Rachael stopped to kiss Jake’s mom and to hug his dad before he took his seat. Ten more steps and she was at Jake’s side. He fought the urge to kiss her and declare her his wife then and there. After all their planning for this day, she and Bette would probably string him up at the reception. He nearly lost it as he pictured himself dangling over the wedding cake likeMission Impossible. Instead of Rachael glaring at him while he fought back laughter, she looked like she was about to join him.
He couldn’t help it. Jake grabbed her hand and squeezed. The look of love she gave him sobered him up.
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…” Jake tuned out the words, his entire focus on his bride, her midnight hair done up and studded with pearls, her wildflower scent, their hands locked together.
When it came time for the vows, they turned to each other. A mischievous look came into Rachael’s eyes. Jake knew for certain what would come next, he only wondered which song she’d misquote.
Before the wordsDo you take…were out of the reverend’s mouth, Rachael interrupted him.
“Do you want me? I mean, to be all yours? Do you want to stay by my side?”
“”I Do” by J. Geils Band. Nice choice.” Jake stroked his chin and pretended to consider. “Well, I do. I do now. Yes, uh-huh, I do.”
His bride cracked up at the misspoken lyrics. “Got it in one, Jake.”
Oh, hell. He broke the rest of the wedding protocol and wrapped Rachael in his arms, kissing her as their guests clapped and cheered and the reverend said over the cheering, “Well, I guess I should pronounce you husband and wife.”
When Jake pulled back, Rachael looked at him, shaking her head.
“You just couldn’t resist breaking the rules, could you?”
He smiled down at the woman who understood him so well and loved him for it. “Got it in one, Angel. Got it in one.”
Thirty-Four
Camden Bains had long since loosened, then removed, then lost, his tie at the wedding reception by the time the band took the stage, and none other than John Legend left one of the guest tables and stepped up behind the mic to announce the first dance. As long as Camden knew Jake Collins—and that was years now, starting with the military—he’d never get used to the posh life his partner damn near took for granted.
Oh, Camden could fake it, not bat an eye when he dropped by the Collins mansion to chill and grill with Jake and ended up hanging out by the pool with some celebrity he’d seen splashed across a dozen social media platforms. But the entire time, he’d joke and goof around as cover in case he said anything out of line. He wasn’t stupid, or a big enough asshole, to sneak some pics and sell them to the highest bidder, and he’d had multiple, lucrative offers to do just that.
No, Jake was his brother and Jake’s family his family, one that supported Camden through his darkest, bleakest hours. He’d never takethatfor granted, no matter how much money someone tried to throw at him.
Camden heard John Legend call his name to join Jake and Rachael on the dancefloor to dance with the maid of honor. Rachael’s bestie, Elena Martinez.
If anything made Camden more uncomfortable than hearing Johnfreakin’Legend say his name like they were old friends, it was the thought of taking Elena in his arms, of placing his hand on the warm smooth skin of her bare back, and pulling her close. Smelling sweet peppermint and vanilla in her hair as they moved around the dancefloor, all eyes on them, speculating. Gossiping. Saying things like ‘Don’t they make a cute couple? Do you think they’re together? They should be.’ And not one of them knowing the hell Camden had suffered, that made him swear he’d never get close to another woman again.
Then along came Elena.
Camden swallowed hard, smiled wide enough to make his face hurt, and joined Elena. She looked so nervous and unsure even as she smiled that he forgot his own discomfort. He wanted to wrap her up tight and assure her that she wasn’t the only one wowed and overwhelmed by the pageantry. He pushed down his desire to do more than that, to lead her away to a quiet corner or out on the balcony overlooking the lights of L.A. and the pitch-black ocean beyond, and kiss her against that dramatic backdrop. Run his hands along her lush, rounded curves, lift her off her feet and feel her legs wrap around his waist, and then….
Earth to Camden, pull that shit back in, pretend to be a gentleman, and dance with the nice lady while her daughter watches, Camden thought.Just one dance, then you can spend the rest of the evening propping up the bar and exercising your drinking arm with some of that Pappy VanWinkle calling your name.
He just needed to get through this night, then he could beg off any more post-wedding get-togethers that included Elena until she and Tina flew back to Nebraska in a couple of days. Tonight was the last time he’d see them, and that was for the best.
Then why did his heart clench and skip beats whenever he thought about never again seeing Elena, tasting her amazing cooking, hearing Tina squeal with laughter when her mother tickled her?
Camden swore everyone in the room stared at him while he’d hesitated to take Elena’s hand, like eons had passed instead of a second or two. He took her hand in his left and slid his right to the small of her back, the low cut allowing his fingers to rest against her soft skin. He felt the skin ripple as Elena shivered and jumped a little.
“Sorry,” she giggled. “I’m a little ticklish. And a lot nervous, truth be told.”
“Hey, don’t worry,” Camden said, resisting the urge to pull her close. All he needed—hell, all either of them needed—was for her to feel the erection that sprang to life the instant she reacted to his touch. “Truth be told, I’m a little nervous too.”
As the first notes of “All of Me” played, Elena tilted her head. “How could you be nervous? You’re surrounded by this all the time, right? I mean, Beyoncé’s probably your next door neighbor.”
Camden laughed. “You’re confusing me with someone who grew up among the stars. I came to this crazy scene after I met Jake and he trusted me enough to bring me home on leave in our early twenties. I don’t think I opened my mouth more than twice that trip, and that was to say, “Nice to meet you, Ms. Collins,” and, “Thanks for letting me stay with you, Ms. Collins, goodbye.”
It was Elena’s turn to laugh. “Good manners for the win. Your mom must be proud.”
Camden twirled Elena. “Depends on whether or not I’m putting something that formerly had a face in my mouth.”
