Chapter 24
SAPPHIRE
I might need to consider hiring Eli’s mother as an events organizer because she knocked Arianna and Nathan’s wedding out of the park and beyond. It’s not just the fanciest wedding I’ve ever been to; it’s the biggest.
Their family ranch, which I never knew existed until we drove up the most extended driveway I’ve ever seen, has custom-built wooden treehouses nestled amongst the trees, with acres that stretch as far as the eye can see.
Eli’s mom manages the ranch as a business, renting it out for elegant weddings.
Within the grounds, there’s also a large family home where Eli’s mom, Michelle, lives alone, and it reminds me of something out of Yellowstone.
Tucked away in a hidden valley, it resembles something I’ve only seen in a photograph on a postcard. It’s beautiful.
There were only a few guests at the ceremony because it was for close friends and family only. If I had known this, I wouldn’t have invited myself. Not that anyone seemed to mind; in fact, Eli’s family and friends welcomed me with open arms and made me feel right at home.
The reception was a complete shock to me, with over two or maybe three hundred guests.
Since Nathan is the most famous attorney in the state, and with Max, Eli, and Cole being as handsome as they are and mostly taking on high-profile cases, they have become a household name and extremely popular.
Not only that, but the Harts seem to know everyone who is worth knowing.
There are a few familiar faces to me, too. People I’ve hosted events for or people who have attended.
I’ve had the best time, the day has flown by, but like always, I’m the only one who sticks out like a neon glow stick in the dark.
If I had a dollar for every time someone commented on my hair today, I could buy my father an imaginary second chicken farm, complete with a house he’d refuse to live in.
Eli and I move leisurely together on the dancefloor, in sync with the slow-tempo music from the string orchestra.
It took a bit of convincing to get Eli to dance, but since I got him here three songs ago, we haven’t left.
Every time I have tried to strike up a conversation with Eli, someone has interjected with backslaps, handshakes, introductions, and small talk.
Now that’s settled down, I’m hoping to get some one-to-one time with him.
There hasn’t been much of that today. Not that I mind, I can hold my own and talk to anyone about anything, but this alone time is what I’ve been looking forward to all day.
Eli’s defenses drop after he’s had a few drinks. He’s uncharacteristically cuddly, and I love how tightly he’s holding me against him. The soothing motion of his hand, sweeping up and down my back, is hypnotic.
“Your speech was perfect today, Eli.” I raise my voice to be heard over the music.
“Yeah?” His eyes are a little glazed like sheer icing on a donut, and his grin is goofy from the many glasses of champagne he’s been drinking. I’ve only had a couple myself, but by the looks of it, Eli’s had a lot more than that.
I’ve learned something new about Eli Hart tonight: it’s not that the man doesn’t drink because he can’t handle it. It’s because he turns into a giddy giggly affectionate cuddler, turning his sternness into something adorable.
I like this version of Eli. All soft and pliable.
I like all of him, honestly.
If only he knew his bow tie is sitting at a jaunty angle and his hair is all messed up because he keeps running his hands through it, then he might not be so relaxed.
He needed today, though. Needed the time out just to enjoy himself.
Sometimes—sorry, most of the time, he’s stiffer than rigor mortis.
“I liked the part when you told everyone about the time you caught Nathan attempting to joyride your dad’s car when he hadn’t even passed his test yet.”
He chuckles, his chest vibrating against my palm as I look up at him. At only five feet, even with my heels on, he’s still at least a foot taller than me.
“I tattled on him.” Uncharacteristically, he snorts.
I shake my head with a wide grin. “Naughty boy. You both were.”
“I was just a kid.” He rolls his eyes. “I didn’t know any better.”
Michelle Hart deserves a medal for bringing up four strong-headed boys; it must have been chaos.
“You and your brothers get along so well.” Having no siblings myself, I always thought brothers and sisters fought like cats and dogs, but I guess I was wrong.
“We’re tight and they’re my best friends.” Something catches his eye from behind me and I follow his path of focus, landing on Arianna and Nathan dancing a few feet behind me.
“Nathan has a new best friend now,” he says, sounding slightly melancholy.
“Arianna?” I tilt my head back to look up at him.
“She’s good for him.” He hiccups and immediately apologizes, looking a bit embarrassed. “We thought he would never settle down.”
Alcohol also makes him loose-lipped. I don’t think he meant to share such a private piece of information.
“He made my dad’s day,” he continues. “I knew that seeing Nathan married would make him happy.”
I didn’t know much about Hart Law before Janice booked Safire however, I don’t know where to start.
I try giving him some reassurance, not fully understanding what he’s referring to. “Maybe instead of fighting whatever it is, you just accept it, then find someone to help you manage it. A professional or a doctor.” Is that what he means?
“Someone is helping me,” he admits, hugging me tighter.
“A therapist?” I ask, wanting to hear the full story he’s holding back. I wish I could look inside his mind to really understand what he’s talking about, but I’ve never been the type to pry into people’s private lives.
“Yes, a therapist, but I don’t believe it’s because of her that I’m doing better.”
“Why not?”
“Because I think you, Sapphire Feelgood, are helping me to feel good,” he says with a chuckle.
“Oh.” I thought I mainly annoyed him.
“You’re like magic.”
I scoff, leaning out of our hug, craning my neck upward. “I’m not magic.”
“Yes, yes, you are.” He bops my nose, making me giggle.
Yup, tipsy Eli is good-humored and sweet.
Maybe I should get him drunk more often.
That’s a terrible idea; shut up, Sapphire.
“Magic and beautiful. The most beautiful woman in the room.”
“No, I’m not.” I brush off his compliment. There’s a supermodel here today with her lawyer husband; now she is beautiful, with legs longer than… well, mine. Eli must be drunker than I thought.
He cradles my face with both hands, his attention bouncing all over my face as if not knowing what to look at first. “I find beauty in every part of you. The first time I met you, I found you annoying, though.”
“Wow.” Annoying? That’s a bit harsh. And honest. A bit too honest.
“Nope, let me finish.” He becomes serious, the air around him steadier than before. “But after we had dinner that night, something shifted in me, and I might have started having dirty thoughts about you.”
I tuck my lips into my mouth to stop me from laughing in his face because he’s going to regret telling me this in the morning. Maybe it’s wrong of me, but I don’t stop him from confessing further.
“I’ve thought of you every day in the shower,” he whispers.
Does he mean he jerked himself off in the shower while thinking of me? I think he does.
Words fail me for a moment, and I swallow hard, managing to keep my expression neutral because I’ve thought about him too while using my vibrator, and woke up with my hands down my sleep shorts more times than I can recall.
“I haven’t been with anyone since Tia,” he says, the alcohol softening him, stripping away his defenses, and what’s left is honest, raw, and exposed.