“I think that’s sweet.” He smiles, pulling open the car door for me.
I slap him playfully on the arm before I climb in. His car is a sleek black Tesla with a leather interior. I realize I never asked him what he does for work. He must be pretty successful to afford a car like this.
“What do you do for a living, by the way?” I ask as he climbs into the car next to me.
He stiffens for a second before shutting the door and starting the engine. “Finance,” he says, then adds quickly, “It’s not exciting.”
I sense he’s being short on purpose, so I decide to drop it. Maybe it stresses him out to discuss work in his free time. He definitely seems tense, but then I see his body relax and he smiles at me.
“My real dream is to work in real estate development,” he says as he pulls away from the curb. “Building custom homes.”
“That’s amazing.” I grin at him. “How’d you get interested in that?”
He shrugs. “I’ve always loved driving through nice neighborhoods and admiring the architecture. We didn’t have much money growing up, and I guess it was always my dream to live in a big, beautiful house.”
“I used to drag my parents to open houses in our neighborhood,” I say. “Maybe we’ll have to go to one together.”
He glances at me, a smile playing on his full lips. “Maybe we will.”
As Nic drives, I think about what he’s just told me. The more I learn about him, the more interesting I find him. The fact that he grew up poor is a total shock—at first glance, you’d think he’s the kind of guy who’s breezed his way through life. But I admire that he’s worked hard for his money.
When we pull up to the church, there’s already a crowd. I lead Nic to the front where my mom is sitting. She pulls me into a big hug as soon as she sees me, and I can tell she’s already on the verge of tears.
“Mom, the wedding hasn’t even started yet.” I laugh as she sniffles.
“My son is getting married,” she says, swatting me on the arm. “I’ll cry as much as I want to.”
“Mom, this is Nic,” I tell her, stepping aside so they can shake hands.
“Very nice to meet you,” Nic says. “You’ve got some great kids.”
“Of course they’re great,” she says, smirking at him. “I raised them.”
We all laugh, and my mom gives me a look. I can tell she’s going to grill me later about who Nic is and why I haven’t told her about him.
As we take our seats, I turn to Nic and whisper, “Sorry I didn’t warn you about my mom. She can be a little sassy.”
“She’s amazing.” Nic grins at me. “I like a woman with her own opinion.”
As the ceremony starts, I grab my mom’s hand. I know she’s going to totally lose it, and sure enough, within a minute, tears run down her face.
The ceremony is short and sweet. But when I see my brother gazing at Christine like she’s his whole world, and listen to them repeat their vows, I start to cry too. I’m so happy for them; they truly are perfect for each other.
I’m sniveling like a baby, but I don’t care. I’m so full of love for the both of them. And I’m secretly pleased they chose not to have a wedding party up there with them. Fewer people to witness my waterworks.
I try to wipe my tears away, but Nic pulls a tissue from his jacket and hands it to me.
“You brought tissues?” I ask, incredulous.
“I had a feeling you’d need them.” He grins.
I stare at him, still blown away by his chiseled jaw and mesmerizing brown eyes. He’s the complete package. Why is this man single? He must be a serial killer. I make a mental note to interrogate Christine about his lack of attachment later.
After the ceremony, everyone heads to the champagne reception, which is held in a pavilion overlooking the lake. As he drives, I can’t stop glancing at Nic.
He handled meeting my mom so well. Sometimes, she can be a bit much when you don’t know her, which could turn some people off. But she apparently didn’t even faze him, which I’m grateful for.
Even the way he drives is sexy, his big strong hands placed firmly on the wheel. It’s impossible not to think about how much I want his hands firmly placed on me.
When we arrive, Nic opens the door and helps me step out of the car. “Have I mentioned yet how amazing you look in that dress? It was definitely the right choice,” he says, smiling at me as we walk toward the crowd.
I smile back at him, my heart pounding. I’m too aware of the way the dress hugs my curves, and the fact that it shows a little more cleavage than I’m comfortable with. Normally, I would have gone with a safer, more conservative dress, but something about Nic makes me want to break all my rules. Which is why I messaged him last night for his opinion, rather than reaching out to Christine or another friend who knows what my boundaries are.
“Then again, you probably would have looked stunning in either of them,” he adds, looking me up and down.
A shiver runs through me. Wait until you see me with the dress off.
Biting my lip, I chastise myself. Down, girl.
It’s only been an hour, and I’m more than ready to sleep with him. This is so not like me, but for once in my life, I’m ready to throw caution to the wind.
“Are you this smooth with all the ladies?” I ask when I see he’s still watching me.
A shadow seems to pass over his face, but it happens so quickly, I start to doubt my own eyes and think I might have imagined it. Before I know it, the moment has passed, and he’s grinning at me again, back to his normal self.
“I just enjoy giving compliments. Is that so wrong?” He raises one dark brow.
“No.” I smirk at him as I grab two champagne flutes for us from a nearby server. “It’s not wrong at all.”
He watches me for a moment as we wander away from the party with our champagne, picking our way down the path to the lake.
“I like that you’re not afraid to call me out, because there’s plenty of guys who’ll say whatever it takes to get what they want,” he says finally, sipping his champagne. “There’s also a lot of women who just tell me what they think I want to hear. But you’re different.”
“I guess I’m one of a kind,” I say, half joking. I’ve never been great at accepting compliments. It’s easier to deflect kind words with a joke.
“You are,” he says, completely serious.
I look into his eyes for a moment, no longer smiling. We’re standing close enough to touch, and I wonder if this is the moment he’s finally going to kiss me. My heart is racing, and I lean forward with anticipation. But then he breaks eye contact and takes a step back.
What the hell?
“This is so beautiful,” he says, walking to the edge of the water.
Floored, I stay back for a second. What just happened? It seemed like the perfect moment, and then it’s like a switch flipped. I recover quickly and follow him to the water, trying not to let it get me down.
I know we have a connection; that’s something I’m completely sure of. I just have to believe that he has a good reason for waiting to kiss me. But what is he waiting for?
As I join Nic, I take in the scene around us. Willow trees line the banks where water laps gently, and baby ducks swim nearby. The sun is about to set, lending everything a golden glow.