1
ALEX
This was the strangest wedding that I had ever been a part of—my former boss, my friend, had just pledged her love to four men. It was wholly bizarre, but they looked at Tinsley like she hung the moon specifically for them. I couldn’t even nail down a second date with the guy I’d been chatting with on Tinder, let alone ask him to come with me to a wedding with four grooms.
Everyone is so fickle in Los Angeles.
Standing on Ryan’s back porch, looking out at the twinkle lights that the wedding planner had strung everywhere, my eyes landed on a man who looked almost identical to Ryan sitting at one of the bistro tables with a beer. Darker hair, but the same blue eyes... plus shoulders that I could literally write poetry about.Calm down, girl, I chastised myself. I had been hoping to speak with Ryan’s dad because I knew that he was a lawyer, and he had helped when Tinsley got into hot water with the studio. I had planned to ask him about law school and whether he thought it was worth it.
Before becoming Tinsley’s assistant, I had gotten a degree as a paralegal and had been playing with the idea of going to law school. When Tinsley decreed that she was starting her own PR firm, I put in the application for law school, and the acceptance letter was on my counter. The question now was whether I should actually go.
I hadn’t known that the man would be drop-dead gorgeous. I should have guessed it after seeing Ryan, butsweet Jesus, I wasn’t at all prepared.
Before my confidence could completely abandon me, I crossed the porch and slid into the seat across from him. “Hey,” I greeted, and his eyes landed on me and flicked over me with interest. “I’m Alex Beechum. Tinsley’s former assistant. You must be Ryan’s dad.”
His smile froze on his face, but he held out his hand. “That’s right,” he said. “I’m Jake Jacobs.”
The giggle lodged itself in my throat as I took his hand. It was so muchbiggerthan mine. “Jake Jacobs?” I asked before I could stop myself. “Isn’t that a little... on the nose?”
Luckily, instead of being insulted, the man just laughed.Boy, does he look good when he laughs, I thought before berating myself. I needed to get some self-control. “I’ve thought about changing it just about every day since I was eleven.”
“But you never did,” I pointed out.
He shrugged, and seeming to notice that my hand was still in his, let go.Shame. “I grew into it, I think,” he said. “What do you think?”
Oh, he’s cute, I thought.That’s dangerous. I pretended to study his face. “It suits you,” I said finally, and we shared a laugh. “Well, anyway, it’s nice to meet you. I had a feeling you and Ryan were related. You have the same gorgeous eyes.” Gorgeous? What was wrong with me?
The man ducked his head, but his smile had grown into an all-out grin now. “Thanks,” he said. “He definitely got his mom’s hair, but the eyes are all mine. Made for a great combo.”
Jake was rambling. Was he actually nervous? The thought that this man might be nervous was unbearably cute. But his mention of Ryan’s mother had me searching the crowd around us. “Is your wife here today?” I didn’t want to be sitting in the woman’s seat, after all.
“My wife?” He looked confused for a second, and then he laughed. “Oh, no. We’re not together.” He held up his hand, and his ring finger was empty. “Unmarried. But I am representing both of us today. Ryan’s mom lives overseas, and she couldn’t make it back for the ceremony.”
I nodded and made ahmmnoise. We sat quietly for a moment, taking in the chatter around us. he drank his beer, and I stared at my own cocktail. “So, do you work in the industry too?” I asked, even though I knew he didn’t.
“Me?” Jake shook his head. “Not really. I might handle the occasional lawsuit from the Hollywood crowd. I didn’t mind helping Ryan and his friends before, but I mostly work in the family court system.”
“That’s cool,” I said and meant it. Family court would be my focus if I decided to go through with the law school thing. A giggle worked its way out of my throat when Jake looked incredulous. I sipped my drink. “Before I started working for Tinsley, I got my degree as a paralegal. I like working in PR, but I always saw myself as a lawyer.” I shrugged. “Maybe, anyway.” The DJ made an announcement for the wedding party to gather in the center of the garden for pictures, and I sighed. “Listen, I have to run to handle that.” I gestured to where the bride and her grooms were gathering. “But save me a dance later? I’d love to pick your brain a little bit, if that’s all right.”
He grinned at me. “Absolutely. Find me when you’re done.”
I gave him a little wave before hustling to join the rest of the wedding party.
* * *
“Just one more,”the photographer cooed for about the hundredth time. My face was starting to ache from all the smiling. But as soon as her camera snapped, she waved us off. “I need a few more for the bride and her... grooms,” she said, looking at the men surrounding Tinsley. “But the rest of you are good to go!”
Finally, I thought and peeled away from the group.
I scanned the back yard—it was less crowded now—but Jake was nowhere to be seen.I hope he didn’t leave, I thought. Not only did I really want to talk to him about law school, but that dance sounded like fun.
“Who are you looking for?”
I startled and felt my cheeks heat up when the person laughed. I glanced at Adrianne Montoya, Hollywood’s Golden Goddess, and sighed. “You’re a menace,” I told her.
Her smile was brilliant. “You just looked a little preoccupied,” she said. “That’s all.”
“Someone owes me a dance,” I said as nonchalantly as possible. “That’s all.”