The Marriage of Nathan West

The Wedding

"How do I look?" Nathan asked again, staring at his reflection in the mirror. Maxie came up behind him and turned him by the shoulders. She pushed his hands away and fixed his tie before brushing his shoulders lightly with the palm of her hands, straightening the seams. She took a step back and gave him an appraising look.

"Incredibly sexy as always," she answered. "How about me?"

She turned on the spot for his approval. Nathan shrugged. "Fine," he answered with as straight a face as he could muster.

She made a face at him. "Stop, I'm serious. I couldn't decide between this dress or that blue one from Gennaro. Tell me I didn't make a mistake going with Cartullo."

Nathan smiled. "Of course not. You look beautiful. And haven't you always said that when it comes to fashion, you can never go wrong with Cartullo?"

"Yes, I do always say that. I just want to look good for your socialite friends. I want to make a good impression."

Nathan lifted her chin, gazing at her sincerely. "You are always beautiful, Maxie Jones. You shouldn't worry what these people think of you. None of them are worth a second thought. Besides, none of them hold a candle to you."

Maxie rewarded him by pressing herself to him and wrapping her arms around his neck. She lifted her lips to his, kissing him gently but with the promise of more. He would have given anything in that moment to stay in the hotel room with Maxie and just be with her.

He pulled back and raised an eyebrow at her. "We could skip the wedding and stay here. Just you. And me."

"Nice try, Detective West," she returned with an arched brow of her own. "We're going. Come on."

She grabbed his hand and pulled him to the door, picking up her clutch on the way out the door. The car Nathan had requested for the ride to the wedding, idled at the curb. Maxie shot him a questioning look him. He offered her a simple shrug in response. The Prince George Ballroom wasn't that far from their hotel but he wasn't about to let Maxie walk there. If they were going to do this wedding and revisit his old stomping grounds, they were going to do it the right way. Even if every fiber of his being was screaming that all of this could be a very bad idea.

He wasn't above admitting that attending the wedding made him anxious. He hadn't seen these people in years and if he were absolutely honest with himself, he was alright with that. But Maxie wanted to go and he would do anything for her, including subjecting himself to Alicia Kirkland and her snobby friends. At least Eric was a good guy. He could introduce Maxie to Eric without worrying about any condescending attitude at least.

The ride there took less than fifteen minutes. Maxie did a quick check of her makeup before climbing out of the car behind him. He took her arm, leading her to the entrance where a doorman nodded and opened the door for them. Inside, a young man in a tuxedo approached them.

"Bride or Groom?" He asked handing Nathan a program. The young man paused, his forehead furrowing into a frown. "Hey! I know you. You're James Reeves, right?"

Nathan exchanged a brief look with Maxie who was failing at hiding a grin. "Yes. We're here for the groom," he added hoping to avoid further small talk.

"I haven't seen you in years. You probably don't remember me at all, do you? I mean you left for the police academy when I was pretty young." Nathan gave him a small shake of his head. "Well, of course you wouldn't remember me. I was just a kid then. I'm Rob. Rob Kirkland?"

"Of course. It's nice to see you again, Rob." He nodded at the young man, trying to ignore his chatter about a certain summer in the Hamptons. All of that felt like a lifetime ago. They took seats near the back despite Rob's insistence that they should sit closer. When this was over, Nathan wanted to make a clean getaway.

"It's so weird to hear someone call you James," Maxie murmured. "I mean, I've heard Nina and Madeline call you that but not some stranger. So weird."

"Tell me about it," he muttered back wishing for a quick end to this wedding.

For her part, Maxie was fascinated by the entire event. It wasn't that she had never been around society people. During her days at Crimson she had seen more than her share of debutantes and socialites. They were nothing special. Rather, it was the stray stare at Nathan and then watching the realization of just who he was dawn on a face that interested her. His reappearance rippled through the guests like a rare celebrity sighting.

She was amused and intrigued at the same time. He was something special here; someone who belonged and had been missed. And yet, he was her Nathan West, down to earth, all around good guy. She loved Nathan West. But James Reeves was someone else entirely different and she was curious about him.

During the ceremony, he laced her arm through his, holding her hand. Maxie relaxed against his shoulder taking in the details. All in all, it was a lovely ceremony. The venue was gorgeous and the decorations were tasteful without being overdone. From a professional standpoint, Maxie appreciated the whole affair. From a personal view, she would have enjoyed it more without the curious gazes. There was one woman in particular who couldn't seem to keep herself from looking over her shoulder at him. Nathan didn't seem to notice but Maxie did.

When the ceremony was over, Nathan leaned over and, under the guise of kissing her temple, murmured in her ear, "Let's skip the reception and pick up where we left at the hotel."

"As tempting as that is," Maxie whispered back. "I think I'd rather stay here and get to know this mysterious James Reeves that everyone keeps staring at."

"I'll remember this."

Maxie grinned. "So will I."