Page 31 of Hopeless Romantic
“Are you asking for my help?” he asked, and she took a big breath that had Levi looking for the metaphorical oh-shit handle, because he had a bad feeling he was about to be dragged along for one hell of a wild ride.
“No. A favor. For Emmitt and Annie.” She pulled out what he guessed was Annie’s first note and handed it to him. A quick glance showed seven items, each with a check box next to it. “Read on.”
A burst of caution rammed against his sternum. “Number one. Any cake but carrot. Two, wine and beer fine, no hard liquor. No fuss. No stress. And absolutely no exes of any kind.” He eyed Beckett over the paper. “Does that just go for the bride and groom? Or wedding party as well? Boring Bruce will be heartbroken.”
“I didn’t tell you he was my ex. And just think of all the heartbroken bar bunnies there will be.”
“The bar bunnies will be fine. And you didn’t need to tell me. He isn’t here helping you—that’s all I need to know.” He held up the list. “Shall I continue?”
“Yes.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “You’re getting to the good part.”
“They want it on the summer solstice?” He glanced at the clock. “Two months to plan a wedding. Not a lot of time for a wedding.” He looked at her over the paper. “How many people are they inviting?”
“Small and intimate, with just close friends and family.”
“With Emmitt, that could be anywhere between twenty and two hundred.”
“No exes, remember?” she said.
“That will eliminate the town’s females between drinking age and menopause.” He scanned the last two lines, and there was that bump again. “They want the wedding on or by the water.”
“Which rules out Pelicans.”
“And for the reception, a view of the ocean.” He stopped, refolded the list, and laid it on the table. “There are only two venues that meet those Must Haves.”
“Yup,” she mumbled, eyes squeezed tightly closed.
One was the Seaside Resort, which was under construction, and the other was the Crow’s Nest. “I didn’t know that the Seaside was reopened.”
“It’s not.” One eye slid open, and she clearly didn’t like what she saw, because it immediately slammed shut. She dropped her forehead against the wood top with a thud and groaned. “This is why Annie was supposed to be here. She was supposed to sweet-talk you. I’m no good at sweet talk.”
“It wouldn’t have helped. Hosting the wedding here is a nonstarter,” he said, making sure to showcase the steel-cased absoluteness of his decision. “I don’t have the staff for that, and with the piles of résumés on my desk, and interviews to be conducted, I don’t have the time to oversee a wedding.”
“That’s where I come in.” She sat up, a big smile plastered to her face. If it was supposed to make him feel better, it didn’t. “I will oversee everything. All you have to do is say yes, and I will run with it. Annie and Emmitt can get married down on the marina, then move to the restaurant for the reception. Twinkle lights on the deck and buffet-style dinner, so we don’t need a lot of staff. Or we can hire a few cater waiters. It’s perfect.”
“Except for the part where it’s held here. Cater waiters, buffet, none of that matters.” He softened his voice. “You and I haven’t had the best track record when it comes to working together—”
“I know,” she cut in. The sincere apology in her eyes slid right past that steel casing and into his soft underbelly. “There’s no excuse for leaving you hanging with the retirement party, and I should have been honest with you about what happened. But whenever I bring up my brother, people look at me differently. Look at him differently. And I didn’t want—”
“Beck.” He took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I get it. You put me in a bad situation, but I get it. Probably more than most.”
“It must have been tough being a dad to Paisley at such a young age,” she said, surprising him with her astuteness. Most people who knew Paisley now saw a thriving sixteen-year-old with two dads and a soon-to-be stepmom, living with the town’s favorite physician. But during the early years, the night-time-feeding and diaper-blow-out years, it had been just him and Michelle—barely adults themselves.
Michelle had had their mom as a resource, but their dad was gone by then, leaving Levi without anyone to ask how to be a good dad. He’d done the best he could and was finally hitting a confident groove when Gray came along.
Suddenly, Michelle was married, and the little girl Levi had raised as his own was calling another man dad. No more bedtime stories or chocolate-chip pancakes before work. It was just him and his boat—with an anchor he couldn’t hoist up.
“There were moments, but I don’t regret a thing.” And he meant that. Yes, he’d missed out on the whole “college experience,” and he’d only had one serious adult relationship, but he wouldn’t give up those times with Paisley for anything.
With that chapter of his life shortly coming to a close, what came next would finally be up to him. He wasn’t sure how he wanted those pages to read, but he’d be interested to see what they’d look like if Beckett made more than just a footnote. And while he knew he’d regret agreeing to this wedding, he was certain he’d regret saying no more.
“Okay, we can have the wedding here.”
“Are you serious?” Her smile bright and so damn beautiful, she bounced in her seat. “This is amazing. Annie didn’t ask for much, and I was afraid I’d have to disappoint her only a week into my job.”
That statement wrapped itself around his chest and squeezed painfully. It clued him in a little as to why Beckett worked herself ragged and, more importantly, the kind of childhood she must have had to be so certain she’d disappoint.
“I promise, you won’t regret this,” she said, taking his hand between both of hers. Her fingers were delicate, her skin warm and silky, and the gentle way she held on—well, he wasn’t regretting a thing right then.
