Page 24 of Stormswept Colorado (Hart County #3)

TWENTY-TWO

Ayla

It was almost time for the ceremony. Guests were streaming into the event space, and the bridal party was waiting nearby for their cue. I’d just left Emma, Grace, and Maisie. All of them in great spirits, with no clue about the turmoil raging inside me.

The meeting with Aiden and River had taken a lot out of me. I still didn’t want to believe I had a stalker, especially someone who might know things about my past. Thank goodness Teller had been there. So strong and gentle the entire time.

Sexy too. He acted like he didn’t know how handsome he was. The way he’d looked in that Henley earlier, the soft fabric stretched over his chest? Yikes . He probably wasn’t super lean or cut like a gym bunny. The type of guy who flexed in front of a mirror.

No, when Teller held me, he felt solid, with just enough give to make him an incredible cuddler.

I wanted to find out how he felt skin to skin.

Last night, I really had slept with his coat draped over me like another blanket. I’d slept more soundly than I had in a long time. I wanted to get back to that feeling, instead of this tangled-up sensation inside me. Like I was being pulled in too many different directions .

How long had Biggest Fan been watching me? And would he really escalate to something even worse?

“Miss Maxwell, would it be terrible if I asked for an autograph?” A woman with curly red hair, who I recognized as Rosie from the market in Silver Ridge, held out a postcard.

“Not at all. I’m happy to.”

A scruffy man with a ponytail stood next to her. “Rosie loves your music. Won’t play anything else. She’s obsessed.”

“Oh hush, Jimmy, you’ll scare her off.”

Rosie and her man weren’t the first to come up to me today, and I truly didn’t mind. Most of the wedding guests here were people I’d seen in Silver Ridge before, people who’d been nothing but kind to me.

A lot of people all over the world had claimed to be my “biggest fan.” They talked about being obsessed with my music. With me . Almost always, it was harmless.

Yet I couldn’t stop a sliver of fear from working its way under my skin again. Wondering if my stalker had actually been in Silver Ridge the other day.

If he could be here at the wedding right now.

Then I looked over and saw Teller with Ollie. He was all the way across the room, yet he had his eyes on me like he could be at my side in an instant. He wouldn’t let anything happen to me here.

I rarely let myself lean on anyone, and it was so tempting to do that with him.

But when I got home tomorrow to my house in Malibu, he wasn’t going to be there. He said I wasn’t alone, yet all the safety I felt here with my family, with Teller , would disappear when I got on that plane.

“Thank you,” Rosie gushed. “You’ve made my day.”

I nodded, watching them find seats in the audience for the ceremony. Then a hand rested on my arm. “Ayla?” It was Dane, looking dapper in a suit. “Got a second? Ashford wanted to talk to you. ”

My stomach swooped. “Everything okay?”

Dane laughed. “Better than okay. Ashford’s finally calmed down. But I think he’s getting sentimental.”

This I had to witness.

I followed Dane to the office where I’d met with Aiden and River earlier. Except now, Ashford was inside, handsome in a white suit and pacing the floor. Dane gestured for me to go in, while he hung back in the hallway.

Ashford had his hands tucked into his pockets, brow pensive, but he smiled when he saw me.

“Good, Dane found you.”

“What’s going on?”

“Before I go out there, I needed to say this.”

“Yes?” I waited.

“I love you.”

I was probably making a very strange face, because he snorted and kept talking.

“I love you like a sister. And a friend. But I don’t think I’ve ever actually said those words, and I realized how shitty that is. After all those times you reached out to me, tried to call, and I shut you out.”

I waved a hand dismissively. “We’ve both forgotten about that. It’s not important anymore.”

“It is , and I had to say it. In some ways, you might be the reason Emma and I got together.”

“Me?”

He shrugged. “Sometimes, people need a little push. Or a not so little one. You showing back up in my life turned my world upside down, but that just made me realize how much I wanted something different. For me and Maisie both. Does that even make sense? I don’t know. You’re the poet, not me.”

