Chapter 33
Hayden
“Change in plans. You’ll be walking with Miranda. I’m sure you don’t mind… You’re the best man, and Rayna is obviously the maid of honor, but Gray is being Gray and won’t walk with anyone but River…” Tate trails off, his irritation obvious.
I’m thrilled at the thought of walking with Miranda, not that I’ll acknowledge Tate’s little comment.
The wedding is set to begin in a few minutes, so even if I did have a problem with it, it’s too late now.
Tate is one of my closest friends, so there’s no chance I’d do anything to make this day anything less than perfect for him.
“You know I’ll do whatever you need me to do. I’m just happy to be part of this day,” I say honestly.
Tate heads out to where the ceremony is supposed to take place and takes his spot beside the minister.
We couldn’t have wished for a better evening.
It’s sunny with mild temperatures. No rain.
No crazy wind. I straighten my collar before moving to my place in time for the music to start.
All of Cole County isn’t here, but there are plenty of familiar faces considering the small size of the ceremony.
It isn’t long before the music starts up.
Rayna walks out first, her pretty sundress flowing behind her as she fixes her gaze on Wyatt.
His eyes stay on her as they walk arm-in-arm.
Melanie dabs at tears as she holds on to Roger and passes a tissue to Sierra, even though she isn’t even crying…
but my attention quickly moves to Miranda as she stands opposite me, waiting for our turn to walk.
River and Grayson step in time to the music.
River’s eyes shimmer when she looks at her husband, but she doesn’t dab at any tears.
Grayson walks beside her, radiating possessiveness.
I laugh to myself, but quickly forget what’s so funny when I clash gazes with Miranda.
Her dress fits her perfectly, but I can’t look away from her beautiful face.
She’s wearing subtle makeup that accentuates her hazel eyes and full lips.
When she loops her arm with mine, I struggle to breathe.
I’ve never been big into weddings, but as I walk down the aisle, I can’t help but imagine what it would feel like to be waiting for my bride to join me.
I pat Miranda’s arm, and we go to our respective places.
I miss her the second we break the connection, but I paste on a smile as I stand in my place.
Finally, the music changes, and Joy walks down the aisle with an older gentleman I haven’t seen before.
He has deep brown skin and a salt-and-pepper beard.
I’m certain it’s her father, but from what I recall, they aren’t close.
I swallow hard when they stop in front of the minister and wait for Tate to take her by the hand and lead her to their place.
There’s no mistaking the emotion glistening in Tate’s eyes as he stares at his bride.
My eyes scarcely leave Miranda for the entire ceremony.
The minister says some words. Tate and Joy say something.
It’s all background noise to me as I anxiously wait until I can get close to Miranda again.
When Tate kisses his bride, the small crowd erupts into cheers, and we all move forward as we watch the couple join hands and walk back up the aisle in a cloud of bubbles.
“You look absolutely stunning,” I say as soon as Miranda is within earshot.
I meant to say something earlier, but I was unable to speak when I first saw her. The bridesmaid’s dresses aren’t extravagant, but Miranda’s hugs her body just right. I can’t wait for the first dance so I can get my hands on her.
“You don’t look too bad yourself,” Miranda says with a smirk.
“Uncle Hayden!” Sierra squeals as she makes her way to us. “You look so good! I already saw Miranda’s dress, but she looks good too.”
I laugh, giving Miranda a shrug before turning my attention to Sierra. “You’re so generous with your compliments. And you look very pretty, yourself.”
“I’m just saying.” Sierra shrugs before wandering off into the small crowd of guests.
Placing my hand at the small of Miranda’s back, I lean in close and speak. “I can’t take my eyes off you. Can I have the first dance?”
Color rises to her cheeks as she gives me a small smile and nods.
It’s as if we don’t need to speak. Or don’t want to speak with people around.
Either way, I don’t complain as we stand just close enough for me to feel the warmth radiating from Miranda’s body.
I’m glad we ended up together in the bridal party, because there’s no way I’d have been able to stay away from her. At least now I have an excuse.
For being put together quickly, I’m impressed with the way this wedding has turned out.
Once the ceremony is over, we move over to the tent, where tables and chairs have been set up.
The food is buffet style and mostly consists of finger foods, but there’s so much variety that no one should leave hungry.
I pick up the bottle of sparkling wine from our side of the table and pour some into mine and Miranda’s glasses. “Cheers.”
“What are we toasting to?” Miranda asks with a demure smile.
Glancing around, I find the rest of the bridal party lost in their own conversations. “To… us.”
Miranda’s eyes widen, but I just smile and raise my glass.
I don’t want to pretend anymore. If she doesn’t want people to know, I can deal with that.
But I refuse to hide my feelings from her.
Life is too short. We clink glasses, and I can’t look away.
Even when I take a sip and swallow the cool, bubbly liquid.
Her cheeks flush, and I can’t help but recall all the times she blushed that night.
It’s only been a couple of weeks since I had her, but I’m desperate to have her again.
Unfortunately, if she wants to keep this thing quiet, that doesn’t leave much opportunity for us to be alone together.
Not with a teenager around. And I know if I push, that will only make her run.
She doesn’t trust her heart with me, which is understandable.
I kept pushing her away, and now that she’s determined to move on, I finally decided to stop fighting my feelings.
The emcee announces the first dance, and I don’t hesitate to take Miranda’s hand and lead her near the makeshift dancefloor so we can join in when the bridal party and other guests are invited to join.
Tate looks down at Joy like she’s the only person in the room.
My thoughts go back to when they first met, and a smile tugs at my lips when I think about how out of his element he was.
I gave him advice as if he’d never dated a woman before.
And now, here he is, the perfect example of the way a loving and supportive partner should be.
We join the couple on the dancefloor, and my hands go straight to Miranda’s waist as I hold her close. Closing my eyes, I breathe in her scent and focus only on the way she feels in my arms. If this is all I can get right now, I won’t complain.