Page 79 of Spark
“You look beautiful, Addison,” he said, his blue eyes crinkling at the edges and making Chloe tear up all over again.“You ready to go do this?”
“Hell, yes.”
Taking a deep breath, Chloe picked up the train on Addison’s ultra sparkly princess dress and followed her toward the ceremony room.Everyone lined up just as they had in last night’s practice, waiting for their cue to walk down the aisle.Isabella’s husband, Kellan, slipped through the back hallway to kiss Isabella and take the stroller off her hands, and one by one, Isabella, Frankie, and Grace disappeared through the door for the processional.Chloe waited for the wedding coordinator’s nod, then started to make her way toward the front of the room.She caught sight of Esme, with Xander and Tara on one side and Tom and Miss Beverly on the other, and gave her an exaggerated wink.A few more steps had her in perfect view of Ryan at the front of the room, looking admittedly sharp in his suit.But it wasn’t until she locked eyes with Tyler that her breath caught in her throat.
He’d always kept his feelings close to the vest, but right now, he was wearing one emotion all over his face, loud and clear, and it was the exact same one in Chloe’s heart.
She was wildly, insanely, irreversibly in love with him.
Tyler had beento nearly a dozen weddings in his life without enjoying a single one, but he was definitely making up for lost time with Ryan and Addison’s.He’d admit, he’d been a tiny bit nervous that those old feelings of dread might come back to haunt him, reminding him he’d put too much on the line by risking his heart.But Ryan’s mood had been unbreakable, and by the time they’d gotten to the ceremony site, said cheese for the pre-wedding photos, then watched from the wings as all of their friends and family began filling up the seats, his own mood had matched Ryan’s.Tyler had almost gotten tripped up when Chloe came down the aisle—not that anyone could blame him, because her pale pink dress hugged her flawless curves and her smile belonged to an angel.When she’d looked at him, though, eyes bright and all for him, his heart had opened right on up, practically parading out of his chest to be closer to her, and somehow, weirdly, everything after that had just felt easy.
The ceremony had blurred by in a series of memorable snapshots.Sergeant Sinclair walking Addison down the aisle, her glittery dress matching her personality to a freaking T.Ryan getting choked up on his vows when he got to his promise to love and cherish Addison forever.Dallas pronouncing them husband and wife, and Faurier hooting and fist pumping when they kissed.Now that they’d made it past his best man toast—which Tyler had kept short and sweet, because he was, after all, still him—he could finally lean into the truth.
This wedding thing wasn’t so bad.
He made his way over to his assigned table in the hotel ballroom where the reception was being held, grinning at the sight of Esme already sitting there talking with Liam Hollister and his girlfriend, Carmen Desoto.Even though Hollister was technically on parental leave, he’d readily agreed to be in the rotation of sharp-eyed adults who would keep an eye on Esme during the wedding and reception.Tyler had thought she might balk at that, but she’d surprised both him and Chloe by agreeing to the plan with only a little complaint.Now, Esme leaned in, smiling at Hollister and Carmen’s infant son, Silas, then waving at Tyler as he slid into the seat beside her.
“Oh, my God, isn’t Silassocute?”she asked by way of greeting, and Tyler nodded.He hadn’t been around many babies, but Silas did look pretty peaceful, wrapped up in a yellow blanket and cuddled in Carmen’s arms.
“He is.”To Carmen and Hollister, he said, “Congrats, you two.”
“Thanks,” Carmen said, raising her brows at Esme.“You’re welcome to come hang out with him any time, although I have to warn you.He’s a lot less cute when he’s hungry.”
As if on cue, Silas squirmed and started to fuss, and Hollister laughed.“That’s our sign.Catch you guys later?”
“Sure.It was nice to meet you,” Esme said, looking at Tyler a few seconds later.“You and Chloe have cool friends.Hawk told me he’d teach me how to make his famous chili recipe, and Shawn and Frankie said I could maybe even learn how to help Annette look after Isla once their new baby comes.”
“Babysitting is a lot of work, but I bet you’d be really good at it,” Tyler said.“There are training courses you can take, and I bet Quinn and Luke would be willing to teach you first aid.You might even be able to get school credit for the class.”
Esme nodded.“Yeah, that would be alright.”
Tyler reached for a glass of water on the table, realizing how little he’d hydrated over the past few hours of go-go-go.He was two gulps in when Esme’s gaze caught on his wrist, her eyes flying wide.
“No way.You’re wearing that?”
He held up his arm, his dark gray beaded bracelet with the letters BEST MAN strung across the front peeking out from beneath his shirt cuff.“Of course.Ryan’s wearing his, too.So are Addison and Chloe.”
“Really?I thought maybe you’d think it was too silly, and you wouldn’t like it,” Esme whispered.
But Tyler shook his head, warmth swirling through his chest.“Nope.It makes me think of you, and I love it.Thanks for making it for me.”
“Thanks for keeping me safe.”
She leaned in to hug him, and he had to swallow past the lump in his throat as he hugged her back.“Sure thing, kiddo.”
They parted, and Chloe came up to the table a minute later, asking Esme if she wanted to come join her and Addison in the photo booth.After a little hazing from both of them, Tyler went, too, each of them making faces and laughing as the flash went off, capturing their happiness.They ate cake and danced, talking and taking selfies with all of their friends and cheering Hawk on as he got up on stage to sing a shockingly good rendition of Garth Brooks’s “I’ve Got Friends in Low Places”.Finally, after all the plates and glasses had been cleared and nearly everyone who had worn heels to the event had taken them off, Lou and Carleen came to collect a sleepy-looking Esme to take her home.Tyler held out his hand to Chloe, spinning her onto the dance floor as it filled up with couples for the last dance.
“For someone who hates weddings, you look like you had an awfully good time tonight,” she said, her breath warm and soft on his neck as she melted into his arms.
“I used to hate weddings,” he corrected, the sweet vanilla scent of her skin filling his senses, and Christ, he would never stop wanting her.“But I’ve recently had a change of heart.”
She laughed, pulling back to meet his eyes.“And what brought that about?”
“Well, I used to hate weddings, but then I fell in love with you.”
Her lips parted on a gasp, and he slid his mouth over hers to taste her surprise.“It’s crazy and I didn’t expect it, but it’s the truth.I love you, Chloe.”
“I love you, too, Tyler.”She kissed him back, her smile as sweet as her surprise.“Do you want to get out of here?”
