Page 34 of On the Rocks
“Now, for those of you who don’t know Anthony, he is a good Christian man. I had the pleasure of meeting him when I sat them down for their pre-marriage interview, and he absolutely blew me away,” Pastor Morris said. “And, much to Ruby Grace’s father’s delight, I’m sure — Anthony is running for State Representative of North Carolina!”
A mixture ofooh’sandahh’stouched my burning ears, and I smiled as widely as I could, waiting to be dismissed, to sit back down, to blend in again.
“Ruby Grace, we are all so very proud of you,” Pastor Morris said, his eyes shining as he placed a hand over his heart. “And we honor your choice to forego your education and follow your mother and father’s footsteps. Lord knows they have done so much for us in this town, and we know you and Anthony will do the same for North Carolina, and someday, the United States of America as a whole.”
Daddy’s chest swelled at that, pride rolling off him in waves as he beamed up at me from where he sat next to Mama. I wasn’t very close with my father, but in that moment, he looked at me like I was the only thing that mattered in the world.
“Congratulations, Ruby Grace,” Pastor Morris finished. “May God bless you and your union.”
Amensrang out in unison across the congregation, and I finally sat with the applause fading as Pastor Morris continued with service. Mama squeezed my hand, still smiling, and I smiled back as much as I could before turning my attention to the program in my hand.
Once the attention was firmly off me, I looked up again, watching Pastor for a while before I scanned the stage absent-mindedly, my thoughts drifting. I was ready to send more laser beams into the back of Noah’s head, but this time, when I looked at him, he was staring back at me.
I blinked, surveying the bend in his brows, the sympathetic line of his lips pressed together in understanding. He was the only one I’d opened up to about the pressure I felt, about the wedding, in general.
And now, it was like he was the only one in the world who truly saw me.
I tore my eyes away.
After the service, Mama insisted that I stand with her near the door to shake hands with everyone as they passed. It felt like we were practicing for the receiving line at my wedding, and all I could think about was how badly my feet hurt, and how much I couldn’t wait to get away from that church.
I was in a daze, smiling and repeating the same sentiment with each hand I shook, until Noah Becker stepped into view.
I paused, my smile slipping into a frown as I met his hand with mine. “Have a blessed day,” I said flatly, ignoring the warmth I felt from his calloused hand.
He chuckled, cocking one brow. “That sounded more like a curse than a blessing.”
“Take whatever you want from it,” I said, pulling my hand away to shake his mother’s and the rest of his brothers’.
He still stood there, waiting.
They were the last ones out of the church, and though Mama was caught up talking to the pastor, I excused myself, making my way to our car. Daddy had already left, saying he had business to attend to, and I was more than ready to join him in that escape.
“Hey,” Noah said, jogging to catch up to me even though I’d made it clear I had nothing more to say to him.
“Mm?” I asked nonchalantly, not stopping. In fact, I took my phone out of my pocket, instead, proving my disinterest as I typed out a reply text to one I’d missed from Anthony.
“Giving me the cold shoulder now?”
“You’re lucky that’sallI’m giving you,” I mouthed back, still looking at my phone.
His rough hand caught the crook of my elbow, pulling me to a stop when I was just a few feet from Mama’s car.
“I deserve that,” he said as I finally lifted my eyes to his. They were strikingly blue against the dark hue of his shirt, the clear sky behind him highlighting them even more. “And I wanted to apologize.”
“Wanted to? Or are you actuallygoingto?”
He smirked. “I’m going to. I am, if you’ll let me speak.”
I narrowed my eyes, tucking my phone in my purse and crossing my arms before leaning on one hip to wait.
Noah bit his lip against a bigger smile, glancing at our shoes before he met my gaze again. “I’m sorry for nearly knocking you over, and for taking out my anger on you. I shouldn’t have said those things I said.”
“You’re damn straight, you shouldn’t have.”
“I know. It was uncalled for. I also know it doesn’t make up for anything, to feed you an excuse, but…” He sniffed, glancing around us as if to make sure no one was close enough to hear before he spoke again. “It was the anniversary of my dad’s death, and that’s always a really tough day for me. Even nine years later.”
My cocky glare slipped from my face, heart aching in my chest as Noah softened like butter in the warm summer sun.