Just a Kiss (11 page)

Z
ac exited the tuxedo shop's dressing room, running a finger around the inside of the collar. Riley could hardly believe it was time for the final fitting. Beau's wedding was only two days away.

“I feel like a penguin,” Zac said.

From a nearby stool, Riley scanned his brother from head to toe. “You look like one too.”

Zac's eyes flickered over Riley's identical tux as he hiked a brow. “Don't know how to break it to you, bro . . .”

“Oh, stop your whining,” Beau called from inside his dressing room. “The ladies love a well-dressed man. You should be thanking me.”

Zac considered himself in the full-length mirror, his countenance brightening as he shifted to and fro. He stood up straight, his tall frame eating up every inch of the mirror.

“You're going to break that thing,” Riley said.

“He's got a point, you know,” Zac said. “Lucy's going to like this. She's going to like it a lot.”

Riley rolled his eyes.

“At least I've got a date. Who you going with, Romeo?”

Riley barely held back a grimace. He'd been having big regrets since he'd agreed to be Paige's date. But what was he supposed to do? It was obvious she'd feel humiliated if she had to go alone. And yeah, part of him had been relieved she wasn't going with Dylan. He sure hadn't been looking forward to watching that all night. Still . . .

“Well . . . ?” Zac buttoned his top button and shifted, admiring himself. “Don't tell me you're going alone.”

He sighed. “I'm going with Paige.”

Zac's eyes met his in the mirror, then he turned around. A moment later he strolled over, lowering his voice.

“Has there been a new development there?”

“Sure,” Riley whispered. “She doesn't want to show up at her ex's wedding without a date. There's your new development.”

Zac made a thoughtful face. “
She
asked
you
? That's interesting.”

“Convenient would be a better word for it. Not to mention painful. Now I have to spend a whole night reminding myself she's just my friend.”

He had to get out of Paige's house. Out of Summer Harbor. Just a little more work with his leg, and he'd be able to operate his motorcycle safely. His replacement at the shelter was starting in a month. There'd be nothing holding him here then.

“You're looking at it all wrong,” Zac said. “This is an opportunity.”

“For her to see me as the gimpy date who can't even spin her around the dance floor?”

“Don't be such a Debby Downer. This is your chance, man.”

“It's too late for that.”

“What do you mean it's too—”

“Anyone know how to put these on?” Beau emerged from the dressing room, messing with the cuff links at his wrist.

Riley nodded toward a middle-aged employee. “That lady helped me with mine.”

“Man, these things take forever to get into,” Beau said.

Zac smirked. “Bet it won't take Eden long to get you out of it.”

Beau gave him a harsh look as he gestured toward the dressing room Eden's dad was using.

Zac held up both hands, palms out.
Sorry
, he mouthed around a laugh.

Beau smacked him in the back of the head before he walked away, which only made Zac laugh harder.

T
he doorbell rang, and Paige's heart skipped a beat. “It's Riley.”

“Of course it's Riley.” Lucy put one final spritz of hairspray on Paige's hair. They were in her and Zac's apartment above the Roadhouse, which was closed for the day. Zac was already at the church with Beau, and she and Riley were getting there early, too, since he was a groomsman.

Lucy gave Paige's curls one last poof. “There we go. You are absolutely gorgeous. If Riley can't see that, he's blind. I'll get the door. Wait a few minutes, then you can make a grand entrance.”

“But I don't want to . . .”

Lucy was already gone, her heels tapping down the stairs.

Paige met her worried gaze in the full-length mirror. Her blond hair cascaded over her shoulders in glossy waves. Her makeup, while (thankfully) minimal, made her skin look flawless and somehow drew attention to her eyes. The rosy lipstick made her lips look full. She'd never looked better. But was she setting herself up for failure?

She stepped back, letting her eyes fall to the dress Lucy had
finally agreed to after Paige had tried on what felt like a million options. It was fitted enough to show off her curves and sported a modest scooped neckline. The teal blue set off her golden brown skin. The straps were wide enough to allow for a regular bra, but left more of her arms showing than she was used to.

