Chapter 25
Chloe fastened the last button on Addison’s wedding dress and started to cry.
The tears weren’t unhappy, of course, but in less than twenty minutes, her best friend was going to marry her brother, and now that she was in her dress and veil, beaming into the dressing room mirror with her flowers in hand, Addison had never looked so beautiful or so happy.
“Ugh, no crying,” Addison said, tears forming in her eyes, too, despite the warning.
“If you cry, I’ll cry, and then we’ll both have to fix our fake eyelashes.
It’ll be a nightmare. Seriously, think of something that makes you happy, like baby giraffes or making the perfect Swiss roll or Tyler making goo-goo eyes at you last night at the rehearsal dinner. Right freaking now.”
Chloe laughed, her tears (momentarily) vanquished. “Tyler did not make goo-goo eyes at me,” she argued, making triple sure she had a tissue tucked neatly into the white satin ribbon holding her bouquet together.
Detective Isabella Walker looked up from the baby she was nursing on the couch, both caramel-colored brows lifted and a smirk on her face. “Uh, I don’t even need to be a detective to tell you that he most certainly was.”
“I know goo-goo eyes when I see them,” Chloe’s sister, Grace, agreed. “And, sweetheart, let me tell you, Tyler was definitely making them at you all dinner long.”
Giving in felt far better than it should have.
“Fine. There may have been some goo-goo eyes,” she admitted.
After Tyler had told Ryan they were a couple and Chloe had told Addison she no longer needed to keep the news under wraps, word had spread to their family and friends like wildfire.
No one had seemed particularly surprised at the news, and Carleen and Miss Beverly had even shared a very conspiratorial look that said “we knew it all along” when Tyler had spun Chloe in for a kiss after the rehearsal.
Isabella righted the top of her pastel pink bridesmaid’s dress and tucked a milk-drunk baby Marisol into her infant stroller before turning back to Chloe. “You know what, girl. You two are adorable together. If you’re happy, I say bask in it.”
“That’s the truth,” said Frankie, her wedding band sparkling in the soft light as she rested her hand on the tiniest of baby bumps just barely beginning to show beneath her dress. “Take every ounce you can get.”
Chloe nodded, stepping back as the photographer got some last-minute photos of Addison and everyone did one last makeup check on their way to go line up for the processional.
The last four weeks had come with more than one reminder of how scary life could get.
But it could also be amazing, full of joy and happiness and—okay, fine—goo-goo eyes.
Right now, Chloe’s heart was full to bursting.
She had Tyler, and he had her. The HazMat suit that had been recovered as part of the arson investigation had the potential to put Leo Navarro away forever.
Esme was safe, with a whole host of Dempseys, firefighters, and Intelligence detectives on her side.
Chloe refused to think about murderers or arsonists or hackers today.
“I don’t mean to interrupt,” Sergeant Sinclair said, giving up a rare smile as he appeared in the doorway, his charcoal gray suit crisp. “But I heard there’s a bride here in need of an escort.”
“Hey, boss,” Addison said, her smile taking over her whole face as Sinclair came into the room and held out his arm.
“You look beautiful, Addison,” he said, his blue eyes crinkling at the edges and making Chloe tear up all over again. “You ready to go do this?”
“Hell, yes.”
Taking a deep breath, Chloe picked up the train on Addison’s ultra sparkly princess dress and followed her toward the ceremony room.
Everyone lined up just as they had in last night’s practice, waiting for their cue to walk down the aisle.
Isabella’s husband, Kellan, slipped through the back hallway to kiss Isabella and take the stroller off her hands, and one by one, Isabella, Frankie, and Grace disappeared through the door for the processional.
Chloe waited for the wedding coordinator’s nod, then started to make her way toward the front of the room.
She caught sight of Esme, with Xander and Tara on one side and Tom and Miss Beverly on the other, and gave her an exaggerated wink.
A few more steps had her in perfect view of Ryan at the front of the room, looking admittedly sharp in his suit.
But it wasn’t until she locked eyes with Tyler that her breath caught in her throat.
He’d always kept his feelings close to the vest, but right now, he was wearing one emotion all over his face, loud and clear, and it was the exact same one in Chloe’s heart.
She was wildly, insanely, irreversibly in love with him.
Tyler had been to nearly a dozen weddings in his life without enjoying a single one, but he was definitely making up for lost time with Ryan and Addison’s.
He’d admit, he’d been a tiny bit nervous that those old feelings of dread might come back to haunt him, reminding him he’d put too much on the line by risking his heart.
But Ryan’s mood had been unbreakable, and by the time they’d gotten to the ceremony site, said cheese for the pre-wedding photos, then watched from the wings as all of their friends and family began filling up the seats, his own mood had matched Ryan’s.
Tyler had almost gotten tripped up when Chloe came down the aisle—not that anyone could blame him, because her pale pink dress hugged her flawless curves and her smile belonged to an angel.
When she’d looked at him, though, eyes bright and all for him, his heart had opened right on up, practically parading out of his chest to be closer to her, and somehow, weirdly, everything after that had just felt easy.
The ceremony had blurred by in a series of memorable snapshots.
