Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
JAKE
I watch her leave, and every fiber of my being wants to run after her and make her stay with me. Make her understand that I can fight her demons for her. I’ll slay every fucking one of them to bring the light back in her eyes.
I stay put, though, because I’m afraid if I push too hard, she’ll disappear. I need to let her think that she has the upper hand and that this is it between us. I know the truth, though, and it’s far from over.
By the time I get back to the reception, it’s in full swing. Everyone is out on the dance floor laughing and having a good time. I head to the bar, needing something to dull this ache in my body. I still taste her on my lips and feel her body pressed up against me. I knew she would fit perfectly against me. She was made for me.
Grabbing my bourbon, I sit back down at our table. I see Ryder dancing with Ryland and Miles twirling some blonde around. No doubt he’s on the prowl for someone to warm his bed tonight.
Eve sits beside me, and I ignore the look she’s giving me. She knows I’m hiding something .
“Where’s Mason?” I ask, still watching our friends on the dance floor.
“He’s with your mom. She’s showing him off to Sage. Of course, Sage has Lily, and she’s showing her off to your mom,” she laughs.
Sage is Noah and Bella’s mom. Emma and Noah had Lily only three months before Mason came. I held her earlier before the wedding. She’s a beautiful little girl with dark hair and blue/green eyes.
“Max sure seems smitten by her. He always seems to be hovering around her whenever he can,” I chuckle.
“You noticed that too, huh? He’s very protective of her. Always making sure the blanket is around her or that Ryland is careful when she wants to hold her hand. He’ll make a great big brother someday.”
“He’s the best,” I agree. I take another sip of my bourbon and wait for the question I know she wants to ask.
“So…it looked like you and Lyla had a little something going on at the table earlier. You went after her pretty quickly when she left. From the sad look on your face, I take it that it didn’t go so well.”
“It could have gone better, but I still got something I wanted.” I twirl the amber liquid in my glass, the same color as her eyes, as I remember our kiss.
“She’s different, Jake. I’m not sure what she’s been through, but she’s still going through it. She’s not like the other girls who are fine jumping into your bed for the night and waving goodbye in the morning.”
“I know that,” I sigh. “That’s exactly why I’m here alone and not up in my hotel room with her right now.” I felt how her body responded to me with that kiss. I could have pushed harder and convinced her to have one night with me, but I don’t want to have to convince her, and I sure as hell don’t want just one night.
She studies me, and I avoid her piercing blue eyes. “You like her,” she says softly. “And I don’t mean in the she’s hot, let’s fuck for the night , kind of way. I mean, you really like her.”
I debate whether to blow it off like it’s no big deal, but I find myself telling her the truth. “Yeah, I like her. I’ve never had anyone affect me this way. It’s like I was sucker punched right in the gut.”
“I felt the same when I first met Ryder. It took me by such surprise that I felt like the wind was knocked out of me. It also scared the hell out of me, too,” she laughs.
“I know the feeling,” I grimace. Leaning forward, I stare down at my drink between my hands. “What do I do?” I ask quietly. “She’s obviously running from something and scared of whatever this is between us.”
“Give her a couple of days to process things before you reach out to her, but the bottom line is you will have to be patient with this one, and we all know patience isn’t your strong suit,” she laughs softly.
I chuckle and look at her from across the table. “No, it isn’t.” In business or my personal life, I’ve never been the type to wait around and just let things happen. If I see something I want, I go after it.
“Maybe, though,” she cocks her head to the side and peers at me, “maybe you’ve finally found something worth taking your time on.” A small smile plays on her lips as she watches my reaction. Satisfied that she sees what she likes, she breaks out into a grin. “So what’s your next move?”
“Well, I’m pretty sure she will avoid me the rest of the night, so I’ll give her space…for now. I’ll ask Sophia to get the name of the catering company that Maverick and Bella used and see if I ca n’t get more information out of the owner as to where I can find her. After that, I don’t have a plan,” I laugh.
“If anyone can get information about someone, it’s you,” she grins. “You Montgomery brothers can be very persuasive when you want to be.” Her eyes go to Ryder dancing with their daughter on the dance floor. He’s holding her little hands and twirling her around as her cute face erupts into giggles.
