Magical Weddings (66 page)

She desperately wished she could remember how she’d managed to get on board. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t recall a single thing about it. Her last memory was of Nellie, but her bar was blocks away from the marina.

Veronica avoided the people already in conversational groups. There were a few men she thought she recognized as guests of the Crowleys’ when she lived there with her father. She definitely avoided Regina. How did a girl look a mother in the eye when she had been stalking one son and nearly having sex with the other?

Veronica took the farthest seat at the bar and decided to drown her embarrassment with liquor. And nothing remotely close to sparkling or fruity.

“McClelland’s neat, please.”

“Is that for you or for Lucas?” Piper claimed the next bar stool.

“For me.”

“Same drink. Same brand.” Piper’s perfectly-sculpted eyebrows lifted like she was revealing a secret. “Soul mates.”

Veronica shook her head. “My dad drank scotch. McClelland’s.” She remembered talking with Lucas about her father. How did a man raised in a good Italian home drink a Scottish liquor? Could it have been an influence of her mother? That was a romantic notion.

“I’ve learned that your father was the family chef. So you’ve known the Crowley boys for a long time.”

Veronica took a sip of the liquor and thanked the bartender. “Then you probably heard something about my girlish crush on Davis.”

Piper laughed and gave Veronica one of her trademark smiles. Again, Veronica felt it was genuine and not forced. “I was warned about your obsession with him.”

“And that doesn’t scare you?”

Piper ordered her own drink and it arrived in front of her within seconds, as if the bartender always kept one ready. “Should it scare me?”

“I–I don’t think so.”

“Are you here to tank my wedding?”

“What if I said yes?”

More laughter. “God, I like you. You are perfect for Lucas. He needs someone like you to brighten up his life.”

“Are you in love with Davis?”

Piper didn’t answer directly. She thought for a moment while she pulled all of her long blonde hair across one shoulder. “You know, I could have easily married one of the Flannaghan sons.”

Veronica shrugged, having no idea who they were.

“The Flannaghans are the biggest developers in the South Florida market.” She sipped her drink. “And their company is far more stable than the Crowleys’.”

Veronica looked around at the mega-yacht they were enjoying. “Seems like they’re doing okay.”

“Honey, they don’t own this yacht anymore. They sold it to a charter company.”

“It’s a rental?” She couldn’t keep the shock from escalating her voice.

Piper motioned to keep their voices low. “It is now, and neither one of the boys would ever speak of it. But you know my father has been knee-deep into their financials.”

“Wow.” Veronica finished her drink and motioned for another. “So they really need you.”

“Truthfully, I don’t have to marry Davis for the companies to work together. I don’t need either company personally.”

Veronica knew all about Piper’s success. She was a social media star with her own line of clothing, jewelry and calorie-friendly drinks. You couldn’t open up a woman’s magazine–or the Internet–without coming across Piper or her products. “Then why marry at all? You seem perfectly independent.”

“Thanks. I appreciate that.” Her eyes softened. “But there’s just something about Davis, isn’t there?”

“Yes.” Veronica probably answered too quickly.

Piper smiled and reached for a cold bottle of water. “Time to hydrate. I have a rehearsal to get through–vertically.”

“So you’re not worried that your groom’s lifetime stalker–I hate that term, by the way–isn’t going to try to steal him away?”

“Hell, no.”

Veronica was curious. “Well, why the hell not?”

Piper whispered so quietly into her drink that Veronica almost couldn’t hear her. Almost. “Because Nellie promised me.”

Veronica sucked in a lungful of air. “Nellie? Nellie Pearle from the bar near the marina?”

Piper’s face lit up like they were sharing some fantastic secret that nobody else could know. “You saw her, too?”

Veronica wanted to hear more, but she was interrupted by the entire bridal party which swooped in and carried Piper off to the shuttle boat.

Through the window, Veronica could see the beach. The yacht staff was busy preparing for the sunset wedding rehearsal and bonfire party. The perfect wedding for the perfect couple.

She’d wanted the courage to fight for Davis. She honestly liked Piper, but the woman refused to see Veronica as a threat.

