side of the country, he could find the information on the internet. When he did go in search of news, he saw no need to visit any of the popular entertainment sites. Whether an actress in Beverly Hills was sleeping with the husband of a popular musician didn’t change his life.
When Love Strikes (Love On The North Shore Book 6) Page 15
