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I had an eye for fashion, an appreciation for well-designed clothes, and whoever had made that suit had tailored it to him with such mouthwatering appeal that it was unfair.
His blond hair was brushed in an attractive swoop, and his mouth twisted in a kink that invited me to stare at it a little longer than I should have.
Adrian clasped his hands together. Then he unclasped them. Then he shook his hands. And then his fingers fanned straight out.
“Someone’s nervous,” Addie said with a little chuckle. “I hope my husband is that way about me when we get married.”
“Are you getting married?” I added a tease in my tone.
“Someday.”
Before I could respond, a communal gasp swept across the gathered crowd. The sound of the cello and violin cascaded through the open woods. People shifted in their seats and then rose to face the other end of the aisle where Gabby stood beside her father.
“She looks beautiful,” Adelie whispered, and though she didn’t really say it directly to me, I silently agreed.
Gabby’s blonde hair was tied elegantly back with wispsof baby’s breath along the braids while the remainder spilled down her back. She wore a cream gown with a sweetheart neckline. Its lace overlay rivaled the flowers that were strewn all through the woods around us, and the train created a river around her.
She truly looked breathtaking with her lovely, invigorated expression and soft, simple makeup. From the awestruck look on Adrian’s face, he clearly thought so, too.
He drank in her eager but tentative progress toward him as though she were a priceless discovery, as though she were everything he wanted.
I gripped my bouquet, fighting sudden and unexpected peals of longing. I’d brushed away any and all notions of falling in love. That implied having a family, which I knew from painful experience was something I couldn’t rely on—and yet, even still, I wanted this, too.
I wanted my own walk down the aisle.
I wanted to bind myself to a man who looked at me as though I was the reason for his existence.
I did everything I couldnotto look at Hawk.
Gabby and Adrian were a flawless match, but love like this didn’t happen for everyone. Knowing my luck, my stepsister Pris would stalk whoever I dated for the sole purpose of stealing him from me, just like she’d done with Derek.
I had enough family drama to deal with—I didn’t need to add another romantic rivalry to the mix.
Gabby reached Adrian, and he gazed at her as though she were the only person here. Since I stood nearest to the aisle, she passed her bouquet to me. I took it,beaming at them both, and then, unwittingly, my gaze wandered to impact with Hawk’s.
He gave me a crushing smile. My hands turned damp against the wrap surrounding the flowers’ stems—and I glared at him.
The memory of the secret he’d shared on the plane—his intentions to unravel me—played through my mind.
Clammy hands?
Two for two.
Looking smug as though he knew exactly what had just taken place, his attention returned to the bride and groom, and I centered mine there as well.
I hardly heard a word of the ceremony. Hawk’s gaze was tangible, and foolishly enough, I couldn’t keep mine from wandering in his direction all too often.
“I do,” Adrian said, breaking through my thoughts.
His eyes were riveted on Gabby’s and overflowed with enthralled devotion.
“I love you,” he added. “I will cherish you as long as we both live, and even then, my soul will live only for you.”
Her voice full of emotion, Gabby repeated a similar sentiment.
“I’m yours,” she said. “Forever and always.”
The rings were exchanged, and it seemed as though everyone held their breath. Adrian wrapped his arms around Gabby and pulled her to him for a kiss that lasted a little longer than was customary.