I could be a threat.

A mouthful of scotch and the memory of Lucas’ last words fueled a desire to prove them all wrong.

Do I want to be someone’s mistress?

Veronica couldn’t escape the fact that there was no stopping this wedding. Her determination wavered. Maybe Lucas was right. Maybe she needed the courage to let go of her love for Davis.

Maybe?

Veronica sat miserably through the wedding rehearsal. She was only feet away from the man she’d spent a lifetime dreaming about. And he looked gorgeous standing there: lean body, blond hair framing a rugged face, a five o’clock shadow darkening his jawline, khaki pants rolled up and a white button-down shirt blowing loosely around him. Framed by the setting sun and a cloudless sky painted purple and orange, Davis perfectly represented romance. How could she let him go?

Because she never truly had him. Nellie’s words haunted her too. Perfect was an illusion. Davis wasn’t perfect.

Next to him, Lucas stood like a sentinel.

Resolute.

Steadfast.

Protective.

He’d grown into an equally handsome man. She’d never been drawn to him before. But he’d held her when she needed it, and he’d carried her when the sand was hot.

It was time for a diversion from the mental gymnastics. She joined several people who were taking an early turn at the dinner buffet. The chef had prepared an ocean feast, a selection of fresh Florida fish and a crab and shrimp boil.

She carried her plate and found a seat near the bonfire.

“May I join you?” Lucas held a bottle of water towards her like a peace offering.

She accepted. “Sure.”

“I should be sorry for this afternoon but I’m not.”

She choked on a mouthful of crab. “You’re not?”

A devilish smile warped his lips. “Nope.”

She looked away as he sat down next to her. She wanted the anger to come back and give her courage. Instead, laughter bubbled up and kept flowing.

Once she had herself under control again, she found she enjoyed his company. She couldn’t believe how many things Lucas remembered about her–from her braces to her prom dress nightmare. He’d seen her fall out of a tree while spying on Davis and some girl. He’d listened to an entire mix tape of sappy ballads she’d made for Davis’ road trips. But what she found most amazing of all was that Lucas had secretly tasted some of her culinary experiments when he’d had the midnight munchies.

The sun had set long ago, but the clear skies allowed for the stars and moon to share their light on the beach. The bonfire cast flickering shadows across the sand and dunes.

The tiki torches were moved to create lanes and a finish line. Some of the guests took that as a cue to head back over to the yacht, which looked like a tiny floating carnival. Others were urged to join in the party games.

Veronica was going to steer clear of them until Davis showed up in front of her. “Hi, Roni.”

“Hi. Nice rehearsal.” She pictured him against the sunset. “It’s going to be a stunning ceremony tomorrow.”

He didn’t seem interested in talking about it. “Come with me.”

She could feel Lucas’ leg tense against hers. “Where?”

“You’re my partner for this next game.” Davis grabbed her hand and pulled her up.

“I–I’m not much of a game player.”

“Tonight you are. Come on.” He guided her away from the bonfire.

“But what about Lucas?”

“He can find his own partner.”

They passed a glow-in-the-dark bocce game and an inflated ball bounce race on their way towards a line of tables. Bowls of whipped cream had been set out.

As the couples gathered, the game host began. “This is the whipped cream game. There are six strawberries hidden inside the whipped cream in the red bowl. The object is for one partner to find the fruit using only your mouth–no hands.”

Veronica felt a shiver run down her spine. She stood next to Davis and yet all she could think of was how well Lucas used his mouth–and his lips and his teeth. She shuttered that line of thought.

“And you give it to your partner–without using your hands–and your partner will take it and drop it into the blue bowl.”

Someone giggled. “So I’ll end up with a face full of whipped cream?”

Her partner responded in a whisper but everyone could hear it. “Honey, I get to lick it all off.”

She giggled more.

Veronica rolled her eyes. Shouldn’t she be thrilled to play this game with Davis? After all, he sought her out to be his partner.

He winked at her.

But all she could think of was Piper, who didn’t seem afraid of what Veronica might do with Davis. Was this her opportunity to show everyone what she could do?

