“I’ll save her a piece of cake. Where’s your date?”
“I don’t know. He was whisked away. He might be part of the wedding party.” Angel had known Consuelo a long time. She would guess the other woman wanted him involved.
“They pulled this together fast,” Jack said. Despite the afternoon sun, he looked comfortable in his suit and tie. Of course Jack was comfortable everywhere.
“You have no idea.” Taryn told him about her recent lunch with friends and Consuelo’s meltdown. “Maybe this is how she could get it done.”
Jack put his arm around her. “Marriage wasn’t so bad.”
“All six weeks of it?” she asked lightly.
He smiled at her.
Mayor Marsha moved to the front of the tent and asked everyone to find a seat. Taryn and Jack sat together. She saved a seat for Angel in case he joined them later. Music started. Kent, Reese and Ford appeared up by the mayor.
Felicia started up the aisle. The maid of honor, Taryn would guess. The wedding march began and the guests rose. She turned to see Consuelo in a full-on wedding gown, complete with veil, being escorted by Angel and Justice. She looked beautiful and fierce. Taryn had a feeling she was fighting serious nerves.
When she reached the end of the aisle, Justice and Angel lifted her veil and kissed her cheek. Then they stepped to the left, to stand by Felicia.
“Male and female attendants,” Jack whispered. “Very modern.”
She smiled, then turned her attention to the ceremony.
“We are delighted you could all attend this wonderful occasion,” Mayor Marsha began. “While I try to attend every wedding in town, I’m not always lucky enough to officiate at them. Thank you both for this joyous opportunity.”
She glanced down at the book she held, then back at the guests. “Today we celebrate and witness the joining of Kent Hendrix and Consuelo Ly. Traditional vows will follow, but first our wonderful couple wants to say something to each other.”
Consuelo handed her bouquet to Felicia, then faced Kent.
“I love you,” she said, her voice trembling slightly. “Very much. I promise to always show up and to tell you when I’m afraid.” She flashed a smile. “I can’t say I’ll always be normal.”
Kent grinned. “I’ll be normal enough for both of us.” His mouth straightened. “I’ll always take care of you, Consuelo. Be there for you.” He glanced over his shoulder.
Reese stepped a little closer. “Me, too,” he added. “We’re going to be a family.”
Taryn felt her eyes start to burn. She wondered if Angel would look at her, if he would communicate that while they didn’t have that level of emotion between them, he cared. Only he didn’t.
Instead Jack took her hand. “This is nice,” he murmured.
“It is.”
“There’s something to be said for eloping.”
Which they had done, she remembered. “Less money on catering.”
He grinned. “Good point. I’m glad your friend there was the one who had to deal with the snake. It probably would have killed me.”
She chuckled. “I’m sure of it.”
“You’ve got a good man there.”
She looked back at Angel. “Yes, I do.”
As if he’d heard them, he turned toward her and gave her a slow wink. She smiled back and knew that her world had gotten just a little brighter.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“YOU HAVE CHILDREN here to see you,” Larissa said with a grin. “Two girls. They know you by name.”
Taryn held in a smile. “Is that accusation I hear in your tone?”
“Children? It still surprises me to think about you hanging with them.”
“You know I’m an assistant Grove Keeper.”
“I’ve heard the words,” Larissa said with a grin, and walked back out into the hall.
Taryn was still chuckling when Chloe and Layla, another Acorn, walked in. She stood and circled around her desk. “Hi, you two. What’s up?”
Chloe set her backpack on a chair and pulled out a length of rope. “We’re having trouble with our knots. Angel’s busy and the campout is coming up soon. There’s going to be a test after we set up our tents. We know there’s a rabbit and a hole, but we can’t remember about the tree.”
Layla rolled her eyes. “I asked my dad, but he doesn’t know.”
She sounded desperately disappointed in the man.
Taryn kept her smile in place even as her stomach flipped over. Knot proficiency was required of Acorns. Angel had taught them at the last meeting. And while Taryn had been able to go through the motions with everyone else, she hadn’t really been paying attention to the particulars. After all, Angel was the outdoor expert. She was simply faking it.
In the past few weeks they’d gone hiking twice and had repeated the kayaking without incident, but with sex, which made it even more fun. But knots? She knew next to nothing about knots.