Page 22 of The Pursuit

“Hey, beautiful,” he replied.

“Hey yourself. I have to say that tux is really working.”

He brought his hands down the lapels. “I always feel like James Bond in a tux.”

“You make it look good that’s for sure.”

“Thanks.” Jerking his chin at me, he said, “Speaking of looking amazing, you’re stunning in that dress.”

My heart beat wildly at both his compliment and the way he was looking at me. “Thank you,” I breathlessly replied. Dammit, I hated the effect he had on me. Compliments from other men didn’t have me physically swooning, yet here I was with butterflies doing somersaults in my stomach just because Noah said I was stunning.

We were interrupted by the photographer calling for us. That was the last moment we had together before the ceremony. The rest of the time flew by, and then we were lining up together to walk down the aisle.

As Noah shifted back and forth on his feet, I cut my gaze over to him. “Let me guess. Your commitment-phobic side is all fidgety at the thought of walking down a wedding aisle.”

He snorted. “Ha, ha, smart-ass. That’s not it at all.”

“Then what’s up?”

“If you must know, I didn’t get to be here for the actual rehearsal, so I don’t want to do anything to fuck up Noah and Laurel’s day.” At what must’ve been my visible shock at his declaration, he rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I’m not a total self-absorbed asshole.”

“I know that.”

He popped his brows at me. “Are you sure about that?”

“Yes, I am. You showed me that last night.” When he opened his mouth to say what I imagined was something manwhorish, I elbowed him. “I meant helping me through the panic attack.”

He winked at me. “That’s what I was going to say.”

“Sure it was.” When the wedding coordinator motioned for us to start down the aisle, I drew myself closer to him. “Don’t worry. I will help make sure you do everything right during the ceremony so you won’t make an ass out of yourself.”

“Thanks,” he replied with a genuine smile.

With the strands ofCannon in Dechoing around us, we started up the aisle. If Noah was still nervous, he didn’t look it. He wore a comfortable smile and walked with a determined step. As we neared the altar, I whispered, “You do have the rings, right?”

He stiffened next to me before cutting a horrified gaze over to me. Just as the panic washed through me, he snorted. “Gotcha.”

“Asshole!” I hissed under my breath. When my gaze met the priest’s, warmth flooded my cheeks at his appalled expression. “Sorry, Father,” I muttered before taking my place with the other bridesmaids.

After throwing Noah a drop-dead look, I turned my attention to the back of the church. As the Bridal Chorus started, the doors opened, and Laurel and her father started through them. At the tears sparkling in Mason’s eyes, I couldn’t stop the waterworks. They came and went through the ceremony. I even wept through Noah’s mom singingAve Maria. It was all just so beautiful and perfect.

But most of all, it was full of love.

Before I knew it, Mason and Laurel had said their vows and shared their first kiss as man and wife. The processional began to play, and they linked arms to make their way back down the aisle.

When Noah met me at the top of the altar, I did a double take at the shimmer in his blue eyes. After slipping my arm through his, I couldn’t help saying, “Do my eyes deceive me, or are those tears in your eyes, Mr. Fitzgerald?”

With a scowl, he replied, “Yeah, they are. Mason’s like my brother, and I’m really fucking happy for him. Okay?”

“I didn’t mean to give you shit. More than anything, I’m impressed.”

“You are?”

“Yeah. The fact you’re actually in tune with your emotions is very attractive.”

His signature cocky smirk curved across his lips. “Is it?”

As we walked out of the church and into the sunshine, I waggled my brows at him. “Oh yeah.”

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