There were some people on the beach even at this time of day—some couples splashing around in the water and kids building sandcastles while their parents started to pack up their beach chairs.
The sound of the waves and the smell of salt in the air relaxed me and kept me standing there, even though I knew there was a party going on in the hotel behind me. Everyone in the wedding party should have arrived today, and there was a welcome bash for all of us.
I’d never been a groomsman before, but when my friend Michael asked me to be one, I quickly agreed. It worked out well that he and his fiancée decided to get married in the Caribbean and make it a weeklong affair. I had seven vacation days that needed to be used before the end of the year, and I could definitely use a change of scenery. It had been alongtime since I took a break from my demanding job as a New York City police officer.
I sensed someone approaching from behind me, and the smell of cigarette smoke reached my nose. I turned to see the father of the groom approaching me. I’d known this man pretty much my whole life since my family lived next door to his for my entire childhood. It was the reason that Michael and I were such good friends. He’d always been a part of my life.
“You hiding out here?” he asked as he stopped beside me. “You’re missing the festivities.”
“I know. I just figured that I’d take a minute to enjoy the view.”
“Soaking up some peace and quiet, huh?” He chuckled. “I remember what it was like to have a young child. You’ve got to take advantage of it any time you can.”
I nodded, thinking about Sam and hoped that he was having a good time at his mother’s house. More than anything, I hoped that she was paying proper attention to him. I knew that Alyssa could sometimes get caught up in her own drama and prioritize that over our son. It was one of her many bad habits that made me worry for my son’s welfare while he was in her care.
The sun was fully set now and the sky was rapidly darkening. The beach was mostly empty, but the pool area at the hotel just behind us was still full of people.
“I guess I’ll head inside,” I said, inclining my head back toward the hotel. “You coming?”
“Not yet,” he replied, holding up his half-finished cigarette.
I nodded in understanding as he took another puff on the cigarette. Walking toward the hotel, I pulled my room key out of my pocket and used it at the gate to the pool area. Strolling past the swim-up bar and hot tub, I made my way to the entrance to the lobby. The hotel restaurant was to my right, with dinner service in full swing, and to the left was the banquet hall, where the party was being held.
Heading inside, I saw that the place was packed. The wedding party wasn’t huge, just six of us, other than the bride and groom themselves, but with the addition of Michael and Faith’s families and any friends that decided to come to the island early, it was quite a crowd.
I headed for the bar. Ignoring the chalkboard menu on the wall that listed a variety of fruity drinks and cocktails, I ordered a bottle of beer. I knew about half the people here, so mingling with the other guests was effortless, and I found myself standing near a table of hors d'oeuvres with Michael a few minutes later.
“Well, the big day is almost here,” I said, slapping him on the back. “You getting cold feet yet?”
“Not at all. I can’t wait.”
His grin was big and sappy. The guy was nuts for his fiancée, and I was surprised to feel a twinge of jealousy about that. I hadn’t given much thought to being in a serious relationship with a woman since things crashed and burned with Alyssa a few years back. The whole experience had left me jaded, but maybe I was ready to move on from it. I wasn’t getting any younger, after all.
“You picked a hell of a place to tie the knot,” I said after taking a drink of my beer. “This island is great.”
“That’s all Faith’s doing,” he said, then ducked his head a bit sheepishly. “I’m a little ashamed to admit that I didn’t plan much of this. She did it all. But hey, why would I stand in her way when she’s so great at this kind of thing?”
As if on cue, the door of the banquet hall opened, and Faith rushed over to greet a man that came inside with a cart loaded up with a karaoke machine, complete with TV monitor and speakers. They made their way to a small platform on the other side of the room that I assumed served as a stage for this kind of thing.
“You guys, the entertainment is here!” Faith called out to the room at large, and a group of women gathered nearby let out excited squeals. They all descended on the man as he was trying to set up the machine, taking turns looking through his three-ring binder full of songs.
“Like I said, she’s great at this,” Michael said, and I had to agree with him. The woman knew how to put on a party.
I turned to the food laid out on the table and grabbed a couple of mini turkey sandwiches. I had just stuffed one into my mouth when a sultry voice started belting out a Lady Gaga tune. I turned my attention back to the stage and saw that there was only one woman standing there now while the others gathered nearby and watched.
This first karaoke participant blew me away. It wasn’t because she was a great singer. In fact, she was a little pitchy, but it didn’t matter. Her face was lit up like a Christmas tree, happiness shining in her eyes as she swung her hips to the beat of the song that she was singing and hammed it up with hand gestures and even tilted her head back dramatically when she held a long note. She was obviously having a blast, and there was something about her that ignited a fire in my blood.
My eyes ran freely over her luscious curves on full display in her form-sitting wrap dress. Her long dark hair fell in waves around her shoulders, and my fingers twitched with the urge to tangle through those dark locks and see if they were as soft as they looked. My attraction to her was like a lightning bolt and when the song came to an end, she laughed, making my heart beat triple-time in my chest.
I felt almost like I was in a daze as I started to make my way over to her, eager to introduce myself to this beauty with a toothy smile and big brown eyes. But before I could even get close, she was walking off the stage and immediately surrounded by a small group of people—not the women that were so excited to sing, but rather two older couples and a man with an almost predatory smile.
I couldn’t hear what was being discussed among the group, but I could see that she looked uncomfortable. I had a feeling that she didn’t like the conversation they were having, and my instinct was to rescue her from it.
“Hey, Faith.” I reached out and tapped her shoulder as she walked by. She stopped and looked at me curiously. “Who’s that woman? The one that just sang?”
I nodded my head in her direction and Faith followed my gaze.
“Oh, that’s Sage. She’s my cousin and one of the bridesmaids.”