Nixon
The wedding was slow and painful. Charlie basically ignored me while she worked.
Fair enough. She was getting paid to do a job and I wasn’t going to get in the way of that.
But I wasn’t leaving either.
I’d shadow her until I had a chance to say what I needed to.
The bride and groom were nice enough to let me hover, despite the wedding planner’s complaints. After a little sweet-talking from Charlie, Sarah capitulated, but I was pretty sure she wouldn’t talk to, or smile at, me for the rest of the event. Not only was I the guy who nearly ruined a perfectly planned wedding, but I was also the guy who’d pulled out last minute of another wedding they’d been planning.
Scum was too nice of a word to describe me.
I went and apologized to Justin and he was pretty good about it. Thankfully the groom had redeemed the day with his beautiful speech, so the wedding was saved, and I was only responsible for destroying Shayna’s big day.
I cringed and gripped the back of my neck, unsure I’d ever live down my shame and guilt.
“Just focus on Charlie, man,” I mumbled. “You did the right thing.”
After the wedding, the bridal party drove straight to the reception venue. I followed Mr. Watson’s car, making sure never to lose sight of Charlie. The afternoon was whiled away on the vast grounds of Hasley Gardens, an exclusive private property that was hired out for weddings and special functions. It was down a mile-long driveway, and you wouldn’t even know it existed unless someone told you about it. They must have waited months for this booking.
Shit, I can’t believe I nearly fucked it up for them.
Thankfully, the bride had relaxed more and more as the afternoon wore on. The groom and his son (at least I assumed he was his son) knew how to make her laugh, and the three of them were obviously a close-knit family. She looked stunning in her designer dress, surrounded by meticulous greenery and water features. Troy couldn’t take his eyes off her…or lose the dopey smile on his face.
I got it. I felt the same way as I watched Charlie take charge and work her magic with the camera. She didn’t pose them too much; most of the time she just pointed at a pretty area in the gardens and told them to go have a chat. Occasionally she’d call out for them to kiss, cuddle or touch foreheads, but most of the time she got trigger-happy catching moments of spontaneous beauty. The bridal party was small, but their respective partners had been invited to join in the fun.
The flower girl was pretty darn cute too with her blonde ringlets and blue eyes…plus those dimples. She had enough charm and character to mingle with the wedding party easily. Her dad hovered around, reeling her in with a quiet Aussie accent. “Angel, come here, gorgeous.”
She’d run to him with a giggle and he’d hoist her into the air.
Charlie snapped a bunch of those photos. I caught a glimpse of one of them over her shoulder and it was photographic genius.
That light. Charlie would be going nuts over that light.
A breathy giggle spurted out of her before she lifted her camera again.
I stood back with a proud smile and kept watching it all from the sidelines.
Glasses of champagne, easy banter, and raucous laughter mixed with piles of love. It made for an entertaining afternoon.
The photos would be amazing, I had no doubt about that.
Where I could, I lent a hand, but most of the wedding party acted like I didn’t exist…or threw me the odd you’re a weirdo look. The only reason they were letting me hang around was because Charlie asked them too.
As the night approached and the wedding reception got underway, I stuck to the shadows and the corners of the room as much as I could.
Kelly bought me a beer during the dinner service, her eyes dancing with amusement.
“I didn’t think you were capable of something that crazy.”
“We’ve met like one time before this.” I shrugged, hinting that she didn’t know me at all.
“Yet I’ve spent hours hearing all about you.”
My lips twitched.
Kelly grinned and sipped her wine. “Finally figured out you love her, huh?”
“I’ve always known,” I murmured. “It’s just taken me a while to find the courage to fight for it.”
Kelly’s expression softened. “Well, good luck. And make sure you say everything you need to, tonight.”
“Why?”
She went to answer me but was stopped by a girl I didn’t recognize. She was blonde with these stunning blue eyes that checked me out before speaking. “What’s the deal? Are you really here to win Charlie over? Because if you’re not sure, you can just walk your butt right out the door.”
I frowned at the strange woman and flicked a glance at Kelly.
She grinned and introduced us. “Nixon, this is Fliss, Charlie’s roommate.”
Fliss stuck out her hand to shake and I caught a glimpse of that big ring the neighbor had mentioned.
“Nice ring.” I shook her hand with a small grin.
“Thank you.” She spun it on her finger and nailed me with a stellar glare. “Now, stop changing the subject and tell me what your intentions are.”
“I…” I let out a sigh. “My intentions are to tell her that I love her.”
Fliss planted her fist on her hip. “Aren’t you supposed to be getting married at the end of June?”
“I called off the wedding.”
Her eyebrows rose, her eyes still fiery with concern. “Did you tell your parents?”
Shit, Charlie really hadn’t held back, had she?
I looked to the floor with a heavy sigh. “I didn’t know what my dad had done to her. I just found out and, uh… They know I’m not happy about it. They know I have no intention of getting back together with Shayna.”
Fliss nodded, slightly appeased, but not enough to smile at me. “Well, that’s something, but don’t come into this half-assed. It’s not fair when she’s—”
Fliss’s warning was cut off by Jimmy Baker, the lead guitarist for Chaos, calling everyone to gather around for the bride and groom’s first dance. Kelly grinned and quickly grabbed Fliss’s arm, pulling her away from me. She whispered something into Kelly’s ear, and Charlie’s cousin nodded before they both glanced over their shoulders at me.
More eye bulging and head shakes. I was seeing a lot of that.
