Page 88 of Rocked By the Alpha
But there’s no time to speak with her, to ask her why the hell she’s here, because he hears the sounds of children’s voices and looks up to see Layla, her friend AJ and her bridesmaids walking down the terrace.
He leans into Ash. “She’s here.” Ash lets out another sigh of air and turns around as the wedding music starts to play and his bride skips up the aisle towards him, her smile so wide it must be hurting her cheeks.
The ceremony starts and West is too busy concentrating so he doesn’t miss his cue or drop the rings, too captivated by Ash and Layla, to give consideration to the woman sitting at the back. But he’s acutely aware she’s there. Can feel it like you can feel the warmth from the sun and know it’s there in the sky without having to search for it.
But before he knows it, Ash is kissing his new wife and scooping her up in his arms to carry her down the aisle and she whoops and laughs and the guests are all clapping and cheering. He offers his arm to Mrs Canon and accompanies her back down the rows of guests, nodding as she comments on how wonderful the ceremony was, while really all his attention is focussed on scanning the guests searching for Ruby. But he can’t see her. The crush is too dense, too many people blocking his view.
They follow the bride and groom back to the villa and through to the terrace decorated with more flowers, waiters already circulating with glasses of champagne and canapes. He does his duty, congratulating the bride and groom, kissing his nieces and nephews and telling them how great they look, and fetching Mrs Canon a drink. When he’s done all that, he spins out to the courtyard and Darlia hovers behind him.
“Ruby’s here,” she says.
“Do you know where?” His eyes are already scanning the gathered guests.
“I haven’t seen her since the ceremony.”
“If you see her, tell her I’m looking for her.” His sister squeezes his arm and then he’s off, weaving his way in and out of the people who want him to stop and talk. He brushes them all off, twisting this way and that. There’s no sign of her. He retraces his steps and soon he’s spilling out onto the terrace and gazing out at the beach. It’s late afternoon now and the light is no longer white and bright, now it’s softer and golden. The wind has picked up and whips the long leaves of the palm trees, sand skating over the beach and the waves louder than they were before.
The rows of seats are abandoned.
Apart from one lone figure, sitting in the back row.
He plunges his hands into his pockets and strides down onto the sand, shuffling along the row and lowering himself into the seat next to her.
“It’s really beautiful here,” she says.
“It is.” He darts his tongue onto his lip, wetting it and dragging it over his teeth. “Did Layla invite you?”
“Sort of.” She twists her head and looks up into his face. She is mesmerisingly beautiful, enchanting. This spell she’s cast over him is powerful indeed. “But I guess I sort of gate-crashed too.”
He laughs, leaning back in his chair. “You flew all the way out to the Caribbean to gatecrash a wedding?”
“I flew all the way out here to see you.” His heart spasms and he tips back his head, letting the wind rush over his face, the smell of salt and her scent tangling in his nose. “I wanted to come see you sooner but the tour and … this was the first opportunity. So the distance seemed inconsequential.” She shrugs her shoulders.
“You didn’t respond to my post.”
“I thought we needed to do this face to face.”
He snaps his head around to her. Has she come all this way to tell him it’s well and truly over? Surely not? “What do we need to do?”
“Be honest with each other, I think.”
“Yes,” he says simply, taking her hand and lacing his fingers through hers. Her skin is cold and he notices the goosebumps running over her bare shoulders. “Did you listen to the song?”
“I did,” she jerks his hand, “I mean, it doesn’t sound as good without me on it—”
“It doesn’t.”
“But it was,” she swallows, “beautiful.”
“I should have told you long ago how crazy I am about you, Ruby, how long I’ve wanted you to be mine. I never ever wanted something casual with you. I was head over heels, full gone, in love with you from the start.”
She turns away to the ocean, and when her gaze returns to him, her eyes are wet. “Honestly? It wasn’t just, you know, lyrics in a song.”
“Fuck no!” He tugs her closer so her arms and her thigh press against his. “I’m no good at telling people how I’m really feeling.”
“Same. But I have to tell you that I love you, West.”
Something warm explodes in his chest and spreads from the centre of his being right to the tips of his fingers and toes. He smiles, so wide, so genuinely, he thinks it might beat even Layla’s smile.
