Page 53 of A Way Out
Oz glanced over his shoulder. Maria retreated around the island and moved into the living room, where she helped Riley get situated on the couch and then turned on the television for her.
She returned to the kitchen a moment later. “Do you need help?”
Did he ever. Not the kind she was offering, unfortunately. No, it was fortunate she wasn’t offering what he wanted her to offer. Because his resolve was slipping, damn it.
He blamed the fucking happiness all around them. It was masking the reality that hovered, waiting for them to return. His family. His financial situation. Maria’s family. Her financial situation. And how very different they were.
Oh, and don’t forget the fact that she now held Oz’s purse strings.
“I’m good,” he managed to croak. “I’m pretty much ready to start making omelets. What would you and Riley like?”
“Riley will just have ham and cheese. As small as you can make it.”
“What about you?”
“Did you make salsa?”
“Of course I did.” He forced himself not to dwell on the fact that she even asked. It only meant that she liked salsa. Period. Not his salsa in particular.
“Good, because you make the best salsa I’ve ever had. How about a vegetarian omelet? With salsa, of course.”
Of course.
The day progressed as only a wedding day could. The brides, the flower girl, the mother-of-the-bride, and the maids of honor took off to get their hair and makeup done. Sam panicked because he couldn’t find his shoes, which Parker unearthed for him. Parker asked a hundred times if Sam was sure he was okay with Parker marrying his sister, until Sam’s father told him to chill the hell out.
Flowers were delivered, but there weren’t any boutonnieres. Luckily, the wedding planner had arrived by that point, and she immediately got on the phone with the florist and ensured the situation would be rectified before the ceremony started.
The catering staff began setting up. The wedding planner and the florist started decorating.
Oz did his best to stay out of the way. He was just a guest; he didn’t have an important role until the reception.
When the ladies returned from the stylist, he happened to be wandering through the living area, on his way out to sit on the deck and maybe work on some new songs. With the way the band’s popularity was growing, they were going to need to put out another album sooner than later, to keep the momentum going.
His proximity at the moment Maria walked in the door was both good and bad.
Bad, because it stole his breath away when he spotted her. Her face was perfect; her skin dewy, her eyes smoky and sexy, her lips full and pouty and painted burgundy.
Her hair had been loosely pulled away from her face and wrapped in what looked like a knot at her nape. A couple of chunky curls framed her face, softening the style.
She looked like an angel.
“Snap out of it, Oz,” Holly said, clicking her fingers for emphasis. “We have a problem.”
He shook his head, took in her freshly colored, silvery blue hair with the deeper blue roots. “You all look beautiful.” His voice didn’t even crack. “What’s the problem?”
“We’ve been outed,” Holly said.
Maria and Lacey both had their heads down, looking at their phones. Instead of pulling out his own phone, Oz moved behind them, looking over their shoulders. Definitely a mistake, because once he got a whiff of Maria’s flowery scent, he was immediately transported back to the night they’d shared together.
“What am I looking at?” he asked, forcing his brain to focus on the panic in Holly’s voice.
Maria pointed at her phone. “Your fans have figured out you’re in town. They seem to think there’s some secret concert tonight, and they’re trying to work out where it’s going to be.”
“Well, there kind of is,” Oz said.
Holly whipped her head up and glared at him. “I don’t want anyone to crash my wedding. Our wedding,” she amended with a swift glance at Lacey. “I want this to be our moment. They can figure everything out tomorrow, but not today!”
She sounded slightly crazed, which, Oz guessed, was a result of stress.