“You have no idea,” I say under my breath. I have a feeling, though, that getting the information out of her boss is going to be a lot easier than breaking down those walls that Lyla has built up around her like a damn fortress.
“Okay, big brother, no more moping in the corner,” Savi comes up and grabs my arm. “You are dancing with me.”
I let her pull me out of the chair and lead me to the dance floor. “I wasn’t moping,” I grumble.
“Yes, you were,” she laughs. I pull her into my arms and start to slow dance with her. “There is no moping at weddings. It’s against the rules,” she giggles, throwing her arms around my neck and looking up at me.
“How much have you had to drink?” I raise my eyebrow at her and take in her glossy blue eyes.
“Don’t be a party pooper,” she sticks out her tongue at me, and I roll my eyes. “You can mope later about the fact that your charm didn’t work on Lyla. Now you just need to have fun with your favorite sister in the whole wide world.”
“You’re my only sister,” I mutter.
“And your favorite.” She grins up at me, and I can’t help the chuckle that escapes. Savi has a way of making people feel better.
“You’re definitely my favorite sister.” I take her hand and twirl her before bringing her back to me. She laughs, and I find myself grinning back at her. Some of the tension in my muscles leaves, and her contagious energy starts to rub off on me.
Savi’s right. This is our friend’s wedding, and I need to at least try to have a good time tonight. There’s nothing more I can do this evening anyway. She’s made it clear that I’m to let her go. I can start planning tomorrow on how I will get her to change her mind about that.
The song ends, and I bend down to kiss Savi on the cheek. “Thanks for the dance and for pulling me out of my slump.”
“Anytime,” she smiles.
“I see Maverick and Noah at the bar. I’m going to go over and say hi. You good here?”
“She’s more than good,” Sophia says, grabbing her hand and pulling her into their dance circle.
Savi immediately starts laughing and joins in. Chuckling, I head to the bar. Even though she’s the youngest in the group, the girls welcomed her in like a little sister. I’m glad she has such strong, beautiful women surrounding her. I see Eve walk toward them and start dancing by Savi as I approach the bar.
“Congratulations, man,” I pull Mav in for a hug and slap him on the back.
“Thanks, Jake.” He’s grinning like he won the lottery, which is close to the truth. “I’m just glad everything went smoothly. I can finally sit back and just enjoy my wife.” His green eyes light up at the mention of my wife .
“This place is beautiful. You got married here too, right Noah?”
“We did. They had just renovated, and it was exactly what we were looking for.” He’s holding his sleeping baby girl in his arms, and I can’t help but wonder how it feels to know you created this tiny human being with the one you love.
When Travis brought Max home, I was only twenty-one, and I think I was just as scared as he was, afraid we would somehow break him.
I quickly got the hang of it, though, and would watch Max when I could so Travis could have some time to himself. We even used to bring him to our tattoo shop on days we both worked…each taking turns watching him between clients. Now, I babysit for Ryder and Eve all the time and can’t help but want the same thing one day.
“Bell and I knew we wanted it here,” Mav says, pulling me out of my thoughts. “It’s kind of a special place for us, and it seems only right that we bring it full circle to where it all started.” He takes a sip of his bourbon to hide the smile that plays on his lips. He’s no doubt remembering that night.
“Yeah, unbeknownst to me, my sister and Maverick were having a little fun of their own when no one was watching,” Noah laughs, his blue eyes trained on Mav.
I’m sure it was a big surprise to find out your best friend is in love with your sister. I can’t imagine Savi dating any of our friends. There’s nothing but love, though, when Noah grins at him.
“You can’t stop what’s meant to be,” Mav shrugs and looks at his wife dancing with his sister, Sophia.
“No, you definitely cannot,” Noah chuckles, his eyes trained on his wife, Emma, as Bella grabs her hand and bumps her hip against hers.
“So which one does Miles have his eyes set on?” Mav nods his head, where Miles is dancing with several girls. It’s like watching wildcats circle their prey as they surround him.
“I have no clue,” I laugh. “Miles probably doesn’t even know at this point.”
“I’m surprised you aren’t over there with him,” Mav laughs. “He might need the help fending them off.”
