Delilah
* * *
The wedding is every bit as beautiful as I knew it would be. And I cried through the whole thing, just like I knew I would.
From Zoey’s daddy walking her down the aisle with tears tracking down his face to Ella singing “Ave Maria”— Lord, but can that child sing! —to the way Gavin’s voice shook through the reciting of his vows.
And their kiss? Perfection.
The only thing that marred it was Thayden’s grinning face on the other side of Gavin. He had the nerve to wink at me, sullying the whole sanctity of the moment. Has the man no shame? Clearly not.
He also has the kind of dimple I want to kiss right off his smug face. Infuriating .
I’m able to avoid him until after Zane and I finish the recessional. Abby is more than eager to switch partners, practically shoving Thayden in my direction as she grabs Zane. Probably to find another closet or hidden alcove. The two of them probably aren’t going to be far from a wedding chapel.
Thayden stalks, not walks toward me, and my heart starts beating faster. I swear, the man is looking at me like he’s a lion and I’m his next meal.
And I don’t mind nearly as much as I should .
“My, my, don’t you look beautiful, date ,” Thayden says.
I’m not one to make a scene. I saw Mama do that one too many times. I’ve got manners, even if my upbringing has absolutely zero class.
I point toward Zoey and Gavin, who are smiling for a photo, Ella tucked into their arms. “ They are the only reason I’m letting you call me date,” I hiss to Thayden.
“And I plan to make the most of every minute,” Thayden says.
Forget not making a scene. I shove him, just a little, and he grins.
I forgot how much the man seems to enjoy me messing with him.
And I forgot how, despite the fact that I know better than to trust a charmer, Thayden’s smile does something to me.
I’m not sure I can make it through the night with him aiming that thing at me like a weapon. Time to set a few ground rules.
Seeing how everyone’s distracted, I drag Thayden by the arm to a side hallway of the church.
“Be still my heart,” he whispers against my ear, and my body seems confused as to whether it should be shivering or smacking the daylights out of him.
With a final shove, I leave him flat-backed against the wall.
His eyes are the green of Alabama spring grass. An impossible color. Gorgeous. They’re a field I want to run through barefoot.
For a moment, I lose my lecture. Ah, yes. The rules.
“If you think that me agreeing to this date means you’re getting so much as a kiss out of me—”
“I don’t plan on kissing you, Delilah,” Thayden says quietly, hands in his pockets.
All my fight disappears. Replaced by … disappointment. It should be relief. But it most certainly is not relief, which scares me more than a little. Did I want him to kiss me? The realization shocks me into silence.
Thayden is suddenly a different man in this quiet space, and I wonder if anyone else knows that he exists. There’s pain in those grass-green eyes. The dimple is tucked away, leaving only a ghost of a smile framed by his neatly trimmed beard.
“I plan to be the perfect gentleman,” this stranger promises.
But my mama taught me better than to get in a car with strangers.
Even if they promise me a puppy. Somehow, I get the sense that what Thayden has to offer is much more tempting—and dangerous.
I cannot trust him, whether he’s being the charmer or this serious, stripped-down version that tugs at my heartstrings.
He continues, “I promise to be good, even if the means by which I procured this date were less than gentlemanly. I’m sorry about that, by the way. I didn’t think you’d give me the time of day otherwise. And I wanted to spend time with you.”
I put my hands on my hips. “Are you always this smooth?”
“Usually, I’m smoother. But I’m not trying to play games with you, Delilah.”
Why does it have to sound like music when he says my name? Why am I still so disappointed when I think about not kissing him?
“What are you playing at, then? Because I’m getting whiplash.”
He swipes a hand over his face, and the scratchy sound of his short beard under his palm makes my heart thump. Would it be rough or smooth under my palm?
“I need you to understand—”
The ringing of a phone interrupts us, and I’m not sure if I’m madder that the man didn’t silence it for the wedding or the fact that I don’t get to hear whatever he was about to say.
“I’ve got to take this,” he says, looking pained.
“Another one of your dates?” I snap.
His grin turns wry. “It’s my mother. Hello?”
He turns away as I hear the coordinator around the corner, calling the wedding party for photos. It’s a perfect chance to escape from this man who confuses and confounds me. Better to escape from the apex predator, even if I’m the dumb gazelle who secretly wants to invite the lion for lunch.
I’m off as fast as I can move in these heels. Which, given all my years doing pageants, is pretty dang fast.
“Where’s Thayden?” Abby asks as we gather at the front of the church, the photographer directing us.
“He probably crawled back into the hole he crawled out of,” I say. Abby laughs, but I instantly feel guilty. My words are too sharp. Too mean.
“Oh, there he is,” Abby says.
I watch Thayden stride up to Gavin, pulling him close and whispering something in his ear. Gavin’s face tightens in concern, and he pulls Thayden into a hug that he tries to wiggle out of.
Thayden turns to leave the church. Where is he going?! I have half a mind to chase him down, but he catches me staring. With quick steps, he’s before me, placing a quick kiss on my hand. I feel the brush of his lips and the scratch of his beard all the way to the ends of my hair.
I snatch my hand back. “You said no kissing.”
He blinks in surprise, then shakes his head, his smile barely there at all.
“I’m sorry, Delilah. I have to go. Something … came up. Maybe a rain check?”
I want to grab him by the collar and demand he tell me why. Or ask him to take me with him. Anything but let him walk away from me now.
“Never,” is what I say instead.
This man seems to pull out my meanness like someone foolish enough to suck the venom out of a snake bite.
“Well, then, goodbye, Delilah,” Thayden says, his eyes tracking over my face like this is the last time he’s going to see me.
And then, with my heart in my throat, I watch Thayden slip out of the church as though he was never here at all. Once again, instead of the relief I should feel, disappointment falls over my shoulders like a heavy blanket.
“Smile,” the photographer calls, and I pull myself together. If there’s one thing I can do well, it’s fake it.
THE END