Page 21 of Rebel Secrets (Devils Hockey #3)

Chapter Fourteen

A few hours after the wedding

E rin

“Rowdy and Tressy would now like to ask the bridal party to join them on the dance floor.”

The wedding had gone off without a hitch. Literally nothing had gone even the slightest bit wrong.

Puffy white clouds that looked like they’d been painted by a master’s hand hung in the bright blue sky. The humidity that’d been plaguing St. David for the past week had broken two days ago with a thunderstorm that had dumped just enough water to make the grass and the gardens glisten.

The late June sun shone brightly but the temperature was already dipping into the seventies.

I mean, really. Who has that kind of luck? Apparently, the Lawrences did.

And it must have rubbed off on me because everything I’d touched had come together exactly as I’d planned. Every roll, every appetizer, every crudité tray… All of it, perfect.

Earlier this week, I’d thought I wasn’t going to be able to pull it together.

I’d had an issue with one of my burners.

The pilot wouldn’t stay lit, and I’d just about had a panic attack.

The only electrician in town was out on a call at the local vet clinic and wasn’t expected back for at least three hours.

After a frantic call to Rain, Rebel had shown up with a tool kit.

While I gaped at him, he fixed the problem in under an hour.

I hadn’t even had time to thank him before I’d been back to work with my extra staff, otherwise known as the Angels dance team, measuring and kneading and rolling and cutting and chopping and prepping the hell out of everything so we could have it ready.

Then I’d taken a deep breath yesterday and just did the work. I didn’t think about it. I just did it. I’d made enough small bites for five hundred people.

And I’d managed to make it to the bachelorette party Thursday night and the rehearsal dinner last night without having any issues.

But these past few minutes, as I’d watched Rowdy and Tressy dance, this was the first time I think I’d taken a deep breath in the past week.

Tressy and Rowdy made a beautiful couple. Tressy in her stunningly simple gown with a simple wreath of flowers on her head and Rowdy in a tux that had to have been made for him. He’d even gotten his hair cut. Not short, but just short enough to make him appear even more handsome than normal.

Krista had nearly stolen the show as the flower girl and ring bearer in her absolutely adorable white dress and custom-beaded high-top sneakers.

And the bridal party… Well, we cleaned up pretty well, or so Granddad had said.

The men all looked like they’d stepped off a magazine shoot in their blue suits and white shirts with matching ties. And each bridesmaid wore a unique dress in the same shade of muted aqua, which was the only color that looked good on all of us. Because of me, of course. The redhead.

But I thought I looked pretty damn good, if I did say so myself.

My hair had been tamed into a neat knot at the back of my neck with little curls at the side of my face.

Ian had given me a thumbs up as I’d walked down the aisle after Krista.

But it was the look on Rebel’s face that had almost made me stumble.

Standing next to Rowdy under the arch in the back garden of the Lawrences’ home, Rebel looked even better than a model. He looked real . And really freaking hot .

As soon as I’d realized we’d locked eyes, I’d pulled my gaze away. I didn’t want to turn bright red. I’d looked at Rowdy, whose broad grin made me smile. He looked like he’d won the lottery. And he absolutely had. Tressy was an amazing woman, and he was lucky to have her.

Of course, he wasn’t so bad himself.

But he’s not as handsome as Rebel.

I’d cut that thought off immediately, but it was still floating around in my head when Rebel stepped in front of me and offered me his arm to lead me onto the dance floor.

Don’t stare. Don’t stare. Don’t stare.

“You look beautiful.”

It was a good thing I already had hold of his arm. I nearly stumbled, which would have been totally humiliating. I’d managed to keep my cool all day. No running at the mouth. No rushing. But now, I felt like a warm noodle, loose and jiggly.

I blindly followed Rebel out onto the floor. Had he actually said what I thought he’d said? Maybe I was hallucinating?

Rebel stopped, guiding me into place in front of him, taking my left hand in his.

My other hand automatically reached for his shoulder, and I jolted when his large hand settled on my hip, warmth immediately seeping from him to me.

Staring down at me, his lips barely curved, but I knew he was smiling.

The band started to play an instrumental version of “In Your Eyes,” and we began to move. Perfectly in sync.

“Did you…”

No, I couldn’t even ask. It was a stupid question. What if I’d misheard him? I didn’t want to make things awkward.

