But not to his girlfriend. No, he just dumped her like yesterday’s garbage.
Sophie shook the thought. For all of their forward progress it seemed they were on a treadmill. Her arm was far from numb. Rather, the springy hairs of his forearm tickled the soft flesh of her wrist. She curled her fingers into fists to avoid touching him unnecessarily. And his familiar smell was about to drive her crazy. It took her right back to high school prom, talks on her porch, making out in his Chevy truck.
“Look, Sophie . . .” His smoky voice made gooseflesh rise on her arms. “I’m really sorry about how I left. You didn’t deserve that, but I did try to call that once—”
“Now is not the time, Aiden.”
Yes, there’d been one phone call three months after he’d left. One voice mail, begging her to return his call. He hadn’t said it outright, but she’d gotten the feeling maybe he felt like he'd made a mistake. But Sophie had her hands full with caring for her family. And she wasn’t eager to pursue a long-distance relationship with someone who’d left her behind so easily.
He glanced her way. “I wasn’t ready for the kind of—”
“Not now.”
“—relationship we had. I was eighteen, and I had things I wanted to do. I didn’t know who I was, and I was too young to—”
“Aiden. Can we talk about this later?”
“When?”
“I don’t know.” The guys were going out after the rehearsal, and the girls were holing up at the beach house. “After the reception tomorrow night.”
“I have to leave early, my flight.”
“During the reception then, but not until after the toast.” Her maid-of-honor duties would keep her busy until then.
“All right. Save me a dance. We’ll talk then.”
They’d finally reached the front. “Fine.”
Sophie gladly let go of Aiden’s arm and took her spot just to the left of center. Only when she realized she’d committed to dancing with the man who’d broken her heart did her practiced smile slip.
chapter three
Sophie blinked back a tear as she watched Jenna and Grant sway under thousands of white twinkle lights. The band had set up on the upper deck, the strains of “All of Me” drifting on the evening air.
Jenna’s mermaid gown shimmered, the cut of the dress making the most of her petite figure. Their mother’s diamond pendant glittered above her V-shaped neckline. Though the necklace had been given to Sophie, Jenna had begged to wear it as her “something old” and promised to take good care of it. Someday, Sophie wanted to wear the heirloom at her own wedding—but that day felt eons away.
Grant placed a kiss on his bride’s forehead. Sophie couldn’t believe her baby sister was married. Jenna had skated through her teenage dating years, breaking hearts along the way, but had never fallen head over heels.
Then in college Grant had come along, and it had been love at first sight. Jenna, having never suffered a broken heart, was a firm believer in fairy tales. It worried Sophie a little, her expectations. But Grant really was one of the good ones—his taste in best friends aside—and Sophie believed he’d treat Jenna right.
Sophie was tempted to sink into a chair, but she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to get back up. Having gotten little sleep last night, she was running on adrenaline. She’d made it through that long—thankfully silent—walk down the aisle with Aiden. Held back tears through the emotional ceremony. Smiled her way through the pictures, many of them putting her in close contact with Aiden. Chatted her way through the dinner and gotten through her toast—the ending of which she’d had to rewrite since she borrowed it last night.
She’d almost made it.
Sophie swept her gaze around the room, locating her dad near the railing with Sheila, his date. He was entitled to bring someone, but she wished he hadn’t. The presence of the thirtysomething brunette had done nothing to soothe Seth’s bitterness.
Sophie spotted Grant’s grandfather on the beach with other relatives. He swayed slightly as he sipped from a flask. Sophie sighed. Later she would ask him to dance and swipe the thing from him if she had to wrestle him to the ground. She couldn’t allow him to ruin Jenna’s day.
Granny May was seated on one of the benches, watching the bride and groom dance, a soft smile making her seem years younger.
Sophie caught sight of Aiden on the other side of the deck. Dana’s hand rested lightly on his bicep as he seemingly hung on to every word.
For the first time today Sophie allowed her gaze to linger on him. He looked like sin in that black tux. His hands were tucked in his pants pockets, the jacket lapels flaring apart to reveal the crisp white shirt and broad chest beneath it. The physicality of his job had kept him in excellent shape.
His dark-brown curls were artfully tousled tonight, fluttering in the breeze. In the shadows his deep-set eyes remained a mystery. His face was shaved smooth, highlighting his cheekbones and exposing the sharp cut of his jawline. There was a ticklish spot right under that jaw. She used to—
His gaze locked on to hers.
She couldn’t look away. They’d always been connected this way. If he was nearby she knew exactly where he was. There’d been times she’d thought of him and somehow knew he was thinking of her right then too. It was the same feeling she had with Seth—the twin thing.
But Aiden wasn’t her twin. Aiden wasn’t her anything.
The crowd broke out in applause. The music had ended. She jerked her gaze from Aiden as the band started a popular line-dance tune. Time for the wedding party to earn its keep.
Erik appeared at her side, extending his hand and a charming grin. “Wanna dance?”
“Sure.” Sophie took his hand and joined the growing throng on the makeshift dance floor. They did the energetic moves, side by side, exchanging laughter when he goofed up a move or hammed it up.
Minutes later the band segued into another crowd-pleaser, and the dancing continued. From the middle of the pack Sophie kept an eye out for trouble. Seth was dancing beside one of the bridesmaids, seemingly having a good time. Their dad was at a table with Sheila, watching the fun from the sidelines. During the fourth song she lost sight of Grant’s grandfather.
The song ended and the band struck up a slow tune.
Erik held out his hands. “Dance with me?”
She’d done her dancing duty, and she really should find Mr. Drury. But one glance at Erik’s puppy dog eyes and she acquiesced.
Erik’s hands settled at her waist as the bluesy ballad wove around them. Others had also coupled up, leaving the dance floor full.
“It was a nice wedding, wasn’t it?” Erik said. “Grant seems really happy.”
“He and Jenna are a good match. You were there when it happened, weren’t you? When they met?”
“I was.” Erik laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Just like that, he was gone. He didn’t get her number that night either, and he moped around until he finally found her on Facebook.”
Sophie had heard the story before. She watched the newlyweds swaying under the lights, gazing at each other as if there were no one else around. “Jenna was the same. She called me the next day and told me she’d met the man she was going to marry. And here I thought she was being fanciful.”