Sergeant Sinclair walking Addison down the aisle, her glittery dress matching her personality to a freaking T.
Ryan getting choked up on his vows when he got to his promise to love and cherish Addison forever.
Dallas pronouncing them husband and wife, and Faurier hooting and fist pumping when they kissed.
Now that they’d made it past his best man toast—which Tyler had kept short and sweet, because he was, after all, still him—he could finally lean into the truth.
This wedding thing wasn’t so bad.
He made his way over to his assigned table in the hotel ballroom where the reception was being held, grinning at the sight of Esme already sitting there talking with Liam Hollister and his girlfriend, Carmen Desoto.
Even though Hollister was technically on parental leave, he’d readily agreed to be in the rotation of sharp-eyed adults who would keep an eye on Esme during the wedding and reception.
Tyler had thought she might balk at that, but she’d surprised both him and Chloe by agreeing to the plan with only a little complaint.
Now, Esme leaned in, smiling at Hollister and Carmen’s infant son, Silas, then waving at Tyler as he slid into the seat beside her.
“Oh, my God, isn’t Silas so cute?” she asked by way of greeting, and Tyler nodded. He hadn’t been around many babies, but Silas did look pretty peaceful, wrapped up in a yellow blanket and cuddled in Carmen’s arms.
“He is.” To Carmen and Hollister, he said, “Congrats, you two.”
“Thanks,” Carmen said, raising her brows at Esme. “You’re welcome to come hang out with him any time, although I have to warn you. He’s a lot less cute when he’s hungry.”
As if on cue, Silas squirmed and started to fuss, and Hollister laughed. “That’s our sign. Catch you guys later?”
“Sure. It was nice to meet you,” Esme said, looking at Tyler a few seconds later. “You and Chloe have cool friends. Hawk told me he’d teach me how to make his famous chili recipe, and Shawn and Frankie said I could maybe even learn how to help Annette look after Isla once their new baby comes.”
“Babysitting is a lot of work, but I bet you’d be really good at it,” Tyler said. “There are training courses you can take, and I bet Quinn and Luke would be willing to teach you first aid. You might even be able to get school credit for the class.”
Esme nodded. “Yeah, that would be alright.”
Tyler reached for a glass of water on the table, realizing how little he’d hydrated over the past few hours of go-go-go. He was two gulps in when Esme’s gaze caught on his wrist, her eyes flying wide.
“No way. You’re wearing that?”
He held up his arm, his dark gray beaded bracelet with the letters BEST MAN strung across the front peeking out from beneath his shirt cuff. “Of course. Ryan’s wearing his, too. So are Addison and Chloe.”
“Really? I thought maybe you’d think it was too silly, and you wouldn’t like it,” Esme whispered.
But Tyler shook his head, warmth swirling through his chest. “Nope. It makes me think of you, and I love it. Thanks for making it for me.”
“Thanks for keeping me safe.”
She leaned in to hug him, and he had to swallow past the lump in his throat as he hugged her back. “Sure thing, kiddo.”
They parted, and Chloe came up to the table a minute later, asking Esme if she wanted to come join her and Addison in the photo booth.
After a little hazing from both of them, Tyler went, too, each of them making faces and laughing as the flash went off, capturing their happiness.
They ate cake and danced, talking and taking selfies with all of their friends and cheering Hawk on as he got up on stage to sing a shockingly good rendition of Garth Brooks’s “I’ve Got Friends in Low Places”.
Finally, after all the plates and glasses had been cleared and nearly everyone who had worn heels to the event had taken them off, Lou and Carleen came to collect a sleepy-looking Esme to take her home.
Tyler held out his hand to Chloe, spinning her onto the dance floor as it filled up with couples for the last dance.
“For someone who hates weddings, you look like you had an awfully good time tonight,” she said, her breath warm and soft on his neck as she melted into his arms.
“I used to hate weddings,” he corrected, the sweet vanilla scent of her skin filling his senses, and Christ, he would never stop wanting her. “But I’ve recently had a change of heart.”
She laughed, pulling back to meet his eyes. “And what brought that about?”
“Well, I used to hate weddings, but then I fell in love with you.”
Her lips parted on a gasp, and he slid his mouth over hers to taste her surprise. “It’s crazy and I didn’t expect it, but it’s the truth. I love you, Chloe.”
“I love you, too, Tyler.” She kissed him back, her smile as sweet as her surprise. “Do you want to get out of here?”
Suddenly, his newfound fondness for weddings dimmed. “Fuck, yes.”
Tyler had no idea how he kept his composure as they found Addison and Ryan, said their goodnights, and made it up to Chloe’s hotel room.
Time moved differently the second they shut the door, slowing to let them enjoy every kiss, every touch, every shudder and every sigh.
Tyler lowered her dress from her body, tracing her blush with the tips of his fingers as he slid them over her again and again.
Every touch engraved itself into his memory, and as they tumbled into bed and tangled together in ways that couldn’t be undone, he knew that Addison had been right.
Loving Chloe was the easiest thing he’d ever done in his life. And now that he had her, he didn’t ever want to let her go.