Best Man

by Christine Zolendz

  Thick powdery smelling foundation was patted onto my cheeks. “Close your eyes,” the make-up lady murmured, brushing something cool over my eyelids.

  “I’m afraid I’ll fall asleep,” I whispered.

  “Go ahead,” she said, “I’ll wake you up when it’s time to do your hair.” For what felt like a brief moment, I closed my eyes and let my shoulders slacken against the chair, and my muscles unwind and soften, but a quick knock at the door jarred me back up straight.

  Before I could open my eyes, I heard Luke’s rumbly voice, the clinking of spoons against mugs, and then the strong, bitter smell of dark, rich coffee filled the room.

  I struggled to open my eyes, but when I did, I realized I must have been asleep for more than a few moments because my make-up was perfect, and my hair was completely set into some sort of intricate hairstyle. Luke placed a mug of coffee in front of me as I stared in awe at myself in one of the mirrors. How long was I out? The other girls were gathered around a small rolling coffee tray filled with pastries and chocolates; their dresses hanging up against the wall with a cloud of fine mist puffing across them from a small steamer on the floor.

  I pulled myself forward and cupped my hands around the mug, and then lifted it closer to my face to breathe it in. The vapors moistened my skin as I blew over the top. “How are you feeling?” Luke asked, touching his hand to my knee.

  I took a small sip of coffee and felt it travel like lava down my throat and spill heat across my chest. “Weird. I think I slept through getting my hair and make-up done.” I held the mug of coffee in front of my chest and noticed my nails were perfectly manicured. “Looks like I got my nails done too.” I laughed, placing the mug down on the table next to me and waving my fingers in the air.

  “Yeah,” he chuckled, squeezing my leg. “I kept coming in here to check on you.”

  “How much time do we have before the pictures? Or did we take them and you guys just propped me up somewhere while forcing my lips into a smile?”

  “We have about fifteen minutes,” he said, smiling and reaching his hand up to the bottom of my chin, “and you look beautiful.”

  He was dressed in his tuxedo, his hair was perfect, and I hadn’t even realized it until that second. “Wow. So do you. I’m so out of it, I didn’t even notice what you were wearing.” I sighed and ran my hand up his arm. “We haven’t had a chance to talk about anything.”

  “We’ll talk tonight after the wedding,” he said, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck. He shifted forward, leaned his elbows on his knees, and spoke quietly. “Let me come home with you tonight.”

  “God, yes,” I giggled.

  He leaned back and a huge smile tugged one corner of his mouth up into a sexy, lopsided grin. “Now, let me help you into your dress.”

  “That’s like the total opposite of what I want you to be doing right now.”

  “I know, but we’ll have plenty of other times where I’ll be doing the undressing, believe me.”

  “I’m holding you to it,” I whispered as I lifted myself off the chair and clumsily made my way over to my dress, bumping into the food tray as I went. I pulled the material off the hanger and the metal triangle dropped to the floor. “I hope nobody expects me to walk straight down the damned aisle. It seems I can’t even walk two feet without causing minor mayhem.”

  I swung the door to the bathroom open and stepped inside. Luke was right behind me, not leaving an inch of space between us. “Mayhem should definitely be your middle name,” he said, wrapping his hands around my waist and brushing his lips along the top of my shoulder. His fingers slid under the edge of my shorts and curled, sending a rush of heat through my body. Tightening his grasp, he twisted the material into his fists, making the shorts ride up over my skin. Hot, wet lips slid up the back of my neck and bit softly at the pulse pounding franticly beneath my skin.

  “Hard to control myself with you,” he whispered against my skin.

  “Then don’t,” I said, drawing in a deep breath and twirling in his arms to face him. His movements stilled as my body skimmed against his and a strong surge of electric and chaos crackled in the air around us. It was everywhere our skin touched—like fire and ice. The pad of his fingertips burned holes in my flesh—his lips set an inferno loose under my skin. Our breaths mixed as his lips brushed softly over mine and a low gasp escaped from his mouth to mine. My hands trailed up his arms and around his neck; fingers and nails pressing into his skin. I lifted myself onto my tippy toes and slipped my tongue against his. He drew in a sharp breath, and his hands grasped into my skin tighter as he rocked against me. I fumbled and cursed, sliding my tongue deeper, and he kissed me slow and hard—a kiss I’d never felt before—one of those kisses a girl would wait her whole life for. A kiss to make you feel like you’ve never really been touched by a man until then.

