A Merry Vested Wedding - Melanie Moreland Page 0,23
deep tenor.
“Why should I leave, Gracie? I’m enjoying myself.”
“Stop calling me that. It’s Grace.”
“All your family calls you Gracie.”
“You aren’t my family.”
“Hmm. I beg to differ.”
I sat up straighter. What?
“You shouldn’t be here,” Gracie insisted.
“You’re here. I belong at your side.”
“No, you don’t,” she hissed.
“I imagine the law would agree with me.”
“Fuck the law,” she almost growled, shocking me. Grace rarely swore. She rarely got upset. It was one of the reasons she was going to be such a good lawyer.
The next words I heard shocked me even more.
“I would rather fuck you again, darling. Far more enjoyable.”
There was an odd choking noise, and then I heard the sound of footsteps hurrying away. High-heeled ones. Then a low chuckle and that deep voice murmuring a quiet promise.
“Run, Gracie, my darling. I’ll catch you, regardless.”
Jaxson Richards stepped out from behind the corner. He noticed me and lifted his eyebrows with a smirk. He bent close. “Your boss is funny.”
“He’s not just my boss.”
He smiled suddenly, changing his face. It went from haughty to open. His dimple deepened as he grinned, and his eyes danced. He was devastatingly handsome. He tilted his chin toward the direction he and Gracie had been standing. “I’m not just her boss either.”
Then he headed toward the table he’d been sitting at, leaving me gaping at his retreating back. He didn’t appear upset or worried. If anything, his confidence was higher.
I slipped around the corner and into the ladies’ room that was at the end of the hall. It was deserted except for Grace. She stood, gripping the counter, her head down, and her shoulders taut.
I stepped behind her.
“Gracie.”
She whirled around, her eyes wide and startled.
“What is going on?” I asked quietly. “Don’t tell me nothing because we both know that’s a lie.”
She sighed. “Remember me telling you about the pompous jackass I work for?”
I nodded. “It’s Jaxson?” I guessed. “He’s not just a coworker, but your boss. Your direct boss.”
“Yes. He specializes in corporate law. I’m his intern. The firm sent us both to Vegas to work on this copyright mess we’ve been dealing with.”
“Is he any good?”
“He’s brilliant,” she admitted. “When we’re in the zone, we work really well together. The problem is we strike sparks the rest of the time. We’re constantly battling with each other.”
I waited. There was more to the story, but she wasn’t telling me everything.
“When I missed my plane, and the snowstorm hit, he helped me get here. I never would have made it if it weren’t for him. Part of the deal was he got to come to the wedding.”
“Okay?”
She waved her hand. “I told him it was enough. To go home. He’s been here far too long already. He refuses to leave.”
“Why?”
She pressed her lips together. “Can we drop it?”
“No. Why is he refusing to leave, Gracie? Why were you so upset that he was sitting at your parents’ table?”
“I don’t want him getting comfortable with them.”
“Why? If he’s your boss and he helped you, what’s the big deal?”
She began to turn away, but I refused to allow it. I grabbed her arm. “What happened in Vegas, Gracie?”
She met my eyes. “I married him.”
Chapter 5
Addison
Before I could recover from the bombshell Gracie had just dropped, the washroom door opened, and Heather, Gracie’s sister, came in.
“There you are. Nan and Pops are leaving, Bray is looking for you, Addi, and Gracie, that sexy coworker of yours is prowling around like a dementor. Does he suck the happiness out of every room he enters?”
She finished off her rapid announcement with a hand on her hip, looking exasperated. “He’s a bossy SOB, isn’t he?”
Gracie blinked, then let out an uncharacteristic giggle. My lips quirked at Heather’s tone. The two sisters physically looked alike. Both small with dark hair and delicate features like their mom, Katy, but while Gracie had blue eyes like their mom, Heather had Richard’s hazel eyes that seemed to see everything. That was where the resemblance ended. Gracie was calm, quiet, and unflappable, while Heather was exuberant, creative, and loud. She spoke her mind and used her hands to make a point, as if she were painting a picture for you. Despite their differences, they had always been close, but Gracie had obviously not shared her news with her sister.
“He is a bit over the top,” Gracie stated, smoothing her hands down the front of her dress. “I imagine he’s leaving and wanted to say his farewells.”
Heather shook her head. “I don’t think so. He told Mom he’s