Read Online His Wedding Date (The Second Chance Love Series, Book 2) by Teresa Hill - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Teresa Hill
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He bent his head close to hers. "I'm really sorry," he whispered.
"For what?"
"You know... Talking you into coming here, crashing the plane we were in—"
"I don't think the plane crash was your fault—"
"Yeah, but you were in it because of me." And he would have never forgiven himself if she'd been seriously hurt because of him. It was bad enough seeing her bruised and sore and knowing it was his fault.
"Right," she said. "No more getaways to other women's weddings with you."
"No. No more other women's weddings for me."
He watched the scene unfolding in the church in front of him. Vows being exchanged. Voices sounding happy and sure. Sammy practically dancing with excitement between his mother and father.
Damn.
It was like watching a life he'd expected to be his drift farther and farther away with every passing moment, leaving him with a big, empty space in front of him, no image at all of what the rest of his life would be like. It was all so odd.
He searched his heart for some other emotion, but that was all he could come up with.
Odd.
Well... Surprising, too, he supposed. Puzzling. Detached. Reality as he knew it shifting while the couple down front exchanged their vows and he just sat there with Shelly holding his hand.
Vaguely, he realized the service was ending.
He watched through an odd haze as Rebecca turned to her husband, leaned her hands upon his chest and raised her face to his for a kiss.
It was done.
* * *
If coming to the wedding was a mistake, coming to the reception was a colossal one, Brian decided.
At least at the church, people pretty much kept to themselves and stayed fairly quiet. At the reception on the patio of Rebecca's parents' home, people mixed and mingled with too many curious looks and prying questions.
Brian put a hand to the back of his neck and pulled at the ever-tightening muscles there. The stiffness was setting in with a vengeance now. He'd taken a couple of aspirin before leaving the hotel, but they hadn't seemed to help. So he finally gave in and fished around in his pockets for the muscle relaxers the doctor had given him the night before.
He swallowed two and tried not to frown as the bride and groom arrived and the guests lined up to greet them.
"We're not going through the receiving line," Shelly said, as she came to stand beside him.
"That would be incredibly rude," he said, tucking her arm through his. He was enjoying her attempts to protect him. No one but Shelly had ever tried to do that.
"Getting slugged by the groom while you try to kiss the bride would be incredibly rude. Avoiding the reception line altogether would be a smart move."
"I kissed the bride this morning," he said, causing something of a stir when the couple behind him overheard what he'd said.
"Oh, great," Shelly said. She watched as the couple whispered to themselves and to people around them, and the news spread through the crowd. "Wait till that gets back to the groom."
Although, honestly, what did it matter now?
They were married.
"I really thought she was marrying him out of some misguided idea about putting their family back together for Sammy's sake," he admitted to Shelly.
"Me, too," Shelly said.
"It sure didn't look like that was the reason."
Brian had imagined she would walk down the aisle reconsidering every decision she'd made in the past six months, doubts dogging her every step.
He'd been wrong about that, too.
Shelly slipped her hand into his, which he realized had been clenched tight in a fist.
"Seen enough?" she asked.
"More than."
"Then we don't need to be here any longer, do we?"
No, they didn't.
"Hey," he said, squeezing her hand. "I am really sorry I dragged you into the middle of this mess. But I'm glad you came with me."
That put a smile on her face, and for a minute she didn't look so pale.
"You feel all right?"
"My head still hurts," she said.
He could see the beginnings of a nasty bruise on the side of her face, although she'd tried to hide it
He bent his head close to hers. "I'm really sorry," he whispered.
"For what?"
"You know... Talking you into coming here, crashing the plane we were in—"
"I don't think the plane crash was your fault—"
"Yeah, but you were in it because of me." And he would have never forgiven himself if she'd been seriously hurt because of him. It was bad enough seeing her bruised and sore and knowing it was his fault.
"Right," she said. "No more getaways to other women's weddings with you."
"No. No more other women's weddings for me."
He watched the scene unfolding in the church in front of him. Vows being exchanged. Voices sounding happy and sure. Sammy practically dancing with excitement between his mother and father.
Damn.
It was like watching a life he'd expected to be his drift farther and farther away with every passing moment, leaving him with a big, empty space in front of him, no image at all of what the rest of his life would be like. It was all so odd.
He searched his heart for some other emotion, but that was all he could come up with.
Odd.
Well... Surprising, too, he supposed. Puzzling. Detached. Reality as he knew it shifting while the couple down front exchanged their vows and he just sat there with Shelly holding his hand.
Vaguely, he realized the service was ending.
He watched through an odd haze as Rebecca turned to her husband, leaned her hands upon his chest and raised her face to his for a kiss.
It was done.
* * *
If coming to the wedding was a mistake, coming to the reception was a colossal one, Brian decided.
At least at the church, people pretty much kept to themselves and stayed fairly quiet. At the reception on the patio of Rebecca's parents' home, people mixed and mingled with too many curious looks and prying questions.
Brian put a hand to the back of his neck and pulled at the ever-tightening muscles there. The stiffness was setting in with a vengeance now. He'd taken a couple of aspirin before leaving the hotel, but they hadn't seemed to help. So he finally gave in and fished around in his pockets for the muscle relaxers the doctor had given him the night before.
He swallowed two and tried not to frown as the bride and groom arrived and the guests lined up to greet them.
"We're not going through the receiving line," Shelly said, as she came to stand beside him.
"That would be incredibly rude," he said, tucking her arm through his. He was enjoying her attempts to protect him. No one but Shelly had ever tried to do that.
"Getting slugged by the groom while you try to kiss the bride would be incredibly rude. Avoiding the reception line altogether would be a smart move."
"I kissed the bride this morning," he said, causing something of a stir when the couple behind him overheard what he'd said.
"Oh, great," Shelly said. She watched as the couple whispered to themselves and to people around them, and the news spread through the crowd. "Wait till that gets back to the groom."
Although, honestly, what did it matter now?
They were married.
"I really thought she was marrying him out of some misguided idea about putting their family back together for Sammy's sake," he admitted to Shelly.
"Me, too," Shelly said.
"It sure didn't look like that was the reason."
Brian had imagined she would walk down the aisle reconsidering every decision she'd made in the past six months, doubts dogging her every step.
He'd been wrong about that, too.
Shelly slipped her hand into his, which he realized had been clenched tight in a fist.
"Seen enough?" she asked.
"More than."
"Then we don't need to be here any longer, do we?"
No, they didn't.
"Hey," he said, squeezing her hand. "I am really sorry I dragged you into the middle of this mess. But I'm glad you came with me."
That put a smile on her face, and for a minute she didn't look so pale.
"You feel all right?"
"My head still hurts," she said.
He could see the beginnings of a nasty bruise on the side of her face, although she'd tried to hide it
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