Her gaze met his. She sucked in a soft breath, then squeezed his hand. “Sorry if I kept you awake.”
He hesitated only a second, then said, “You really need to do something about that snoring.”
Her brows V’d as relief filled her at his teasing. “I don’t snore.”
“Sure, you do. It’s quite adorable.” He laughed, then pulled her to him, whispering in her ear. “We have a very attentive audience.”
Which she had completely forgotten.
Because all she’d been thinking was how happy she was that he was there.
She forced a smile. “Keep up the good pretense.”
* * *
McKenzie hadn’t seen Ryder since she’d left her mother’s house. She had spent the remainder of the morning with the rest of the bridesmaids being painted, powdered, curled, sprayed and beautified to the point McKenzie’s eyes threatened to cross.
Still, she had to admit the bridesmaids all looked beautiful in their peacock-blue dresses and updos. As should be, none of them compared to her stunning cousin, though.
Reva made a beautiful bride who’d rival any magazine cover.
She’d chosen a slightly off-white form-fitting lace dress with a creamy ribbon at her waist. The neckline hinted at her cleavage but didn’t reveal any se
crets.
They’d had hundreds of photos taken around the venue, outside. Individual photos. Photos with the bride. Photos with the groom. Photos with the groomsmen. None of the bride and groom together though as they’d gone with the tradition of the groom not seeing the bride on the wedding day prior to her walking down the aisle to him.
Then it was time for the wedding.
“Thank you for being here.”
Surprisingly, McKenzie hadn’t felt a bit green all day. Probably because she’d been too distracted by thoughts of Ryder and wanting to strangle him that he’d thought she was pretending.
There had been nothing pretend about how she’d felt seeing him walk into her mother’s kitchen, how she’d felt holding his hands while she washed them.
She liked him. Crazy that admitting that she liked her pretend boyfriend made her happy, but it did.
It also made her crazy.
Ryder had been used in the past, had been hurt.
Smiling at Reva, hoping her cousin was always as happy as she was at that moment, McKenzie hugged her. “I love you, Reva. I wouldn’t have missed your wedding for the world.”
She meant it, too. She was grateful for her cousin’s wedding, for it forcing her home, for it forcing her to evaluate a lot of things about her life and choices.
For pushing her into convincing Ryder to come to Tennessee.
No matter what happened, she was grateful she’d gotten to know him, gotten to experience how it felt to kiss him.
If those had been his pretend kisses, she could only imagine what his real ones were like.
“Don’t make me cry,” Reva ordered, air-kissing McKenzie’s cheek.
The music hit the note where McKenzie was to come out. She made her way, keeping her smile bright for the ever-present photographer.
Trying to keep the appropriate pace and not fall on her face, she walked down the aisle.
Her gaze sought where she knew Ryder would be sitting, spotted him, and she smiled.