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Confused, Molly looked at her brother. “What about me?”
Zach looked like was going to say something, but then he changed his mind, tossing a smile her way. “Never mind. We should go. The guys are waiting out front. I’ve got somewhere I need to be.”
“Go. I’m right behind you.”
She smoothed her dress once more, grabbed the pink gloss she’d left on the dresser, and then picked up the framed photo that sat there. It was a candid shot of her and Zach and Shelby. God, she missed that dog so much, it hurt. She was the first true love of Molly’s life.
“She was a great dog.” Nate’s voice was hushed, and Molly took a second to compose herself before she turned around.
Holy. Hell.
Nathan Jacobs could make a burlap sack look good, but dressed in a crisp, tailored black tux, he was sheer perfection. It hurt her heart to look at him, and even though she wanted to tear her gaze away, she memorized every inch of him so she could tuck it away and save it for later.
“Molly. Wow, you look beautiful.”
“Thank you.” She smiled. “You clean up pretty damn good yourself.” She tried to keep things light but wasn’t wholly successful, and her breath caught, making it hard to speak.
He reached for her, and she slammed her eyes shut when he moved closer and coaxed her into his arms. He didn’t say anything. She couldn’t…but then, what was the
re to say?
“We have to go, Nathan,” she murmured quietly.
A heartbeat passed.
“You’re right. We do.”
She looked up at him and smiled bravely. He bent low and swept a kiss as light as feathers across her mouth. It felt like goodbye. Carefully, she moved out of his embrace, and then he stepped aside. Molly walked past him, her heart reined in tight, her emotions in check. She couldn’t fall apart. Not yet, anyway. Along with the image of Nate in her mind, the touch of his mouth against hers, the feel of him beneath her hands… She’d save that for later when she was alone. Then she could remember everything properly.
Then she could cry.
Chapter Twenty
Zach and Jess’s wedding went off without a hitch. The day was beautiful, the venue out of this world, the flowers and food all top-notch. The ceremony itself had been simple, lasting no more than twenty minutes, with heartfelt vows written in their own hand accompanied by a string quartet. When it was all said and done, there wasn’t a dry eye in the place. Afterward, the guests had been directed to several large limo buses that took them to the country club, where they feasted on fancy hors d’oeuvres such as lobster bites, mushroom canapés, jumbo shrimp, and Zach’s favorite, tater rolls, while the bridal party posed for, what seemed to Nate, at least three hundred pictures.
It was torture acting like his world was good. Like everything in it was where it was supposed to be when, in fact, he felt it was a chaotic mess. He couldn’t handle it anymore.
Plus, he couldn’t take his eyes off Molly.
“You keep looking at her like that, mate, and her dress is going to melt right off.” Link handed Nate a drink and laughed. “Not that I’d complain or anything, but I’m fairly certain she will.”
Dinner had just been cleared, toasts and speeches were done and over, and the bride was taking to the dance floor with her father.
Nate turned to the footballer. “Have you ever been in a serious relationship?”
Link looked out over the dance floor, his expression unreadable. “I gave it a go once.”
“Didn’t work out?”
“I screwed up, so no, it didn’t work out, and I hurt someone I care about, which made it all much worse. It’s one of the many things in my life I’d do differently if I could.” The Brit attempted a smile. “But that’s the thing about life, eh? Not many of us get that second chance.” He looked at Nathan. “It’s a fool who doesn’t grab it when it presents itself.” He pointed to Molly, who stood with her parents, chatting with some folks across the dance floor. “That right there could be your second chance. It would be a shame if you didn’t find out before you leave, eh?”
Nate watched Link head to the bar and was about to follow him, thinking a good stiff whiskey might calm him a bit, when the bridal party was called to the dance floor. He held Poppy lightly as they moved to some Celine Dion song that he’d heard at every single wedding he’d ever attended.
He didn’t know Poppy Fairbanks all that well. It was more like he knew of her. She was closer to his brother’s age, and, like a lot of Crystal Lake’s offspring, she’d fled the small town for something bigger as soon as she got the chance, Los Angeles, if he remembered correctly. But, like a good number of those who left, she’d come back and now ran a popular boutique down near the water.
They made small talk, but Nate had no idea what it was about because he was focused on Molly, who swayed to the music with her partner, Stu, a few feet away. Nate had been wound up since the day before, and as the song ended, he smiled at Poppy and cut through the crowd, anxious to get Molly to himself. Time was running out, and they had shit to discuss, things to say and do. Wasn’t that what a guy did in this situation?
But what the hell was his situation exactly?
