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Blake plucked a drink from the tray and handed it to Lauren. She took a delicate sip as he took his own glass of bubbly. “Mm,” she said. “This is fantastic.”
He took his own sip, but he wouldn’t take another. Alcohol and him didn’t get along, and the last time he’d drunk too much, he’d made a fool of himself in front of a lot of people—Lauren included.
Humiliation filled him, though he’d already apologized. Lauren had texted him, and they were here together. He set his glass down and said, “What’s your favorite color?”
She looked mildly surprised, and then she said, “Anything but red.”
He hadn’t seen her wear a lot of red, that was true. “You wore that killer red dress last year,” he said.
“A rare instance,” she said.
“What were you hoping to accomplish by wearing it?” He inched closer to her, hoping the distance was appropriate for public but close enough for her to know how very interested he was in her.
Her eyes met his. “I wanted to go out and have a good time,” she said.
“Did you?” he asked. “Why were you there alone with Harrison?”
Lauren took another sip of her champagne. “Has anyone ever told you that you ask too many questions?”
Blake grinned at her and nodded. “A few times, actually. Drove my ex-wife nuts.”
She gave him a dry look. “I can see why.”
“Oh, come on,” he said, still laughing a little. “How else am I supposed to get to know people?”
“People?” she asked, lifting her flute to her lips one more time. “Or just me?” She asked the question from behind her glass.
Blake waited for her to lower her glass, and then he made sure she’d locked onto him before he spoke. “Definitely you,” he said. “I want to know everything about you.”
She gave him a gorgeous smile just as a woman’s cool voice said, “Ladies and gentlemen, the bride and groom invite you to join them outside for the wedding ceremony.” The wall of windows at the back of the room started to open, and all the guests glided that way.
Lauren set down her glass half-drunk and slipped her arm through his. “You’re with me, right, Blake?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said. “I’m right here with you.”
She leaned into his shoulder and said, “Thank you for doing this for me.”
What she didn’t get was that this was a fantasy come true for him, not a favor. He simply nodded as they went outside, flowing with the rest of the crowd. He and Lauren went up front, where she hugged Cass, who already stood at the altar.
Blake clapped Harrison on the back, who also stood up front. They mingled with their closest friends, and after a few minutes, they came together and stood facing the crowd. There was an unspoken note in the air for people to take their seats, and Blake made sure his mother could navigate the sand to her chair before he sat beside her.
“She’s lovely,” she whispered as Lauren sat on his other side.
“You’re going to jinx it,” he whispered back.
“Pish,” Momma said. “If anyone will jinx anything, it’s you, son.”
“I’m doing my best this time not to do that,” he hissed at her. He turned his attention from her to the couple still standing at the altar. They smiled like today was the happiest day of their lives, and Blake couldfeeltheir joy filling the tent and seeping up into the glorious blue sky.
He reached over and slipped his hand into Lauren’s. She squeezed, and he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the inside of her wrist. She glanced over to him, a look on her face that said she’d definitely be telling him they could start dating after this wedding.
“Welcome,” Harrison said. “I know some of you are hungry, and we can’t eat until after the ceremony, so let’s get this show on the road.” He looked over to Cass, who smiled prettily at him.
Blake was ready to get the show on the road, but not for the meal coming afterward. He just wanted to dance with Lauren.
5
Cassandra Haslam wore a simple gown that shimmered in the sunlight the way gasoline did. It had thin, barely-there straps that went over her shoulders, and a neck that draped almost enough to show some cleavage. Since she’d already had her big wedding, she’d wanted this one to be simple and small.