  Breathlessly, he pulled his mouth from mine. His eyes were wide and glazed, both of us breathing hard and fast. “If we don’t stop now we’re going to miss the wedding,” he said.

  I nodded—words were lost on the moment. There was nothing to match the pure intensity of what I was feeling. My hands clasped against my chest, and my lungs felt like there would never be enough air—not this close to heaven.

  He stepped back awkwardly, fixing the front of his pants and grunting softly. “With just a kiss you could bring me to my knees,” he said, lowering his head to seemingly hide the flush of red across his cheeks. “I can’t imagine what being with you again would do to me.”

  I slipped the dress over my head, shimmied it down my body, and smiled. “Well, I sure as hell can’t wait to find out.” I opened the door and walked out, leaving him slumped against the bathroom wall, head back; eyes squeezed tightly shut.

  Outside the bathroom, the girls were in full wedding mode. Casey was shaking, her flowers fumbling from her hands, while the others were running in circles around her yelling and singing and giggling.

  Her eyes locked on mine and tears filled them. “Terrified,” she mouthed.

  I grabbed her in my arms and hugged her. “It’s only Travis. There’s nothing to be terrified of.”

  “What if he doesn’t show up?” she said, sadly.

  “My brother is probably already there, waiting for you.”

  “Yeah?” she asked, her eyes wide.

  “Yeah,” I smiled and stepped back. “And you look like the prettiest bride I have ever seen. Let’s go get you married!”

  From the corner of my eye, I watched Luke slip out the door and head down the hallway. I gave him a small wave before pulling Casey out of the room and into the area of the house where the photographers were set up.

  Flashes and smiles lit up the room. Tears and giggles warmed my heart. By the time we were ready to leave, I felt like myself again. My brother was getting married, Casey was getting the wedding day of her dreams, and I was anticipating the night of my life with Luke.

  We rode in limos to the church and filed out after the men were long gone inside. We ran up the front steps like giggling schoolgirls, screaming and screeching. We crammed into the front vestibule and each of us dipped our fingertips in holy water and flitted around like nervous little butterflies. Old women watched us and smiled to each other in the corners, waving at us, and snapping pictures with disposable cameras.

  “Are you Madeline?” a soft-spoken voice said from behind me as I was posing next to Casey for a quick picture. I straightened my stance and smiled brightly at the pretty woman behind me.

  “Yes, hi. I’m sorry, do I know you from somewhere?” I said, walking over to her.

  The first chords to “Cannon in D” started, and Casey squealed loudly. I laughed and smiled wider at the stranger.

  “I don’t think so,” she held her hand out and gave me a sad smile. “I’m Victoria Gunner. I’m the best man’s wife.”

  CHAPTER 19

  LUKE

  T he music started, and all the girls slowly strolled down the aisle in time to the rhythm. After th
e last of the bridesmaids, Maddie was supposed to walk out, and I shifted from foot to foot waiting to see her. Next to me, Travis rocked back on his heels and cleared his throat. He gave me a curt nod and focused his eyes on the doorway. Did he really think Casey wouldn’t show up?

  There was a soft shuffle of movement from behind the door, and all eyes locked on the handle as it slowly turned. It crept open hesitantly, and the hard swallow that escaped from Travis’s throat echoed through the entire church.

  The organ player in the back hit one note off key, and Maddie slipped quietly through the door. Her face was pale, and her eyes wide-set. One hand held tightly onto the doorknob like she was afraid to walk through, the other held a bouquet of light pink and green flowers tightly against her chest. I knew instantly something was wrong. Was she in pain? Was she feeling sick? Was it Casey?

