Page 43 of Do You Take This Man

“Of course,” he said, taking a few more shots, “but some women think theirs are special, you know?”

I ignored his question, checking my watch to give my hands something to do. RJ didn’t need me to protect her, but I wanted to speak up against this guy’s bullshit. I bit my tongue, rememberingPenny’s note that, despite what looked a lot like posturing, this guy was a big deal, and having him as a good contact was important. Still, I wanted to tell him what I thought. “You ready?”

“In a minute,” he said, crouching, camera trained on where the bride and groom were laughing with some family members. “I’m just saying thanks for calming her down.”

Protectiveness. That’s what was coursing through me, even though RJ would be the first one to tell me she could fight her own battles. “I didn’tcalm her down, I just offered a solution.” I crossed my arms over my chest, dropping the Switzerland from my tone. “We need to get started.”

•••

THE REHEARSAL WASgoing smoothly. RJ and I had found a kind of balance in who ran which part, and compared to the first wedding we worked together, it was a well-choreographed cakewalk. A lot of our time together felt like we were in sync. Sex with RJ was always incredible, but joking with her, texting with her, all of it was starting to feel important to me.

As we neared the run-through of the ceremony, the photographer crept behind RJ, camera trained on the couple. I gripped my tablet. He was quiet, and I wasn’t sure RJ even knew he was there, which made me even angrier.Dick.RJ finished going over the ring ceremony, her voice like honey in the room as she turned from bride to groom to make sure they were clear on what to do, something I noticed she always spent time on.

In that next moment, three things happened almost at the same time. The maid of honor cracked a joke and everyone laughed, Garrett swung his camera to capture the moment, and RJ turned her head as the best man responded. Garrett’s lens made contact with her face, the momentum of both of their movements resulting in a crash. RJ’s sudden jerk made me think it probably hurt, but then theguy didn’t move right away, just nudged forward and snapped a few shots before stepping back. It all happened in seconds, everyone else still laughing at the jokes between the best man and maid of honor.

RJ’s hand went to her face, and she stared at her fingers for a moment, presumably to see if she was bleeding. I couldn’t hear their exchange, but it was short and terse before she turned to the couple and finished the rehearsal without incident. Garrett Parker of Parker Studios had stepped back quickly, and I balled my fists at my sides for the rest of the rehearsal.

“I have what I need here,” Garrett said, pausing on his way out. We stood near the exit, the hall where everyone else had lingered only partially visible from where we were positioned. “Ten tomorrow at the bridal suite?”

“Yes. Ten.” I kept reminding myself that Penny wanted this contact for future business, but I glanced back at RJ, whose fingers gently tapped at her face where he’d hit her. “And what were you doing up there? She asked you to stay back.”

“It was a good shot. I took it.” He gave a passing glance behind me. “She’ll get over it.”

“Jesus, man. Can you show her a little respect? She asked you to stay off the altar.”

“Listen,man,” he said, stepping forward. He was a few inches shorter than me and a thin guy, but his step was clearly meant to intimidate. “You know they’re paying me a lot more than they are her, so I’m going to do what I want. You’re the event planner. Figure out a way to appease her.” He looked behind me again, a smirk crossing his face and his tone lightening. “She needs to relax. Friend, I’d do it myself, but I don’t have time to get her drunk enough.”

Well, Penny’s gonna be pissed.I stepped forward, using my size to force him backward. “Listen, motherfucker, they are paying you a lot and you’ll take great photos, but if you ever make a joke like that in my presence or deign to disrespect a woman in front of me likeyou did tonight, you’ll be developing those photos from the ER, understood?”

Our voices were low in the alcove. “You’re threatening me?”

I took a step back, crossing my arms over my chest. “I’m a professional. Just making sure you have all the information you need for tomorrow,friend.”

“Of all the amateurish...” He took another step back and pushed open the door. “Have a good night, asshole. Good luck booking me for anything again.”

Shit, shit, shit.I turned slowly, taking in a deep breath and composing the necessary email to Penny in my mind. Most of the wedding party had left for dinner, a barbecue at the groom’s parents’ house, which was perfect because they didn’t need me there. After confirming a few details, I waved the last of them away and looked for RJ.

Chapter 23

RJ

I WAS RUNNINGout of excuses to hang around after wedding events to “casually” run into Lear, but tending to a facial injury was a new one. I brushed my finger over the scraped and tender spot on my jaw where the jerk’s camera lens had made contact. It was minor and had only bled for a moment, but I was pissed. I dropped my hand and took in my face in the bathroom mirror.Severe.That was the face I tried to convey, and it’s what I thought I’d made clear to the photographer. Of course, I’d made it clear to Lear, too, and look how that ended up. I inhaled slowly and tried to relax the line between my eyebrows. It wasn’t like it was the first time I’d had to deal with cocky assholes in my line of work. The guy had reminded me of Case, though. When I told him I wanted more affection between us, for us to take time to really build our relationship, he was dismissive. When I called him on it, he acted like I was at fault for changing the rules. Maybe I had. That’s why the thing with Lear was better. The rules were clear and neither of us was interested in changing them.

Resting my palms on the sink, I inhaled and exhaled a deep breath.Let it go.I’d been looking forward to the rehearsal all day. More accurately, I’d been looking forward to afterward all day. “I’ll feel better after I get off,” I said into the empty restroom, ignoringthe niggling thought that I’d feel better once I was with Lear. My quiet voice echoed around me. I’d spotted Lear and the photographer near the exit as we finished up. They’d been almost toe-to-toe, Lear looming several inches taller. My heart had fluttered when I saw that, wondering, maybe hoping... was that about me? I rolled my eyes at my reflection in the mirror. “Ridiculous.” Pushing off the counter, I stepped into the hallway.

“Hey,” he greeted me from where he stood leaning against the doorway into the hall where the ceremony rehearsal had taken place.

I walked toward him, admiring the lines of his long body, his sleeves rolled up to reveal his forearms. “Hey.”

He glanced at my jaw, then scanned my body shamelessly. “I was hoping you’d stick around.”

His eyes flicked down again, following the lines of my suit. I flushed. It was a nice suit, but I’d bought it for court, for a space where I needed to be sharklike, severe RJ, and I had a moment of regret that that was all Lear would ever see in me. I shook away the thought. “You’re a fan of my suit?”

A slow grin spread across his face, but he didn’t move from his spot along the door frame. Lear shrugged one shoulder. “It’s alright.”

“No smart comment about getting me out of it?” I stepped closer, leaning against the opposite door frame and matching his pose.

He dragged his thumb over his chin, his voice low. “Do you want me to get you out of it?”

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