Faith and Lies (Vera Reid, Reid Family Book #2)

Part 14

 Vera watched as Echo and Luke posed for picture after picture. She'd finally gotten a reprieve from her bridesmaids duties and for the first real time all night, she was able to sit and her rest. 

How in the world did Romy do this every day? She glanced down at her feet, knowing that they would be sore in the morning. Hell, her ankles were sore now. Vera enjoyed heels as much as the next girl, but she didn't make a habit of wearing them too often and she certainly wasn't used to parading around in them. She regretted not wearing the ones she'd had at George's wedding, even if they weren't the best match for the dress. They were so much more comfortable than this. 

Of course, she was a little thankful for the discomfort. At least the pain in her feet distracted her from the disappointment she felt when he hadn't shown up. After yesterday, she was sure he'd make an appearance. Sure, he hadn't reached out to her all week but now she understood that he was most likely embarrassed at having hurt himself so badly in such a stupid way. 

She almost chuckled at the thought. Tom Dane. He was certainly something. She pictured him in her mind now, hand on her neck as he pulled her in for a kiss. She let out a muffled groan- he was such a good kisser. Or maybe he just knew how to kiss her, maybe he just understood how to kiss her. 

She sighed, dreamily, watching her sister and Luke as they cut the cake, smiling at each other brightly.  All that time and she hadn't suspected a thing about Echo and Luke. How was it that Vera being as perceptive and attentive to her sisters as she was ended up being the very last one to see what was going on right under their noses?

She gazed past them, her eyes lingering about the giant tent in the beautifully lit garden. When they'd arrived the day before all of this was still being built. She couldn't imagine, couldn't picture that it would look this way. There were lights scattered along the tall walls of the gated garden, trees scattered about with whimsically lit lanterns and this big white tent that stood out like a beacon of light in the dark night sky. It was a dark night, pitch black and although it wasn't really that late yet, it had grown dark and cold quickly. Still, the bride and groom didn't seem to mind- they were so engrossed with each other. Vera watched as Echo suddenly raised a piece of cake to Luke before surprising him but smashing it against his face. 

She gasped, surprised by Echo's actions. Luke Farina was a formidable man and Echo was so at ease that she actually felt comfortable enough to smear frosting across him with a satisfied grin. After the collective gasp of surprise died down, there were chuckles, mostly from Luke as he reached out to kiss his bride, covering her in cake in the process. Vera sighed audibly, feeling her heart flip over a little in her chest. That was a strange feeling. It was a new feeling, one that left her longing for something she couldn't quite name. What was it about the sight of two people so obviously enamored of each other that made her feel so sad... was that the right word for what she was feeling? Was she sad?

As she stared into the garden, she remembered the way that Tom had kissed her, had nearly sucked the breath from her lungs.  She could have sworn his lips trembled as they gently grazed hers, almost as if they were compensating for how abandoned she'd felt in the week before. Then, when her arms had wrapped around his neck and he'd deepened the kiss, Vera felt him pull her as close as he could. She'd been gasping for breath before she could even think... and why would she want to think? There was nothing more glorious than the heat that Tom had made her feel, the tightening in her stomach, the way her skin even seemed to tingle with every touch...

She pulled away for a second, just a second to kiss the whiskers at his jaw, an instinct she hadn't been able to stop. She'd been wanting to kiss that jaw for so long, it only seemed natural that she should try now. But a second was all it took for him to place his hands on her arms and slowly unwrap them from him, extricating himself from her grasp. He smiled, somewhat sadly, as he stood, motioning towards the counter where their dinner was now growing cold. Just like that, she'd lost him and she wasn't sure why.