One More Rule (Blindfold Club 2.50)

I loved it almost as much as I loved him.

chapter

NINE

EVIE

Processional music broadcasted softly from the small speaker in the cramped bridal room. It sounded tinny through the electronics, but I hoped it was beautiful for the guests sitting in the pews in the nave of the church. I was sure it was. Logan had picked the quartet himself.

Holy crap, it was really happening.

Logan’s mom probably had the same thought. She’d been waiting for this day a long time. For years, everyone had assumed it’d be a lithe blonde marching down the aisle, not a brunette with thick thighs.

Why the hell was I thinking about his ex? I was a jittery mess, all nervous and excited and happy. I couldn’t wait to see him, and I couldn’t fucking wait to become his wife.

My gaze was glued to Payton, who held her bouquet of blue hydrangeas and white roses in one hand, and fiddled with the top of her bridesmaid dress. I’d let the girls pick their own, the only stipulation being that the dress was solid black. She’d chosen a strapless one that had a deep V notched in the center of the neckline, revealing her ample cleavage. By her standards, the dress was tame, but the priest was going to have a heart attack.

“Don’t forget,” I said to her. “Flowers up here.” I held my bouquet up high over my chest. I need to crack a joke to distract from my nerves.

She smirked. “Are you insane? I’m not covering my best feature.”

My father cleared his throat and Payton sobered, falling into line with the rest of my bridesmaids while we moved to the narthex. Only a set of double doors stood between Logan and me now. At the front of the line, Jamie disappeared through them with her arm linked to Logan’s half-brother Garrett.

Payton had corrected Jamie at the rehearsal dinner last night when my coworker friend called me Evie. God, my best friend’s little jealous streak was so funny. It’s not like I’d demoted Payton’s best friend status, but Jamie and I had become friends over the past year. Plus she had been awesome at helping plan the wedding on a budget. Thank God the Stones offered to pay for half of it. I was so blessed, and my family was grateful.

“Oh, no,” I whispered to my father. “Don’t you dare. If you start, I start, and I won’t be able to stop.” Tears stung and threatened to spill.

He wiped at his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m fine. I’ve got it together. It’s just thirty feet.” Since his tone was unsure, I stared up at the ceiling, desperate to drain the tears back.

Nick, Logan’s brother, was the best man, but it made more sense for him to walk down the aisle with his wife Hilary, who was also a bridesmaid. Plus, this left Payton and Dominic to walk together. My heartbeat ratcheted up another level as Hilary and Nick disappeared into the church.

My knees were soft and uncooperative as Dominic stepped into view, offering his arm to my maid of honor. “You look beautiful,” he said as she threaded her hand through the crook of his elbow. “Oh, and you, Payton, you look nice, too.”

She turned, flashed a grin back at me, and stepped off with Dominic.

“Thirty feet,” my dad mumbled to himself, like he was trying to get pumped up.

My heart launched into my throat, blocking air as the song ended and the first strings of the wedding march began. I wasn’t sure who was leaning on whom for support; both of us were shaking.

The doors swung open with the swell in the music, revealing the standing rows of friends and family who’d come to celebrate Logan’s and my union. Every pair of eyes was on me, except for my father’s. He was probably counting the steps as we moved forward.

No amount of visualization could have prepared me emotionally for this moment.

I’d seen Logan in a tuxedo before, and it had made me weak in the ovaries, but now he incinerated them. They didn’t stand a chance against his perfect three-piece black suit, a formal black bow tied at his neck.

His focus was one hundred percent on me. There could be fireworks going off all around, we wouldn’t have noticed. They couldn’t compete with the fireworks between us anyway.

Logan’s lips parted and shoulders lifted in a deep breath. Had I ever seen him this stunned before? My perfectly controlled man seemed to be struggling. The thoughts he held were loud on his face. He wanted to storm up the aisle and whirl me into his arms. He’d like to kiss me hard, and probably fuck me harder.

Oh, God. I’d just thought about fucking while at church. I was going to hell.

The enormous skirt of my A-line dress swished as we ambled across the white aisle runner at a measured pace. My dad was rushing and I tensed my arm, trying to get him to slow down. There was so much to take in, I didn’t want to miss any of it. Every step brought me closer to the man I loved, and I wanted to celebrate them each as a victory.

As the distance between us shortened, the depth in Logan’s dark eyes grew. His expression filled with so much love, it was overwhelming. My bottom lip and chin trembled as I teetered right on the edge.

No, no, no . . . I did not want to cry. Why did people cry when they were happy? I fought to pull the corners of my mouth back into a smile.

“Ten, nine . . .”