CHAPTER TWO
JAKE
Ilean forward and angle my head to see if she’s still there, but I see no trace of her. I shift uncomfortably in my seat, my dick throbbing from the mere eye contact we just shared. My eyes were drawn to her the moment I saw her appear in the doorway, when she thought no one was watching her.
The way she watched Mav and Bella, I could feel her emotions like they were my own…a mixture of pain and longing weaved together in a tangled mess. Her slender body gripping the wood like it was the only thing keeping her up.
I couldn’t have taken my eyes off her even if the whole damn place caught on fire. The flames would have consumed me before I even noticed they were there.
“You good?” My brother Miles leans over and whispers. “I can feel the tenseness coming off your body in waves,” he chuckles softly.
“Yeah, I’m good,” I sigh. “Guess I’m just tired. I had a late-night session last night, and then we helped all day with wedding preparations.” I watch my older brother Travis stand with the groomsmen, but it’s clear his wife, standing across him as a bridesmaid, is what has his full attention.
“Well, getun-tired. There are at least six girls here that need our attention later. You know how women get at weddings, and it’s exactly why we never bring dates,” he says quietly so we don’t disturb the wedding.
Miles is a couple of years younger than me at twenty-six. Since he graduated high school, we’ve been each other’s wingman. Seeing our other two brothers, Travis and Ryder, get married and how happy they are has made me wonder more than once if I’m missing something in my life.
There’s no shortage in our small town with all the vacationers coming in and out with women who would gladly jump at the chance to warm my bed every night and become Mrs. Montgomery. Hell, I’ve been proposed to many times while I’m deep inside them, but I’ve never met anyone that will bring me to my knees like Travis and Ryder will gladly do for their wives.
Until now.
I glance at the doorway, willing her to show up again. Maybe I dreamed the whole thing. It can’t be possible to feel this much with only one look.
Can it?
I’m pulled from my thoughts as everyone starts clapping around me and starts to stand up as Mav and Bella walk back down the aisle, hand in hand. The look on their faces sends a longing deep inside my chest. I rub the ache like it will magically disappear beneath my palm.
Bella winks at Ryder and me as she passes by, and I can’t help but grin back at the blonde beauty. We met them through our brother Travis when he married Maverick’s sister, Sophia. We quickly became friends with them, along with Bella’s brother Noah and his wife Emma. Even though we live an hour north of them in Blue Haven, we make a point to get together as often as we can at our family beach house.
This summer, we will be hosting our second annual Fourthof July party, which Miles has already begun collecting a huge pile of fireworks in the garage. Lord help us if our house ever caught on fire because what the fire didn’t burn, the boxes of explosives in the garage would finish it off in seconds.
Travis walks down the aisle with Sophia and gives me a quick punch to the arm as he passes by. “Was that supposed to hurt?” I call after him as he grins over his shoulder.
“If I wanted it to, it would.”
I shake my head and chuckle.
“Even at weddings, you men still act like children,” Savi bumps her shoulder to mine. She’s our only sister and the youngest of the family. It’s amazing that she still talks to us with all the hell we put her dates through growing up. With four older protective brothers, she had her work cut out for her.
Unlike all her brothers with grey eyes, Savi has the most vivid blues I’ve ever seen. With her long dark hair and a cute dusting of freckles across her nose, she’s stunning…which is exactly why we have our work cut out for us, too.
“Feeling left out?” I throw my arm around her and start to tickle her.
“Stop it, you big nut,” she laughs and pulls me off of her. “I’m ready for a glass of wine. You two yahoos coming?” She glances at me and Miles.
“I’m in,” Miles says, coming up and throwing his arm around her. “Lead the way, sis.” I follow them down the aisle and up the wide staircase leading to the upper level. The view of the ocean is more beautiful the higher I climb. Different shades of blue as far as the eye can see.
Round tables are scattered about, and little white cards with names written on them sit on the white china as we make our way to one of the bars in the back. Vases of daisies are centered at each table, with candles on either side, creating a romantic setting. The crystal chandeliers illuminate the place with fairylights strung up, creating a tent-like atmosphere. People are already gathered out on the balcony overlooking the beach. I follow them across the wide open space by the DJ booth, obviously set up for dancing later.
We get our drinks and find our table. A few staff members move about, busily making sure everyone has water at their table. I can’t help but scan each one, hoping to see a brunette ponytail in the mix. The hotel is large, and it’s possible she’s not even at this event.
I take a sip of my bourbon and keep my eyes peeled. I just need one more glance to get confirmation that what I felt between us wasn’t just my imagination.
“Looks like they stuck you three at the kid’s table,” Ryder laughs. He pulls out a chair for his wife, Eve, while holding his three-year-old daughter to his chest with the other arm.
“Like we care. Give me my nephew. He needs his Auntie Savi time.”
Eve carefully hands over a sleeping Mason. He’s still so tiny at only one month. His dark hair peeks out of the black knit cap on his head. I smile at the black sleeper he’s wearing with the little tuxedo printed across the front.
