Chapter Two
D aniel looked up at the beautiful stained-glass window above the two large wooden doors of the old church. He whistled in appreciation of the beautiful art piece. “This is some church,” he commented out loud as he ran up the concrete stairs, knowing he was a few minutes late.
The people turned when the church door opened and the setting sun streamed through, temporarily blinding the group at the front of the church. Logan walked toward the back when he saw him walking in. He smiled and slapped Daniel on the back. “I’m glad you got here, buddy.”
Daniel snorted. “Like I would miss your rehearsal, dude. I’m your best man.”
Logan grinned and tossed his head. “Come on, I want you to meet everybody, especially Keira.”
A scowl crossed Daniel’s face. “Knock it off. I’m not in the mood.”
“Just come on,” Logan said and walked off.
They moved up to a small group of people softly speaking at the front of the church. Logan reached the group and slid an arm around Layla’s waist.
“Everyone, I would like to introduce my business partner, best man, and best friend, Daniel Hayes.”
Daniel’s eyes went to a woman who looked a lot like Layla, and he inhaled sharply. Jesus, the woman was gorgeous.
“Daniel, you know the Sandersons, they are the people helping with music and videotaping the ceremony, and the Reverend Michaels.” Logan held his hand out. “And this is Keira Walker, Layla’s sister.”
Daniel was stunned speechless. Logan had told him she was beautiful, but this woman was stunning. Her hair was very straight with no hint of curls, long and draped freely down to the middle of her back, and the color of wheat with streaks of pale blonde. Her eyes were a clear whiskey brown, oval in shape, and tipped just enough to look exotic. She was tiny, smaller than her sister by a few inches, and over a foot shorter than his own six-four, making the top of her head even with his shoulders.
She was dressed in a long flowery skirt that seemed to float around her, a short-sleeved pink button-down shirt, and tan sandals. She looked like a teenager, but he remembered Logan had told him she was two years younger than her sister, making her twenty-six. At thirty-two he was only six years older than her.
Keira smiled and held her hand out. “It’s nice to meet you finally. Layla thinks very highly of you.”
Daniel swallowed as he reached for her hand. He almost groaned when he felt a spark ignite between them as they touched. He got some satisfaction when he saw it seemed to affect her, too. He grunted when Logan elbowed him in the side, snapping him out of the daze. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”
Keira’s eyes widened when she tried to pull her hand back, and he tightened his for a brief moment before letting her go.
An uncomfortable silence descended around the group as they watched the attraction ignite between the two.
Logan cleared his throat. “Let’s get this rehearsal going. I’m starved.” Everyone took his cue and moved to the area where they would stand during the ceremony. Before they started, Logan’s family showed up, and in addition to his mom and dad, his sister and her boyfriend were present. It took another few minutes to introduce everyone before the rehearsal could start.
Since they were only going to have two people, the best man and maid of honor, stand up with them, and Keira already planned to walk her sister down the aisle, they didn’t have to practice more than once. The rehearsal went quickly, making it possible for them to get to the restaurant before their reservation at seven.
****
A t the restaurant, Keira placed her napkin over her lap and tried not to stare at Daniel who had been seated to her right. She was pretty sure her sister had something to do with that by the look of satisfaction on her face.
Layla had told her about him, but she hadn’t given a good description and had left out several things. She had told her he was good-looking, but he was incredibly gorgeous in dark grey suit pants and a light blue dress shirt. She said he was large, but this man was huge. His size and masculine persona made him very intimidating. She was also attracted to the intelligence and humor that lit his eyes.
He was so tall, she had to tilt her head back when she spoke to him. His body was thick with muscles, and his chest was easily twice the size of hers. She couldn’t take her eyes off his hands. His fingers were thick, blunt-tipped, and callused. His palms were as big as a small plate, with tendons and veins standing out starkly on the back of his hands.
She would feel safe in these hands, she thought.
His hair was very dark, and he kept it clipped close to his head. His eyes were deep-set and a beautiful hazel, with shards of blue, green, and brown mixed together. He had a strong face with a wide forehead and a dimple in his chin. His lips were full and looked extremely kissable.
“Do you want something to drink, Keira?” He smiled when she stayed silent. “Keira, the waitress wants to know if you want a drink?”
Keira felt a blush slide over her face as she turned away from Daniel to look at the waitress. “I’m sorry, I’ll take white wine and a glass of water, please.” She turned back, looked down, and took a moment to smooth out her napkin. She felt a nervousness around him she’d never felt with another man. She had dated in the past, but none of the guys ever gave her the feeling Daniel did.
