Jax walked down the hall, his heart tugging in his chest as he passed the bridal suite like a magnet being pulled to its other half. Clenching his fists, he forced himself to keep moving. To distract himself, he counted his steps. Forty-three to the exit. Twenty-two across the outdoor lounge area. And one hundred and seventy-one to the elegant setup for the beach ceremony and reception where the small group of guests mingled.
An aisle of smoothed sand, bordered by lit Tiki torches strung together with more white netting, bisected the two groupings of six chairs. Blue and aqua sea glass pebbles were scattered along the edges in lieu of the typical rose petals that would just blow away in the ocean breeze. Reid stood at the front, speaking with the minister beneath an archway made from aqua and white netting draped among four wooden posts. Beyond them the setting sun was just beginning to inject the sky with pale shades of lavender and coral as the sea lapped lazily at the shore.
This was what his sister deserved: a wedding in paradise.
Just like Vanessa deserved to expect a hell of a lot more from a relationship than following her rules, half of which ensured she didn’t date an asshole and the other half protecting her even if she did.
He understood why she’d created the rules—and he supposed they made sense to an extent and had served her well up to this point. But now she’d outgrown them and it was time she realized that she’d be okay without them.
Jax greeted the few guests he knew and introduced himself to the few he didn’t until finally Robért shooed him into his place next to Reid.
The violinist was cued.
Reid and the minister stood at attention.
A hush fell over the guests as they turned in their seats.
Jax straightened…and lost his breath.
Vanessa. Her name whispered through his mind like a silent prayer as she glided in slow motion toward him. Words probably existed to describe her beauty but not in his vocabulary. Exquisite, flawless, timeless…none of those even came close.
She smiled at her friends Eric and Kyle—decent guys he’d heard a lot about over the years from his sister—and rolled her eyes when they blew kisses in her direction. Finally, she reached the end, putting her within reaching distance. His body vibrated with the need to touch her, to hold her, but he held firm, doing nothing more than praying she’d look in his direction. But she didn’t. She greeted Reid with a quick hug and kiss on the cheek…then turned and took her place on the other side without ever acknowledging his presence.
He’d expected her rebuff, but that didn’t make it sting any less.
The sound of muffled gasps brought his attention to the back once again as Lucie appeared on the arm of her grizzled father-figure Fritz. She’d originally asked Jax to walk her down the aisle, but he casually suggested she ask Fritz, saying the man was getting on in years and it would probably mean a hell of a lot to him since he thought of Lucie and Vanessa as his second and third daughters.
In reality, Jax knew he’d be a jacked-up mess if he had to be the one to give her away. The moment she asked, he knew what every father in the world must feel like. No matter how much you approve of or like the guy she’s marrying, everything in you wants to throw her over your shoulder and haul her ass back to her bedroom and ground her for life. So for her sake, he was trying to focus on being the best man, because the best man’s main concerns were not losing the rings and getting drunk at the reception. Way easier.
Though he tried to keep himself in that juvenile mentality, Jax’s heart swelled with pride and love as his baby sister walked toward her future. He’d never seen her more beautiful or more sure of herself. The moment her gaze collided with Reid’s was almost palpable. The rest of them could disappear in a puff of smoke and neither would notice.
Once they reached the archway, Reid held out his hand to accept his bride’s, only the old man wasn’t giving it up so easily.
Reid quirked a brow. “Fritz?”
Narrowing his eyes, the old man spoke so only those standing at the front could hear. “You ever break this girl’s heart, Andrews, and I’ll serve your balls to my one-eyed bulldog for breakfast.”
Reid leaned in slightly. “If I ever break her heart, I’ll serve them to Willy myself.”
Fritz nodded with a satisfied grunt before turning to face Lucie. His weathered skin melted into a mask of wrinkles as he beamed with pride. She returned his smile, kissed him on the cheek, and let him place her hand in Reid’s with a firm pat of approval.
Jax drank in the sight of his sister, overflowing with happiness and love for the man who was a friend by blood but a brother by bond. When their parents died, Jax had doubted more often than not that he’d see this day. A day when he no longer had to worry about failing her. That despite the fact he’d had no idea how to raise a teenage girl, she’d managed to come through the other side a well-adjusted, amazing woman. And if anyone could continue to love and take care of her as he’d done, it was Reid. She was in good hands.