Beyond the Mistletoe: A Christmas Romance (Beyond Love Book 7) (15 page)

Chapter Thirteen

“Did you hire them?” I whispered, watching two twenty-somethings run away with Derek’s autograph on a napkin.

“Not this time, no,” Derek chuckled. “Why? Did it impress you?”

I rolled my eyes, and he slid his arm around my waist just as we heard one of them squeal, “My mom is going to die. She will never believe I ran into the Big D. She idolized him.”

I laughed so hard a few wedding guests glanced over, and Derek tightened his grip.

“Think that’s pretty funny, do you?” his voice rumbled.

“What can I say?”

“I don’t know what it is about being with you but somehow the wind always manages to get squeezed right out of my sails.”

“I had nothing to do with that one. Those girls get the credit for making my day.” I grinned, looking into his eyes.

“Maybe I should ask if
you
paid them.” His brow arched.

“I’d never go to that much trouble,” I assured him, patting his knee.

Last night had been a whirlwind of events beginning with appetizers before Gabby and Jason’s rehearsal dinner, followed by the actual rehearsal dinner, and then both sexes were ushered in very different directions for one last night of debauchery. Somewhere in between, I’d managed to promise a night of fun to Derek, but instead I woke up around noon—alone—in my hotel room with a pounding headache. Crawling into the bed by myself and watching some zombie movie was the last thing I remembered from the night before.

It wasn’t until Derek delivered coffee and a breakfast burrito I knew absolutely nothing happened. I wasn’t a big drinker so I’m not sure how everything went so awry. However, Derek had informed me the gingerbread martinis had gotten me and several other women in big trouble, including Carla, Gabby’s stepmother. At least I was in good company.

But now, here I stood waiting for the large double doors to open. We were about to be seated for Jason and Gabby’s ceremony. The big day had finally arrived. I’d fully recovered, but unfortunately, Carla hadn’t faired as well. From the quick glimpse I caught of Gabby’s stepmom, she looked like she wanted to jump off a cliff or crawled up from one.

Derek’s arm fell away, and he placed his hand in mine as the doors opened into a magical winter wonderland. The room was breathtaking. I’d never seen anything like it.

“Incredible,” Derek whispered.

I nodded, taking in the setting. Sheer fabric scalloped the soaring ceiling where thousands of twinkling white lights had been tucked underneath. Woven strips of gold and silver threads caught the sparkle from the blinking lights capturing a mystical whimsy in every direction. The place was gorgeous. White flowers spilled out of crystal vases dotting the aisle, and all the white wooden chairs had been draped in greenery and more sheer fabric.

We took our seats a few rows from the front as hundreds of guests filled the space. Gabby had warned me it was going to be a large wedding because of her parents, but I hadn’t quite expected this. Partly because most of the people hadn’t been staying at the lodge so it threw off exactly how grand this event really was. Gabby’s parents were quite wealthy and had wanted to invite whoever was willing to celebrate. Many had chosen to drive in for the wedding and not stay the weekend. But with more of the winter weather rolling in, I wasn’t sure they’d be thrilled about that decision.

“Did I tell you how beautiful you looked?” Derek whispered. I glanced down at my pale grey cashmere sweater dress and smiled. It happened to hug me in all the right places.

“Thank you.” My hands ran over the softness, and I let out a deep breath. “Sorry about last night.”

“What do you mean?” He wrapped his arm around my shoulder, and I easily nestled into the nook of his body. We fit so easily together in more ways than one. I held in my sigh knowing the distance that would soon be separating us from the possibilities.

“I was looking forward to picking up where we’d left off yesterday afternoon,” I whispered.

“There’s nothing to apologize for, but I do hope there’s more where that came from.” A keen awareness shot through his gaze.

My mind whirled with the thought of spending the night with him. Tonight I wouldn’t fall for any gingerbread martini tricks. That was for sure. I rested my hand on his knee and felt the heat begin to pool in the base of my abdomen.

“Plenty,” I breathed, as a string quartet began playing a soft classical melody in the far corner as the last of the guests were seated. “When I woke up, I was worried I missed it. I couldn’t remember what happened last night.”

