Page 26 of All Autumn
My head was so full of Autumn that I barely heard the words of the minister as he performed the ceremony. Her gaze hadn’t once strayed to me. I hadn’t even gotten a brief smile as a longtime friend. I wanted to take her by the hand, drag her out of here, and explain why I’d been avoiding her. Would she understand that she was too much of a temptation? That if I got anywhere near her, I’d end up doing more than kissing her?
Until her divorce was final, though, she was strictly hands off. Until Brian was completely out of the picture, I’d stay away. I didn’t sleep with married women, even ones separated from their husbands.
I tore my gaze away from her, shifting my attention to Savannah. She was different from the Savannah I’d known in high school, more confident and polished. No surprise since she was now a famous model. She wore a dress identical to Autumn’s except it was a darker blue. Her hair was swept up in a style similar to Autumn’s.
With her raven-black hair, unusual but beautiful gray eyes, and creamy skin, she was striking. It wasn’t a surprise that she graced the covers of magazines. But I’d noticed a few things at the rehearsal dinner. She’d been unusually quiet and distant—not like the Savannah who once easily laughed—and she had an aura of sadness about her.
I looked at Adam to gauge his reaction to seeing the woman he’d once loved, maybe still did. His gaze was downcast, as if the floor was the most fascinating thing he’d ever seen.
As for Savannah, I’d caught her darting glances at him and thought I’d seen longing in her eyes. Or maybe it was only regret for hurting him when she’d broken up with him that I was seeing. Whichever it was, I would never forgive her for almost destroying him.
“I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
At the minister’s words, I tuned back in to the ceremony. Dylan put his hands on Jenn’s cheeks, stared down at her and said, “I love you, Jenny Girl.” Then he kissed her.
Reminded of kissing Autumn, I glanced at her to find her looking at me. As soon as our gazes collided, she turned away, shifting her attention to the bride and groom. Had that been hurt I’d seen in her eyes? I almost rolled mine. This wedding was messing with my brain. I was attributing all kinds of emotions to people’s eyes.
I’d briefly considered explaining to Autumn why I was keeping my distance but, in the end, had decided it wouldn’t be a good idea. Getting her divorce finalized was more than enough for her to deal with right now. It wouldn’t be cool to add to her problems with a confession that I lusted after her. It could possibly ruin our friendship. So I’d keep my mouth shut and bide my time until she was Autumn Archer again.
Later, at the reception, I managed to stay on the opposite side of the room from Autumn, figuring that if I was in her general vicinity, I’d end up dancing with her, and then I’d forget I was supposed to be keeping my distance. In fact, I’d been here long enough to pay my respects, so I decided to slip away.
As I walked down the hallway of the country club, headed for the exit, I passed a door that had been left ajar, and hearing my brother’s voice. I peeked in, surprised to see Adam and Savannah standing close together, having a quiet conversation. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, and Adam’s back was to me. When he put his hand on her arm, she flinched.
I gritted my teeth. Why was he even talking to the woman who’d broken his heart? Footsteps sounded, and I glanced down the hall to see Savannah’s boyfriend walking toward me. Before he could discover Adam and Savannah together, I headed his way.
“Jackson, you look lost.” There was something about the man I didn’t like. For one thing he never let Savannah out of his sight. I’d come to the conclusion that he was a controlling bastard.
“I’m looking for Savannah. You see her around?”
“Ah, yeah, not five minutes ago. She was out on the patio. Said she wanted a little fresh air. Come on. I’ll show you where the patio is.”
Back in the main room, I pointed to the French doors on the other side of the dance floor. “She was out there.”
As soon as he walked away, I took out my phone and texted Adam.
Jackson’s looking for S
He didn’t answer, but a few minutes later Savannah appeared. “I told him you were out on the patio,” I said as I walked past her, not waiting for a response as I went in search of my brother.
I caught up with him in the parking lot. “Leaving?”
“Yeah.” He clicked the remote on his car.
“You okay?”
“I’m fine.”
He wasn’t. I could read him like a book. “I’m out of here, too. Want to go get a beer?”
He paused with his hand on the door handle. “Not tonight.”
I stood in the parking lot of the country club and watched his car as he drove away. From the day we’d popped out of our mother’s womb, Adam and I had shared our thoughts, our dreams, our problems. Until Savannah. He’d refused to tell me what she said when she broke up with him, and he wasn’t sharing what was going on in his head now. As far as I was concerned, she couldn’t return to New York soon enough.
We were a pair, Adam and I, apparently both wanting women we couldn’t have.
14
~ Connor ~
