Page 63 of The Roadie
“No more of that, sweetheart. Wouldn’t want to upset that wedding planner again,” her father teased.
As if on cue, the wedding planner returned with two makeup artists yielding an array of brushes and products, who went to work with face powder and mascara. And then they were all being led outside and down a path that led through the park. Alyssa and Jessi gave Kira a hug and left to join the rest of the wedding party, while Audra waited with Kira and their father.
Kira was close enough to see the guests seated in rows upon rows of white chairs, all draped with a garland of white lilies, but not close enough to see Brett. She strained her neck toward the gazebo, which was covered in wispy white sheer panels and accented with deep red roses to match the girls’ dresses. The minister stood in the center by himself, and Kira’s heart sank because she expected to see Brett waiting for her.
The music started and she realized he hadn’t even walked down the aisle yet. Butterflies danced in her belly and adrenaline pumped through her veins as soon as she saw him head down the center aisle alongside his brother. Brett wore a dove gray tuxedo, while Grant and the other groomsmen wore the typical black. She couldn’t see his face, but she could see the outskirts of his beard highlighted by the glistening sun, and it was enough to make her insides flutter. When he got to the end of the runner, he turned, but he didn’t see her yet.
She sighed at the way his broad chest filled out his tuxedo jacket and how his muscular pecs pulled at the crisp white shirt. His long beard hid his collar and part of his bowtie, making him look extra sexy. He finally looked over the heads of their guests and saw her. His eyes immediately widened, and a huge smile spanned his cheeks.
She jumped a little, as if struck by a tiny spark of electricity, and smiled back at him.
He put his hand to his heart and patted it, which she knew was his way of saying “I love you” from a distance. She did the same and felt the silent exchange they shared from a hundred feet away, as if they were standing right next to one another.
Jessi walked down the aisle next on the arm of Brandon Bullet. Then Alyssa with Derek MacAlister.
Mason suddenly ran up to Kira and flung his arms around her waist. “You look beautiful, Aunt Kira!”
She cupped the back of his head in her hand, while his face was lost in rich taffeta. “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be with the groomsmen.”
“I know. I wanted to say hi and good luck.” He smiled, showing off his dimples. “Good luck!”
“Thank you, sweetie.”
“That was so nice of you, Mason, but you better get back,” Audra told him. “It’s almost time for you to walk with your father.”
He shook his head and smiled wider. “I’m not walking with Dad.” He held up his elbow. “I’m walking with you.”
“What?”
“Dad said you were walking down the aisle by yourself because you’re made of honor. But I said I’m not gonna let my mom walk without a groomsman.” He stuck his thumb into his chest. “That’s me.”
Kira’s heart melted at her nephew’s chivalry, and she shared a smile with her sister.
“Then who is your father going to walk down the aisle with?” Audra asked her son.
“Dad is gonna walk with Tessa and Lucas.” Mason held out his arm again. “You’re walking with me.”
A hearty chuckle came from the boy’s grandfather. “You are quite charming, Mason. And you’re as debonair as you are handsome.”
Mason let out an adorable giggle. “I don’t know what debonrare is, Granpa, but it’s a funny word.”
Pride beamed from Audra’s face as she looked at Kira. “Well, then, I guess I’m walking with my son.”
Kira looked toward the procession just as Alan Delgado and Jeremy MacAlister were walking arm in arm down the white runner. “Hurry up. You’re next.”
Audra took Mason’s arm, then stopped to look at Kira with a wrinkled smile. “I’m so happy for you, sis. The next time I talk to you, you’ll be a married woman.” She kissed Kira’s cheek, then hurried away with Mason.
All heads turned and smiled as the young boy valiantly walked his mother down the aisle. Mason wore a grin that shone like a ray of light, but it dimmed in the reflection of the megawatt smile on Jimmy’s face. His pearly whites could be seen shining from a hundred feet away as he beamed at his wife and son. When Mason and Audra reached the end of the runner, Mason turned toward his mother and gave her a curt bow, then proceeded to shake Brett’s hand, and the hands of the other groomsmen, which elicited a small chortle from the guests.
Even Kira’s father chuckled proudly. “That boy is something else.”
Kira’s heart warmed. “He is.” Although she was talking about her nephew, she and Brett were still staring at one another, and she melted a little from his gaze.
“I must ask,” her father stated, dryly. “Haven’t any of Brett’s friends heard of a barber? There’s enough hair up there to make Crystal Gayle jealous.”
Kira burst out laughing, mostly because of her father’s dated reference. “They’re members of Bulletproof, Daddy. They’re the nation’s number one heavy metal band.”
The corners of his lips turned upward, and he rolled his eyes playfully. “Rock stars.”