“You have great arms,” Lucy had said when Paige had complained at the boutique. “Slim and toned. And those legs!”

She heard Lucy and Riley's muffled voices downstairs and wondered if she'd waited long enough. She was so bad at this boy/girl stuff.

“It's just Riley,” she said to her mirror image. But somehow that knowledge only made it worse.

Riley pulled at his collar. Supposedly the tux fit him to a T, but he thought a suit of armor might be more comfortable. At least the pants covered his prosthesis. At the bottom of the stairs Lucy attempted to make small talk, but he was so nervous he could hardly follow her from one subject to the next.

It seemed forever before he heard a shuffling at the top of the stairs. He turned, and his breath left his body at the sight. It was Paige. Good ol' Paige. Only tonight she looked like an angel. He wouldn't have been the least surprised if she sprouted wings and flew down the staircase.

She'd done something with her hair. It was falling past her shoulders in curls, and that dress . . . It called attention to all the right places, stopping just above her knees. He'd seen her legs before; she wore shorts when they played basketball. But that was different. Way different. And those heels . . .

He felt a compulsive need to swallow, which made no sense. His mouth was as dry as moon dust. As she descended the steps, his eyes flittered back to her face. Man, she was beautiful. Her eyes looked wider than usual, and they seemed to sparkle somehow.

She bit her lower lip, drawing his attention there. She had the most luscious lower lip. Full and pink and utterly kissable. How many times had he imagined soothing it with his own after she'd bitten it, just as she was now?

Behind him, Lucy cleared her throat.

Realizing Paige had reached the bottom of the stairs and he was still gawking wordlessly, he dragged his eyes from her lips.

“Look at you.” He cleared the hoarseness from his voice. “Don't you clean up nice.”

He winced.
Wow, you sure have a way with words, Callahan.

If she was disappointed with his stupid comment, she didn't show it.

“You're wearing a dress,” he said.

She lifted a brow. “Your powers of observation are astounding.”

“I don't think I've ever seen you in a dress.”

“Probably because I've never worn one.” She tilted her chin up at him and flashed a smile that about made his good knee buckle.

Aw, man. It was going to be a long night.

A while later Riley stood beside Beau and Zac listening to Pastor Daniels ponder aloud the virtues of love and marriage. From the other side of Eden, her attendants, Miss Trudy and Lucy, looked on.

The chapel's lights were dimmed, making the sanctuary feel
smaller and more intimate. Candlelight flickered on the altar, and the fragrant scent of lilacs wafted through the air.

Eden looked beautiful in her simple white gown. It being her second wedding, she hadn't splurged on a fancy dress or numerous floral arrangements. The long engagement hadn't been about planning for a grand wedding, but planning for a grand marriage.

It had been Beau who'd insisted on the tuxes, and as Riley swallowed against the tight collar, he wondered if it was merely to make his brothers suffer.

He shifted slightly on his prosthesis, careful of his precarious balance. He'd been practicing walking in the fancy shoes since he'd picked up his tux two days ago. He hoped he didn't do something stupid like fall on the way down the aisle. Even standing here so long was testing his agility.

Pastor asked Beau and Eden to face each other as he continued with his thoughts on Christian marriage.

Riley caught a glimpse of Eden's face and knew a moment of complete joy for Beau. Her love was shining on her face for the world to see. She'd come a long way in the past year. After her emotionally abusive marriage, she'd needed time to find herself, to become strong again. Beau had been supportive of her efforts. So patient.

Riley's only regret was that their parents weren't here to see this happy moment. His eyes cut over to the empty spaces on the front pew where two white roses lay in memorial to them. They'd be so happy for Beau. He was the true big brother, always looking out for everyone else. No one deserved happiness more.

He swallowed against the lump in his throat as his eyes shifted to Paige in the next pew back. She was looking at him, her eyes a little glassy, as if she'd read his thoughts. She probably had.

