Then I looked down at the woman next to me. She met my gaze with an emotionally charged look of her own.
CHAPTER 20
DELILAH
I triedto hold back the wave of emotion as I met Jasper’s gaze. I had no right to picture the tall, ruggedly handsome man next to me standing in front of me, holding my hand, and promising to love, honor, and cherish me for the rest of our lives. But for some reason, I did. Jasper had thrown a wrench in my carefully constructed plans. A wrench that I wanted to grab onto and never let go.
“It’s time for the butterflies,” he reminded me. His voice had gone soft.
Reluctantly, I shifted my gaze away from his in time to see a horde of butterflies emerge from a stand of shrubs behind the arbor. They rose into the air, their wings fluttering against a backdrop of the late afternoon Texas sky.
I squeezed his hand tighter. “They’re beautiful.”
“So are you.” His warm breath brushed my cheek as he leaned closer to whisper into my ear.
A chill raced through me and I turned my head, almost causing us to bump noses.
He pulled away and tilted his head back. “There they go. How many hours did we spend collecting butterflies? And they’re gone in a blink of an eye.”
“Some things don’t have to last a long time to make a lasting impression.” My lungs filled as I drew in a breath.
One side of his mouth ticked up. “Is that so?”
I nodded, realizing the unspoken understanding between us. Maybe that was all this would be. A moment of attraction we’d both recognize before realizing it wasn’t meant to be.
As the last of the butterflies fluttered away, Abby’s voice rose over the crowd. She sang a sweet song about finding the love of a lifetime as the bride and groom walked down the aisle.
“Your sister has a gorgeous voice.” The crowd began to leave their seats, and I let my fingers fall from his.
Jasper took a half step to his left, putting a breath of distance between us. “Yeah, she sure does.”
The song wrapped up and the guests milled around the patio, some of them already starting to make their way over to the tent where the reception would take place.
“Shall we?” Jasper stood and buttoned his suit jacket, then offered me his arm.
We started for the tents on the other side of the property, until I came to an abrupt stop.
“There you are.” I could have picked Jasper’s aunt Suzy out of any size crowd. Her bright red hair had been tamed into a bun at the nape of her neck. A set of jeweled clips held the sides in place. Were those frogs?
“Suzy.” Jasper stopped and let go of my arm to greet his aunt. “Did you do the flowers today?”
“Sure did.” Suzy beamed. “Just wait until you see the bouquets on the head table. I used some branches from my own property as the base. Lacey wouldn’t let me use real butterflies at the reception. She said she had to draw the line there and it wouldn’t be sanitary since there’d be so much food around. Sometimes I don’t think that woman understands that there shouldn’t be lines when it comes to appreciating art.”
“She probably didn’t want butterflies landing in their dinner.” Jasper’s brows rose as he glanced at me over the top of his aunt’s head.
“Do you think we could chat for a few minutes?” I asked Suzy.
“Oh, yes. I’ve been meaning to talk to you.” Suzy took my arm. “Jasper, can we have a second?”
“Sure. I need to check on Abby. I’ll meet y’all back here in a few minutes?”
Suzy waved him away, already tugging me to the bench we’d just vacated. “I wanted to apologize about that run-in with your mama. Seems like I had her mixed up with someone else. You know, my eyesight’s just not what it used to be.”
I squinted at her. One of the rhinestone frogs in Suzy’s hair had caught the sun and sent a bright array of sparkles dancing at the edge of my vision. “But I saw you and my mother talking in the front seat of your car. And then she said she used to know you a long time ago.”
“She did?” Suzy’s hand went to her heart.
“I don’t understand. Were you in school together?”
