He ducked further out of sight, and turned and saw Haley coming out. She grinned and crossed and ducked next to him. Like Trace had, she gripped him into a hug right away.
“Where’ve you been?” he teased. “Your wedding party ditched you.”
“Had to pee,” she said with a bright laugh, and rested her hand on her baby bump. Although Haley hadn’t intended on being so pregnant for the wedding, apparently, the little bugger had implanted sooner than expected. With the risk of a spring chill, like the bridesmaids, she had a cozy wrap tucked over her arm, just in case.
Today, however, it was like nature knew how much his sister would appreciate a beautiful day. Knowing Haley—no, knowing Patricia—there were several layers of backups on top of backups in case the weather hadn’t cooperated.
Like the blizzard the last time he’d made it to her damn winter gala. No power, roads blocked, and she miraculously threw a sparkling candlelit, intimate party, attended only by guests who lived nearby and owned four-wheel drive. The same night his siblings and he had told her off, and threatened a grandchild-less future if she didn’t shape up and start treating them as her children, rather than showpieces for her collection. That she’d better show that she loved them even when they fucked up.
“You look amazing,” Ryder said as Haley released him, and he ducked out of the way.
Despite the fact that the wedding guests could probably see them, albeit limited, Haley spun a circle and swished the glimmery, fluid white fabric. “More people should wait until pregnancy to get married. Even Patricia agreed, the glow adds a little something extra.”
He shook his head and grinned widely.
The music changed again, the same humming spring quality, but with a slower, longing rhythm. Ryder quickly ducked back out of the way and winked at his sister.
She seriously glowed, her smile reaching her eyes and her shoulders, and every piece of her moved gracefully. This being her second marriage, her father gone over ten years now, she had declared no one was giving her away because she was giving up nothing.
Ryder watched from the doorway, staying as inconspicuous as possible. As Haley neared the front, the guests rotated with her for the procession.
With their attention occupied, Ryder casually stuffed his hands in the pockets of his trousers and aimed for the back row.
Too late. His mother spotted him. Head tilted lovingly, cheeks clenched judgingly. She nodded for him to join her. In the front row. Fuck.
Ryder quickly dashed around the side and slid into the middle seat of the front row on the bride’s side, his odd family surrounding him.
Patricia’s stiff, long-fingered hand patted his shoulder, and as the crowd sat, she shoved him down. As if he needed the cue? Or was she trying to be affectionate? In starched slacks and a cropped blazer, her jaw-length silver bob unmoving in the breeze, the neurosurgeon was all business. For her daughter’s wedding.
At least she was trying. He sank into the standard plastic chair that had been covered with white fabric to warm it up. On Patricia’s other side, husband number three smoothed his argyle tie as he sat down, and leaned forward enough to nod proudly at Ryder. Not that they were close enough for emotions such as pride, his stepfather only in the picture since Ryder was nearly out of the house, but the jolly lumber company owner was a welcome humanizing influence for his mother. Ryder smiled back.
A warm hand slipped under his left arm and hooked elbows. Hattie, his former nanny and now the housekeeper, leaned against his shoulder. “I knew you’d make it,” she said gently.
He patted her hand on his arm and dabbed a kiss on the top of her snowy white braided hair.
On her other side, the gardener of the last ten years, and next to him, the last of the family row was taken by Sasha, the stablemaster of the last five years. He waved subtly at Sasha, and she beamed a sweet grin back. One of the few people he actually considered a friend in town anymore, but, fuck, probably not a great term, as they were more… friends who got lonely and enjoyed the comforts of her office in the stables when he was in town and needed an excuse to get out of the house. Not one for riding horses, but he’d found enjoyment in the stables. Sadly, she’d been with someone for nearly a year now.
Hattie sat up and released him, and he wasn’t just being symbolic describing the woman as warm, but she physically ran like ten degrees hotter than other humans, and the ice cube who birthed him on his right side was like sitting next to a deep freezer.
Whoever the minister was, he knew how to drone on. And on. And on. Haley and Finn gazed lovingly at each other, having an entire conversation with just their eyes that the guests weren’t part of.
On Haley’s side up front, Grady stood tall and confident, and kept sneaking a look at Claire, sitting at the end of the row on the other side of his stepfather. Ryder caught her eye and leaned back.
She leaned back to meet his look and whispered a tease, “You do love a photo finish.”
“I totally planned it this way,” he whispered back.
Claire rolled her eyes and scrunched her nose before turning back to face the front. Damn, she looked happy. Sometimes he wondered how different things would be, if he hadn’t worked through their last—and only—trip to meet his family. If he’d actually proposed instead of letting his mother believe that he had. Would she still have fallen for his brother?
Ryder turned to face forward again and folded his arms over his chest, stretching his legs long. Not even to vows yet.
His attention drifted over to Zoe.
Her gaze abruptly shifted away from him.
Shit. She was checking him out.
Shy, apparently…
