Page 61 of A Way Out
Oz followed him to the second row, where they sat next to Travis. And not a moment too soon, as the officiant made her way down the aisle, and then the string quartet Holly and Sam had hired for the ceremony began the processional music.
The two grooms came down the aisle next, with Sam’s mom between them, clutching their biceps under the tuxedo jackets, and smiling like she’d just won the lottery. She was gaining a daughter- and son-in-law today.
The grooms, by contrast, both looked starry-eyed and a whole lot nervous.
Next came the maids of honor; Maria and Lacey’s best friend, a stunning Black woman named Sabrina.
But his gaze returned to Maria, drinking her in all the way down the aisle, until she stood under the arch, slightly to the left, almost directly in front of him. He was so busy soaking in her beauty that he totally missed Riley’s flower girl debut, until she tossed a handful of rose petals into his face.
The guests laughed and Maria bit her lip, motioning for her daughter to stand next to her.
The tone of the music changed as Lacey and Holly stepped into view, flanking Lacey’s dad, whose chest stuck out like a proud rooster.
They made their way down the aisle, Lacey’s dad kissed each woman on the cheek and then handed them off to their respective grooms before sitting next to his wife in the front row. Oz didn’t miss the swipe of tears—both Sam and Parker—as they both sappily grinned at their soon-to-be wives.
Oz stared at Maria during the entire ceremony.
He could see it clearly; her standing up there at the altar, waiting to marry her own groom.
He wanted to be that groom. That man who would get to spend the rest of his life making this woman happy.
Holy hell.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“How concerned are you with being outed by the press?” Holly asked as she dropped into the seat next to Maria.
“Good morning to you, too, freshly minted Mrs. Stokes. What are you doing down here so early? And all alone,” Maria asked.
“I got up to pee, saw you were down here. Wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
Maria furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”
With a grimace, Holly slid her phone across the glass top table. Maria stared down at the article on display.
“High society ladies apparently like to get down ’n dirty sometimes, as Maria Bernard ne Hearsy shows us in this photograph of her and her young daughter, hanging out with a tattooed and pierced rocker from a band called Demigoddess Revival.”
Underneath that headline was a picture of Maria and Oz and Riley. They were all standing on the staircase, smiling widely. Oz’s hand was clearly pressed to the small of Maria’s back; his other hand rested on Riley’s shoulder. The tattoos on his forearm were on full display, as were his ear piercings and the silver lip ring Maria found so sexy and fascinating.
The publication was from a local society paper in her hometown.
Maria bowed her head and pressed her fingers to her eyes. “Tell me this is not happening.”
“I wish I could. Have you heard from our mother yet?”
“My phone is upstairs. Although it’s still early on the West Coast, so I may have a little reprieve.”
“I’m so sorry.” Holly hugged her. “I don’t know how they managed to find this picture and publish that article so quickly.”
Maria recalled the guy from the catering staff who had been snapping pictures of her and Oz on the staircase. No doubt he’d gone online on his first break and offered that pic up to the highest bidder.
“Apparently, I am even better at being a publicist than I thought if Demigoddess Revival’s popularity is stretching all the way to our mother’s circles.”
Holly chuckled. “They better hire you permanently. We may hire you too. Dahlia texted and said she needs to go on an indefinite hiatus.”
“Is she okay?”
Holly shrugged. “She says she is. Says it’s family stuff, and she understands that we’ll need to hire her replacement. She even offered to give me some recommendations, although I obviously don’t think that’s necessary.”
