2. Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Levi
"Levi! Let's go. We're gonna be late." Anderson taps on my door, gesturing to the clock on the wall of my office. Fixing the collar of his sport coat, he glances at me when I don't move.
I ignore him, looking around my desk as I pat my pockets and adjust my tie, stalling for more time as a minor panic attack looms. The anxious energy started earlier this week and has magnified to a baffling mental takeover as we get closer to the wedding rehearsal. I've reshuffled the same stack of papers, straightened one pencil, then another, but I can't get myself to get up from my desk.
Any other Friday, I'm the first one out the door, ready to use the weekend to recharge in nature or away from people, and I encourage the rest of my staff to do the same. Don't get me wrong. My job as principal of Duhring Park School fulfills me in ways I never could have imagined. But after spending the week hearing from parents, attending meetings, and leading a school of teachers and students, I need alone time.
Except, not this weekend. This is Miranda and Cole's wedding weekend, and as one of the best men, I am going to be "on" for the next forty-eight hours, at least. And I can live with that.
It's the other thing that has me frozen in place.
"Levi." I finally glance up at Anderson, who throws his hands out in irritation from my lack of urgency. "What gives, man?"
A slow panic creeps in. I breathe in and out slowly.
"Levi?" Anderson asks again, concerned now. He comes into my office and takes a seat in front of my desk.
"She's going to be there," I manage to whisper.
Anderson takes a deep breath and nods. "Yes, she is."
I nod too but don't move to stand. Anderson is the only person in the world who knows why I'm freaked out about this weekend.
We wait in silence for an eternity, as I try, and fail, to get my breathing under control, and then Anderson speaks up. "What's the plan? You gonna run away from Cole and Miranda's wedding? Because I don't think it's traditionally the best man who runs. Unless he's stealing the bride. Who is not the one you want, so I don't recommend that option." Inexplicably, Anderson's babbling is doing its job. My heartbeat is slowing slightly.
"I suppose, as best man, it makes sense you'd steal the maid-of-honor. Kind of a plot twist. Although, you should consider doing it tonight so as not to ruin the actual wedding ceremony," Anderson continues, looking genuinely thoughtful as he concocts a plan for me.
My breathing evens out, and my muscles begin to relax.
"In fact, I recommend thunking her over the head during the rehearsal dinner tonight and then dragging her back to your cave."
My eyes shoot to Anderson, and the mental image of me as a caveman suddenly pops up.
"Heads up, though. Betty will be there tonight, so I hope you're ready to commit to a life behind bars if the kidnapping charges stick because the whole town will know about it within minutes after she gets the word out." Anderson sits back and crosses one leg over the other as he casually waits out the end of my panic attack. "Ooh, and you've got that cabin up the mountain. All remote and villainy. Although, we should stop by the equipment closet in the gym because, embarrassingly enough, I'm fresh out of caveman clubs."
A giggle bubbles up out of nowhere, and it burst out loudly in my small office, breaking the spell. I let out a long breath when my heartbeat returns to normal. "Thank you."
Anderson grins and cocks his head. "You got this."
"Yeah." I nod and then shake my head to clear it. "It's the anticipation. I've managed to avoid her every time she's in town for wedding stuff, but this weekend is going to be a lot of..." I trail off.
"Fun." Anderson finishes for me, and I grunt.
Her. A lot of her.
"Hey, Levi?" Anderson pauses in the doorway, and I look at him expectantly. "Don't giggle like that around her. At least not until you have her locked away in a cabin somewhere."
"Shut up."
Twenty minutes later, we arrive at the reception hall and make our way to the outdoor ceremony space.
"Levi! Anderson!" Violet calls out to us as we round the corner. When we get closer, she grabs Anderson's coat sleeve and slots him into place next to Brooks, gesturing for me to stand next to Cole.
Violet references her clipboard. "Okay, the ladies are up next," she says, hustling to the small tent set up at the back.
"You're late," Brooks reprimands us.
"Car trouble," Anderson says easily, and then blows Violet a kiss while her back is turned, trying to get a rise out of Brooks.
Brooks pretends to catch it midair and crush it between his huge hands.
"Dude, my kiss was for your wife. Not you." Anderson deadpans his annoyance.
Music plays out over the speakers. A catchy dance tune to signal this is the rehearsal and to help everyone have fun.
