TEASE ( A Stepbrother Romance ) By Caitlin Daire

16

Chapter Sixteen

Charlotte

"How do I look?"

My mother stared at me in the reflection of the mirror she was standing in front of, and I took in her simple ivory-colored dress, her tasteful makeup, and her stunning hairdo. The wedding day had finally arrived, and we were in a room in the back of the upscale Denver hotel where the wedding was being held.

"You look perfect," I said with a smile.

"Are you sure?"

I nodded. "Yes! Mom, you look amazing."

"I'm just so nervous. My wedding to your father was so small," she said. "And this wedding is insanely big. All those people!"

"I know, right?"

Mom and Keith had managed to throw together a wedding in a time frame which was practically light speed in terms of major event planning, and it was made even more impressive by the fact that it was a politician's wedding, which meant that lots of high-profile guests had to be invited along with loads of security personnel to keep everyone safe. Apparently there had been a scare at a state senator's sixtieth birthday party last year in Texas, where some scorned ex-mistress had managed to get in and attempted to kill the senator. She hadn't succeeded, but since then, a lot of people in the political world had doubled down on security at any events, even private ones like weddings and birthdays.

"Do you think they'll all judge me?" Mom asked, her voice still anxious. "There's so many of Keith's wealthy friends here, and I haven't even met half of them before."

"Mom, don't be silly. The wedding will be perfect, and no one will have anything negative to say about it. You've planned everything perfectly."

"I suppose I have, haven't I?" she said with a smile, her tense shoulders sagging with relief. "Thanks, sweetheart. You look lovely too, by the way. Maybe you'll meet a handsome senator's son at the reception?"

"Mm...maybe," I said in a noncommittal tone.

Obviously, I didn't want to meet any other guys. I only had eyes for Cade, and twenty minutes later, they stayed glued on him the whole way up the aisle as I walked with my purple hyacinth bouquet. He was standing up at the front with Keith and Evan, and I thought it was kinda cute how Keith had chosen his two sons to be his groomsmen. The man was a staunch conservative, a bit of a control freak, and an avid hunter-all things I wasn't really a fan of-but he had his good side, and it was nice to see him sharing his day with his kids like this.

Cade's gaze stayed on me as I reached the altar and took my place with the rest of the wedding party, and I smiled at him as well as Evan, Keith and the officiant, not wanting to make anyone suspicious. I glanced out at all the guests as Mom slowly made her way up the aisle a moment later, and I noted the two security guards at every entrance. God, it felt weird to be at such a high-profile event, but I guess now that Keith was officially going to be my stepfather, I'd have to get used to it.

The officiant cleared his throat and began the ceremony.

"Beloved friends and family of Emilia Rubio and Keith Blackwell, welcome and thank you for joining us on this joyous occasion. We are gathered together to celebrate the very special love between Emilia and Keith by joining them in marriage."

With each word he spoke, I remembered some of the special, intimate moments I'd shared with Cade over the last several weeks.

Cade's hair was a total mess as he looked up at me from between my legs, and he licked his lips and told me how much he liked how I tasted.