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Susannah’s eyes widened. “Oh my god, you sing? That would be a literal godsend.”
I opened my mouth to object. Because of course, I didn’t sing anymore. My parents had stamped that out of me. Years of chorus, singing in church, and filling in as a wedding singer weren’t exactly the making of a real singer. LA had taught me that having a good set of pipes didn’t mean anything. Now, they were only utilized when I was in the shower and on car rides.
“She used to be a wedding singer,” Gavin said instead. “Have you ever sang ‘Love Me Tender’?”
Only a thousand times.
Silently, I nodded.
Susannah grasped my hands tightly in hers. “Would you sing for us? I’d be eternally grateful. Margaret wouldn’t even have to know that there was a change. I don’t want to worry her. Please, Whitley.”
As I stood there, holding the hands of Gavin’s aunt, knowing this wasthething she needed to fix everything, I found it impossible to get the words out. To say no to this woman would be like kicking a puppy.
“Okay,” I agreed slowly. “Yeah. I’m a bit out of practice, but I can do it.”
It was Gavin’s look of admiration and intense relief that put me over the edge. A smile finally came to my lips as Susannah pulled me aside to walk me through the ceremony and everything I needed to know.
I glanced back once to see Gavin still looking at me. His hands in his pockets. A broad smile on his face. I quickly looked away. That man would be the death of me.
12
GAVIN
Inever thought Whitley would agree.
Even as I’d suggested that she sing at my cousin’s wedding, I had been sure she’d throw it back in my face. She would have. If Aunt Susannah hadn’t plowed forward with the guilt trip, Whitley would have flown away like the lost, broken bird she was. I wasn’t going to regret that we got her to say yes because that meant, in a few short hours, I would finally get to hear those incredible vocal cords work.
Not to mention, I had a feeling she actuallywantedto sing. She had just convinced herself that part of her life was over. As if there were a before and after singing. And I was here to show her that wasn’t true.
After Whitley was whisked away, I was pulled into the groomsmen troop. Locke’s other friends from New York had arrived. As well as his brother and sister—Micah and Margot.
Micah acted sullen, as if he’d been bullied into attending the event. Which … was possible. From my limited interactions with him, he thought the world shone out of his sorry ass. Margot, however, was Micah’s polar opposite. She was sneaky and cunning and hilarious. The youngest of the three and probably the cleverest. I rarely expected the youngest to be the peacemaker, but she wrangled both her older brothers and managed to make them both laugh.
Luckily, there was Blake Holliday filling up all the space and doling out shots. The day should have been merrier than it was. I was glad that Whitley had a task and couldn’t tell the false at all the edges.
Finally, pictures were taken, I walked little old ladies down the aisle to their seats, and there was nothing left to do but for the ceremony to begin.
Whitley met me at the back of the church. When I’d left her, she’d looked nervous, and now, she seemed more than ready.
“Know all the words?” I teased.
She wrinkled her nose at me. “I will get you back for this.”
“Hey, you agreed.”
“Like I had a choice.”
I laughed. “Is it going to be that bad to perform again?”
She paused, as if actually contemplating the answer to that question. Then, she turned her face away from me and shrugged. She released a soft, “No.”
My finger caressed her cheek, and I drew her face back to me. Her eyes were wide with something like desire and concern, all trapped together and rattling around inside her.
“You’re going to be magnificent.”
She smiled. “I know.”
It was my turn to laugh. I released her and then offered her my arm. “Walk with me?”
