Watch Me Fall (Ross Siblings, #5)(98)
“It’s beautiful. But I can’t believe she did that,” he murmured back.
“I know, I never thought she would. They’ve been working on it for a while after hours. And the way she’s showing it off—I love it. Look at Candace’s mom. She’s about to have a stroke.”
Jared chuckled. Macy had always been about never looking back once she made a decision. If she was going to let Ghost give her a tattoo, then hell yes, she was going to show it off. Good for her. After her horse riding accident, she’d practically gone into a cocoon, not wanting to hear from him or any of their old friends. She’d emerged better and stronger and had a new life now, new friends. And they were good ones. He was happy to be among their circle now himself.
Daryl handed Macy over to Ghost and the two men’s handshake turned into a brief backslapping hug while Macy’s eyes brimmed a little. They exchanged words, and while no one could hear but them, whatever Daryl said caused a wash of emotion on the groom’s face and had Macy swiping at escaped tears. Even Starla opened her clutch and grasped for a tissue.
Jared understood the emotion. Both of Ghost’s parents had passed when he was little. But whatever traumas he’d endured, he was about to become a member of the best family Jared knew, and they thought the world of him. He couldn’t imagine not having his own parents around to see him get married.
His gaze was drawn again to Starla’s delicate profile as everyone settled in their seats and the officiant began. Damn. He’d been down the aisle once already. There had been moments he’d vowed never to do it again, but in truth, the whole idea had been so beyond the realm of possibility that for the most part, he’d never given it much thought. But now that she was such a steady fixture in his life, sometimes it was all he could think about.
God, she was beautiful. The sunlight played in her platinum hair, and the breeze kept teasing him with the faintest hint of her scent. He would know her anywhere by smell alone.
Either the ceremony was short or Jared was too wrapped up in his own matrimonial thoughts to pay much attention to it, but suddenly Ghost and Macy were striding up the aisle all smiles to music and their guests’ applause. Brian and Candace followed close behind them arm in arm and smiling mostly at each other. Those two had been so inseparable, it was a miracle they’d managed to stand on opposite sides of the altar for the ceremony.
Starla sighed with what sounded like happy relief. Instead of going with the wedding party, Ashley and Mia ran straight to them, babbling excitedly. Starla cooed over how pretty they’d looked and what a good job they’d done, then showed them some of the pictures she’d snapped.
“So,” she began once they’d completely taken the phone away from her to thumb through the photos, “are we going over to the reception?”
“It’s up to you,” he said, lacing his fingers through hers. “I know you’d like to spend time with everyone.”
“I would,” she said half on a sigh. “But I’d like to spend some time with you too.”
Yeah, that was their only trial right now: finding the time to see each other around their work schedules, but they made it somehow. He was mostly the standard eight-to-five, but she was two-to-ten/eleven/twelve every night except Sunday and Monday. Sundays were really the only full days they had together; he lived for Sundays now. But today was Saturday, and both Dermamania locations had closed for the wedding. They had all night, and he didn’t want to spend it around here. Shelly was picking up the girls later so they could all drive to Dallas in the morning to visit her grandparents. It would be just the two of them.
“Then I think,” he began, stroking each one of Starla’s fingers, “we should make our apologies and get the hell out of here.”
She grinned and curled an arm around his neck. “I think that sounds like a helluva good plan.”
It turned out harder to get away than they’d planned. Ashley and Mia had found new best buddies in Ghost’s nephews. Jennifer Rodgers was her usual chatterbox self. Jared’s mom tied Starla up for a good twenty minutes already talking about Thanksgiving plans. Macy wrapped Starla in a tight hug and thanked her and Jared both for coming. Ghost, with a rather sheepish grin that looked totally out of place on him, shook Jared’s hand. “Appreciate you being here, man.” Maybe he was just being nice for his new wife’s sake, or Starla’s, or maybe he really meant it. Didn’t matter. But Jared meant his own reply.
“Congratulations. We wish you both the best. And, you know, if you ever need to go out on some late-night vigilante justice or anything…”
Ghost laughed, and that sounded genuine enough. “You never know. I haven’t lost your number, dude.” They were interrupted by Brian crashing through and clapping his arm around Ghost’s shoulder.
“You did it, you magnificent bastard.”
“I know you’re devastated that I’m officially off the market.”
“Ol’ married man.” Starla laughed. “He’s been off the market for a while now.”
“I don’t think I was ever actually on it. Like, ever. What the hell happened?”
“Macy went bargain shopping,” Brian said. He was rewarded with Ghost’s middle finger in his face. The two traded insults for a minute before Ghost tipped his chin up at Jared and moved on, but Brian hung back.