Chapter 6
Ripley
The sheet cake and groom’s cake were far less precarious, but now there was a tension between us that hadn’t been there before.
We were quiet as we slowly made our way back down the walkway. Her massive bag was tucked under the cake on the bottom shelf of the cart and I could hear the tools of her trade clinking together. I couldn’t even imagine what was in there.
But I did know one thing.
Mercy Hart tasted like cherries.
And that was my favorite damn fruit.
Not just any cherries, either. Bourbon soaked and rich as dark bamboo sheets on a summer night.
I didn’t need that in my head or lingering on my lips.
“Ripley!”
My head jerked around to the sound of Cam’s voice.
“Where the hell have you been?”
“Cake emergency, remember?”
“That was ages ago.” He was in his full tux. His hair swept back from his face making him look ten years younger. “Hey, Mercy.”
“If you need to go, I got this.” She wouldn’t look at me.
“No, I’ll get you over the finish line.”
“It’s fine, really. You probably need to get dressed.”
I huffed out a breath.
“I got this.” Cam nodded. He grinned at Mercy. “We got this.”
I curled my fingers into my palms, the fingertips itching to stroke down Mercy’s back again. “Okay.” I backed away. Immediately, it felt wrong to leave her there, but she wasn’t paying attention to me.
Hell, she didn’t even look up.
Her entire focus was on the cake, because it should be. Making sure Sully’s wedding was perfect was the point.
I glanced down into the mouth of the pavilion one more time.
The folding chairs were filling up in front of the half moon created by the dais.
Winter roses in deep red and icy white spilled out of baskets.
They were softened by cheerful daisies with their bright yellow centers.
Long baskets marched down the red carpet that bisected the seats and bordered the aisle for Nora to walk down.
Then larger baskets marched up the steps up to the dais which was decorated with more flowers of the same.
A large arbor framed out where Sully and Nora would make their vows.
Filmy white sheers danced in the light breeze.
The fireworks would fill the sky right behind them as they said their vows a few minutes before midnight.
Tents were set up and the usual picnic tables had been replaced with long tables covered in the red and white cloths to match.
It could have looked Christmassy, but instead the deep red and white screamed class.
Not something the Murdock boys were usually associated with.
But it fit.
New Year’s Eve was made for new starts.
The perfect way to celebrate my brother’s new life.
He’d gone through a lot with Danny’s mother and her cruelty in keeping his son from him for years.
On top of that, he’d loved Nora since his high school days.
The fact that they’d finally found their way to each other was one more miracle.
Add in the Murdock legacy he was building and there was nothing but pride inside of me for what he’d built.
Sully deserved all of this.
And to stand with Nora in front of the whole damn town.
Now I just had to make sure I didn’t disappoint him. I was the big brother and it was time to be that for him. I ran to my Caddy and parked it near a tree so it was out of the way, then jogged over to the limo where the rest of my brothers and parents were lined up.
Sully was pacing. When he spotted me, he ran over, holding my suit over his arm. “What the hell took so long?”
“You don’t want to know.” I reached for the bag and unzipped the side. “Nothing to worry about, let’s just get you down the aisle, buddy.” I slapped him on the arm. “Time to get your ass married.”
“Finally.”
I laughed. “I couldn’t agree more.”
Even with a sure thing like Nora waiting for him, Sully was buzzy with nerves. He was prowling the gravel parking lot.
I walked over to him and gripped his shoulder. “Everything’s sorted.”
“I know.”
“Then what’s with the pacing?”
Sully fisted his hands at his sides. “I just want to get it over with.”
I arched a brow.
“Not like that. I just want her to be mine.”
“She’s yours with or without the ring, pal.”
“Dad!” Danny scrambled out of the limo, rubbing his eyes.
“Hey, bud.” Sully immediately boxed up his nerves.
“Did I miss it?”
“No. We just thought we’d let you sleep for a bit so you could enjoy the night.”
Danny, Sully’s son, had the same dark eyes as more than half of the Murdock clan. It was either deep, soulful brown or green like my own. His sun shot brown hair stuck up and a crease from the upholstery dug a line down his cheek.
“Where’s mom?”
Sully glanced up at me from his crouched position.
I ruffled Danny’s hair. “It’s bad luck for your dad to see your mom until they get down the aisle.”
His eyes grew a little shiny. “She’s here, right?”
“Hey, sure she is. She’s just getting beautified to marry that idiot.”
Danny swiped at his eyes. “Okay.”
Sully’s worry ramped up again as he stood.
“Tell you what? Why don’t we go over and check on her. The same rules don’t apply to me.” I hugged Danny to my side.
Relief practically rolled off Sully. “Thanks, man.”
“No problem. It’ll calm both of you down.
” I grinned and squeezed Danny’s shoulder much like I’d done to his dad.
I glanced at my phone and noted that we still had forty minutes before the festivities were going to start.
The cake needed to be set up well before the guests were seated.
We hadn’t exactly managed that, but at least it got here in one piece.
“Want to stop by and see the cake on your way to your mom?”
Interest sparked. “Can I taste it?”
I laughed. “Probably not, but I bet my friend has something for you to nibble on.”
He looked hesitant. He was still a little wary of asking what he wanted thanks to his mother’s abuse, but the kid was coming out of his shell more and more every day. I urged him toward the dessert tables which were the halfway mark between the bridal tent and where my brothers were congregated.
Mercy was still fussing with the cakes, but she’d done a lot since I left her. Cam was leaning against one of the pillars, his arms crossed as he laughed at something she said.
Cam’s wife, Maxine, was in the tent with the other women. The closer I got to him, the more I noticed he was craning his neck to get a good look at the tent. That was more like my brother. He was near obsessed with his wife and hated her out of his sight.
