Love with Me
“I’m sorry it hurts you,” Jace whispers and presses his lips to my temple.
“I’ll be okay,” I reply with a sigh. “I guess I was fostering Nancy, after all.”
He tugs me to him and hugs me close. Carl wiggles out of my arms and walks over to Nancy’s bed, where he curls up and takes a bath, which only makes me cry again because I’m convinced that he misses the dog.
In reality, he just loves that bed and needs a bath.
Or, maybe he misses her, too. Who knows?
I just know that I’m going to miss her.
~Jace~
“Let me do this,” Levi says as he fiddles with Wyatt’s bowtie.
“My hands are shaking,” Wyatt admits, taking a deep breath and looking up so Levi can fix the mess Wyatt made. “Why is it so hard?”
“Tying the tie, or getting married?” I ask with a grin.
“Both. We should have just gone to the Justice of the Peace and got it all over with.”
“Right, because Mom would have been okay with that,” Levi says.
“Not to mention Lia,” I add.
“She has a whole camera crew here, taking photos and videos of her getting ready for her YouTube channel,” Wyatt says with a proud smile. “She’s not sharing the ceremony or reception, of course. But she thought it would be fun to share the process of getting ready with her followers.”
“The women will eat that shit up,” Levi agrees. “She’s a smart woman.”
“So smart,” Wyatt agrees. “Do you have the rings, Jace?”
“For the sixth time, I have them,” I reply.
Wyatt nods, and Levi finishes the tie, then pours all of us a shot of whiskey. “I think we could all use this.”
“To Wyatt,” I say, holding my glass in the air. We clink glasses and then down the shots. The whiskey burns down my throat, immediately making me feel warm and a bit calmer. I don’t know why the hell I’m nervous. I guess Wyatt’s rubbing off on me.
“Do you have the rings?” Wyatt asks me. Again.
I pat down my jacket, the pockets of my pants, and turn to Levi. “Do you have them?”
“No,” Levi replies, laughter in his eyes. “I thought you did.”
“Huh.” I frown and pat my tux again, then look around the room. “I swear they’re here somewhere.”
“What the hell?” Wyatt demands, and Levi and I both laugh, fist-bumping each other. “That isn’t funny.”
“For the last time, I have the rings. I promise. I’m a doctor for Christ’s sake, I think I can manage to not lose your wedding rings.”
“Right.” Wyatt takes a deep breath, then lets it out slowly. “I wish Amelia would let me see her before the ceremony.”
“Isn’t that bad luck?” Levi asks.
“Some people do that first-look thing for photographs. But Amelia wanted to wait.”
“I think it’s nice.” I pat Wyatt on the shoulder. “And you’re going to be great.”
“Okay,” he blows out another gusty breath and walks to his suitcase. He and Lia are staying here at the vineyard tonight before leaving for their honeymoon tomorrow. He pulls out a wrapped box and a card. “I have something for you to take to her.”
“I’ll be back.”
I carry the box to the other side of the inn where the bridal suite is. Amelia’s cousin, Dominic Salvatore, owns the vineyard. It’s a beautiful spot for a wedding.
I knock on the door. “It’s Jace. I have a delivery for the bride.”
The door swings open to a flurry of activity. Wyatt wasn’t kidding about the video crew. There are several cameras and even a boom mic in the room.
But more than that, there are about thirty people. Amelia’s bridal party is small, with just her sister Anastasia and cousin Jules standing up with her. But she has a whole squad of women chatting and laughing, doing hair and makeup, and drinking champagne.
“Oh, Lia,” Jules says with a smile. “You have a surprise.”
I walk into the room and grin when Lia turns to me. She’s in an absolutely gorgeous white gown. It’s strapless with plenty of sparkle, and it hugs her curves down to her thighs before it flows out.
I’m sure the style has a name, but I couldn’t say what it is.
“You’re the most beautiful woman in all the land today,” I say as I lean in to kiss her cheek. “My brother is a lucky son of a bitch.”
She smiles widely, her eyes lighting up when she sees the wrapped box in my hand.
“This is obviously for you.”
“Photographer,” Anastasia says, looking around. “You’ll want to catch this.”
“This isn’t for my YouTube channel,” Amelia says to another woman standing by. “Please don’t record this.”
“No problem.”
She opens the card first, reading silently. When she gets to the bottom, she covers her mouth and sniffles.
“No crying,” Jules says. “Your makeup is perfect.”
“I know,” Lia says with one last sniffle as she puts the card back into its envelope. “I’m not sharing that. It’s too personal.”
I smile, proud of my brother for finding a woman who has found the balance of living a public life and valuing the things she wants to keep close to her heart.
Lia pulls the ribbon free, opens the box, and the room gasps at the pair of diamond earrings inside.
“Fucking hell,” Anastasia says, and the others nod in agreement. “Lia, those match your dress perfectly.”
“Looks like I have the perfect earrings for today,” Lia says with a grin and immediately turns to the mirror to pin them to her ears. They dangle and sparkle beautifully in the light.
“I’m so glad you’re having an evening wedding,” Jules says. “These earrings are going to sparkle like crazy.”
Lia blinks rapidly, warding off tears, and reaches for another wrapped box and card.
“This is for Wyatt.”
“I’ll deliver it now. See you soon.”
I wave to the ladies and hurry back to the groom’s suite where Wyatt and Levi are laughing.
“Have you been drinking more without me?”
“Only one shot,” Wyatt says. “What did she say? How does she look?”
“You choked her up, and she’s wearing your gift today. She looks like a bride, and that’s all you’ll get out of me.”
He smiles proudly, then frowns when I pass him the gift. “We weren’t exchanging presents.”
I roll my eyes. “Clearly, you both broke that rule.”
He opens the card, reads it, and grins from ear to ear when he puts it away. But when he opens the gift, he gasps.
“What is it?” Levi asks just as our mom and dad walk into the room.
“A watch,” he says, shaking his head. “A very expensive watch.”
“Is she telling you that you’re always late?” I ask, earning a slap on the arm from my mom.
“He’s not late,” she says and then kisses my cheek. “Oh, my boys look so handsome.”
“You clean up pretty well yourself,” I reply with a smile, tucking her into my side. “How’s it going out there?”
“It’s beautiful,” Mom gushes. “Oh, my goodness, Wyatt, this wedding is just amazing. There are so many people bustling about, getting everything just so.”
“Are you guys in here?” Joy asks, poking her head around the door. She rode with my parents, but I’ll be taking her home with me later. “Sorry, I had to make a pit stop.”
“Hey.” I hurry to her, take her hand, and lead her into the room, excited to see her.
“This might be the fanciest party I’ve ever been to,” she says with a laugh. “And trust me, this guy has taken me to plenty of fancy parties.” She hitches a thumb in my direction.
“You are magnificent,” I say, taking in her emerald green gown and black heels. Her hair is down, framing her face in loose curls. But it’s her smile that always stops me in my tracks. “It’s not right to be more beautiful than the bride.”