Chapter 9Nick
Chapter 9
Nick
JULY | Tarot: Queen of Wands
An angel in peach walked down the aisle toward me, on the arm of Kitty’s handsome brother Frank. She had on her big smile, her dimples popping. She looked at Frank while he whispered some sort of joke to her. Her eyes shone with unshed tears, and her lip wobbled for just a moment when she looked at Guy.
Look at me, angel.
Like she heard my thoughts, Annie’s eyes darted to mine. Her face went a tiny bit pinker and her smile broadened. I gave her a slight nod, telling her with my eyes that she could do it, that she was doing great. I hoped her tears were from being happy for Kitty, and not because she was sad for herself. At the altar, she hugged Frank and they parted ways. Jealousy flared through me, especially knowing that Frank had bragged about bagging Tania the night before. I didn’t say a word about what Annie and I got into, just that we crashed the wedding.
Because honestly, I was embarrassed. Not that I got to be with her like that. That was a gift. It was unspeakably hot to have her grinding herself all over my face, tasting so good. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I was mad at myself that I hadn’t made her come. I didn’t know what I was doing and I felt bad that I couldn’t satisfy her. I felt so inadequate. She’d just come off an affair with a married man, who, you’d assume, would know how to please a woman.
I’m a better man than him, and I couldn’t do that for her. I didn’t like losing, especially not to someone I knew was no better than me.
My thoughts snapped to the present as Kitty and her parents appeared at the end of the aisle, and I got a little choked up. They were such a good pair, and I was glad to see Guy happy. I’d only known him since he joined the team in November, but he was like a brother. He’d told me how much hell they went through together over the years, and how he’d never hesitate to do it the same way all over again to end up where they were.
“Sometimes, love’s just worth it. All the pain. All the struggle. She’s worth every second,” he’d said.
Kitty’s writer friend was the officiant, and he kept the laughs coming during the ceremony. Annie wiped her eye during Guy’s vows, fluffed Kitty’s long skirt, and held her flowers when required. I stole a glance at her when Frank stepped forward to give the officiant the rings.
After the ceremony but before pictures, Kitty’s mom gave her and Guy an envelope that instantly sent them into tears. Annie was standing within earshot and went looking for tissues for Kitty while swiping at her own face. Once she had tissues passed out, I stepped to her side, tentatively putting my arm around her.
“What was it?” I asked.
“A letter from Guy’s mom. She passed when we were in high school. She asked them to be together, and she gave that letter to—” she coughed out a sob and gasped it back, fanning her face, “Sorry, it’s really emotional. Whew. She gave it to Kitty’s mom to give to them today.”
“Oh, wow. That’s really special.” Annie let me hug her, leaning into me. I pulled out my magician’s handkerchief again, giving her the red edge. “Here.”
She laughed as she wiped her tears. “You sharing this with anybody else, Ober?”
“I’ll get your initials stitched on it,” I joked. “It’s basically yours now.”
We got called for pictures and she handed me back the handkerchief, gazing up at me. “How do I look? Did I mess up my makeup?”
Her freckles were still covered, but those emerald eyes glowed. I forced myself to breathe.
I’ve never been smooth a damn day in my life when it didn’t involve sports, but on this one day, at this one moment, the suave gods smiled on me. I crooked my finger under her chin and rubbed my thumb under her lips. “You’re gorgeous, angel.”