It didn’t surprise Caden to find Hawk Cameron waiting to get on the party bus to the Tremé neighborhood for the rehearsal dinner. Caden tugged at the sleeves of his green oxford shirt and smoothed down the pink-and-yellow-flowered tie Maggie had picked out for him before heading over to his client.
Last summer it was Hawk walking down the aisle to Corie Hairston, Maggie’s cousin. It was another wedding Caden had not attended, but he’d thrown an epic bachelor party. Had he gone to the wedding, he wondered where he and Maggie would be right now. Slipping the engagement ring, real or not, on her finger had done something to him. It connected him to her in an odd, magical kind of way, as if he never wanted the moments between them to end.
As the wedding party formed a line, Caden lost sight of Maggie. They’d walked out of the room together but her sister, Kenzie, called on her for some help. Members of the Hairston family greeted Caden with friendly smiles and a few whispers behind hands. Once he reached Hawk, he felt more in his element—or so he thought.
Six foot seven, Hawk stood out from the rest. He held his three-year-old son, CJ, on his shoulders. “I hear you’re becoming a part of the Hairston family.”
“Hey, man,” Caden said, extending his hand. It was one thing when the folks in Southwood congratulated him but something different when it came from a friend. Caden’s mother used to tell him that lightning would strike for telling a lie. He glanced up at the sky to find a few gray clouds in the distance but nothing sinister. The two men shook hands. “Wow, this kiddo has grown.”
Four years ago Hawk had been the number one draft pick. The Hairston Sports Agency fought hard to get Hawk. Rumors spread they fought dirty by sending in Corie Hairston to get him to sign with them. Fortunately for A&O, Hawk signed with them. The young Hairston agency didn’t get the new prospect, but clearly Corie got her man. Caden rubbed his hands together in wonder at how things might turn out for him and Maggie.
“He has,” said Hawk, patting his son on the back. The kid already sported a long set of legs like his dad, and the close-cut hair glinted flecks of red, just like the rest of the Hairstons. “He’s grown out of the toddler boy sizes.”
Caden had no idea what that meant.
“Tell me about this engagement,” Hawk asked him. “I thought I’d never see the day. You were the smoothest player ever. I can never thank you enough for my bachelor party. Talk about going out with a bang.”
Uncomfortable with the reminder of his past, especially here in Maggie-land, Caden scratched the back of his neck. The family’s curiosity was not limited to Maggie’s family. The staff at Erin’s rehab center spotted him waiting at the bakery for Maggie which gave fodder for gossip to his clients. “Yeah, well, you know me.”
“I heard about the one from last week,” Hawk refreshed his memory. “I’m still mad I didn’t get an invite.”
“An invitation to what?” Just then Corie came over to the three of them. CJ reached down for his mother.
“Nothing,” the two adult men chorused.
Corie, a redheaded version of Erin, with short-cropped hair like Halle Berry used to sport, eyed Caden up and down. “Don’t think I forgot about that summer-long bachelor party you threw my husband.”
“The only thing I can recall was how excited Hawk was to start his life with you,” Caden said, waving off the story. His eyes scanned the crowd for the top of Maggie’s head and only found more redheads. Maybe he needed to start looking for her.
Still not done with the conversation, Corie stepped in front of him. “I love my cousin dearly, Caden Archibald.”
Caden smoothed his hand over the flowers of his tie. “All right?”
“Cor, c’mon,” Hawk said, tugging on his wife’s arm. “We’re here for a celebration.”
“Erin told me about all the women you flirt with at the rehab center.”
Caden held his hands up in surrender. “Whoa, now. I am friendly but not flirty.”
Corie narrowed her eyes on him. “My aunt Paula is under a lot of stress these days. It’s important that I protect my family,” Corie warned them both. “You understand, don’t you?”
If she meant the Swaynes were falling on financial hardships, Caden understood loud and clear. He nodded and shoved his hands in the pockets of his tan slacks.
“Leave the man alone, wife,” said Hawk, playfully pulling his wife and son up against his frame. “CJ’s getting restless. Let’s let him burn off some energy on the playground right across the street before you’re cooped up on the bus.” Hawk pointed in a direction, but Caden didn’t look away from Corie’s questioning stare.
“Fine,” Corie said reluctantly. “Maybe you and Maggie can meet us there, providing there aren’t any Ferris wheels. You know she’s afraid of them.”
Caden realized what was going on. Corie was testing him. “You mean the merry-go-round.”
Beaming, Corie patted Caden’s shoulder. “My good man,” she said, almost relieved.
“What’s up with that ride?” Hawk asked.
“My cousin thinks of it as a metaphor for life,” explained Corie and wagged her finger in a circle. “You know, going round and round and seeing the exact same thing.”
“Uh, yeah,” Caden replied, soaking in Maggie’s fear. So many things made sense in Maggie’s life, at least up until a certain point. His pretend fiancée did not want to be tied down to one place. This explained why she’d been such a socialite. It even explained why she created her hologram years ago—to be in as many places as possible.
If the Swaynes were having trouble on the farm, though, it made sense for Maggie to come back home to Southwood. They were low on funding. This elaborate wedding was paid for by Oscar Blakemore. The former military man could afford it, but perhaps he wanted to help out the family in their dire needs.