Freeing Destiny (Fate #2) (2 page)

So why did I keep imaging what it would be like to cozy up to the best man? My mind had never dwelled on a guy the way it was fixated on Jack Davis—all six-foot-two of him, chiseled and muscular, blond waves cut just neat enough to show off his turquoise-colored eyes. Dayum, he was appetizing, even for someone like me who wasn’t necessarily interested in what was on the menu.

“Stop drooling, Stells. The precession’s about to start. Don’t worry, I’ll tell hot stuff to save a dance for you later at the restaurant.” Nina’s giggle echoed out into the great wilderness of Julia Burns Pfeiffer State Park.

Bitch! She had to catch me ogling?

“What are you two bickering about now?” Aunt Gina emerged from one of the monster party buses we hired to serve as my mother’s on-site bridal suite. Before we could answer, she was buzzing around, her nervous energy rubbing off on me. “It doesn’t matter; Mom’s all set. You girls ready to walk her down the aisle?”

“Wait! What?”
Nina and I turned to our aunt with identically stunned confusion.

“I thought she asked
you
to give her away, Aunt Gi.” At least, that was the original plan. My aunt was like Mom’s mother—her legal guardian since she was sixteen—not to mention, her best friend in the entire world.

“That
was
the plan, girls, but I convinced her otherwise. I’ve held her hand through so many other monumental moments. It’s your turn now—this is an honor the two of
you
should have.”

Tears welled in my eyes. Nina’s too. She quickly fanned her face to stop the water from flowing and ruining her makeup.
She did have a heart underneath all that MAC.
I followed suit. I didn’t want to sit through the torture of beautification again.

“So, you ready?” Aunt Gina cleared her throat and stood tall. I could tell she was fighting back her own sob fest. This was a happy day, but it was bittersweet. Our family had been through so much; these moments needed to be held onto and treasured forever.

“Ready as we’ll ever be. Right, sis?” I linked hands with Nina and squeezed her fingers in a tight, reassuring tug.

“So ready. Let’s get our Mommy married to the man who made her whole again.”

In that moment with my twin, waiting for our mother to take this enormous step toward her new future, the past few months of doubt and concern vanished with the warm summer breeze. This was right. Everyone was happy. Things were taking a turn for the better for the Edwards girls. It was about damn time.

Jack

“Christ, Caleb, you didn’t tell me she was gorgeous. I need to have a word with Emma for withholding prime hook-up material from her older bro.”

The smack that hit me in the back of my head dragged my eyes from Gabriella’s daughter and back to my best friend. “Hey! What did I say?”

“Please don’t call my soon-to-be stepdaughter
prime hook-up material.
Something tells me I’m supposed to be all paternal and protective, but dude—this shit still weirds me out.”

Caleb never really spoke about what marrying Gabriella would entail for him as far as her daughters went, but the thought of him as their fucking stepdad . . .”That’s hilarious, man! Are they gonna call you
Dad
, too?”

That got me another blow. This time a solid punch in my upper arm. “All right, all right, I’ll lay off the Daddy Dearest jokes—for now—but seriously, Caleb, Stella is fucking beautiful.” I couldn’t stop looking at her. She was Gabriella times ten; sophisticated, young, natural—a total knock out. I’d have to find a way to charm her at the reception.

But before I could ogle anymore, the officiant was making her way toward Caleb and me. It was my last shot to say something wise, memorable, best man and best friend-like. “You know? I’m gonna miss the fuck out of you after you leave, but I get why you are. She’s
perfect
for you, man.” I was losing my best friend but
I felt nothing short of pure happiness for him. I couldn’t begrudge him for choosing to start the rest of his life over wherever he wanted.

“Thanks, Jack.” He cleared his throat and shook my hand with a tight squeeze. “That means a lot. And I won’t be a stranger, I promise.”

I would hold him to it. He was a great friend. It was time for him to be a great husband. The music cued up and I clapped Caleb on the back. It was show time.

“Ready to start the rest of your forever, Mr. Waters?” The officiant beamed.

Caleb twiddled his fingers and cracked his knuckles as he flashed a shy smile at the woman who was about to preside over his marriage. “I’ve been ready since the moment I laid eyes on her,” he admitted without batting an eye.

He was so sure of this, so certain of his future and who it belonged to. For once in my life I envied my once misery-prone friend. When he’d told me he was looking for a change in pace a few months ago, I never imagined he’d make such a quick and total turnaround.
Good for him!
He deserves to be happy, the lucky bastard.

If you had asked me a year ago which of us would be standing here about to say ‘I do,’ I’ll tell ya one thing. My answer certainly
wouldn’t
have been Caleb. It might not have been me either, but if it came to betting, my best friend was the underdog.

Me, personally? I enjoyed the commitment of a solid connection; spending time with someone I was comfortable with, attracted to, able to laugh with. I’d had my fair share of monogamous relationships, but I’d yet to meet
the one.
In my eyes, I was still young—barely twenty-seven. I even had time left to play the field before I retired the dating jersey. But the crazy thing was—I was over it. Done with messing around for the fun of it and ready to settle in for the long haul. The right girl was out there somewhere.

