Page 11 of Deception & Daylight (Oak Ridge #3)
Mags
Paige there’s anger, for sure, but there’s also a sadness I refuse to acknowledge.
Once we’ve placed our orders, everyone talks over the details of the wedding, but I’m only half listening.
I’ve heard enough to know what my job is — keep the bride distracted until it’s time for the big reveal — everything else is drowned out by an incessant pounding in my head.
Memories of the months we spent getting to know each other come flooding back, and I can’t bring myself to look at his infuriatingly handsome face.
He's a living embodiment of my monumental mistake, a perfectly painful reminder of my poor judgement, and I’ve long since given up on the hope of an apology.
Miles’ thigh bumps mine, and I instantly recoil from the unwelcome touch. He chuckles, “Promise I don’t bite, Mags.”
“Maybe I do.” Against my better judgement, I spare him a sidelong glance. He’s still smirking, and it pisses me off, so I snarl at him like some kind of feral animal. I don’t know where it come s from, and it’s kind of embarrassing if I’m being completely honest.
He mutters something that sounds like, “Woah there, Wildcat” but I’m already up and out of my seat, excusing myself to the bathroom red faced as their eyes follow me down the hall. I’m never going to recover from this.
Miles
Barely a glimpse at the woman who’s been living rent free in my head for months, and I was ready to fall to my knees at her feet. But she doesn’t know the extent of everything that happened all those months ago, and I can’t tell her.
It’s a bitter pill to swallow, having her within arms reach for the first time and not being able to confess everything.
It’s become abundantly clear just how much she hates me.
After she excused herself from the table, I got a not so friendly interrogation from all sides.
I did my best to feign ignorance, but I’ve never been a very good actor.
Not wanting to incite any more suspicion than we already have, I paid for everyone’s meals and said my goodbyes.
It’s wedding day and I haven’t crossed paths with the little wildcat yet.
She’s holed up in the bridal suite with the rest of the ladies, and I’ve been stuck running around doing Cade’s bidding so he doesn’t lose his shit.
“It’s all under control, brother. Deep breaths.
Paige loves you.” With one last clap on the shoulder, I leave Cade to pace near the end of the dock, heading inside to find the women and get in line for the processional.
The second I step through the French doors off the back deck, I nearly run straight into a mass of pink silk. I stumble backwards a step. “Ooof. Sorry about that, ladies. Daaaaamn, you all look smokin’ hot,” I say with a wink, before placing Ivy’s hand in the crook of my arm.
I fe el the solid weight of her presence before her lithe form striding purposefully towards Dean comes into focus. Fuck me. Mags looks like cotton candy, and I want to eat her up.
The ceremony goes off without a hitch, and I’m not too proud to admit I may have shed a tear or two when Cade recited his handwritten vows.
What can I say? I’m a sucker for true love.
Dean catches me not so subtly checking out the maid of honor, elbowing me in the ribs.
“You have some explaining to do,” he mutters as Cade dips his bride in a kiss that feels too intimate for a public display. I shake my head and shrug in response.
As the celebration dies down, Liam is locked in conversation with Ruby, as Cade twirls Paige on the makeshift dance floor to an old country tune.
Ivy’s sitting in a chair with her daughter fast asleep in her lap, and I’m scanning the crowd for a delicious pink confection.
It takes a minute, but I finally spot Mags meandering towards the dock with a stolen bottle of champagne in hand.
I only debate with myself for a second before jogging to catch up with her. “Mags. Wait up.”
She spins on her heel, pinning me with an impressive glare.
Cute, but not intimidating. Her arms are crossed over her chest in a defensive position, and I want to pry them apart and sink to my knees, begging for forgiveness.
But I don’t beg — I prefer it the other way around.
“What do you want, Miles?” She takes a long pull directly from the bottle and visions of her lips wrapped around my cock assail me before I force my mind back onto solid ground.
I sigh, raking a hand through my unkempt hair. “We should talk.”
She scoffs and her eyes narrow to slits before she steps into my space, toe to toe, though she has to crane her neck to look me in the eye.
“Oh. Sure. Now you want to talk. What should we talk about? Should we start with how you ghosted me? How you let me fucking f—” Her eyes go wide as she stops herself mid sentence, and I find mys elf waiting on bated breath for her to finish. “No. You know what… fuck you, Miles.”
She twists to storm off, but I grab her by the wrist before she can get far.
Her soft skin beneath my palm leaves me momentarily speechless.
I gently glide my thumb along her pulse point, feeling the erratic beating of her heart.
Is that anger, or something else entirely? My heart speeds up in tandem.
“I deserve that. I’m sorry, Maggie. That’s all I wanted to say.
” My voice is quiet as I release my hold on her.
She still has her back turned, but I don’t miss the way her shoulders sag.
She doesn’t say a word as she takes off towards the end of the dock.
I stay rooted to the spot, staring at her back as her long brown hair blows in the breeze, illuminated by the soft glow of the lanterns lining the path and the moon shining overhead.
I wonder if she knows how beautiful she is.