Page 16 of Art of Love

As the officiant began to speak, her gaze flickered to Abe, who stood watching the couple exchange vows with an unreadable expression on his face.

She wondered what he was thinking, if he’d ever looked at someone the way Max looked at Juliette. Had he looked at Kara like that? Had her death caused his world to sink and disappear?

She dove deep into those thoughts as the vows were exchanged, as a mixture of laughter and teary-eyed promises were shared. When the officiant finally pronounced them husband and wife, cheers erupted as Max pulled Juliette into a romantic kiss, lifting her slightly off the ground as the waves crashed behind them.

Dylan found herself clapping along with the crowd, despite her dark, selfish thoughts.

Maybe she didn’t believe in fairytales, but even she had to admit this one felt pretty damn good.

Guests waited as the couple made it down the aisle, followed by the best man, groomsmen, and bridesmaids.

She hid out of sight as Abe walked by, and then she suddenly realized it was Sophia, Juliette’s best friend, whom he had been walking with. The girl had moved to Pride shortly after her sixteenth birthday. Her brother, Lucas, owned the Mexican restaurant in town.

Out of the near one hundred kids that had been in her class during school, these two girls had been most like her, an outsider. Most important, they’d been kind to her. It was one of the reasons she’d agreed to come to the wedding in the first place.

She followed all the other guests back down the sandy pathway and into the barn.

There, a live band started to play on the stage in the corner, though they were nowhere near as good as the actual superstar that was somewhere in the crowd. The air buzzed with laughter and clinking glasses as champagne was passed out, and for a moment, Dylan let herself take it all in.

She spotted Max and Juliette and the wedding party and family members upstairs, posing for photos.

Deciding she needed a beer, she headed to the bar. She leaned on the counter as she waited to place her order.

“Hey,” someone said behind her. She glanced over and held in a groan.

Tommy Leif had been an all-star-player in every sport. He was a jock through and through. And one of Dylan’s worst nightmares. The amount of teasing she had received from this boy alone left deep scars that still stung today.

“Hey, Tommy.”

“Tom,” he corrected, his eyes narrowing. “Holy shit, it is you. Dylan Beck.” He said her name like an announcer at a prize fight and shook his head, as if not believing his eyes.

“In the flesh,” she replied dryly as she waved at the bartender, praying the woman would come over and take her order soon. If Tommy was going to be the first one she talked to tonight, she knew it was going to be a very long night. Maybe she needed something stronger than a beer.

“Yeah, and such pretty flesh it has become,” Tommy purred as he leaned on the counter and ran a fingertip down her arm. She cringed.

“You don’t want to touch me, Tommy,” she said clearly.

His eyebrows shot up.

It wasn’t that Tommy, or Tom, wasn’t good-looking. He fit the image of the all-American small-town hero to the tee. Blond hair, sexy blue eyes that some women instantly fell for, dimples when he smiled, and a body that everyone in town knew well, thanks to his many shirtless runs through town.

“I heard you were back in town for a while.” He leaned closer. “Care to have some fun while you’re here?”

“No thanks,” she said, waving again at the bartender.

“No?” Tommy lowered his voice. “I always thought you were stuck-up. How about you prove me wrong?”

“No, thanks,” she said again, this time getting the bartender’s attention.

“Whiskey, straight, and a beer. Any beer,” she added.

When Tommy’s fingers wrapped around her upper arm, she stilled. “Come on, Dylan, we all know how much you wanted to get with me back in the day.”

She turned slightly until she was nose to nose with Tommy. “Like I said, you don’t want to touch me.” She glanced down at his fingers and winced when they tightened.

“Oh yeah.” Tommy smiled, showing off those dimples. “I like challenges.” He moved closer until his body was practically plastered against hers.

Even though the bar area was packed, she knew there was enough room for her to take a step back. Instead, she shifted slightly until her knee came up tight against his groin.