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They waited outside of the room for the other women to assemble before they barged in on Dawn and Mrs. Roxy. Lucy let her mind wander, and she couldn’t help but think of Matt. The jerk hadn’t texted since that Hail Mary text a couple days ago. He hadn’t called, either, and apparently he was back with Charlene. The only saving grace was that Tatum had called and texted. Pain stabbed Lucy’s chest, but she ignored it.
Soon the women burst into the bridal room, exclaiming shouts of praise at how beautiful Dawn looked. And she did look beautiful. Lucy held her friend, then let the others have a turn.
Finally, when they were all ready for the ceremony, a knock sounded at the door. Tatum was there, wearing the dress Lucy had sent to her, pale pink with ruffles that matched the dresses of the flower girls.
Tatum threw her arms around Lucy. “I missed you! I missed you so much!”
All of Lucy’s walls went down as she held the girl tightly and buried her face in her hair. “I’ve missed you, too.” And her father. Where was he, anyway?
Chapter 15
Raine knew that when he was on a date with the woman who was organizing the wedding, it would not be a normal date. He got that. He also knew that he was looking forward to attending this wedding, since he wanted to dance with her and spend some time together. Even if it was only as friends.
Raine had bought a tux and gotten a shave and haircut, so he was feeling ready for this date. He saw Lucy standing at the front of the little gazebo, on the bride’s side, and hugging a little girl. Tatum, he instantly knew. Matt’s daughter. He’d heard a lot about the little girl, and he checked himself when he started feeling jealous. Why would he be jealous of a little girl? He wasn’t.
“1 Corinthians 13:8. ‘Charity never faileth,’” he muttered. Yes, he could be charitable in his heart toward a little girl. He looked around, searching for anyone who might be her father. Could he be as charitable toward this … Matt?
A half hour later, the crowd was settled and Raine sat a couple rows back. Lucy wasn’t next to him because she was part of the wedding party. That didn’t bother him at all. In fact, he was really enjoying everything Pastor Henry preached about love and marriage and the eternal nature of God.
It was beautiful, and Raine felt so much lighter than he’d been only months ago.
He knew, as he stared at Lucy standing next to Dawn, that he wanted this. Maybe with her. Maybe with someone else, if he and Lucy didn’t work out. But he wanted marriage. A family. A town.
That realization hit him hard, and for a moment, he could barely breathe, because now he had the opportunity.
Raine sat in the crowd of people and listened to Pastor Henry talk about love and commitment and all the things they talked about at weddings. He noted the big, tall guys standing behind Trevor, the groom. All the Stone brothers had clearly been asked to be on the best man’s side in the wedding party, and among them was a man Raine hadn’t met. That must be Matt. He was as tall as the Stone clan and just as broad. The dead giveaway that Raine was right? He was staring at Lucy like … like she was his.
Raine saw it, that flicker of light and spark that happens between people. Sometimes others couldn’t see it, but Raine could, because often he’d observed that spark. Maybe it was stupid, and even though Raine had been preparing himself for this, he was disappointed. It was so clear that Lucy belonged with Matt. It was crystal clear.
The ceremony ended, and the pastor announced Trevor and Dawn as husband and wife. Everyone clapped and stood. Raine watched the happy couple walk down the aisle. It probably wouldn’t work out with him and Lucy, but … Well, at least someone else had a bit of happiness. Truman often called him a romantic because he believed in the fairy tale, in the love story.
As the wedding party proceeded down the aisle, Raine caught movement out of the corner of his eye. A taller brunette with curly hair entered the church. She was not dressed in wedding colors; rather, she wore a red dress with high heels. She was striking and gorgeous, too. Raine had never seen her before.
Matt, who’d been staring at Lucy the whole time, suddenly left the main wedding party and headed toward the woman in the red dress. The little girl who’d been wrapped in Lucy’s arms did the same. Lucy paused and looked like she was considering going with them, but she stayed with the party.
Then, to Raine’s shock, the woman in the red dress took Matt by the shoulders and pulled him in for a long kiss.
Chapter 16
Matt had never liked violence. True, he’d hung out with some violent guys for his whole life. He’d grown up with the Stones and his football friends. Later, he’d wrestled in college. Matt knew how to handle himself in a fight if he had to. And if the Stones were around and something was getting dicey, he would take care of things. But he’d never wanted to act violent toward a woman before. Charlene seemed to evoke those feelings inside of him.
He pushed Charlene off of him, and she stumbled a bit with those monstrous heels on. “Matt?” she asked, reaching out to hold his shoulder and steady herself.
“Mama,” Tatum said, going to her mother’s side and hugging her. “What are you doing here?”
The rest of the wedding audience was dispersing to follow the bride and groom over to the tents set up with a buffet of food. There were also tables and a makeshift dance floor. The ceremony had been beautiful, and all of Pastor Henry’s words were touching. Matt had been reminded of why marriage was a beautiful thing, even though his had turned out to be a complete sham.
As he watched the people in the audience leave, more than a few eyes landed on him. The wedding guests clearly knew the drama with his ex-wife, and he was keenly aware of how manipulative and awful she was. Since Tatum clung to her side, though, he wouldn’t take on a direct confrontation with his ex. Not here. Not at Dawn’s wedding.
He watched how Charlene held Tatum to her side, and every part of him melted. He wished so badly that his marriage could be repaired. Part of him had hoped that when they went to Raleigh, things would turn out like a badParent Trapstory and their lives would be fixed. It hadn’t worked that way. He’d seen the manipulation of his ex firsthand, and he’d finally realized it was destructive to Tatum.
Charlene let out a light laugh. “Hey, you guys.” She glanced at Matt, acting innocent.
“I didn’t know you were coming to this,” Matt said.
Charlene started walking toward the dinner tent. “Well, I saw the invitation on your refrigerator. I’m invited, aren’t I?”
Matt didn’t know Charlene’s motivation for coming, but Tatum was holding her hand, so Matt walked with them. “Not really, but I guess you’re here.”