“Missed it?” Derek’s lip curled up slightly.

“You know…”

“No, I don’t,” he said, still smiling the smile that got me in trouble daydreaming about him so many decades before. “Why don’t you elaborate?”

It literally felt like the room had gone up about ten degrees from its comfortable seventy degrees, and his gaze was doing very little to help the situation. He had this ability to make me feel like I was the most interesting person in the world.

“I was just worried, you know, that maybe we’d—”

He leaned in and whispered so softly every single hair on my body stood up. “You will never forget spending a night with me, I promise you that.”

His confidence on the subject illuminated me like the twinkle lights above us. I was probably glowing as much as they were.

“How can you be so sure?”

His eyes darkened a shade, and my gaze fell to the greenery hanging on the chair in front of me. If I continued to keep my focus purely on Derek and the chemistry zipping between us, I wouldn’t make it through the ceremony. To have made it through so much of my life never feeling this sensation seemed almost criminal.

“You’ll see.”

My breath caught, and as if he could sense I was about to lose it, he glanced at the ceiling and so did I.

“Weddings don’t usually do it for me, but this is spectacular,” Derek said, watching the flickers of lavender and blue splash along the ceiling. The white twinkling lights had changed to a more elaborate lightshow. The glow was still soft as waves of color reflected off the ceiling.

“It’s almost like the aurora borealis,” I whispered.

“You’ve been to Alaska?”

“Way back when I was a kid, even before your posters were on my wall, but I’ll never forget the beauty.”

I didn’t have to look to see that he was smiling.

“That’s one of the few places I haven’t been. But I’d like to go.”

The doors clicked shut behind us. The ceremony was about to begin.

“I bet Gabby is so excited,” I whispered, and Derek nodded.

“Finding someone you want to spend the rest of your life with certainly is exciting.”

“And scary.”

“It shouldn’t be…At least if you find the right person.”

I shook my head. “I was scared to death to get married to my ex.”

Enough interaction with the ghost of relationship past.

“Maybe that’s why he’s your ex,” Derek suggested.

I’d never seen anything about Derek getting married in the gossip magazines, but since he hid his identity so perfectly maybe I’d just missed it.

“Have you been married?”

“I have,” he confirmed. “But it was short-lived. I don’t even technically have to count it.”

“How in the world does that work?”

But it was too late. The lights softened, and the doors opened. Watching Jason and Gabby’s family and friends walk down the aisle made my heart swell. The bridesmaid’s dresses were beautiful. Nothing like what Gabby had been describing, which was akin to a satin Christmas tree.

When Jason walked down the aisle, the energy of the room immediately changed, and he was unable to wipe the grin off his face. It was the cutest thing ever, or so I thought. It wasn’t until the crowd collectively chuckled I knew I was missing something even sweeter. I assumed it was Jason’s niece who captured everyone’s heart, but when I stood on the tips of my toes, I saw Tomato and Sunny scurrying down the aisle with Katie nearly bouncing along behind them. Katie clutched the leash and called their names as the English bulldog and sheltie ignored her and beelined toward Jason, their rightful owner.

“So cute,” I whispered.

“Do you think Bodie would be up for the challenge?”

My heart stopped at the question, which was ridiculous. It wasn’t like he was talking about Bodie at our wedding, but hearing him ask the question rattled me enough that all I could do was nod.

And then the moment we’d all been waiting for.

The music changed and in walked Gabby and her father. Out of nowhere, a lump in my throat grew to the size of a potato, and tears filled my eyes while I watched her father slowly lead her down the aisle. She looked like a princess gliding toward Jason.

Jason dabbed his eyes as his smile grew to an impossible width, and my stomach fluttered at the thought of being loved that much by someone. I wanted to believe it was possible.

The ceremony was touching, beautiful, and funny. When Gabby and Jason exchanged their vows, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. They’d been through so much, and their love had only grown, blossoming into what it was today. I wanted to believe in love like that; the all-consuming love that touched every aspect of a person’s life and made them strive to be a better version of themselves. Seeing it flourish between Gabby and Jason promised me that kind of love was out there. I could sense it and so could the entire room.

