When we were all dressed and ready for the wedding, the photographer came in to get some “getting ready” pictures. Kitty’s mom and I buttoned her into her dress for a shot, and we got some shots in the Greenbrier’s iconic kitschy furniture. Then there was a knock at the door.
“Boys coming in! Cover anything interesting!”
The air in the room changed as all four groomsmen came in, all looking sharp and handsome and smelling delicious. Mel’s husband made a beeline for her. Jessie’s boyfriend Mikey fawned over Kitty, along with Frank, while Nick broke off to come talk to me.
“Hey stranger,” he said, then lowered his voice. “How you holdin’ up?”
“Oh, just fine,” I said. “How are things on your end?”
“Dandy,” he said. “Ready for the big show?”
Oh, right. The speech. I’d been so distracted by our 69 mishap that I had mostly forgotten. “Think so. Nervous, though.”
He landed a soft punch into my shoulder, right as the photographer turned the lens toward us. “You’ll do great. Go get ‘em, tiger.”
He blushed as he said that, realizing how cheesy he was being. Mikey watched us and snorted back a laugh, then was quickly distracted by Jessie.
“Almost didn’t recognize you without your freckles,” Nick said. “I mean, you’re still so pretty. Beautiful. I just, it’s not—”
I held up a hand to put him at ease. “Yeah, wedding makeup artists always cake me in foundation until you can’t see them anymore.”
Nick’s eyes traveled over my face and softened. “You’re still gorgeous, Annabelle.” A chill went down my arms at his compliment. I fumbled for something to say, taking his place as the awkward one.
“Obi, we gotta get back,” Mikey called.
“I’ll see you out there,” Nick said, and with a glance over his shoulder at the door, he was gone.
Chapter 9
Nick
JULY | Tarot: Queen of Wands
An angel in peach walked down the aisle toward me, on the arm of Kitty’s handsome brother Frank. She had on her big smile, her dimples popping. She looked at Frank while he whispered some sort of joke to her. Her eyes shone with unshed tears, and her lip wobbled for just a moment when she looked at Guy.
Look atme, angel.
Like she heard my thoughts, Annie’s eyes darted to mine. Her face went a tiny bit pinker and her smile broadened. I gave her a slight nod, telling her with my eyes that she could do it, that she was doing great. I hoped her tears were from being happy for Kitty, and not because she was sad for herself. At the altar, she hugged Frank and they parted ways. Jealousy flared through me, especially knowing that Frank had bragged about bagging Tania the night before. I didn’t say a word about what Annie and I got into, just that we crashed the wedding.
Because honestly, I was embarrassed. Not that I got to be with her like that. That was a gift. It was unspeakably hot to have her grinding herself all over my face, tasting so good. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I was mad at myself that I hadn’t made her come. I didn’t know what I was doing and I felt bad that I couldn’t satisfy her. I felt so inadequate. She’d just come off an affair with a married man, who, you’d assume, would know how to please a woman.
I’m a better man than him, and I couldn’t do that for her. I didn’t like losing, especially not to someone I knew was no better than me.
My thoughts snapped to the present as Kitty and her parents appeared at the end of the aisle, and I got a little choked up. They were such a good pair, and I was glad to see Guy happy. I’d only known him since he joined the team in November, but he was like a brother. He’d told me how much hell they went through together over the years, and how he’d never hesitate to do it the same way all over again to end up where they were.
“Sometimes, love’s just worth it. All the pain. All the struggle. She’s worth every second,” he’d said.
Kitty’s writer friend was the officiant, and he kept the laughs coming during the ceremony. Annie wiped her eye during Guy’s vows, fluffed Kitty’s long skirt, and held her flowers when required. I stole a glance at her when Frank stepped forward to give the officiant the rings.
After the ceremony but before pictures, Kitty’s mom gave her and Guy an envelope that instantly sent them into tears. Annie was standing within earshot and went looking for tissues for Kitty while swiping at her own face. Once she had tissues passed out, I stepped to her side, tentatively putting my arm around her.
“What was it?” I asked.
“A letter from Guy’s mom. She passed when we were in high school. She asked them to be together, and she gave that letter to—” she coughed out a sob and gasped it back, fanning her face, “Sorry, it’s really emotional. Whew. She gave it to Kitty’s mom to give to them today.”
“Oh, wow. That’s really special.” Annie let me hug her, leaning into me. I pulled out my magician’s handkerchief again, giving her the red edge. “Here.”
She laughed as she wiped her tears. “You sharing this with anybody else, Ober?”