“I think I get it.” My heart felt too big for my rib cage. A common problem when I was around my niece, but Maisie’s dad could do that to me too, it seemed. “I love you too. Now let’s get out there. You’re about to get married, and I don’t think you’ll want to keep Emma waiting.”

Ashford turned. But I put a hand on his arm. There was one more thing I needed to add.

“Lori’s looking down on you and your family today. And she’s really happy for you. I know it.”

The seats were filling up. Teller and Piper had already found spots, placing Ollie between them. But there was a free seat next to the chief.

I worried for a split second that I’d be crashing their family party if I sat there. But then Teller’s gaze found mine, like he’d been watching for me. His brow lifted subtly, and he nodded at the empty seat beside him.

When I sat down, Ollie pulled on Teller’s sleeve. “Uncle Tell, she’s really pretty,” he whispered. It was a kid-whisper though, so I could easily hear him over the voices in the room.

“She is.” Teller turned to me, his arm nudging mine. “Where’d you go?”

“Just having a sisterly chat with the groom.”

“All good?”

Ashford and Dane walked to the front of the room, taking their places by the huge bank of floor-to-ceiling windows that showed the winter landscape outside.

All snow-capped purple mountains in all their majesty, tall evergreens, blue sky.

Ashford could hardly contain his smile. The man was practically vibrating with joy.

“Yep,” I said. “All is well.”

Despite the turmoil of the last couple of days, all the ups and downs, that felt like the absolute truth. Ashford was about to get married with Maisie by his side, and I was here with Teller. I didn’t know what we were to each other, but this felt too good to fight it.

Maybe everything would be different tomorrow, but right now, all was well.

The music started up. The remaining guests took their seats, everyone turning to watch the aisle. Emma’s little brother Thompson appeared first, adorable in his tiny suit and carrying the rings on a purple pillow. Then Emma’s little sister Kelsea, followed by Maisie, both flower girls smiling wide.

Maisie’s lavender dress flounced with every step. She looked so happy and proud of herself. My sister’s baby girl. My heart swelled.

Grace came next, elegant in a darker purple dress and holding a bouquet of dahlias.

And then there was Emma, with her dad Nash escorting her. A collective hush of awe fell over the room. Her dress, a confection of lace and satin, followed the curves of her body. Her dark hair was swept back, and a long veil flowed around her as she walked.

She reached Ashford, and the look they shared was filled with so much love.

Tears burned in my nose and throat. This was exactly the moment they deserved. All three, Ashford and Emma and Maisie.

As the ceremony began, too many emotions twisted around inside me. I wished Lori had been able to be here, because Ashford had been her best friend, and she would’ve been just as happy as I was to see this. Such a beautiful, perfect occasion.

And yet my heart was cracking because I missed Lori so much . So damn much.

I would always regret the years we lost because I was so desperate to get away from the colonel that I’d avoided her too.

Teller put his hand next to mine and linked our pinky fingers. It was like he’d shown me the way out of the storm.

I held on to that small point of contact until my sadness faded to a distant ache. Lori wouldn’t want me to be sad right now .

We clapped as the bride and groom kissed. Stood and cheered as they walked the aisle again as husband and wife, but with Maisie holding each of their hands.

I felt the gentle pressure of Teller’s fingers against my lower back. “That was beautiful,” he said in my ear. “Your sister would’ve been very proud.”

I nodded, grateful beyond words that he’d somehow known what I was feeling.

Ashford and Maisie’s happiness, after the loss they’d endured, was miraculous. But Teller was something of a miracle too. A week ago, I would’ve thought he was the least likely man to understand me and say exactly what I needed to hear in this moment.

Maybe I should’ve had doubts about how close we’d grown over just a few short days. But instead, I wanted to sink into it. Sink into him .

Just enjoy it for the last several hours we had before my plane would take off tomorrow.