CHAPTER 42
Elsie
The rest of the afternoon and evening are something straight out of a fairytale.
Olivia and Cam exchange vows as sunshine streams in through the big windows on the bride’s side, casting everything in a warm, golden glow. Tears stream down my cheeks as my friends say “I do,” and I cheer along with everyone else when Cam finally gets to kiss his bride.
“Introducing, for the first time ever – Mr. and Mrs. O’Brien!” the officiant booms into his mic.
Olivia and Cam sneak in another quick kiss before making their way back down the aisle to Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together.” Instead of watching my newly wedded friends, I find myself looking to where Declan sits in one of the last few rows. Of course, he’s already watching me. When he notices me looking, the corner of his mouth quirks up and I smile back, my eyes raking over him. I got a few glimpses of him during the ceremony, but I was trying not to gawkwhile my best friend was getting married. Now, though, I get my fill. He looks handsome in his dark suit. More dressed up than I’ve ever seen him, but still Declan. His suit is simple, with a white dress shirt and no tie. The top few buttons of his shirt have been left unbuttoned and I can see the dark tattoos peeking out from the collar.
Once Olivia and Cam have made their way down the aisle, it’s the wedding party’s turn. Ethan holds his arm out for Grace to slip her hand through, and he leans over and whispers something in her ear before they begin walking. I swear I catch the word “beautiful.”
When Ty holds his arm out for me, I let him lead me down the aisle toward the back of the chapel, where we’ll meet up with the rest of the wedding party and immediate family so we can take photos while the rest of the guests enjoy cocktail hour.
As I pass by Declan, still seated in his pew, he winks at me.
“Your tattoo god cleans up nicely,” Ty murmurs in my ear.
“So does your man,” I whisper back. I’d spotted Noah in the crowd partway through the ceremony, wearing a light gray suit and sitting next to
“He’s not my man,” Ty says. “Yet,” he adds with a mischievous grin.
I happen to know that he plans to finally ask Noah out on a date tonight, and I know that Noah – who has quickly become one of my closest friends – is going to say yes.
They’re going to besogood together.
Ty and I are whisked away for photos for nearly an hour, and then it’s time for our entrance at the wedding reception, which is being held in a gorgeous ballroom next door to the chapel. The room has big french doors that open onto a spacious deck overlooking the water, so guests can drink and dance inside or get some fresh air and mingle outdoors.
When I hear the opening notes of “You Make My Dreams (Come True),” our entrance song, my palms begin to sweat. I’ve been dreading this part of the evening, knowing that all eyes will temporarily be on Ty and I.
“You ready, babydoll?” he asks once Grace and Ethan have made their entrance to the whoops and hollers of the wedding guests.
“Absolutely not,” I tell him honestly. “Let’s do it.”
Despite my nerves, we have fun with it. I almost forget to be embarrassed as Ty dances backward into the room and I prowl toward him, tossing long-stemmed white roses into the air that he catches with his teeth. The crowd laughs and claps, and I have to resist the urge to look for Declan, who I know is seated at a table to my left with Noah, my parents, Sean and Frankie, and the owners of The Grind. Georgia and Aiden are seated at a separate table with some friends from high school who work at Captain’s. It’s the first time my parents have spent any real time around Declan, and for my own sanity, I’m trying to ignore that fact.
It’s later in the evening – after the swoon-worthy first dance, Olivia and Gail’s dance in lieu of the father-daughter song, and a delicious surf and turf dinner – when I finally have a break to go see Declan.
My pulse ticks steadily upward the closer I get to where he’s seated with my parents and Aiden, who has migrated over to their table. The others must be out on the dance floor, which is packed, just like Olivia had hoped it would be. After hours of research, she curated the perfect playlist for the DJ, full of songs guaranteed to get people dancing and having a good time. Based on the number of people jumping around and singing along to a Pitbull song, I’d say she was successful.
I weave my way through the crowd, stopping along the way to say quick hellos to people I haven’t had the chance to chat with yet. All the while, I can feel Declan’s eyes on me.
I was the one who told Olivia it was fine if she seated Declan and my parents at the same table. I think she was assuming they’d actually know each other by the time the wedding rolled around, and I never corrected her. I never confessed that I’m terrified to take that step and have him meet my family. Instead, I’ve been blissfully in denial about them spending time together today, without me there to play interference.
Declan and I have been… well, whatever we are, for a while now. Long enough that I probably should have introduced him to my parents by now. Introduce him as the guy I’m dating, I mean. They met once, when our shops first opened, but it was brief, and they haven’t been in each other’s orbit since.
I feel a pang of guilt in my gut as I realize yet another misstep I’ve made where Declan is concerned. I’ve been so terrified of having another relationship of mine turn into a public spectacle that I’ve been hiding Declan like a dirty little secret. One that the whole town seems to be aware of by now, but still.
I know it’s not fair to him. Watching him sit stiffly across from my parents, I realize it now more than ever.
As I reach the table, my wayward pulse settles into something a little closer to normal. Despite my anxiety over the situation, having Declan near helps to calm me. Not for the first time, I marvel at the fact that he has that kind of effect on me.
And it must be mutual, because I watch as his body visibly relaxes, his shoulders lowering and his mouth quirking up into something resembling a smile. His eyes lose some of the tightness I’d noticed at the corners, and the way they soften as they move across my face leaves me a little bit in awe.
“Hi, honey,” my mom says, and I pry my eyes from the beautiful man across from me to look at her. “You look lovely. What a gorgeous wedding.”
“You knocked the flowers out of the park,” my dad says. “I’m proud of you, kid,” he adds gruffly.
