Page 12 of Anything for You (Veterans of Silver Ridge #7)
CHAPTER TWELVE
Dove
M y face hurt from smiling, and my feet killed me thanks to my choice of heels for the wedding.
Liz and Kenny’s wedding. Wow. When the man went for it, he went for it. I loved it for both of them. The more I got to know Liz, the more I liked her. She belonged here with us in Silverton, and she belonged with Kenny.
Also, I hadn’t attended a wedding since Winnie’s last year, and oh, man. To no one’s surprise, I tended to be a crier at weddings. It was all just so beautiful. And of course, the best possible thing on earth was looking at the groom when everyone else looked at the bride.
Kenny had tears in his eyes, the sweet softy, and his face was basically an explosion of happiness. If a confetti cannon could be packaged into an expression, that was his face when he saw Liz at the end of the little white chapel’s aisle on her dad’s arm .
Their sweetness? Ugh . Their handwritten vows? Ugghgh.
That little ache in my chest I kept at bay so it wouldn’t turn into a full-on blackout chasm?
All the ughs .
Being one of the only single people left in a group of friends who started out as all single was pretty brutal. Catherine and I were the only holdouts, and she was so consumed with building her empire, if she felt the pinch of not having someone, she didn’t let on.
One of the most delightful realizations of the day was Dorian’s presence.
He’d stood at Kenny’s side and he looked like such a proud friend.
His posture had been stiff, but his eyes had been glued to his friend and though I’d only caught the tail end of it, I saw a brilliant smile on his face when Kenny scooped Liz up and jogged back down the aisle like he was stealing her away. Everyone had laughed and he had, too.
Dorian Forrester had grinned full out and it was nothing short of mortally wounding.
Shot straight to the heart.
All the ways he stayed tucked neatly into himself behind his beard and hats and brown eyes, right then it was like a spotlight shone down from heaven and the scales fell from my eyes.
No. No no no no. Not good.
Because along with the other discoveries I’d made about Dorian? This one proved deeply inconvenient.
The man was totally and completely gorgeous, and that smile drilled the truth straight into my brain.
“Having fun?”
The deep voice startled me, and I dropped a small lemon tart, mercifully catching it on the plate I held with my other hand.
And because I was calm, cool, and completely collected, I turned slowly with a pleasant look on my face and not one that screamed, Did you know you’re super hot when you smile? and said, “Hello, neighbor.”
His eyes smiled this time, but the straight white teeth and general splendor stayed tucked away, thank goodness. I didn’t have much of a face for lying so he’d probably see the thirst plain as day if he dared do it again.
“Did you enjoy the ceremony?” he asked, taking a plate of his own.
The small reception was being held on the cobblestone patio outside the chapel, the bulk of Silver Ridge Resort just far enough to make it feel like a cozy, sweet world of its own.
With the mountains towering in the background and the late summer day glittering like it’d decided to show off just for Kenny and Liz, everything was perfect.
“Loved it.” I smiled at him, then focused on the task of taking one of each of the little confections at the all-dessert spread. “I don’t think I’ve ever disliked a wedding where both people were willingly pledging their lives to one another.”
His brow dipped. “Have you attended a wedding where someone was not willingly taking the step?”
I froze, but restarted normal movement once my brain sent the don’t be weird! signal. I didn’t want to go there—not now. Not in the midst of this joy.
“No! No. Of course not, no. I just… It was really special and sweet. I loved it.” I glanced at him sideways and he’d taken one small tart and nothing else. “You?”
He nodded but kept his eyes on the table, now serving himself some coffee. “It was great. I didn’t get to stand up with Oak, so…” He swallowed, his throat bobbing. “I’m glad I could today. ”
A flood of epic proportions crashed down on me as I remembered him haunting the edges of Winnie and Tristan’s wedding last summer.
I’d wondered about him then, but I’d been paired with the charismatic super soldier Ryan West, and I hadn’t given it too much more thought since he always seemed to be on the fringes.
My heart squeezed at how he’d said it—that he didn’t get to with Oak, with Tristan, and now he did. I wanted to understand what he meant so badly, my toes curled in the evil pointy death traps that were my shoes.
“I’m glad you did, too. I know Kenny was so happy to have you with him.”
I didn’t even have to guess because, though it wasn’t a traditional wedding or reception, Kenny had insisted on making a speech in which he thanked every single person in attendance with personal details and compliments and managed to do so in under ten minutes.
Honestly, it was impressive, and hilarious and charming, just like the man himself.