The game host blew his whistle.

Veronica’s inner competitor took over. She threw her face into the cream with gusto, searching for a strawberry with her tongue. It was incredibly easy to find the first one. She gripped it with her teeth and stood up. But she couldn’t bring herself to lean into Davis.

He had no reservations and leaned into her. He couldn’t use his hands to get the fruit, but she felt them slip around her shoulders. His teeth sank into the fruit and his lips surrounded it, pressing firmly against hers in the process.

She felt him hold this position a few seconds longer than necessary before bending down to spit the strawberry into the blue bowl.

Veronica dove back into the fluffy white zone and captured another strawberry instantly. The urge to slow this all down held her in place for a few moments before coming up with it. Davis was there waiting. He pulled her in and found a new way to kiss her with the fruit in the middle.

A weird feeling came back in her belly.

She thought it was excitement, which propelled her to find and hand over the next three succulent game pieces quickly.

But the feeling soured into something else entirely. The realization froze her, even though her face was buried one final time in the whipped cream. Her tongue continued to search but her mind shouted at her with one simple truth.

She wanted Lucas to be the man on the other side of the strawberry.

It was his lips she wanted to feel sliding against hers as he claimed the fruit from between her teeth.

She bolted upright.
Holy hell!

“Get back in there. Come on, we can do this. Hurry up.” Davis pushed her head back into the bowl.

She found the final strawberry. Instead of capturing it, she pushed it around the bowl a bit with her tongue, pretending that it eluded her. She didn’t come up with it until she heard another couple scream with victory.

The game host handed the winning couple a prize basket of–what else would it be?–strawberries and whipped cream. Davis wordlessly left Veronica to join Piper who was dancing around the bonfire.

A large hunk of melting cream slid off Veronica’s cheek.

Lucas appeared with a handful of napkins. “That must have killed you to lose, especially to that annoyingly-happy couple.”

“What makes you think I lost?” She wiped the cream off her face, but it still felt sticky.

When she finally looked at him, she found him looking back at her with a curious expression. “Did you lose on purpose?”

Veronica took his hand in hers. “I am seriously tired of sand. How about a drink on the boat? I hear you like your scotch neat.”

“That’s a poor man’s scotch, Lucas.” Although Piper had mentioned it, Veronica was still amazed to hear Lucas order a glass of McClelland’s. “I figured you as a guy who prefers his scotch from the crystal decanter. Maybe a nice rare Macallan.”

“I did enjoy a glass of ‘55 once. But I’m sitting here with Chef Milano’s daughter. It’s only fitting we honor him tonight.”

“Wow. You’re a sentimental guy. Who knew?”

“Shh. Only my mother knows.”

“That explains it. You’re a momma’s boy.” Veronica saluted her glass in the general direction of Regina Crowley. “Can I ask you a serious question, Lucas?”

He nodded.

“What would you do if you didn’t have all this?” She waved her hand to indicate the yacht and all its luxuries.

“Technically, we don’t have all this anymore.” He motioned for another shot.

“I heard something about that. So it’s true, you sold the yacht?”

“And the helicopter, which I think I mentioned earlier. And the company jet.” Lucas didn’t seem sad about any of it.

“They were all probably big money pits anyway.”

“Yes, they definitely were big unnecessary money pits.” He turned towards her on the stool. “Are you going to ask me if this is why Davis is marrying Piper Preston? For her money?”

“No. I don’t care about that.” She kept her eyes squarely on his so he’d believe her. “I think I wondered about your family when your mother
encouraged
my dad to retire early.”

Lucas’ eyes softened. “You don’t know?”

“Know what?”

“When my mother found out about you and Davis, she wasn’t pleased. She’s always had big plans for him.”

“Did she fire my dad?”

“He wasn’t fired.” He put his finger on her lips when she started to speak again. “Your dad traded his job for your college education. He promised my mother that you’d go to school far away from Florida and the time away would cool your obsession with Davis.”

“What? He promised that?” She didn’t take another sip of the scotch. Instead she swirled it in her glass, allowing the aroma to fill her nose and trigger warm memories.