“Miles can hold his own, trust me,” I chuckle. Usually, I would be over there with him, but tonight feels different. There’s only one I want in my bed, and she’s hiding from me somewhere in this hotel .
The DJ announces it’s time for the bridal bouquet and garter toss. “That’s my cue,” Mav grins, walking toward his wife on the dance floor.
Emma comes up to Noah and takes Lily from his arms. She does an adorable sigh as she snuggles against her momma’s chest. Noah brushes back her dark hair and kisses her head.
An ache starts to form as I peel my eyes away from their shared moment. I watch Savi, and all the single girls Miles was dancing with gather in a crowd on the dance floor.
“You are so missing out, brother. You are the worst wingman ever tonight.” Miles walks up to me and orders something from the bar.
“I don’t think you need a wingman tonight. From what I saw, it looked like you were doing fine on your own.”
“You’re right. I can’t keep them off of me,” he grins. “Still, it’s always more fun when you’re by my side.”
“Just not feeling it tonight.” I take another sip and enjoy the burn going down.
Luckily, the DJ saves me from any more questions from my brother as he announces the throw. We watch Bella throw the daisy bouquet over her head and hit Savi smack in the chest.
“Oh hell no,” Miles mutters.
I hear Noah chuckle behind us because he knows exactly what we are feeling. “Thank God, it wasn’t Luna,” he says, watching his youngest sister walk off with her friend. “The teenage years are killing me.”
Savi’s face lights up, and she holds the bouquet to her nose. She’s way too young to be getting any ideas in her head. She’s still in college and needs to focus on her goals.
I look back at our table, and Travis and Ryder have the same look on their faces as we do. Sophia and Eve are laughing, but like me, my brothers don’t find it very funny.
“Now it’s time for all the single guys to make their way to the dance floor,” the DJ announces. Miles takes my drink from my hand and sets both of ours on the bar.
“You are not backing out of this one. At least give me the satisfaction of fighting you over it.”
I sigh, knowing this is a losing battle. Doing this one thing for him might get him off my back about the other girls, so I follow him onto the dance floor.
Mav grins when he sees me and gives me a wink. I try not to roll my eyes as I get into the group. Bella is sitting on the chair and giving him a look that clearly says… you better behave . By the dimpled grin he’s giving her, I doubt he’s going to listen.
The DJ starts the music, and Marvin Gaye's smooth voice fills the room as Let’s Get It On begins to play. Bella busts out laughing, covering her face with her hands. Everyone starts whistling and catcalling as Maverick gives her a slow lap dance before sitting on his knees between her legs. He buries his head under her dress and takes a little longer than probably necessary for him to find the garter. The surprise in her eyes is all I need to know to tell me he’s doing a little more than just searching for the piece of fabric around her upper thigh.
Chuckling, I watch him slide it down her leg with his teeth before standing up and twirling it around with his finger. He pulls her to her feet and kisses her, erasing the laughter from her lips.
“Okay, let’s see who the lucky man is that gets to keep my wife’s garter,” he says, breaking the kiss and turning around. He slingshots it into the crowd, and damn if my competitive nature doesn’t immediately take over. I’m snatching it out of the air right before Miles can grab it.
“Someone was a little too excited to get the garter. You almost ran over that poor teenager back there to get to it,” he chuckles .
“I just wanted to beat you.” I move the white garter around in my hand, fingering the lace.
“Looks like your wedding is next,” Bella says, her blue eyes bright with laughter as she approaches me.
“You don’t actually believe in that stuff, do you?” I ask, raising my eyebrow at her.
“I caught Emma’s,” she shrugs. “I guess only time will tell.” She winks at me before heading in the direction of her groom, who is talking to his parents at their table.
“So glad you got the curse and not me,” Miles laughs and slaps me on the back as he makes his way back to his fan club, which hasn’t stopped eyeing him since he left.
I eye the garter before stuffing it in my pocket. Feeling the air change, I glance around the room. There’s no mistaking who’s putting that fire in my body. It’s like a wave of heat spreading and flowing through every vein like a wildfire. I finally zone in on where it’s coming from, and I get a flash of a brunette ponytail before it disappears through the side door. A small smile plays on my lips as I reach into my pocket and touch the garter. Time will tell is right.