  She hesitated for only a moment.

  Lifting her chin slowly, she focused her eyes on Travis and smiled—it was tight and fake, making my stomach burn with a strange, anxious need to run to her and see if she was okay. My eyes followed her down the aisle. She walked faster than the others before her and stood stiff and formal on the left side of the altar. She looked straight ahead. At some point, Casey had walked in, and everybody stood up to watch her glide over the worn red carpet of the church. My eyes never left Maddie, but her eyes never shifted up to find mine.

  Casey made it down the entire aisle without me even glancing up at her. The only reason I knew she was there was by the beam of light that shone from Travis’ eyes. I bounced a little on the balls of my feet, feeling anxious and jittery. Didn’t anyone see there was something wrong with Maddie?

  The minister spoke in long drawn out words. Finally, I had to hand Travis his wedding rings, and the vows were exchanged. Maddie kept an unmoving gaze on the back of Casey’s head—I kept my gaze on her.

  The bride kissed the groom.

  People clapped, and the entire church stood up and cheered. I stood there witnessing the whole ceremony, and yet, I missed the whole thing.

  We all walked into the aisle, and I offered Maddie my arm. “No thanks,” she said stoically.

  “What’s going on?” I asked, leaning closer to whisper the question in her ear. Her eyes remained focused on anything, but me, and her pace picked up quickly, making her move up and away from me.

  What the hell was wrong?

  I ran out after her, but was grabbed by the photographer as soon as we reached the front steps of the church. What the hell is it about weddings and pictures? A slapped a smile on my face and posed like an ass for the next thirty minutes. And the moment we were done, I ripped off that stupid pink flower pinned to my chest and went after her.

  The limos were lined up along the street, and she was climbing into the first one, her leg sliding inside and her hand holding the top of the door. “Maddie?” I called out to her.

  She flipped me the finger and didn’t even lift up her head to look at me. I stepped back out of sheer shock. What had I missed? What possibly could have happened in such a short time? The other ushers crowded around me and pulled me into the second limo as I watched her duck into hers and shift over to let the rest of the bridesmaids in.

  The ride to the reception hall was a good twenty minutes, and I was in the middle of a bunch of idiots drinking whatever they could get their hands on from the limo mini bar. “Hey,” one of the idiots said, pounding on the driver’s privacy window until it rolled down. “Hey, stop at a store, so I can get a pack of cigarettes,” he told the driver.

  “Bro, we gotta get to the reception,” I said, tightly.

  He pursed his lips and rolled his eyes. “It’ll take a second. Nobody will even miss us.” I balled my fists at my sides, so I wouldn’t punch him. Didn’t anybody see the way Maddie had acted?

  I slumped back in the seat and crossed my arms over my chest, waiting. By the time the driver stopped, and the idiot slowly swaggered his way in and out of the store, we were thirty minutes late for the cocktail hour. Maddie was nowhere to be found.

  “Looking for someone?” a soft voice asked from beside me. Ava held a glass of wine in her hand and a small plate of shrimps smothered with cocktail sauce in the other.

  “Yeah, Maddie. I…something was wrong before…”

  “Yeah. Something seemed to make her sick before,” Ava snarled before taking a huge gulp of her wine. She emptied the entire glass and wiped her lips with her pinky, as the wine glass dangled dangerously in her other fingers.

  “Is she okay? Where is she? Does she need to go back to the hospital?” I asked.

  Ava shrugged. “Nah. It’s more like having an allergic reaction to assholes, and she had an asshole all over her, so yeah.”

  “What are you talking about?” I asked.

  She shook her head, rolled her eyes, and walked away, calling me an asshole under her breath.

  “I heard that,” I called out after her.

  “You were supposed to, asshole,” she replied.

  I ran my hands across the back of my neck. The tuxedo was uncomfortable and tight. I stormed through the cocktail hour, yanking at the bow tie until it unraveled and stuffed it into my jacket pocket. Where the hell could she be? Bathroom maybe?

