Page 26 of Wrecked
Prescott was escorting one of the bridesmaids. Addison craned to see Hawk, a pretty woman by his side.
A twinge of pain shot through her. Funny how she stayed cool during a mission, yet seeing Hawk with another woman wound her up pretty good. He offered the bridesmaid his arm, and she latched on to his bulging bicep, her cheeks flushing.
Hawk’s body was dope, no question about that. His broad shoulders dwarfed Addison, but it was his granite pecs that always stole her attention. A bare-chested Hawk was sexy as hell. If that wasn’t enough, he had a granite eight-pack, a nice tight ass, and strong striated thighs.
Down the aisle they strolled. His gaze swept the crowd, until it locked on hers. This time, a surge of adrenaline powered through her. The intensity in his bright eyes scorched her like she was staring straight into the sun.
Hawk’s gaze jumped to his cousin. His left eyebrow twitched, his jaw ticked. Everyone had tells. What did those nonverbals mean? She had absolutely no idea.
The quartet’s piece reached a crescendo. Kerri waited at the beginning of the aisle, flanked by her mom and dad. Everyone stood.
Slowly, they began the trek to the altar. All that separated Hawk’s sister from the end of an era as a single woman was forty feet. Once she got there, she was committing her life to one man, and he to one woman. Together, they’d build a life. Share joys, triumphs, sadness and defeats. She’d have his back and he’d have hers.
Could their love sustain them for decades?
Kerri’s white gown trailed behind her. Her light brown hair had been swept into a stunning style, but it was her radiant smile that said it all. The second she and her parents started down the rose-strewn path, her attention jumped to the man at the end of the aisle. When she locked gazes with Lamar, the love in her eyes shone brightly.
Lamar beamed as his bride made her way to him. Kerri kissed her mom and her dad, then took that final step to her forever man.
Addison held her breath as they gazed into each other’s eyes. Lamar leaned forward, whispered something to her, then took her hand and faced the clergy.
The ceremony was beautiful. The bride and groom asked some of their friends to speak about them, their relationship, and their path to this moment.
“I’ve known Lamar since we were ten,” said one friend. “He was all about football. We watched it on TV together, played it in the leagues, all the way up to high school. That was Lamar’s love until biology, then his focus turned to research. He was passionate about his work—still is. I remember the day he told me about Kerri. We met for a game of racquetball and he said, “I met my future wife yesterday. When Lamar makes up his mind about anything, he’s all in. You two make a great team. I appreciate you and I love you both.”
To Addison’s surprise, Hawk took the mic. “I’m Nicholas Hawk, Kerri’s brother, and this is our older brother, Prescott.” Hawk redirected his attention to his sister.
“Kerri, you followed Prescott and meeverywhere. We’d build a fort, you’d crawl inside, park yourself in the middle, andnotleave. We’d go outside to play. Five minutes later, we’d see you running across the lawn after us. We’d be having a pillow fight and you’d surprise us withournerf guns and annihilate us. Every time we’d tell Mom we didn’t want you tagging along, she’d say, “She’s your sister and she loves you. Your job is to love her back and to protect her. Go, go on, and do your jobs.”
He paused to smile at his sister. “If a day goes by and I haven’t gotten a text or a call, I check in with you. I do it because it’s my job, babe. You and Lamar are good together. Make a great life for yourselves. You deserve it, sis.” Hawk handed the mic to Prescott.
“Mom,” Prescott began, “Nicky and I want to thank you for teaching us how to love. You made us look out for Kerri. Forced us to be nice to her, though we did try to bury her in the snow that one time. As you can see, she survived.” He paused while the guests laughed. “We watch out for each other because you told us to. Thanks for teaching us a life lesson we live every single day. We love you.”
Addison wiped the tears that had streaked down her cheeks. She glanced around. She wasn’t alone.
That was beautiful.
When the ceremony ended, everyone headed toward a second large tent set up in the expansive backyard.
“It was good catching up,” Addison said to Tommy.
Tommy chuckled. “Well, since we’re all going in the same direction, I’ll walk over with you.” As they filed out, he said, “Tell me about you. Where do you work?”
“I’m a financial consultant,” she lied.
“With an accounting firm?”
“I have my own small business,” she said as they left the air-conditioned tent. The bright midday sun had her fishing out her shades from her small bag and sliding them on. After popping on his sunglasses, Tommy removed his suit jacket.
Once inside the reception tent, Addison glanced around. The band was set up near the entrance which included a large area for dancing. Round tables took up the majority of the space, with the head table at the far end.
A server appeared with a tray of flutes. “These have champagne,” he explained, “and these are sparkling water.” They both chose champagne.
When the server left, Tommy raised his glass. “To you.”
She clinked glasses, sipped the chilled drink. “I’m sorry I’m not—”
“Don’t sweat it,” he said. “Are you still going to those cosplay parties?”
