She exhaled slowly. She liked being in the sky. He'd opened a door and showed her endless possibilities.
And that was the scary thing about him, wasn't it. Showing her things far beyond her reach. Opening a window into a high-flying world she had no idea how to navigate.
Chapter 12
The white, steepled chapel bulged at the seams. People spilled out of the pews, and some even stood along the back wall. Ceiling fans rotated furiously to stir the air, but the congregation was too large, the summer day too hot, the air conditioning unit too small to compete with the desert heat.
Sweat collected along Ridge's collar, beaded at the nape of his neck, as he waited at the front of the altar beside Archer with Casey's ring on his pinky finger.
The minister droned on.
The afternoon sun filled the stained-glass window with beautiful splashes of orange, gold, and purple, casting everything in a misty, fuzzy glow of joy. Late-arriving wedding presents were being stored in the chapel's overhead loft and soft rays of light caught the foil wrapping, adding shiny glitz to the homey affair.
Ridge's gaze drifted over to where Kaia stood in the row of attendants behind Casey. The aqua bridesmaid dress fit her like a glove, and her hair was pulled back in a loose upswept hairstyle that showcased her cheekbones. Briefly, she met his eyes, offered up a slight smile, and then quickly shifted her gaze back to the bride and groom.
Thankfully, the service was brief and beautifully simple. The couple's vows were suffused with humble reverence and had Ridge battling a sappy sentimentality seeping into the pit of his stomach.
But if there was ever a time for tender emotions it was at the wedding of his oldest childhood friend, and so Ridge tolerated the mushy stirrings and avoided looking at Kaia.
They'd shared a world-rocking kiss. But so what? It didn't have to go anywhere. Shouldn't go anywhere. He was leaving Cupid on Monday. He'd even considered leaving tomorrow what with the bad blood churning between him and his father.
He swung his gaze to the first row of the pew on the groom's side, where Duke, sporting a shiner that matched his own, sat beside Vivi. A sting of guilt burned through him. He regretted having to throw that punch. Wished there could have been another way.
"Do you have the ring?" the priest asked, snapping Ridge back to the ceremony.
Because no one was going to trust three-year-old Atticus with Casey's wedding band, the boy had brought two fake rings down the aisle on a satin pillow. Leaving Kaia in charge of the groom's ring and Ridge in charge of Casey's band. To have it handy, he'd stuck it on his pinky.
"Yes," Ridge said. He tugged at his little finger, trying to slip off the ring. But it wouldn't budge.
Father Dubanowski's laser gaze zeroed in on Ridge.
"Gimme a sec," Ridge said as sweat popped out on his forehead.
The priest shifted his stare to Duke and his black eye. A stern expression crossed his beefy face as if to say, Lockharts. Brawling. Drinking. Hardheaded. Pains in the ass.
Yeah, okay, maybe it was the Lockhart way.
A hush came over the room. Only the sound of the whirling blades from the ceiling fan overhead punctuated the silence. Father Dubanowski cleared his throat. Loudly.
Ridge yanked on the ring. It would not budge. His fingers must have swollen in the heat and it wasn't coming off. He threw Archer a panicked look.
"Get the fake ring off the pillow," Archer mumbled from the corner of his mouth but kept his eyes and smile focused on his bride.
Feeling like forty kinds of fool, Ridge cast around for the pillow. Where had Atticus left it? His throat tightened and he searched the altar, didn't see it. It was official. He was the worst best man in the history of weddings . . .
And then there was Kaia, unpinning the fake ring from the pillow where it sat on the ground in front of the podium. Quickly, she straightened, handed it to Ridge, and stepped back into place as Ridge passed the ring to Archer so he could put it on Casey's fingers.
A ripple of humor passed through the crowd.
Ridge didn't have the stones to look Casey in the face. He kept working on the ring while the priest continued with the ceremony, twisting the band back and forth. But it felt like it was getting tighter instead of looser. Why hadn't he just put the damn thing in his pocket like a normal person?
Archer kissed Casey and the audience applauded. The couple turned and headed out of the church, leaving the groomsmen to hook up with bridesmaids and proceed in their wake.
As Zeke took Kaia's arm and escorted her up the aisle, the muscle at his right eye ticked.
"Don't feel badly about the ring thing," said Lynne, Casey's matron of honor, when he took her arm. "If there wasn't a glitch or two in a wedding, there would be no juicy stories to tell."