As I approached the nook where she stood cowering, I flashed her a huge grin. “Totally painless,” I said. “Your turn.”
She nodded, but her lips were fluttering as if she wasn’t breathing quite right.
“Go,” Jessie whispered. “Walk slowly to the music. You can do this.”
As I stepped out of the lights, I could see the frantic look in Tara’s big blue eyes.
“Please,“ Jessie begged. “I just heard that Slice Light Magazine is here. If you do something dramatic at the end of the runway, we might get the cover shot.”
Tara managed to take five steps forward, to the bright pink X taped on the floor where we were supposed to stand and pose for the first round of photos.
“Lift your chin,” I murmured. “Look straight ahead.”
My deep voice must have carried through the rest of the noise, as Tara lifted her pretty face, looking around at the hundreds of people staring at her. Her knuckles were white, clutching the bouquet in one hand, and the side of her dress in the other.
Oh God, she was frozen.
“What do I do?” Jessie yelped, looking over to me in horror. “I have to have the dramatic finale, or they can’t get that shot.”
As embarrassing as it was walking down the runway once, I would have walked through fire to stop Tara from fluttering like a leaf.
Stepping back into the lights, I took her hand, leaning down to kiss it gently. She looked at me in surprise, but then took my arm as I offered it. “You look absolutely ravishing, my darling,” I said smoothly. “Shall we go for a walk?”
“Thank you,” she whispered, following my lead as we sauntered slowly down the runway.
A flicker ran through me as I thought what a joy it would be to walk this beauty down the aisle for real some day, to make her mine forever.
Once we were at the end, I whispered, “I’m just going to step back so they can take some photos of you alone. Breathe and smile.”
Releasing Tara, I stepped a few feet out of the way, so the photographers could circle her dress completely. Then I saw her right hand reaching back blindly toward me. Darting forward, I took it, turning her to face me.
“I’m sorry – I can’t be alone up here,” she gasped.
“It’s okay, I’ve got you. If I hold you close, will you dance with me for a photo? They’ll go crazy for it.”
She nodded, and the light in her eyes switched from terror to nervous delight, as I wrapped my arm around her waist. We began to slowly waltz around the end of the narrow platform, to the sound of cameras and cheers all around us.
A few of the photographers seemed to be backing away, as if this wasn’t worth their time. My mind raced as I tried to think of something theatrical that would draw their attention.
Something popped into my head, but Tara would have to be very open-minded. Looking down at the way she was gazing into my eyes, I selfishly realized it wasn’t just for the shot.
I leaned in to murmur close to her ear, “If we do a dramatic finish, Jessie will be thrilled. If I dip you back in a giant movie star kiss, you could throw the bouquet over your shoulder into the crowd.”
Tara nodded eagerly, relaxing in my arms as she twirled slowly. Her delicate lips pressed together nervously, then parted invitingly. A shudder ran through me as I hoped she had heard me clearly.
“Ready?” I smiled, spinning her to face the bank of photographers.
“Yes.”
Maybe it was the deafening music, or the visual assault of flashes, but it suddenly felt like everything was in slow motion. Gripping Tara’s waist snugly, I arched her back over my arm. She giggled, staring up into my eyes.
I could hear everyone going crazy just four feet away, but they might as well have been in another dimension.
Tara’s hand flew up gracefully, tossing the bouquet straight over her head and into the crowd, then brought her fingers to the side of my face as I held her close. Those huge blue eyes blinked slowly, then she nodded.
The second my mouth met Tara’s silky lips I felt the world tilt. She was what I’d been searching for. So soft and seductive. Sweet and girlish. Pure.
This was the girl who made me want to be a better man, once and for all.