Page 93 of Final Temptation
After we took our respective spots, it wasn’t long until Declan and my mom followed behind us. He nodded his head as he walked toward me, saying hello to the wedding guests, grinning ear to ear. Before taking his spot, he gently kissed my mother’s cheek and whispered something in her ear.
Standing beside me, he clasped his hands in front of him as he gently rocked back and forth on his heels, awaiting his bride to follow the path down to the creek.
“You got this, brother.” I squeezed his arm, just as everyone in the crowd began to rise, their eyes flitting toward the bottom of the pathway.
Paige walked slowly toward us, toward her soon-to-be husband, careful not to fall in the grass. Chase held her steady as she clutched onto his arm for support. Held tightly in her other hand was a bouquet of white lilies, and her simple, yet stunning, white dress flowed around her.
When every head turned, following the bride’s footsteps, my eyes drifted to the right. With every set of eyes on Paige, mine settled on Sophie.
She watched her best friend walk down the aisle, tears gathering in her eyes, and all I could think about was how I wanted her to be the one in a white dress one day.
Truly and one hundred percent mine. Forever.
Seeingthe one day come together that I’d been working so hard to plan for Paige and Declan, finally, there was a surreal feeling. Even though I knew it would all look seamless, seeing every detail in front of me, and not on a Pinterest mood board or my binder full of photos and printouts, was a completely different story.
The real-life image of the light-colored flowers, the accent colors incorporated in all the decor, the food and menus, the dresses and suits, the natural background ofCherry Creek—it allonly lit a fire under my ass to book my next bride.
The final outcome of it all wasn’t just work. It was fun. I’d never been confident in what I wanted to do with my life until today. Until the moment I got to see it all come together—the moment I stepped back and saw every guest grinning and having the time of their lives. But most of all, Paige and Declan were happy, and to my knowledge, they wouldn’t change anything.
Except for the dessert, that is.
About a month ago, they canceled the cake. Even though the flavors were out of this world, amazing—they opted to have French toast served at their weddinginstead.
Weird right? Some may think so. But with it being their wedding day, who was I to judge?
Over a year ago, me and Paige had a girls’ night, and not only was it the night Myles and I kissed for the first time, but it was also the night she told me all about a wild morning her and Declan had with French toast. Ever since, it has been a staple sweet treat for them.
The entire ceremony had been a blur. Every time I looked at Declan and the way he looked at Paige, I found myself staring at Myles with the same adoration. Our eyes were locked on each other from the beginning of the ceremony, through the vows, all the way until the end, when we linked arms and walked back down the aisle, trailing behind the bride and groom.
My head was still dizzy with thoughts of that man, even with the ceremony behind us.
You Are in Loveby Taylor Swift played over the speakers, inviting the guests to the dance floor. It was a slower song and the perfect excuse to get my hands on Myles.
He was across the way, chatting with Chase, but just like me, the song caught his attention. It was almost as if he could sense my stare. Stopping his conversation with his best friend, he walked in my direction.
“May I have this dance?” He inched closer, whispering in my ear. Even all these months later, he still knew how to make the hair on my skin stand straight up.
“You have no idea how badly I’ve wanted to touch you today.”
“I’ll take that as a yes, then.” He winked, taking my hand and leading me to the dance floor.
My hands snaked around him, feeling the hairs on the nape of his neck roll between my fingers. I couldn’t take myeyes away from his; the look in those baby blues told me he was thinking the same damn thing I was.
“Something about weddings and love makes me?—”
“Same,” I cut him off, assuming we were on the same wavelength.
“I didn’t even finish what I was saying, though. How do you know they make you feel the same way as they make me feel?” Myles perked an eyebrow up.
“If horny or deeply, madly, in love was what you were getting at…then, same.” My teeth sank into my bottom lip. The slick heat between my legs and the way I wanted to grab his face and kiss him in front of everyone without a care in the world wasn’t the only thing going through my mind.
“Mm, I knew I fell in love with you for a reason.” The deep timber in his voice vibrated against my hair.
“Yeah, and what reason is that?”
“You’re the perfect match for me, Soph. You understand every thought that goes through my head, and even when you don’t, you hear me out and talk with me until you do. All it takes with you is one look. One look to know we both have the same need, and that need is to tear each other’s clothes off right now.”
“What if I said I had one other thing lingering in my mind? A thought I can’t shake?”