  I shoved open doors and stormed inside. The bathroom attendant gasped loudly and came at me with a broom, swinging it wildly in my face. “You can’t be in here!” she screamed, swatting the bristles up into my face. Fucking nasty shit smelled like vomit.

  I held my hands up over my head in surrender. “Sorry, ma’am, I’m looking for the maid of honor.” My jaw tightened with frustration. “It’s an emergency,” I growled.

  “No one is in here at the moment. Please leave,” she huffed in a strained voice, poking me with the handle of the broom.

  I swept my eyes across the bottom of all the stalls and came up empty. Maddie could be standing on a toilet, but the attendant was jabbing her weapon of choice at my throat, so I backed out and watched the door slam closed.

  “Fuck!” I shouted, clenching my fists tight. She had to be around here somewhere. She couldn’t have gotten far. If she weren’t feeling well, she’d probably be trying to get home. I jogged down the hallway toward the exits and leapt down the front steps.

  “Is everything okay, sir?” the valet called, walking quickly toward me. “Do you need your car?”

  “No,” I said, trying to catch my breath. “I’m looking for a woman. Beautiful. Dark hair. Wearing a bright god-awful pink maid of honor dress.”

  The kid smiled at me and nodded. “Yeah, sure. She just walked out. She’s headed that way,” he said, pointing to the right side of the lot lined with tall bushes.

  “Thanks, bro,” I said, falling into a sprint toward the shrubbery and rounding the corner at a dead run.

  “Maddie!” I shouted, cupping my hands around my mouth. “Maddie!”

  She held her heels in her hand, and she was getting into a car with someone else. It was that guy from the mill, the one she let fuck her up against the wall. Her movements stilled when she heard me call her, and she looked up, squinting her eyes in my direction. Sweat lined my forehead as my mind raced for answers. Was what happened with Cardarrio too much for her?

  Breathlessly, I grabbed onto the car door and tugged it out of her grasp. I swallowed loudly, trying to get my wind back. Who knew I was so out of shape? “Maddie? What the fuck is going on?” I asked.

  She didn’t say anything. That was the worst part—not that she didn’t fight me—that she looked so indifferent and uncaring. What the hell could I have done to make her want to run out of there?

  “What the fuck is going on?” I repeated, grabbing her by the arms. Her little handbag thing dropped to the ground and spilled open. Keys and lipstick clinked out of it and a small mirror slid under the car.

  “I think you need to let her go before someone gets hurt,” fuck-Maddie-up-against-a-wall-guy said.

  “Yeah, and that someone is going to be you,” I said, stepping in
to his space, begging, just begging for him to get into a fight with me. Because I would crush him.

  “No, it won’t be him,” Maddie said, trying to pull herself away from me. “Let go of me, Luke.”

  “Tell me what’s wrong. What happened?” I asked, sliding my hands slowly away from her and dropping them at my side.

  She gave me that look, the fed-up-fuck-you look, and that idiot kid next to her moved forward, only stopping when I growled at him.

  “You’re always running away from me. Always acting like a fucking kid. Talk to me and tell me what happened,” I said as heat flushed through my body, and I completely fantasized about slamming her punk-ass friend’s head against the car.

  “Your wife happened,” she snapped.

  I flinched back. “My what now?” I asked, my heart spilling onto the ground.

  “Your wife, asshole.”

  CHAPTER 20

  MADELINE

  He didn’t even deny it.

  Damn, I felt so stupid. But how could I have known?

  There were a lot of names I’d been called throughout the years, but there was no way other woman was one of them.

  Jason drove me home while I tried not to cry in the seat next to him. “You okay?” he asked, taking a hand off the steering wheel and lightly touching mine. “You wanna go somewhere and talk about it?”

  “I’ll be fine Jason, thank you.”

  “You don’t look fine, Maddie. You look like you’ve got a broken heart,” he said as he drove into my driveway. His truck rattled over the gravel with a shudder. He pulled up close to the cabin and eyed me with a smile. “You want me to come in and help you forget about him for a while.”

  Like a pathetic two minutes of getting jackhammered would be enough time to forget.