Daniel placed his elbows on the table, leaned forward a bit, and gave her his attention. “How do you like the town so far?”
Keira’s gaze darted to his and then back down as she cleared her throat. “What I’ve seen of it looks great, but I’ve only been here two days.”
“Your sister has lived here just about a year. Why didn’t you come to visit her sooner?”
“I worked too much. I worked for an architecture firm in Orlando, and I worked six, sometimes seven days a week.”
“You’re an architect?”
“No, I was the assistant to the owner. He was a workaholic and very demanding. He’s seventy-four years old and still working. I think he does it to get away from his wife. For years, he has wanted to retire so he could spend time with his daughters and grandkids, who live in some small town in Texas. It will be interesting to see if his wife goes with him because she’s a city girl. I’ll probably never know since I live here now, and I can’t see us keeping in touch.”
“Are you going to miss working there and living in the big city?”
Keira thanked the waitress when she handed her a glass of white wine before she turned back to Daniel. “Not at all. I was getting burnt out, and I had very little time for myself. Besides, I wanted to be close to my sister, and now that she needs help with her business growing so fast, it worked out for both of us. As far as living in a city, if I had a choice, I’d rather not. I’m not into crowds or the hustle and bustle of city life. I like calm, and you can’t get that in a city. Have you ever lived in a city?”
Daniel nodded. “Yes, and I didn’t like it either. Way too many people for me.”
Keira smiled, picked up her menu, and tipped her head toward the other side of the table. “We’d better decide on our meals. I see the waitress making her way toward us.”
“What will you have, ma’am?”
Keira ordered.
“I’ll take the same thing she’s having.”
“Everything, sir?”
“Yes. Thank you.” Daniel handed the waitress the menu and turned his attention back to Keira. “May I ask you some questions?”
“Like what?”
“Ones that will help us get to know one another?”
“Sure.” Keira shrugged, but she couldn’t help getting nervous. She didn’t like to talk about herself.
Daniel smiled. “Would you rather have a cat or dog?”
Keira laughed. “Dog. You?”
“Dog. Would you rather be indoors or out?” he asked.
“Out.”
“Me too. Walk or run?”
She chuckled. “Run.”
Daniel nodded. “Favorite dessert?”
“Cheesecake.”
“Mine too. This is getting weird how much we have in common so far.”
Keira reached over and placed her small hand on his forearm. She could feel the heat of him coming through his dress shirt. “I’m glad we met.”
Daniel’s hand covered hers, keeping it on his arm. “Me, too.”
The rest of the night, they conversed with the people at the table and ate. After dinner, Daniel helped Keira up from her chair and put his hand on her lower back as they all left the restaurant.
A shiver raced down her back at his touch. The heat from his hand bled through her blouse as everybody said their goodbyes.
Daniel walked her to the passenger side of Layla’s car, opened her door, and waited until she straightened her skirt and buckled her belt. “I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.”
Keira smiled. “Absolutely. It was nice meeting you, Daniel.”
Daniel placed one hand on top of the car and his other on top of the window frame and leaned forward. “It was nice meeting you. I’m looking forward to getting to know you better.”
Keira felt the flush of pleasure stain her cheeks. “I’d like that.”
“Ready, Keira? We have to meet Logan at the house so he can pick up some of the boxes.”
Daniel smiled and took a step back. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He lifted a hand. “Have a good night, Layla.”
The door closed with a quiet snap. Keira felt a fierce disappointment that the night had to end when she watched him walk away.
Layla chuckled. “I’d ask how you felt about Daniel, but I can see it on your face.”
“God, Lay. So far, he’s everything I want in a man, and we have so much in common.”
“I told you, ye of little faith, you guys would hit it off. If you’d just listen to your older, wiser sister, everything would work out for you.”
Keira snorted and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, whatever.”
Layla put the car in gear and started to pull out of the parking lot. “Let’s get home. After Logan leaves, we’ll have another glass of wine and crash in the living room and talk.”
“We shouldn’t stay up too late. You’re getting married tomorrow. You don’t want to look exhausted and have puffy eyes.”
“Heck, girl. I’m pretty sure you and I will be asleep before midnight, so stop worrying.”
Keira chuckled and settled back into the car seat, watching the lights and people on the street pass by, but her mind stayed on Daniel. Her heart still hadn’t calmed since meeting him. She didn’t know she could feel this overwhelming rightness with a man. She had been happy to move closer to her sister and work with her, but to find a man she’d only dreamed about ... it was just too perfect.