He bent forward so he could speak into my ear. His warm breath brushed against the bare skin of my neck, making my lungs contract as all the air left them.

“Yes. I did. You look beautiful.”

Now I could barely breathe, and goosebumps covered my arms. Something had changed between us in the last couple of weeks. I wasn’t sure what had happened or why, but my body had decided to throw rationality overboard, while my brain started to whisper ridiculous things.

I looked up at him and found his lips closer than expected. Just for a second, I wondered what he’d do if I kissed him.

Somewhere inside my brain, I realized I wanted to.

Oh my god. That was so not going to happen.

His eyes narrowed, almost as if he was reading my mind. Or maybe it was just written all over my face. I directed my gaze to a point on his shoulder.

“Thank you.” I cleared my throat. “You look very handsome.”

His head retreated, giving me more room, and I barely heard his huff of laughter.

“Damned by faint praise.”

My gaze shot to his again, and I had the urge to stick my tongue out at him. But the photographer was lurking on the dance floor and that would probably be the shot she took of me.

“You look amazing, and you know it.”

He looked like he was going to smile but didn’t want to give me the satisfaction.

“You should, too.”

Heat drenched me from head to toe. It literally started at my scalp and made its way down my body like a wave. A tsunami. Or the blast from a preheated oven.

He watched me so intensely, I swore I could feel his gaze on my skin. I swallowed hard as we moved around the floor. Time to change the subject.

“The wedding was perfect.”

For a few, long seconds, I wasn’t sure he was going to let me off the hook. I didn’t have a clue what was going on in his head. He’d never been the kind of guy who teased or made fun of anyone. Hell, he barely spoke. To anyone, but least of all to me. And now he said I was beautiful.

My brain was definitely not cut out to handle him like this. Like he was a normal guy.

“It was. I swear my mom decided it was going to be a beautiful day, and Mother Nature got right on that for her.”

I grinned and glanced back up at him. “I can’t imagine anyone telling your mother no.”

“Not when it comes to her kids.”

“She loves you all very much.”

I found Miss Raffi on the floor, dancing in the Colonel’s arms, smiling up at him like they were teenagers in love.

And while the Colonel’s smile wasn’t as noticeable, you could tell it was there.

He looked at her with so much adoration.

I looked at Rowdy and Tressy, Rowdy wearing the same smile as his mother.

I saw Rain and Brian on the other side of the dance floor, smiling at each other like they were in their own little world and there was no one else in the room.

It was sweet, but honestly, it made me a little sad. And I hated that. I hated being sad at a wedding. Especially for such good friends who deserved all the happiness in the world.

“What’s wrong?”

Rebel’s quiet question made my smile automatically reappear. When I glanced up at him, he scowled down at me. Hell, even that made me hot. How long was this song anyway?

“Nothing’s wrong.”

“Hmm.”

I wonder if he did that deliberately. Made me want to step on his toes with my four-inch heels. And even with the heels, I still wasn’t eye-to-eye with him.

Before I could say anything else, though, the music stopped.

But Rebel didn’t release me immediately, like I thought he would.

He held on, just a second longer than I expected him to.

He looked into my eyes until there was no one else around us and then he blinked and released me, before sticking out his elbow for me to take so we could leave the floor.

Walking back to the table, I smiled at everyone and waved to Granddad, who was sitting at a table with several of the older members of the community. But when Rebel returned me to the table where the bridal party was sitting, I felt like I could finally breathe again.

Except now I couldn’t stop looking at him. He was right across the table from me. And staring back at me.

I needed a drink.

I dropped the chair next to Brian as Rain fell into his lap, both of us laughing as we kicked off our shoes after dancing for most of the night.

Dinner had come and gone, the cake had been cut and consumed. And I swore everyone in the room had come up to me to personally say how good it was. Every compliment made my smile wider. Damn it, I had wanted it to be magnificent. And it was.

Rowdy and Tressy had raved, and Krista probably had eaten a little too much of her special cake. She’d crashed out in her grandmother’s arms about an hour ago.

I’d also had a few people tell me they’d stop by the shop this week to talk about upcoming events, which made me giddy.

That probably also had a little something to do with the amount of alcohol I’d had. I was feeling no pain after ten o’clock. Many of the older guests had made their way home already, but the true party was just getting started.