Her lips tilted upward as their eyes caught and held. A moment
of sweet communion suspended between them like a wispy vapor. Would anyone else ever understand him the way Paige did?

“Eden . . .” Pastor Daniels's voice boomed in the chapel. “Repeat after me.”

Riley tore his gaze from Paige and watched as Eden repeated her vows, her eyes firmly planted on her groom.

“I, Eden Martelli, take thee, Beau Callahan, to be my lawfully wedded husband. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish till death do us part.”

He couldn't see Beau's face as he repeated back the vows, but his voice was low and unwavering. His love for Eden was as strong and steady as hers for him.

He felt a pang of longing that started as a surface wound and burrowed deep until he ached from the inside out. He'd never have that with Paige. He was just her buddy. Her pal. Maybe she even had feelings for Beau still. Maybe that was why she'd been desperate for a date tonight.

The ache bloomed until it pressed against his lungs, making his breaths quick and shallow. He kept his eyes on Beau, not daring to look at Paige for fear she'd see his every thought.

Somehow he got through the rest of the ceremony. He made it down the aisle without tripping, endured the receiving line, and made it through a short photo shoot.

By the time he reached the reception hall at the community center, his jaws hurt from holding a fake smile in place. White twinkle lights, candles, and some kind of poufy fabric draped here and there made the place feel intimate and romantic. Lucy had done a terrific job.

The bride and groom were announced and applauded, then the strains of “The Way You Look Tonight” began to play. Riley watched from the corner of the room as the happy couple, all eyes on them, shared their first dance.

When the song was over, other guests joined the bride and groom on the dance floor. He scanned the transformed interior and found Paige sitting at a round table near the dance floor with Aunt Trudy.

He made his way through the crowd, stopping to chat with neighbors as he went. Several of them hadn't seen him since his return and inquired about his injury and his prosthesis. They weren't happy until he'd filled in all the details, and by the time he arrived at the table, his mood had hit a new low.

It took an effort to smile at Paige. “Sorry it took so long.”

“No worries. We were just catching up.”

His eyes swung to his aunt. “You look pretty, Aunt Trudy,” he said over the loud music. It didn't escape him that it was a nicer compliment than he'd given Paige.

“I passed pretty about twenty years ago, but I appreciate your saying so.”

He shot Paige a look. “She never could take a compliment.”

“Hey, Paige.”

A guy he didn't recognize set a hand on Paige's shoulder. He had dark hair, pushed up at the front, and reminded Riley of a young Tom Hanks.

“Let's dance.”

She gave him a polite smile. “No thanks. I'm kind of tired.”

“Aw, come on. It's a great song.”

“Maybe later.”

He shrugged and squeezed through the crowd on the dance floor, disappearing into the throng.

“Who was that?” And hadn't he noticed Paige's date was sitting right here?

“Scott Lewis. Remember him? He was a couple grades behind us.”

“A couple? Isn't he like eighteen?”

“More like twenty or twenty-one. Too young for me, though.”

“It's just a dance,” Aunt Trudy said. She missed the dim look he gave her. “You should have some fun. You're only young once.”

His heart twisted at the thought of Paige with another man. He didn't know if he could stand seeing some other guy's hands on her again.

But he was leaving soon, and what did he want for her? An empty house with nothing but cats for company? She deserved to find someone. Maybe not Scott Lewis, but someone.

“She's right,” he forced out, his throat tightening with the words. “You should dance.”

“You're my date. You dance with me.”

“It's all I can do to stay upright. I saw Dylan earlier. You should ask him.”

She gave him a long, hard look. Something shifted in her eyes. Hardened. The corners of her lips tightened as she stared him down.

He lifted his shoulders and gave her a
What?
look.

She lifted her chin. “Fine. Maybe I will.”

“You should.”

She turned her back to him and set her tiny handbag on the table. “Could you watch my bag for me, Miss Trudy?” And then she was gone.