He escaped to find some water and as a member of the waitstaff poured two glasses for him, he overheard two people talking a few feet away as they sipped pink punch.
“Oh, yes, they’ve bought a house, only a few blocks from Pat and Susan. Pris is going to substitute teach for now, and Rob’s got his job at the insurance company.”
Drew dug in his pocket for a tip for the bartender.
“They thought about moving to Calgary, apparently, but she wanted to stay close to her parents.”
“It’s so good they’ve both got work. I know Pris doesn’t want to wait for a family, either.”
Drew’s throat tightened and that knot of panic centered in his chest again. This was literally his worst nightmare. Working in insurance? Living two blocks from his in-laws? Tied down with babies?
He grabbed the glasses from the counter and headed back to where Harper was taking photos of the bride and groom alone now that the family obligations were over. When she finished the current pose, she took a moment to have a drink while the bride stood and fluffed out her dress.
&nb
sp; “Oh, that’s good. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Her smile was sweet as she looked into his eyes. “This is the nicest wedding. They’re so in love. And that little church...it was perfect. I love intimate weddings like that.”
“It’s definitely beautiful,” he agreed, but his jaw was tight.
“Are you okay?”
He pasted on a smile. “You already asked that, and of course I am. What happens after this?”
She took another drink and handed him the glass. “We’ll take a few more of the bride and groom alone, and then the reception is mostly informal. More of a garden party sort of thing, with a few speeches later on.” She sighed. “And no dance. The happy couple are leaving on a honeymoon tonight, so they’re going home to change and get a ride to the airport.”
She put her hand on her belly. “I’m not sorry. It means my day will be over before seven, rather than nine or ten.”
He put aside his own discomfort and put his hand on her arm. “Is there anything I can do?”
She shook her head. “No. Give me fifteen minutes and we can get something to eat. Then I’ll snap some candids, and ones of the speeches.”
“Okay.”
He stood back while she went to the couple and they decided on a few more shots with the mountains in the background. He watched as she took a few of the couple walking away, and then one as the groom scooped the bride up in his arms.
He could imagine scooping Harper up like that, and hearing her laugh as she settled in his arms.
Invisible walls began closing in. What was he doing? He shouldn’t be here. He should have done what Dan had said and stayed away from her from the beginning. But how could he have known that actual feelings would get in the way? That she’d be different? The trouble was, this was the kind of life Harper wanted. Settled. A routine. Babies. The whole white-picket-fence deal. He’d been able to tell when she’d talked about wanting them someday and the look in her eyes when she’d confessed she thought this might be her only chance. She wanted children and she should have them. God, they had really been fooling themselves, acting like this thing between them didn’t matter. That they could come away unscathed.
Finished for the moment, he helped Harper gather the camera bags and they made their way to a small table on the perimeter of the eating area. Harper looked like she’d gotten a bit of sunburn, so he told her to stay at the table and he’d bring back food. He returned with a plate for each of them containing finger sandwiches, scones, little pots of jam, and something called clotted cream.
“I looked for vegetarian options,” he explained, putting her plate down. “I found cucumber and watercress and a couple of cheese kinds. And scones, of course.”
His own plate contained slightly heartier choices: sliced chicken and salmon, along with the same assortment of scones.
“It’s perfect. Just what I need.” She let out a sigh of relief, but Drew realized he hadn’t brought them drinks.
“Do you want tea? Or sparkling water or something?”
A server passed by with a tray of dirty glasses and overheard. “Can I bring you both a beverage?”
What he really wanted was a beer. Instead, he asked for another glass of champagne, the only alcohol that seemed to be available. Harper asked for sparkling water and then picked up a sandwich.
He ate, too, but didn’t really taste the food. He wanted to go, to escape, but also wanted to stay for her. What he really wanted was to be chilling out on her front porch in a pair of jeans, a cold beer and a soft breeze. This wasn’t the place for him, for them. He and Harper focused on the moment, not on forever. They weren’t dresses and dainty things posing as sandwiches. They were lemonade and lazy naps on a swing and...