Maybe somewhere was
here
.

The presence of her holiness, her honor, her . . . whatever . . . did nothing for the twitching that took place in my pants at the sight of Stella Edwards primping herself in the distance. She fingered the long blonde curls that hung to the crest of her shapely ass, removing disobedient strands from her flawless face. As she flipped her waves behind her, I noticed the way her bronzed cheeks lit up at the sight of her mother making her entrance. All eyes should have been focused on the bride, but I couldn’t deflect my attention from Stella.

Tall, lean, poised, and mesmerizing. The dress she wore showed off her curves in a figure-hugging yet tasteful manner. My fingers ached to trace the outline of her delicate shoulders, to sketch a path of soft strokes down her spine, then travel and explore much, much lower. Her honey-brown eyes flickered as her pink smile grew wider, hooking arms with her mother. There was no comparison between Stella and Nina—her twin—if you asked me. Of course Nina was pretty, they shared many of the same features, but Stella’s hypnotic presence stood out like a gleaming ray of sunshine.

Caleb cleared his throat as Gabriella and her daughters walked closer. It was the first time since narrowing my gaze on Stella that I remembered why we were here. This was Caleb’s day. I was his best man, and I was doing a piss poor job of ridding the groom of any last minute jitters. “You okay over there?” I whispered without moving my lips or bringing attention to either of us.

Caleb swayed, and coughed to unclog his throat again. “I’m more than okay, just a little—” He brought his hand up to his eyes before he could finish.

“You’re not gonna cry, are you, man?” I’d heard about this sort of thing, but I never pegged Caleb for the weep at the altar kind of guy.

“I’m just so . . .” he stammered. “She’s so beautiful, Jack! Look at her,” he gloated through the obvious lump in his throat.

I had to agree. Only I wasn’t looking at his soon-to-be wife. I was in awe of the bombshell bawling her eyes out as she escorted her mother down the aisle. Even as she cried—her features contorting with uninhibited emotions—she was breathtaking. Would it be completely insane if I ran over and scooped her up to comfort her? I didn’t like seeing her cry. It did something to my insides, which was strange because I didn’t even
know
the girl.

Before I could act out my valiant best-man-to-the-rescue fantasy, Stella and Nina were kissing their mother and giving her away to my best friend. Nina approached Caleb first, pecking him on the cheek with a warm smile and a subtle warning. “Take care of our mother.”

When it was Stella’s turn, she staggered, tears still streaming down her cheeks. She lowered her head as she stepped on to the altar, her breath visibly shallow. This was probably hard for her, letting go of her mom. She was obviously the sentimental one, and from what Caleb had told me, even though she was more than accepting of his relationship with her mother, she missed her father terribly.

The urge to erase her pain fueled deep within my veins again. Feeling brave, I reached my hand out to her for leverage. When she willingly accepted my gesture and brought her eyes to meet mine, she thanked me with a blink of her damp lashes and a timid, yet inviting smile.

In that solitary moment, I knew I was done for.

Stella

The newly married couple embraced each other on the tiny dance floor as if they were the only two people in the room. They may as well have been, because there was no getting between them once they shared their first kiss as husband and wife.

My mother beamed with happiness. It was as if this day erased all her hurt, her pain, and her sadness, and Caleb breathed new life into her. Knowing Mom, she’d never fully disregard her past, but Caleb was her future. She was living in the here and now and enjoying every second of it.

I, on the other hand, was suddenly besieged with melancholy.
Life goes on.
Days like this made me miss my father something awful. Over time he became a ghost—his essence growing weaker and less vivid—but the ten years of memories we had with him would never vanish from my heart. Mom and I had talked about this in great detail. She had my father’s blessing—a nickel appeared in her pocket (a tradition he started when they were kids) while she was getting her hair done this morning—but it didn’t make it perfect. There were times I felt misplaced. Dad was gone, then Mom struggled for many years, and it was me and Nina on our own in a way.

My sister was the headstrong one, always making decisions for the both of us. At times I worried that she’d become my crutch. So long as I had her by my side, things seemed easy and just fell into place. But when she met Ryan, I became more aware of my unhealthy attachment to her. Nina had met the man she was planning to marry, and it was time I severed the twin cord. I did it without making waves, never allowing her to see how scared out of my mind I was to explore my own individuality. And now, with Mom getting remarried, I couldn’t help feeling as though I was braving a scary new world all by my lonesome.

“Penny for your thoughts?” A gruff yet soothing voice tickled my ear and interrupted my pity party for one.

I shuddered at the unexpected closeness, but then a welcome warmth trickled through my body as my eyes connected with Jack’s. “Oh, um, hi,” I answered, tucking loose strands of hair behind my ear.

“They make a perfect couple, don’t you think? Or are you still worried a younger man can’t take care of her?”