Page 72 of Love Under Snowfall

Benjamin

Over the next hour, Benjamin did his best to project an air of calm pleasantness despite the array of emotions parading through him. Even when he’d made it to the groom’s suite and found Zac stalling out in the hall. Reaching around the wounded groomsman, he’d pushed open the door. They both entered.

“Zac,” Jonathan exclaimed, voice rife with relief and irritation. “Nice of you to show up.”

Zac nodded sheepishly, shoulders slumped in a way Benjamin had yet to see from the usually confident man. A twinge of understanding tugged at the back of his mind. The groomsman wasn’t the only man in the room to have let Johnny down. Benjamin hadn’t exactly been the poster child for the perfect best friend.

“He was handling a few essential things downstairs.” Benjamin clapped Zac’s shoulder. “I had to remind him that there was an entire army of people making sure the day goes smoothly and that his services were needed up here.”

The groom looked between the two men, smiling in appreciation and wearing a hint of doubt. Clearly, as long as the people he cared about were there, he’d accept whatever excuse they gave him.

A knock sounded on the door. Todd strode in with an air of confidence that put Zac’s usual display to shame. The man was beyond comfortable in his skin, not an ounce of insecurity. Heknew who he was and what he stood for.

Benjamin decided he liked the bride’s best friend.

“Well, well, well, isn’t this a room brimming with devastation,” Todd whistled, casually appraising all four tuxedo-clad men. “We’re ready for you, Mr. Miller.”

Jonathan beamed at the newest arrival with the affection given to family. But that’s what Jonathan did; he collected brothers.

A short while later, Benjamin found himself congregated at the back of the building, just inside the door leading to the deck positioned to face the snow-capped mountains that surrounded the little Bavarian-themed town. The sun idly drifted down toward the peaks, preparing to set and wash the landscape in a haze of purples and pinks.

Beaming with joy, Jonathan stood beside Todd under a bough-woven arch, sparkling with white fairy lights and silvery, glittery things. Patio heaters encircled the altar, doming the space in comfortable warmth. A quiet murmur hummed through the crowd of about two hundred guests dressed in an array of clothes ranging from glamorous dresses to flannel shirts and puffy vests. The invitation had readCome as you are, and the interpretation varied greatly yet worked with the rustic theme of the whole affair.

“Ready, professor?”

Her warm touch seeped through the fabric of his jacket sleeve, quickly venturing a direct line to his chest. He turned, taking in the wintery goddess at his side. He’d seen her before when they’d handled the wayward groomsman and his date, but the second sight of her was just as moving as the initial glimpse. Her icy blue velvet dress appeared to have been custom-created to glide along her decadent curves. The long sleeves added a demure quality that offset the seductive plunging neckline. Woven into a thick, understated updo, her honey-golden hair glowed andshimmered with bits of sparkles strategically placed to catch the waning sunlight. A whisper-thin silver chain hung at her neck with a tiny infinity pendant resting gently in the hollow between her collarbone. Benjamin imagined sneaking a taste of her skin just beneath the shiny twist.

Francesca was beautiful. Strong. Steady. Filled with adoration for her family.

She was . . .

Everything.

Everything he wanted.

Perhaps he could make her happy.

Maybe if he was very careful he could have her and not destroy her like his father did his mother.

Benjamin shook his head, banishing the romantic flights of fancy. His focus should be on the wedding. He could dissect his feelings tomorrow and go from there.

He glanced at the maid of honor on his arm. Despite the joy wafting off of her as a result of the upcoming nuptials, Benjamin couldn’t help but notice the strain of tension in her eyes. She was keeping it together, but the happy day held a swath of shadow—undoubtedly caused by his reckless seduction back at the cabin.

He sobered, stilling his reaction to her nearness.

“A better question is whether the bride is ready,” he teased.

Francesca rolled her eyes. “Lucy’s been chomping at the bit since last night. Practically tried to shimmy down a trellis to get to her groom. Speaking of. How’s Jon holding up?”

“Same,” he said with a chuckle. “Exactly the same.”

“I guess that means they’re making the right choice.”

“I guess so.”

Lingering, eyes full of meaning, Benjamin couldn’t help but understand the translation.

We would never work.

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