First out is Cole's sister, Brynn, who winks at her brother as she walks down the aisle.
A couple of Cole's friends from his hometown sit in the audience waiting for the rehearsal to be done, and they let out a few yelps and whistles.
Brynn rolls her eyes. "You boys better be prepared to gas up every one of us tonight, because we all look amazing."
Max winks at her. "No problem, Brynn. We're on it."
Cole raises his eyebrows at his sister. "Do you realize what you asked for?" Brynn bites her lip, hiding a grin.
Next, Paige walks down the aisle, and Anderson runs toward her, taking pictures as she treats it like a catwalk. Max, Hayes, and Emmett whistle and call out to her.
Then Addy, and Cora walk down one by one and Cole's friends hoot and holler as each woman does a little dance down the aisle.
Everyone is laughing, having a great time, and I'm trying not to vomit on my shoes.
I know Melody and Scarlett are both Miranda's Maids-of-Honor so I'm not sure who's coming next. My palms are sweaty and I clench my jaw as I take a deep breath.
Cole turns to me and grins. "Levi, I'm the one who's supposed to be nervous."
I force out a noise I'm hoping sounds something like a laugh, as I stare at the ground.
When Alex's whistle joins the other catcalls, I know it's Melody walking down first. I take a deep breath, steeling myself for my first glimpse of Scarlett in a decade.
I glance over at Cole's other best man, Jameson, whose normally stoic facade is replaced with a genuine smile as Melody blows Alex a kiss before taking her spot, and I roll my eyes at my dramatics.
Pull it together, man.
Jameson recently broke up with the woman he planned to marry, who was cheating on him with his own cousin, and he's managed to show up today sans mental breakdown.
My childhood crush on Scarlett was over a decade ago. We never even went on a date. I told her how I felt and she did not reciprocate my feelings. End of story.
Didn't call. Didn't write me back. Didn't acknowledge my letter at all. And, if that wasn't enough of a response, I lost my best friend when Drake cursed me out for telling his little sister I was in love with her.
Little sister. They were 18 months apart and he always treated her like she couldn't figure out life without him. She and I used to gang up on Drake together, try and knock him down a peg and get him to stop trying to control everything. If I'd listened to Drake, I would have ended up an accountant instead of pursuing education.
Scarlett must have shown him my letter. I agonized over what to say for weeks, trying to put my feelings into words. I'm not embarrassed. Everything in there was the truth.
When Drake confronted me, I told him I was sorry, but I was in love with his sister. After threatening to bury me in the woods, he told me she wanted nothing to do with me, and my heart broke losing two of the most important people in my life.
We never spoke again.
Looking back, we were so young. I get why Drake was pissed. She was eighteen, and I had just turned twenty. The odds of us staying together while going to two different colleges was slim to none, but I thought maybe I saw something in the way she looked at me. Like she loved me too.
Hell no. I'm not going to be that guy. The girl doesn't like me back so I blame her for making me think I had a chance. I'm not a dick.
"Hubba, hubba. I'm in love, fellas," Max croons, and I glance up as Cole's friends start whistling again.
It's her. Scarlett. My Little Red.
The childhood nickname started as Little Red Riding Hood. A joke because her real name was a shade of red. But then, she started calling me Wolf, right around the time I started daydreaming about eating her...basket and Little Red became a way to remind myself of the forbidden danger of taking what I wanted.
I swallow hard. The girl I grew up with is gone. In her place, a sultry woman. Her soft teenage figure gave way to mouthwatering womanly curves. The fitted dark purple dress she has on accentuates her curvy hourglass figure and her already impressive height is enhanced with heels, making her legs a mile long.
If I had only seen her eyes, I would have recognized her instantly. Bright green and sparkling with life. Her hair, so dark it's almost black, cascades down her back in loose curls. One silver streak in the front makes her look a little edgy.
Her smooth skin calls to me like a salt lick for deer, and I clench my hands with the desperate need to grip the curves of her full hips. The image of her ample breasts naked above me as she rides my cock pops into my head and I groan involuntarily.
Beyond her stunning beauty, she still has the glow radiating like a beacon when we were younger. When she spots Cole, she grins and her smile jolts me to life like a lightning bolt. I have to turn away.
Oh, crap.
I'm still in love with her.
As I try to gather myself, I lock eyes with Anderson who gives me a pitying look because he sees the truth.
This weekend is going to kill me.