Dorian had gone quiet on me, each of us moving down the table in silence. My friends were all here, everyone laughing and chatting and so happy. But I felt the pull toward this man—this giant, curious man.
“So, um, you mentioned blackberries?” I asked, squirming internally but determined to coax him out of his shell a little bit more before we parted ways. Who knew when we’d talk again after this?
“Yes. They’re in the northeast corner of…” He stood there, staring at the coffee cup he’d turned over almost like he’d lost his train of thought.
I waited a few seconds, then asked, “Where are they?” as gently as I could. I didn’t care about the berries so much as I wanted to urge him to talk to me .
He seemed to be struggling internally over something I couldn’t figure out, but that made sense when I remembered I didn’t know this man.
I wanted to, that much was clear thanks to the way my mind couldn’t stay away from him and I was drawn to him every time I saw him whether at our houses or out in town, but I didn’t know what demons he might be wrestling as I foisted small talk on him.
“You know? Don’t worry about it. I didn’t mean to?—”
“I’ll show you. I’m sorry. Sometimes…” He exhaled, bringing his eyes up to meet mine. “Sometimes, being in groups is still pretty hard. And I think I’ve about hit my limit.”
A vine of tenderness wrapped around my ribcage and tightened. “Understandable. This is a lot.”
I glanced around, spotting Kenny and Liz on the small dance floor with Elise and Luc, Bruce and Nikki, and a handful of others while the rest of those in attendance laughed and talked.
Even in the outdoor setting, the volume from the DJ and the din of conversation was actually quite loud, now that I noticed.
“You’ve done amazing. Go whenever you need. You know Kenny understands.” I didn’t know the man all that well, but I knew he cared about his friends and would never want Dorian to stay if he wasn’t enjoying himself anymore.
He turned and looked toward the raucous dance floor, brow furrowed, empty coffee cup in his hand.
“Can I take this for you?” I asked, gripping the edge of the saucer and then daring to gently rest a hand on his wrist over the cuff of his shirtsleeve.
He wore a pair of gray slacks and a white shirt with suspenders and a deep blue tie.
He and the other groomsmen had shed their suit jackets after the ceremony.
I’d never seen him dressed like this, but he looked dapper and yet increasingly like he was crawling out of his skin.
His gaze shifted to where my hand rested and I removed it, slow to realize the contact might’ve been unwelcome or could be adding to his sensory overload.
“Go ahead, Dorian. Take care of yourself.”
His attention shifted back to Kenny and Liz, his expression almost barren in its dread. He’d seemed so unreadable to me in the past when I’d seen him at a distance, but right now, it was like I had some sort of inside track to his thoughts. I could swear I knew exactly what he was thinking.
“How about I let them know you’re leaving?”
He swallowed hard and gave me his stunning eyes.
“Thank you, Dove.” He searched my face for a beat, then released the coffee cup and saucer and stepped back. “Thank you.”
I watched him walk away for a few seconds before I realized that might make this worse and instead shifted gears, burying the flutter in my belly.
An unbearable affection for the man bloomed in my chest. Little vines shot up and twined around my ribs, tethering me to yet another moment when the twin desires to protect him and swoon over him took root.
But those thoughts shouldn’t be my focus now, even if they kept creeping in unannounced, so I focused on the here and now. After delivering my plate of desserts and coffee to a table where I’d left my purse, I slid into the fray of dancers and shimmied up to Kenny and Liz.
“Dorian sends his love.”
Kenny’s eyes softened. “I’m so glad he could come today.” He glanced around like he might be able to see his friend and give him a final wave, but Dorian was long gone. “I’ll text him.”
Relief punched through me, and my esteem of Kenny Carmichael rose another notch. “Good.”
His eyes narrowed for a flash, then widened when the song switched to one he apparently loved.
“Have fun! I have some lemon tartlets waiting for me.”
Kenny beamed then. “Yes! They’re so good! Too bad he didn’t get to see you enjoy them, but make sure to tell him you loved them, okay? Swing by tomorrow or something?”
I blinked back at the man who’d pulled Liz in for a twirl and then dipped her. My friend was giggling—yes, ex-spy and total badass woman was giggling with happiness as her new husband showed her his moves.
That was my cue. “Of course! Have fun!”
Back at my table, I sat down to the plate of small bites and allowed myself to fully absorb Kenny’s words. It was entirely possible he meant the chef at Silver Ridge Resort. But I had the distinct feeling Kenny meant Dorian had made these desserts.
And I had the wildest burst of anticipation when I decided I would absolutely be giving my compliments to the chef before the weekend was over.