Page 86 of Love and Other Trials
“Power to the people,” Ariel shouted, putting her fist in the air.
Together, they watched the crab walk across the sand, the fake hair bobbing in the setting sun. When it reached the tide, they cheered. The crab practically flung itself into the ocean like its life depended on it while the wig floated out to sea.
When it started to come back in with the tide, Jeffrey stopped recording and ran toward it. “No, no, no. Go out! Shoo!”
Dax turned to Ariel, shoulders shaking with laughter. “Is your brother shooing your wig?”
Wiping tears, she nodded with a wide grin. In the waning light, she looked young and carefree and happy. Even covered in mud like he was, he felt the same way.
“He actually is. Oh God, Jeffrey’s right. This is a memory I won’t mind having about this wedding.”
She took his hand despite the mud caked on it. He decided it was only a little mud, so he squeezed hers tightly, swinging it playfully in the air. “Of course I have lots of other great memories, Elizabeth.”
Turning to her, he watched the waning sunlight highlight the precious angles of her face and the gold highlights in her hair. A lopsided smile appeared on her beautifully shaped mouth. “We both do.”
As the wig finally floated out into the ocean before disappearing from sight, Dax realized he was excited to see what was to come—even for the wedding.
TWENTY-ONE
Ariel had beento wedding rehearsals before, but seeing Dax walking down the pretend aisle toward her with a dazzling grin on his face had her heart knocking like two cowboy boots in a good line dance.
He wore a blue sports jacket with a white shirt and camel-colored slacks with some pretty swanky shoes—certainly not the muddy tennis shoes he’d thrown into the garbage when they’d gotten back to the cottage after what Dax had fondly nicknamed Wig Gate. That had only sent her into more gales of laughter before she’d enjoyed his impromptu striptease before getting into the shower—a huge success since she’d decided she wanted him one more time before they headed to the rehearsal.
When they reached each other at the hallway point, he extended his arm to her in grand style. “Miss,” he murmured in that sexy drawl of his, “would you give me the honor of letting me escort you the rest of the way?”
“I’d love that.” She slid her hand into his proffered arm and enjoyed the way he clasped it with his other hand for a moment before they walked to the front to take their individual places with the rest of the wedding party at the end of the lodge where they were set up.
Before parting to stand on her side, she wanted to lean her head against the side of his strong body. It would have ruined the cadence, though, so instead she took in a deep inhale of his spicy cologne, which only enhanced his tantalizing masculine scent. Everything about him was becoming so familiar, and it made her insides light up like Christmas lights.
He’d become vital to her in the short time they’d been together. Everything was good between them—she’d enjoyed herself almost as much laughing with him over the crab video, for the third time, as she had in the steamy shower.
Tiffany had cried when she reached Rob at the end of the aisle, and they did the pretend ring exchange. Ariel was the only one besides Rob who knew she was probably hyped up on preggers hormones. She was glad Tiffany’s focus was on something other than her altered wedding dress and the sod lines on the grass, because all they had to do was get through tomorrow.
Her grandma’s house looked to be hers. Her new future could start unfolding here. Her gaze sought out Dax, standing to Rob’s side, his freshly shaved jaw enhancing his strength and good looks. Would he really relocate here? It seemed to be in the offing, and part of her wanted to jump for joy at the prospect. She couldn’t wait to spend more time with him. Maybe she could even ask him to move in with her. Was that too soon?
Even though it was super early, she really liked—okay, more than liked—playing house with him. Certainly, he could stay with her while he was figuring things out, but her heart ached when she thought about not seeing him every day. Waking up with him and going to sleep with his arms around her filled something she hadn’t known was missing.
Big thoughts, Ariel. Get through the wedding first.
She was worrying her lips when the officiant described how the end of the ceremony would unfold with the whole kiss thing as man and wife. Tiffany and Rob started down the aisle, and Dax met her at the front so they could link arms and walk after them.
When they reached the end of the pretend aisle, she turned and hugged him with all the hope and spontaneous excitement in her heart. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
He squeezed her against his warm, solid chest and leaned down so only she could hear. “Me too. Now, let’s party.”
At the rehearsal dinner, held at a well-known chophouse, she practically sat on Dax’s lap as Jeffrey embraced hislife of the partypersona hard. Carson and Perry were at their table, along with Frank and Gunner, and they were by far the loudest group, laughing until they were hanging on to each other as Jeffrey recounted everything from funny facts about Charleston—her favorite being that the locals started calling them palmetto bugs a couple hundred years ago because it was considered lewd to say the word cock—to his shopping spree for spiritual items designed to offset negative energy.
Their laughter reached booming levels when Jeffrey pulled up the wig video, with people wheezing and wiping tears, an awesome sight really since Dax and his buddies were all large, attractive men. She hushed them, fearing Jeffrey’s wig ploy would be overheard, but no one could make sense of their comments because the men were all laughing too hard. Fighting her own mirth—because man, it really had been funny seeing the wig walk into the ocean—she kept a keen eye on people who might not find it so amusing.
The Three Tornadoes were huddled together like usual. Her mother sat among them with a preening Trey, who seemed to be talking to her brothers-in-law about golf from the way he mimed swinging his club. Mother’s slack face didn’t hide her censure or boredom. She wasn’t the center of attention, her worst nightmare. Ariel caught her disapproving glances a few times when their table continued to be especially loud, but she finally stopped caring. She was having fun at a family function, and that was a rare treat.
Jeffrey finally went to the bar and brought back a fine bottle of bourbon, earning him a few back slaps, which had him playfully fanning himself. Jeffrey teased Dax about what the Navy would look like if they wore dress blacks instead of dress whites, and Dax rebutted that they’d look more like priests than pilots. Carson decreed that would never work because he had way too many lustful thoughts, and when Jeffrey confessed he did too, they all started laughing again.
Ariel was so grateful they’d so easily accepted her brother, because she would have needed to punch them otherwise. Jeffrey had had enough BS from her mother’s and sisters’ prejudices. She smiled at her brother, even happier that he was enjoying himself this much at a Deverell event.
Which led to her joining them in drinking the bourbon. She impressed Dax’s friends by how much liquor she could hold, but when Carson went to pour her a third drink, she put her hand over her glass, what with the wedding being tomorrow. He was talking to Perry and not paying attention, so he ended up pouring the bourbon on her hand and onto the table, which only had everyone howling with laughter all over again.
Rob sat quietly at the head table, nursing a drink while Trey nattered on about golf. Ariel wondered if he felt torn between staying with Tiffany and hanging with his buddies. She didn’t see any reason he couldn’t pop over for a bit, but there was no denying Tiffany liked exclusive attention—even if she seemed to mostly be talking to the twins and her sorority sisters.