As Jason kissed his bride, all the guests erupted with cheers. Our row was the first to stand and applaud what love should be as they walked down the aisle. Gabby’s eyes connected with mine and shivers ran down my spine. I wanted to find that kind of love. Her eyes darted to Derek’s, and her smile deepened as Jason pulled her along, and she held her bouquet up in the air.

Derek drew my hand into his and squeezed it as I dabbed the wetness from my eyes. Gabby and Jason were truly incredible people, and I couldn’t wait to see where their journey took them. No matter how much I wanted to distract myself from the idea of opening my heart, it was an intriguing thought. I glanced at Derek and wondered if he was the reason or if it was because Gabby had found her someone somewhere.

The guests slowly filed out of the room, but Derek held me back until the room was completely empty.

“What are you up to?” I whispered.

His hand gently cupped the side of my face, and my breath trembled as he brought me into him. The way he moved made me feel like he was staking claim. Even if it was only for tonight, I was willing to be his. I moistened my lips silently pleading to be kissed.

“I want every inch of you to be screaming for my touch by tonight,” he whispered, his lips hovering inches from mine.

“It already is,” I breathed.

He shook his head. “You’re not even close. Just wait.”

Derek slid his fingers down my neck and moved some of my hair away before placing the softest kiss on the crook of my neck. My knees almost buckled as his lips glided along my bare skin. He straightened up and our eyes connected.

He held out his hand. “Ready for the reception?”

I shook my head.

“Sure you are.”

He clasped his hand over mine, and I almost had difficulty walking to where we needed to be, even though it was only a few doors down.

“You’re not playing fair,” I told him.

“Remember how I said you’d remember a night with me?” He smiled, the flicker of desire running through his gaze.

“Yes, I remember.”

“You’ll see what I’m talking about.”

“I doubt I’ll be able to handle much more,” I warned him.

“It’s only just begun,” his voice rumbled, as we walked into the reception.

The decor was beautiful, but it was almost impossible to think straight as I had Derek teasing my senses and being absolutely delighted by it. Instead of a sparkling snow theme, this room had been transformed into a woodland Christmas setting. Twigs wrapped the chandeliers, and red velvet draped each of the tables. Large centerpieces with red roses and curly willow graced the center of each of the tables, and I felt as if I’d been transported deep into the woods.

Yet with all this, what struck me most was Derek’s smile as he wove us through the tables to find our seats. The music was already pounding pretty loud while cocktails and hors d'oeuvres were circulated around. The party had definitely started. Everyone here was ready to celebrate Gabby and Jason’s union, and the celebrations had clearly begun as toasts erupted around the room, even though Gabby and Jason were nowhere to be found.

I took a seat next to Derek and he slid the chair I was sitting on closer.

“Ever since our first kiss under the mistletoe, you shifted my world,” he murmured. “I know I’m moving, but I’d like to see where this goes.”

“It really can’t go anywhere.”

“You don’t know that. We don’t know that. Circumstances can change. Neither of us has a crystal ball.”

I shrugged my shoulders, knowing neither of us knew if the attraction would hold beyond tomorrow. What was pulling us close tonight was a mix between euphoria from the wedding and the idea of no strings attached between us. I was certain of it. We’d entered into this situation knowing we’d both be up for something that didn’t need to last. It just so happened I managed to complicate and delay the encounter slightly. But I could analyze all this because I was refusing to look in his direction. If my eyes connected with his, that was when my mind turned to mush. I knew I was too close to letting myself throw caution to the wind.

“Did you see that when we came in?” Derek asked, pointing to the far corner. I followed the direction of his finger and saw a photo booth hidden by a woodland scene.

“This is so over the top,” I laughed.

“When money is no object.” He shook his head and smiled.

“We’ve got to hit that before we leave,” I told him.

“Absolutely.” He was silent for a few seconds. “Promise me you’ll be open to the possibilities. No matter how ridiculous they may seem now.”

“You mean like the fact we’ve only known one another for a week?” I teased.

“Technically we met a couple months ago. It’s not my fault I wasn’t that memorable.”