Matthew extends a hand. “How are you? Matthew.”
“Mack.” The man smiles and shakes his hand.
Matthew reaches over to shake the woman’s hand.
She reciprocates and says, “Presley.”
I hold up a hand since I’m too far away to get a handshake. “Karli.”
“Nice to meet you guys,” says Mack.
“You too. Friends with the bride or groom?”
“Groom,” says Mack.
“You live in the city?”
They both shake their heads. Mack says, “Detroit.”
Didn’t one of the twins say something about Dominic being in jail in Detroit?
“Oh yeah, Dom’s from there, right?”
Mack nods. “Yeah, but I didn’t know him growing up. He did work for my old law firm.” His eyes dart around a little. “We did some work for him too. Not me, directly, I specialized in real estate law. Now, we do non-profit stuff, and work with Meadow, who works with Rick a lot.”
The more I hear about Dominic, the more mysterious and interesting he becomes. I suppose it’s appropriate, given he’s a PI. It seems natural they’d have interesting back stories.
“Meadow is Wells Covington’s fiancée. She runs an impact fund within his hedge fund.”
I realize Matthew just said all of that on my behalf. About the same time he says it, I notice Wells Covington and a woman walking up and taking a seat across the aisle. No big deal, just one of the wealthiest men on the planet.
“How about you two?”
“We work with him at The Hunter Group.”
The conversation ends when Jeremiah steps up to the microphone and begins the ceremony. I can’t help but glance over and notice how cute Mack and Presley are together. I don’t think his hand has left her thigh since we sat down.
Dominic walks in from the side at the instruction of Jeremiah, and he looks pale as a ghost. I haven’t seen him many times, but I’ve never seen him look nervous like this. His legs are trembling noticeably. I don’t know if he’s going to be able to keep himself upright.
Music starts and an older woman who looks eerily like the Collins brothers walks down, holding Delaney, helping her toss down rose petals from a basket. She must be Delaney’s grandma, meaning she’s the woman who gave birth to all my bosses. Then one by one the Collins brothers and their wives come down the aisle in pairs, separating once they reach Jeremiah, flanked by burning candelabras that create a backdrop of light behind them.
Decker and Tate fall in last, and Decker stands next to Dominic who now looks like he might pass out at any second. For the first time, Decker looks like a human being with a soul. He puts a hand on Dominic’s shoulder and whispers something in his ear.
It seems to snap Dominic out of it momentarily.
I can’t help but smile a little, though. It’s how it should be. It’s clear as day Dominic is one hundred percent in love with Mary. There’s something so amazing about watching a man damn near fall apart because of a woman. Where he loves her so much it damn near brings him to his knees.
I glance over at Matthew, getting a glimpse of his profile, and immediately have thoughts I shouldn’t be having.
Still though, could he be the one?
There’s no way. Sure, I’m attracted to him. Okay, that’s an understatement and even I can admit that. But I’m lying to myself if I say there’s not something more, just under the surface, that’s slowly being peeled back the more I’m around him. I don’t know how to explain it, or quantify it, or measure it. It’s just there, a foreign feeling or emotion. It’s in my stomach, my chest, my face, my brain—any time he’s around. I’ve never experienced it, until I met him.
Pastor Jeremiah asks everyone to stand, and everyone does, including me. The back doors open and Here Comes the Bride plays over the speakers. The second Dominic’s eyes land on Mary, he’s a goner. I think the smile on my face might be burned in at this point, because he’s so damn raw and exposed right now.
People wear masks and hide themselves every day, me included. It’s in our nature.
Right now, he’s one hundred percent authentic—real. Human.
I didn’t think he could turn any whiter, but he does. It looks like he’s on the brink of passing out at any moment—the way it should be when a man sees his soon-to-be wife for the first time.
Tate, Quinn, and Abigail all practically swoon. The Collins brothers are all smiles, even Decker. I think it’s the first time I’ve seen him look happy about something, other than when it looks like he and Tate are alone.
I know he had a falling out with his brother Donavan, and it hit him hard, at least that’s what I’ve been told. But it’s been months. I don’t know and I won’t pretend to know about their family dynamics. I won’t lie and say I haven’t glanced around looking to see if Donavan Collins would be here. He’s practically a legend with my friends from school specializing in criminal law. They all dream of landing a job at his new firm in Manhattan.
As Mary makes her way up the aisle, I feel Matthew’s hand slide into mine and our fingers interlace. I shouldn’t be here, doing this, but it feels so right when I’m next to him and that scares me, a lot. At the same time, adrenaline rushes through my veins. What am I doing? I don’t know, but the suspense is killing me. What’s going to happen with us after the reception tonight? It’s almost too much to take, so I try to focus on the wedding and push it to the back of my mind.
Right when I think I’ve succeeded, Matthew leans over next to my ear and whispers, “Later tonight, you’re mine.”
I suck in a deep breath and hope he didn’t notice. How could he not, though? My heart just redlined so damn hard I think it might explode any second.
Yeah, I’m done for.
I don’t think I can stop myself from doing whatever it is he has planned. Even worse, I don’t want to.
The rest of the wedding proceeds as weddings do. It’s very traditional and Christian. That’s the best way to describe it. Very spiritual.
Of course, there are tears and smiles all around the place. They say their vows and then their I dos, and when they kiss, the place erupts with hoots and hollers. The wedding party files out, and Jeremiah waits for the doors to close after they’ve all made their exit.
“The new couple would like to invite everyone to attend their reception at The Gage for drinks and food and celebration. Thank you all for attending and God bless you.”
Everyone stands up and they all begin to mingle and slowly make their way out.
It’s not lost on me that Matthew hasn’t let go of my hand since Mary walked down the aisle. I’m starting to wonder if he’s ever going to.
He glances down at me and smiles. “One down. One to go.”
That’s it. That’s all he says.
I know exactly what he means. He’s counting down the wedding and the reception, until we’re alone together. I should say something, but what the hell am I going to say? I’m counting it down too at this point.
“Where are you taking me, after?”
He doesn’t even look down, just pulls me along and says, “Wherever I want.”
Shit.