She’d given them the benefit of the doubt more than Logan, Jake, and the packmates in the bridal party. The unfairness of her paradigm had never struck her before. Not this hard. Veronica felt hollowed. Gouged.
This could’ve been a real mess. They could’ve been kicked out of the restaurant, or worse, out of the entire building. This could’ve gone more sour than she dared imagine. But it hadn’t. And she didn’t have to run through worst-case scenarios in her head.
All because of Logan and the members of his pack who were here tonight.
God, she owed them all an apology.
Chapter Eighteen
After Logan escorted the jackasses out of the building, and everyone finished dinner, the remaining members of the bridal party moved upstairs to the rehearsal. In that short amount of time something changed. Veronica looked at him differently. She thanked him, and genuinely thanked his packmates.
Logan could’ve keeled over, then and there. The elevators whisked them to the top floor of the tower. Having a wedding rehearsal when the bride and groom couldn’t attend sounded bonkers, but he went along anyway.
Further proof that when it came down to it, weddings were one big show that meant little.
The spacious top floor was split into two massive sections. To the left, through a set of gold-trimmed glass doors, row upon row of white folding chairs had been set up facing a window wall that overlooked the sparkling blue waters of the Puget Sound. Through a second set of doors on their right was a bar, a black-glossed dance floor, and roughly twenty tables covered with heavy black cloths.
If classy was the mood Leah and Jake had wanted, that was precisely what Veronica had given them. This place had to cost an arm and a leg to rent out. A waste, in Logan’s opinion. The view was nice, and the open bar was convenient, but other than that…totally unnecessary. Did people think a wedding full of glitz and glamour would keep them together when their marriage staled?
Veronica and Logan entered the left half of the building, where the ceremony was being staged. Heather stood against the back wall with an iPad cradled in her arm. She must’ve still been working out last-minute kinks. Veronica left Logan with his packmates and approached Pastor Bennett, who was already in position, standing between two six-foot-tall pedestals that were lacking their flowers. The pastor looked the exact same as he had last weekend at the Sanchez wedding. His pin-striped suit was perfectly pressed and his hands were folded in front of him. His hair was slicked back with shiny goop and his dark eyes were much too friendly.
As Veronica stood in front of him, Logan picked up the soft scent of adoration buried under something musky. It was a strong scent, overpowering, nearly burning Logan’s nose. He’d never smelled something that funky before. Was it coming from her, or him?
“Thank you for being here, Patrick. If I knew Leah wasn’t going to make it, I wouldn’t have had you come. I think this is just going to be practice for the bridal party.”
“That’s no problem,” he said, raising his hands from his sides. “I was pleased when Leah personally asked me to marry her. You two used to be like sisters to me.”
“I’m sorry you couldn’t make it to the dinner tonight. It would’ve been nice to catch up.”
“I had some last-minute business to take care of, but I appreciate the invite.” He smiled, his expression wholesome and sincere, conflicting with his distasteful mobster suit. “We’ll have to catch up over drinks at the reception tomorrow night.”
Veronica nodded. “I’d like that.”
Logan fought the urge to punch holes in Pastor Patrick’s holy face.
“Everyone, if I could have your attention.” The wedding planner mask slid back onto Veronica’s face as everyone’s attention focused on her. “Bridesmaids and groomsmen file out near the elevators. The best man and I will enter last, and we’ll line up by height, so the tallest of us will enter toward the end and the view from the chairs will be a descending arch. Ladies, if the guy you’re walking in with is missing from tonight’s lineup, I trust you’ll put them in line tomorrow.”
Damn, she was good. Natural in her element and a people person. So unlike him.
“Let’s go!” she said, clapping her hands.
Drill Sergeant Vale escorted the group out the doors and lined everyone up in seconds. Veronica stood next to Logan, but they were at least two feet apart. He held his elbow out from his side, waiting for her arm to fill the gap.
“This’ll only last a few seconds,” she said, staring at the back of the heads of the wedding party. Slowly, she threaded her arm through his. “We can get through this.”
Was she talking to herself? To him?
He squeezed her arm, and started the walk down the aisle. The chairs were empty, the flowers were missing, and the decorations were still in boxes. Why, then, did this feel like the real thing? A trickle of sweat rolled down his temple. Had someone cranked up the heat?
Every second dragged in slow motion…
The bridal party split apart and took their places effortlessly. Veronica’s arm started to slip from his, and the urge to keep her there, tucked against him, startled him. Was he walking through quicksand? Why did his feet want to stop in front of her pastor friend?
“Let go,” she whispered, shooting him a curious glare.
He hadn’t even realized that they should’ve parted a few steps before. The pastor raised a quizzical brow, then shook his head and watched Veronica take her place.
“Here’s where the bride and her escort part ways and she joins hands with Jake,” Pastor Bennett said, pretending they were standing in front of him. “They say their vows, and we move on.”
“Wait,” Heather said from the back of the room. She was sitting in the last row, and rose off the seat to get a better view. “I think you should run through the vows, too, just so we get an idea of the length of the service. Not everything, but a gist. It’d be good practice for you, too, to get the kinks out.”
“We can do that.” Pastor Bennett smiled. “Would you like to be Leah for the night?”
She shook her head. “The maid of honor and best man should stand in.”
…
Veronica shot Heather a dirty look. She was an excellent assistant, but her meddling was getting extreme. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Logan wouldn’t be up for it anyway. He hates weddings. It’d freak him out.”
But he’d already stepped into place.
She frowned. “What are you doing?”
He held out his hand. And damn it, he looked sincere with his puppy dog eyes.
“This isn’t necessary for—” Patrick began, but the sound in Veronica’s ears went fuzzy as her feet moved forward of their own accord.
She took Logan’s hand, feeling that spark that was always there when she touched him.
“Dearly beloved, we’re here to join Leah and Jake in holy matrimony, and this is the part when I go into detail about what marriage means…” Patrick looked between them, not meeting either of their gazes. “There’s a candle they’ll light…”
His voice zoned out and Veronica gazed up into Logan’s eyes. They were softer than she’d ever seen them. He was looking at her almost like…like he wanted to be standing here with her. But that couldn’t be right. He couldn’t see himself settling down with anyone.
“Then we’ll have the vows,” Patrick said. “Leah and Jake wrote their own. Since we don’t know what they are going to say, we’ll skip right over that part.”
Logan opened his mouth to say something, but he didn’t have to speak a single word. He squeezed Veronica’s hand and brushed his thumb over the ridges of her knuckles. His lips twitched and his gray eyes softened. She remembered Logan in wolf form, and the way those same eyes had pierced her then.
He really was the same, wasn’t he?
