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“All Ruth and Sarah have been talking about this weekend is Sarah getting pregnant quickly so Ruth can finally be an aunt. But then Ruth told me this morning she wants to have another baby. How cute would it be if both she and her sister were pregnant at the same time? She’s catching baby fever.”
Drew leans back in his seat and rubs his eyes with the palms of his hands. A beaten and nervous wreck of a man. “Ohhhh, I don’t think I can handle more babies, Cate. Everyone tells you how amazing kids are, how adorable they are, but they forget to tell you how they destroy everything in their path like little Godzillas stomping through the peaceful and unsuspecting streets of Tokyo. And a pregnant Ruth is not a friendly Ruth. Look at me, Cate,” he motions toward his frazzled and sleep deprived eyes. “I have not slept since Ruth got pregnant with our first. It has been five years. Five. Years.” He whispers, glaring at me like if he could drain me of my energy and harvest it for himself, he would do it in a heartbeat. “What am I supposed to do with three kids?”
Dear Lord. Pull yourself together, man. I’ve got my own problems to deal with.
“The same thing you did with the other two?” I offer because it is the only appropriate thing that comes to my mind. I scan the guests in their seats, and no one seems to be listening to us. I dare a glance at my phone buried in my clutch to catch the time.
Hell. How much longer until this lovefest starts?
As if on cue, music begins to play, and I see Drew’s two children walking down the aisle with their lace buckets filled with pink flowers. I can hear Drew’s breathing quicken and he starts to gnaw at his fingers.
Huh, look at that. We have the same bad habit.
As Drew feared, or rather predicted, his children don’t follow directions very well. The little girl, no older than two, gets distracted by a fly of some kind and drops her bucket on the ground and runs after it. Their five-year-old boy makes it down the aisle but instead of walking down the aisle, he kicks sand up in the air with each step, pelting any guest in his path.
Poor Drew sits with his face buried in his hands.
“A train wreck,” he mutters under his breath.
I am tempted to pat him on the back in effort to comfort him, but mostly, I am doing my best not to break out in laughter. Kids might be terrible listeners, but they are hilarious to watch. I might feel differently if they were mine, but as of today, I can internally giggle all I want.
The mother of the bride and the parents of the groom walk down arm in arm and take their seats. Caleb makes his way up to the canopy where a pastor is already waiting to guide Caleb and Sarah through their vows. The wedding party follows closely after that. Leah and Isaac, Tess and Liam, and Ruth and Theo.
My heart skips a beat when my eyes find Theo and I barely notice Sarah walking down the aisle behind him, her arm hooked around her father’s.
Theo looks perfect, as always, in a beige suit with a crisp, white button-down shirt underneath. He has conveniently left the top two buttons undone, showing off bits of his tan chest. I wish I could say I wasn’t thinking dirty thoughts as he escorted Ruth down the aisle, but that wouldn’t be true. At. All.
I want his hands tracing over every inch of my bare skin. His mouth pressing passionate kisses from my lips all the way down my body. I want to bite his bottom lip and for him to grab generous handfuls of my hips and thighs in those strong, tattooed arms of his. If I close my eyes, I can picture and almost feel the texture of his dark hair as I stroke my fingers through it, messing it all up from its sculpted perfection. I wish I could jump up from my seat, snatch his arm, and drag him up to our room and…
“Dearly Beloved,” the minister slices through my sinful thoughts and I swear he looks my direction, as if he can sense what I am thinking about the best man. “We are gathered here today to celebrate the union between Caleb Bennett and Sarah Pilipo.”
As Caleb and Sarah recite their traditional wedding vows, I battle my raging sexual thoughts.What is going on with me?I never had these types of desires with Derek. Well, he also didn’t make me feel the way Theo makes me feel.
Theo.
I dare a glance through my lashes at the best man, hoping the preacher won’t stop in the middle of the ceremony to call me out for my lustful desires. To my surprise, which rips through my heart, Theo is eyeing me with those mischievous green eyes of his. He winks at me.
Well, hellfire to infinity and beyond.Now I am hot and tingly from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.
Theo can see right through me, as if he is reading my emotions like a book. He sees the desire in my eyes. He flashes me the I-want-you-too-look and I almost slip out of my hard wooden chair.
Just call me the Wicked Witch of the West, honey, because I am melting.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife.” The pastor’s voice rings out and garners a few early claps from the guests. “You may now kiss your bride.”
Everyone stands up and applauds as Sarah and Caleb make their way back up the aisle toward the white reception tent. The wedding party follows, and Theo and I don’t break eye contact. He smiles as he passes me and Drew. I stare at his taut butt as he walks toward the tent.
“Well,” Drew rubs the back of his neck. “At least they have an open bar.” He motions for me to exit the row and walk up the aisle in front of him.
“Ruth is a beautiful matron of honor.” I do my best to make small talk as we make our way to the reception area. All I can really think about is kissing Theo.
Drew and I enter the tent and it is beautifully decorated. Flowy white linen tablecloths wafting gently in the ocean breeze and pink flowers hanging from the tufted ceiling. There are dark wooden tables and chairs and a dance floor in the middle of the tent. Buffet tables line the fabric walls and I see a bar at the far end. That is my first stop. If I don’t get a beer or fruity cocktail in my system stat, I won’t make it until tonight to be alone with Theo.
I step a few feet into the tent, and someone grabs my arm from just inside and pulls me into his awaiting arms. As if just thinking of him conjures Theo into existence.
“I saw you eyeing me,” he whispers just above my ear, sending goosebumps flying down my arms. “Looking at a man like that can be very dangerous, Catalina.”
“How dangerous?” I kiss his neck in the safety of his embrace.
