Travis stifled laughter when he noticed little Rose Marie reclining in Grandma Kate’s lap, looking bored until the little boy passed by. She promptly sat up and stuck her tongue out at him. Grace admonished her daughter but Travis saw it when the little boy made a funny face at Rose Marie and then winked at her. She rolled her eyes, unimpressed.
“See what I mean?” Hank asked as he chuckled.
A gorgeous brunette amazon that Travis was damned sure he would’ve remembered if he’d ever met her followed along behind them at an unhurried pace. The bridal party lined up on one side of the minister, balanced by the three men to the officiant’s left.
I see. This way, the two grooms standing next to the tallest of the three will blend in for those guests that maybe don’t understand the true nature of their relationship. He imagined that must be uncomfortable for the other two guys but he couldn’t tell because their attention was riveted on a point in the distance.
Murmurs filtered through the crowd and Travis caught his first glimpse in years of little Maizy Owen, all grown up. Her eyes glowed with happiness as she was escorted through the throng.
He glanced over at Veronica to check on her and was relieved to note that her previously pale color and nervousness seemed to have settled. He wondered what had inspired her earlier anxiety. Maybe he’d have a chance after the wedding to ask her before Hank got her all to himself. Her eyes found his in the crowd and she blushed again before focusing on the bride approaching on her father’s arm.
Maizy looked stunning in her antique lace wedding gown and veil. Her father smiled and patted her hand as he helped her along the path which was slightly uneven in places. Travis knew the exact moment she caught sight of her bears because jubilance shone in her eyes and she looked as though she wanted to run to them.
Judging by the smiles on her men’s faces, it was true what Hank had said the previous weekend. She had them wrapped around her fingers and they looked like they were okay with that.
He felt a tingle across his chest and glanced Veronica’s way, only this time his attention was captured by the elderly woman Hank had referred to as Grandma Kate. She was gazing at him and Hank, and she looked inordinately pleased. He smiled back and winked, drawing an appreciative chuckle from her before she turned to watch the processional. The smile remained on her lips.
Travis cupped his hand over his lips and whispered to Hank. “Whose grandma is Grandma Kate? Do I know them?”
“It’s a long story. Kate’s sort of adopted Grace and some of the other girls and their families. Remember I told you about that dustup a couple of months ago, involving three women who were kidnapped?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s not the only—”
An older woman turned to them. “Shhh!”
“Sorry, ma’am,” Travis said and grinned at her, drawing a forgiving smile from her. She put an admonishing finger to her lips before turning back to the ceremony.
He and Veronica played cat and mouse with their eyes. Every time he’d glance at her, her gaze would flitter away from him and she’d blush.
He hadn’t seen her in eleven years. Back then, she’d been barely graduated from high school and about to go off to college and he’d been thirty years old. He’d felt a little like a perv for being attracted to her. But she was a grown, beautiful woman now.
His cock tingled as the crowd shifted slightly and he got a glimpse of her curves, clad in a shin-length, form-fitting red dress. Her legs, what he could see of them, were shapely and lush, narrowing to trim ankles and dainty feet, clad in matching red pumps. He glanced up and caught her watching him and Hank. He tried not to frown when she drew back, purposely positioning herself behind Grandma Kate and adjusting her glasses again.
“Shy,” Hank murmured softly, and Travis realized that he was watching Veronica, too. If it had been any other man, that knowledge might’ve sparked jealousy in him. Instead, it simply brought a smile to his face as he responded.
“For now.”
* * * *
Veronica’s heart was rapping in a syncopated frenzy as she looked between the two handsome men gazing at her from across the grassy walkway. She swallowed convulsively, trying to get her heart rate under control, though for an entirely different reason from just a few minutes earlier.
Grandma Kate beckoned to her. Veronica stooped to hear and Kate whispered, “Grace said the ceremony is supposed to be brief, sweet girl. It won’t be much longer.” Of course Grandma Kate would be able to tell how anxious the crowd was making her. Knowing that Kate understood her unease helped a little.
Her anxiety level had increased with each new person that had joined the crowd standing in the open space at the end of the walkway. The rose-scented setting was idyllic and her rational mind had acknowledged that, while at the same time trying to formulate an exit strategy in case a panic attack struck. With each additional body, her options had dwindled until she had been left with the reality that she was trapped. It was then that she’d looked across and had laid eyes on the subject of nearly every sexual fantasy she’d entertained since the age of eighteen.