Page 277 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

“I appreciate your thoughtfulness.”

He bent down to whisper in her ear. “Lose the formality, darling. I don’t intend to bring up the video now. Today is about Ty and Jamie, but after the reception we'll have a discussion.”

She couldn’t say for sure if the chills running down her spine were from his closeness or the nervous anticipation of knowing he wanted to talk about her misstep. As soon as she’d seen the news segment that evening, she’d recognized her mistake. He’d specifically asked her to keep a low profile and not do anythingthat might antagonize the killer, and she’d gone and publicly challenged him.

Emily believed it was the nickname the reporter had given the killer which had caught the national news media’s attention, but the sensationalized story was now front and center, and she’d made herself a target for the killer despite her promise to be cautious.

When they reached the third row of seats from the front, Wade gestured for her to be seated and then took the spot beside her.

“You look beautiful, Em.”

“Thank you.” She tucked a curl behind her ear. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”

“Bought the suit for my sister’s wedding. It cost a fortune, so I’m glad to have another reason to wear it.”

She ran her hand down his bicep. “It looks great on you.”

“Thank you.” He turned to face front.

“This is weird,” she said.

“Why is that?”

“I feel like we’re on a date.”

“That was Jamie’s intention. Another one of her schemes to interfere in my life.”

“I’m sorry. I wouldn’t have come had I realized what she was doing.” Her hands trembled, so she folded them in her lap.

“If I didn’t want to be here with you, I wouldn’t be,” Wade covered her hands with one of his.

His words slowly sank in. He’d known Jamie was trying to pair them off, but he’d waited for her and accompanied her to her seat despite his friend’s meddling.

As much as she tried to convince herself her feelings had faded, it was impossible to deny them any longer. Wade Brunner still held her heart in the palm of his hand, and she wasn’t sure how to protect herself from him. If he chose, he could crush heragain. A tear slipped past her defenses, and she brushed it away before he could take notice.

The wedding was lovely,and the food was scrumptious. Her filet mignon was paired with butternut squash and fresh fruit. Wade ordered the chicken, and his meal looked equally appetizing. She hadn’t expected the affair to be so upscale, but she hadn’t known Jamie’s fiancé was a tech titan either.

Ty’s brother Jared was the best man and he gave an engaging toast filled with humor and the right touch of sap. The newly married couple shared their first dance and then they had the father-daughter and mother-son dances. Emily couldn’t help imagining her own wedding and what it would be like to share that special day with loved ones. Her father was so distant she couldn’t imagine dancing with him at her wedding, but she didn’t expect she would get married anyway. Every year that dream seemed further away than it had the year before.

Before she had time to digest her meal, Wade took her hand and pulled her onto the dance floor.

She smiled up at him when he swept her into his arms. “I hope you dance better now than you did at prom.”

“You’ll find out soon enough.” He leaned down closer. “But I don’t recall you complaining at prom.”

“My out-of-control teenage hormones allowed me to ignore the bruises on my feet and enjoy being in your arms despite your lack of coordination.”

“How am I doing now?”

“Your dancing has improved tenfold.”

“I meant, am I still affecting your hormones?”

She slapped his arm playfully. He certainly was, but she intended to keep that information to herself. “Thanks for keeping me company tonight. I was worried I’d made a mistake accepting Jamie’s invitation.”

“She said she opened the invitation to Austin or Sam.”

“She did, but I didn’t think either of them would be comfortable coming.”

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