Inked in the Steel City Series(94)
“You couldn’t have been more wrong. Jed, that’s not the case at—”
“I know.” He squeezed her hand a little more tightly. “I know that now.”
She lost the battle she’d been fighting with the stinging pressure behind her eyes. A tear slipped out, and she wound up smiling anyway. “I love you too.” Saying it made her feel unbelievably light, like she might rise up and drift toward the ceiling like a helium balloon.
Jed anchored her with an embrace, pulling her close and holding her tight against his chest. In the shelter of his arms, the night seemed suddenly young again. When he pressed a kiss against her mouth, she yielded to the pressure of his tongue against her lips, closing her eyes against the room’s faint moonlit glow.
EPILOGUE
Only the lure of buttercream frosting could induce Karen to put down her camera. That and a little encouragement from Jed. “I’m sure you can afford to stop taking pictures for five minutes,” he said, pressing a hand to the small of her back and rubbing lightly.
Five minutes? Who was he kidding? It would only take her three minutes, tops, to eat the piece of cake he’d just handed her.
“Come on,” he said, guiding her toward a chair at one of the reception hall tables.
She couldn’t resist. Not when he was in his groomsman’s tuxedo, looking gorgeous in the flattering cut and with tattoos peeking out at the cuffs. She smiled at him as she sank down onto the seat, carefully laying her camera to rest on the tablecloth.
“Mmm. What is this filling, raspberry ganache?” The creamy mixture ran through the center of her chocolate cake slice like a hot pink ribbon, and its smooth sweetness practically melted against her tongue.
Jed shrugged, his broad shoulders rising and falling beneath his tuxedo jacket. “I don’t even know what ganache is, but this is good.”
He was halfway done with his cake slice already, which made Karen feel less guilty about devouring hers like a starving person. She’d been so busy taking photos throughout the reception that she hadn’t taken the time to do more than try a couple bites of Jed’s food. The delicious wedding cake hit the spot exactly.
The DJ changed songs, and Karen’s gaze was drawn irresistibly toward the dance floor. “They look so perfect together,” she said as Mina and Eric glided across the floor to a slow number, both smiling.
Jed nodded. “You must have a hundred photos of them dancing already. You can finish your—”
He gave up as she seized her camera, stood and captured one more. “Any picture might be the picture,” she said. “The one I put in the frame I bought them in New York.”
She was already reasonably sure she’d captured the one during the wedding ceremony, but it wouldn’t hurt to take another. And another, and another… This was what she loved doing most – capturing images of a once-in-a-lifetime occasion, knowing the photos would be treasured.
“Okay,” she said a minute later, settling back into her chair and taking another bite of the heavenly cake. “I’m done taking photos – until this song is over, anyway.”
Jed shook his head, but smiled. “You’re hopeless.”
When the song ended, Karen prepared to leave her seat and get back to work. Before she could pick up her camera, Mina turned and swept toward her, Eric at her side. She looked incredible in her wedding gown, a long white sheath dress with delicate lace panels at the sides that showed off the elaborate tattoo that spanned her ribcage. Eric had done that tattoo for her – that was how they’d met, how they’d begun to fall in love. Mina couldn’t have chosen a more perfect gown.
“Karen!” Mina cried when she reached the table, her cheeks flushed and eyes bright from dancing. “Put your camera down and take a break to dance with Jed!”
“I don’t want to miss anything,” Karen said, “your wedding day only comes once, and I want to make sure I capture it all.”
Mina grinned and reached for Karen’s camera.
Karen cradled it against her chest like it was her firstborn child, but Mina scooped it up in a similar fashion – a skill probably honed by having raised her little sister. “Here, I’ll take one of you and Jed.”
Jed stood, wrapping an arm around Karen’s waist so that they were posed, facing Mina.
Karen didn’t resist – it would be great to have a photo of her and Jed at the wedding. She smiled, blinking after the flash fired. Mina kept going, snapping another photo, and then another.
“Now one with Jess!” Mina said, still grinning.
A small crowd had formed around the table, composed mostly of Hot Ink staff. Jess was there too, looking beautiful in a pink bridesmaid’s dress just like Karen’s. “Can Blake be in the picture?” Her teenaged boyfriend stood dutifully at her side, clad in a suit and with his hair slicked back.