“That’s the cake?” The awe in Danny’s voice brought me back to the moment.
“Impressive right? My friend Mercy made it.”
“It looks just like Mom’s dress.”
“That was the plan, I think.”
“How’d she do that?”
Mercy must have heard Danny because she waggled a paintbrush in the air. “Lots and lots of time, that’s how.”
Danny picked up the pace and I could already see the millions of questions that were going to burst out of him. He was still in that magic age where his curiosity hadn’t been strangled by worrying about the cool factor yet.
“How’s it going over here?”
She didn’t look up as she dipped a tiny brush into a cup and painstakingly moved something around in the lacy design.
“Only had one casualty. I could probably turn the cake to hide it, but I’m trying to fix it first.” She poked her tongue against front teeth and her hand was rock steady as she moved around pieces like it was a puzzle.
Danny crept up beside her, the pockets on his tux pants sticking out as he toyed with the strings. “What’s in the cup?”
“Vodka.”
I snickered.
She eyed me. “Not for drinking. It lets me move stuff around and dries almost instantly without changing the colors.”
Danny put his face right beside Mercy’s shoulder. “That’s tiny.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Hey, bud, don’t get so close.”
“He’s okay. See all those little bits of lace flowers. I gotta get them all lined up.”
“All of them?”
“Just these last three.” She straightened and stretched her back. My eyes went right to the high curve of her breasts and I immediately turned my gaze skyward.
“So cool.” Danny’s voice held awe and the bubble of questions were coming. I could practically hear them.
“We were just on our way to see Nora. To make sure the ladies were all ready.”
“I bet they want you crashing in on them,” Mercy said wryly.
I dragged Danny in front of me. “I have the winning ticket to get me in.” My voice softened. “It looks really amazing, Mercy. I know they’ll be excited to see what you did.”
“I sure hope so.”
“I kinda promised this one you might have something for him.”
She laughed. “Catering just brought out the mini cheesecakes. How about one of those.” She glanced at me. “Probably a little too much booze in the others.”
“That’ll be fine.”
She pointed at a few cups at the back. “Some of those got crushed. Take a reject and I won’t tell anyone.”
Danny laughed. He carefully scooted one of the little cheesecakes out of cluster of little cups that echoed the shape of the daisies from the floral arrangements. Mercy closed the gap with a different treat right behind him.
Danny didn’t waste any time shoving it in his mouth. He mumbled around the bite with wide eyes.
“Good?”
He nodded emphatically.
I laughed. “C’mon, let’s leave her to it and we can check on your mom.”
He tugged on my arm and I threw one last look over my shoulder at Mercy.
She was staring after us, but I couldn’t read her. Finally, she turned back to the cake and I felt strangely bereft.
What the hell was my problem? It was just a kiss. Nothing earth shattering.
“Mom!”
I focused back on Danny who’d mowed his way through the crowd that was making their way down to the seats. I hurried after him and stopped outside the tent in case anyone was still undressed.
Danny didn’t care, just blasted inside. I heard a bunch of female voices cooing over him and rolled my eyes. He knew how to work them that was for sure.
“Are you guys decent?” I called out from a few steps away.
Parker ducked her head out. “Do shots count?”
“Hell yeah.” I slipped inside and found a row of shot glasses lined up with a bottle of Cabo Wabo tequila a quarter gone. “And where did we get this?” I asked as I picked it up and poured myself a shot.
“Cash lost it in a bet this morning.” Parker lifted a shot to me. “He’s on a losing streak and I love it.”
I laughed. “You couldn’t have gone easy on him with the purple hair dye?”
“Absolutely not. Besides, that one wasn’t my fault. He shouldn’t bet against the Bears.”
“Everyone should bet against the Bears,” I said with a laugh.
“Underdogs for the win.” Parker held up her glass.
“I want one,” Danny piped up.
Parker paused with the glass. “Uh. How do you feel about pineapple juice?”
“I like pineapples.”
Nora swished over in her floor length dress and crouched for the cooler. “I’ll do one with you.”
“Cool!”
Nora laughed, but I could see the strain around her eyes. She was a Type-A sort and being away from all the action was probably driving her crazy.
I pitched my voice low as she poured the juice into the shot glasses far away from her dress. “You look beautiful. My brother is going to swallow his tongue.”
Her cheeks pinked up. “As long as he’s waiting at the end of the aisle.”
“Oh, he’s been ready for months.”
She huffed out a laugh. “If Sully had his way we would have eloped.”
“Nah, he likes the big family party. If he says anything different, he’s lying.”
“Thanks, Rip.”
“For what?”
“For going above and beyond.”
“I didn’t do anything. Everything looks amazing out there. Mercy is fussing with the cake to make it perfect. The flowers are flowering or whatever, and you look amazing.”
She sighed. “Look at you being charming and helpful.”
I laughed. “Full service, ma’am.”
“Parker told me about the cake.”
“We have it handled. Mercy is a pro. Everything else is gravy at this point.”
“I know it probably seems silly to you.”
I shook my head. “Not at all. The only worry you have is getting down that aisle to my brother. He’s dying to meet you under the stars.”
Her eyes shone. “Okay, now you’re getting mushy too?” She fanned her hand in front of her eyes. “Do not make me ruin this makeup.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
I ruffled Danny’s hair and handed him the shot glass with yellow juice, then held mine up. “Slàinte mhath. As my grand dad would say.”
Everyone said it back and we all took a shot.
“Ready to get this party started?”
Nora nodded, her eyes still shining.
For the first time in my life, I wondered what it would be like to have someone look at me like the way she did at Danny and Sully. All the happiness must be rubbing off on me or something.