Slumping down into a spare chair against the wall, I got out of the way while the bride and groom did their wedding dance to “Say You Won’t Let Go.” The song hit me right in the heart, like it did everyone. Jimmy was singing in perfect harmony with Ness while the rest of the band quietly played behind them. Troy’s son was also up there, which was a nice touch.
I studied their faces, saw them smiling into the crowd while they played. Seemed like everyone had a partner. The bride and groom swayed next to each other, and as the song continued, different couples walked onto the floor. The tall guy who looked like Superman with his little wife. They’d been at the photo shoot. I was pretty sure her name was Ella.
Next to her was a blonde woman with her… Shit, that was Sean Jaxon, the Hollywood film star.
My eyebrows popped high as I soaked in the fame for a second.
“You’re funny.” A little voice over my shoulder made me jump.
I turned and spotted a girl with blonde ringlets and a cherub face.
“Hi, flower girl.”
“Hello.” She brushed a curl off her cheek and stuck out her hand. “I’m Angel. What’s your name, funny man?”
“Nixon.”
She bobbed her head and climbed onto the chair next to me, tucking her silky dress beneath her knees. Her feet dangled above the ground, her sparkly shoes swinging back and forth.
“I’m six.” Her cute little nose twitched.
“Wow. That’s pretty old.”
“I know. I go to school now.”
“You must be pretty smart, then.”
“Daddy says so.” She pointed to the dance floor at a good-looking guy with a super-hot wife. He was the Australian guy at the photo shoot.
Leo? Yeah, that was it.
His wife was blonde and brilliant. Her smile could light a room.
“You know, you look like your mommy.”
Angel grinned like I’d just given her the world’s best compliment. “Thank you.”
I gazed back at the couple. They had their foreheads pressed together as they swayed to the song, his hand gently caressing her baby bump.
“My little brother’s in her belly. He’s coming out in two months.”
“You must be excited.”
She shrugged. “I already have a little sister, Elenore. She’s two and can be really annoying, but she’s cute so that makes it easier to love her.”
I grinned. “Elenore. Nice name.”
“Yeah, they named her after that song by The Turtles. My parents do that.” She shrugged. “I’m named after that song ‘Angelia’ by Richard Marx. Who knows what they’ll call my brother.” She shook her head like her parents were a hopeless case.
I couldn’t help laughing.
She looked at me with a what’s so funny expression and I quickly covered. “So, having a little sister is sometimes fun and sometimes not.”
“Yep.” She nodded. “Mostly fun, I guess. Except when she gets together with Aunt Ella and Uncle Cole’s kids.” Her eyes bulged. “They’re like the terrible trio.”
Angel was adorable, and it was hard not to chuckle at her serious sweetness. “And how old are Aunt Ella and Uncle Cole’s kids?”
“They’re three. Twin boys. You can only imagine.” She rolled her eyes.
“Lucky you get to go to school and get away from them, huh?”
“For sure.” She nodded, then beamed and waved at the blonde lady dancing with Sean Jaxon.
The woman gave me a cautious glare. I reciprocated with a closed-mouth smile, which she accepted, but I had a feeling once the song was done, she’d be coming to collect the little cutie beside me.
“That’s Aunt Morgan. She’s teaching me how to dance.”
“Nice.” I nodded. “You like dancing? Why aren’t you up there with your family, then?”
“I’ll go soon. I just thought you looked a little lonely.” She scratched the side of her nose. “My best friend, Thomas, he looks like that sometimes. That’s how I became his friend.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah, he was sitting by himself one day so I went to say hello because Mommy says that we should always make people try to smile, and he wasn’t smiling.” She brushed at the curl that kept tickling her cheek before continuing with her story. “He’s my best friend now because he’s smart and we like the same stuff.”
“Well, that’s always a good start. Best friends like the same things.”
“Yeah, I know.” She grinned. “I wish he was here. It’d be nice to have someone my size to dance with.”
I glanced up at the floor and noticed Angel’s dad frowning at me. Fair enough. I was the crazy guy who had tried to stop the wedding.
Pointing at him, I leaned down and spoke to Angel. “I can see a guy over there who’d probably dance with you.”
She giggled and hopped down from the chair. “You know, Mom thinks what you did was romantic, but Daddy says you’re bloody crazy.”
I laughed, then winced. “Maybe a little of both?”
She grinned and waved at me. “Goodbye, crazy man.”
“Thanks for making me smile, Angel.”
She stopped at my words, her face like the star on top of a Christmas tree. Running back, she went on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek before racing into her father’s arms.
He crouched down to collect her and she wrapped her arms and legs around him while they danced on the floor together.
It was a thing of beauty…and Charlie captured it all.
Standing up, she gazed at her camera display with a triumphant smile before continuing to snap more precious moments.
I had no idea how many hundreds of photos she must have taken throughout the day, but she was going all out for this wedding.
I wanted to see them, to pour over them like we used to. The hours we’d spend at her computer manipulating images while music blasted out of her stereo. Her mom would bustle in to turn it down, but as new songs started we’d slowly increase the volume again.
I missed those days. The Snickers bars, the movie-a-thons, the photos, the music.
We could never get those moments back. But I hoped like hell we could make new ones.
My chest constricted as Chaos started a rock version of “Happy Together.” Charlie and I loved this version. We’d sing it all the time at high school and I’d imagine myself with her forever.
She glanced across the room and caught my eye. Once again we were transported to that place where we belonged.
My lips rose with a smile but her sad expression, and the way her gaze hit the floor, threw a noose around my hope. I’d imagined it differently. Thought the fact that I’d busted in on a wedding was enough to prove how much I wanted her.
But something was holding her back.
And I was almost too afraid to find out what it was.