Page 108 of Love and Other Trials
It was the first normal interaction they’d had, and Dax was glad for it.
Terry appeared first, doing her best to match the steps of the music, but missing it by a half beat. Carson walked down to meet her halfway and escort her to the front. Perry followed with Tricia. And then Ariel appeared, and Dax couldn’t do anything but stare.
Her beauty grabbed him by the throat, from the way her hair curled in the sunlight to the softness of the pale pink frothy dress she wore. He’d never seen her so dressed up, so outwardly feminine, and he could feel his temperature rising at the sight. Back in the cottage, he hadn’t taken note, but the sun was out and their worries seemed far away when she met his eyes. She held a bunch of pale pink flowers against her chest, and she was smiling, her blue eyes dancing.
Rob had to nudge him in the side to spin him into action. He heard his friend’s muted laughter as he rushed to meet her before he realized he shouldn’t be rushing. He slowed down, hearing more chuckles from the audience. When he reached her, a radiant grin crested across her face. He offered her his arm, which she took and squeezed.
“We made it, Stephan,” she whispered, the breeze ruffling her short, curly hair.
He tucked her arm snugly against his side. “We sure did, Elizabeth.”
With that, they walked to the front before parting again to take their respective places. The wedding march sounded, and the guests stood. Dax knew Tiffany was walking up the aisle, but he didn’t have eyes for anyone but Ariel. She was watching him too until the last minute as the bride appeared at the front with her father. Then Ariel winked and gave her sister her full attention.
After that, the ceremony began. He held his breath when the minister asked, “If anyone objects, speak now or forever hold your peace,” because surely, they were in the clear, and there was no one who’d snuck into the audience to cause trouble.
With the Deverell women, one could never be sure. He watched Ariel’s chest fall as she released a huge breath when the moment passed without issue.
Tiffany cried through most of the ceremony with Ariel feeding her copious amounts of tissues. Rob even got choked up while saying his vows, which kinda shocked Dax. His friend was not known for getting sentimental. Shortly thereafter, the minister pronounced them man and wife. Dax watched them kiss before starting down the aisle together holding hands. When it was his cue, he met Ariel at the front and tucked her arm against him.
He smiled down at her beaming face. “You did it!”
“We did it!” She laid her cheek against his side for a moment, and then they were out front with the others.
After that, there were pictures and the screams and cries of children and the hum of conversation. By the time they reached the wedding tent and found their seats at the head table, Dax was feeling fidgety. He almost laughed at himself. One mission down. Now he was raring to launch into the next one. Figuring out who’d hidden the wedding dress.
Ariel was off checking on something for the reception. He couldn’t see her in the big white tent, but he spotted Jeffrey at a table in the corner talking to other guests.
He rose, wondering how long he had before he really needed to take his seat. Enough for him to jog over to the lodge and ask them to pull the security feed? He wanted to get this done.
Jeffrey caught him as he was leaving the tent. “The bar is that way,” he joked, jauntily pointing in the opposite direction. “Eager to unmask our criminal, Sherlock? Wait! How did I not realize how funny that was until this very second.”
Dax hadn’t registered the irony either. “Because today has been a complete shitshow. Humor took a vacation for a while.”
“Let’s hope she’s back.” Jeffrey waved at someone and gave a tight smile. “Walk faster. That’s Stormy’s sister, Gail, and she’s always been a bitch to me.”
They nearly ran to the lodge, but the sound of Ariel calling their names had them spinning around. She put her hand on her hip when she reached them, looking flushed from the chase.
“Really? You’re investigating now? Without me?”
He winced. “I didn’t realize— Sorry. Can you take a moment?”
She glanced at the thin watch on her wrist. “What’s another few minutes. We’re already so off-schedule. You don’t want to hear what the caterer said about her dinner. She claims it’s ruined. Besides, I already called the front and asked them to pull the footage.”
He grabbed her by the shoulders, picked her up off the ground, and kissed her on the mouth. Hard. “Elizabeth, this is why I love you.”
“That’s not the only reason, Stephan,” Jeffrey drawled, clearly in the know about their nicknames from Ariel. “Come on, lovebirds, let’s go. This mystery needs an ending.”
The front clerk did indeed have the security tape ready, and because he’d had the time, he’d already discovered what they were looking for.
They huddled around the desk while he turned his computer toward them and hit play. They watched the culprits run across the parking lot to his car.
Ariel’s hum was drawn out and not amused. “How did I not guess?”
Jeffrey blew out a breath. “Because it’s beyond deviant.”
Dax shook his head. “Those little punks.”
TheLord of the Fliesboys were laughing as Marshall dragged the dress in the dry cleaner bag to the car. Then Ripp opened the back of Dax’s Bronco, and Marshall shoved the dress inside and slammed it shut. The boys were laughing as they ran off.
