The Dance Part 2

Chapter 260 Love Hurts

A smile appeared on Bird's face as she watched Nato walking in her direction.  "I thought you stood me up."

"No way. I wouldn't miss this opportunity to be around so many pretty women." Nato surveyed the surroundings. The family had invited some of their close friends and Blue had invited her extended library family. It wasn't a large wedding but it was just enough of a crowd that he could disappear and not be missed very quickly.

Nato walked casually with Bird to the venue. She did most of the talking as Nato tracked the whereabouts of certain guests especially that of Lila, Bam and Matt. He thought to himself, if he could just get her alone that would be all the time he needed.

Lila tried to ignore Bird's wedding guest but she kept feeling that uncomfortable notion that she was being watched. Her woman's intuition was the foreshadowing of events to come. Lila watched as Bird chatted away trying to engage Nato in conversation, but he seemed to be focused on her like a laser beam, his attention only broken when Bam appeared and attempted to get everyone settled into their seats. In his booming voice, he announced "Let's get this boy married!" He took a seat next to his wife and in customary fashion, Bear let out a long howl to get the service started.

Noah took his place at the front of the makeshift altar with the minister. Both he and Blue decided they would have no best man or woman not wanting to hurt anyone's feelings. It was too hard to choose between the brothers and their wives. They opted instead to have the Brown children lead Blue to where her groom waited. One by one Matt's boys started down the aisle. Matt chuckled as they tugged at their collared shirts showing signs of how uncomfortable they were in dress shirts. Jace and Lily followed next hand in hand much to the pleasure of their parents. The twins were always especially close. The tiniest wedding attendant, Violet, needed a little encouragement from the bride but once she spotted her daddy in the front row, she took off running with petals of flowers flying out of her basket. Red whispered to Bear, "She's definitely your child."

Blue took a deep breath before she stepped up to the platform to begin her last walk as a single woman. All the butterflies disappeared as her gaze fell upon his face. The faces of their guests seem to blur in her vision and all she saw was him waiting anxiously for her. The smile on Noah's face said everything. He had not seen her dress and he was taken aback by how perfectly beautiful she looked. She was delicate, almost fairy-like as she moved towards him and he wanted to remember this moment always. She took her place next to her groom handing her bouquet to Lily who sweetly kissed her on the cheek and whispered to her future aunt that she loved her.

Blue returned her attention to Noah as he took her hands in his hands giving her a gentle squeeze. "Ready? This is your last chance to say no."

"I'm right where I want to be, Noah. Next to you always."

The minister began the service by announcing that Blue and Noah, in their unique fashion, had written their own vows together as promises they had made to each other. They recited their promises simultaneously and when they finished, the minister pronounced them to be husband and wife. Noah wasn't much for public displays of affection but today he relaxed his own standards and kissed his lovely bride with the all the passion expected from a bridegroom on his big day.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great pleasure that I present for the first time Mr. and Mrs. Noah Brown."

The couple made their way down the aisle to the applause and cheers of family and friends as Matt and Jill invited the wedding guests back to the mill for the reception.

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Nato escorted Bird to the festivities at the mill. The guests poured into the building filling the space up quickly. Nato scanned the room and took note of where Lila and Bam were standing. He watched as Matt and his wife entertained their friends. Bird offered to get Nato something to drink. It was enough time for Nato to slip unseen into Matt's office and locate the keys to his truck which he placed in his pocket. Bird returned to her spot with two cups of punch in hand and found her date missing. She set their drinks to the side and began to search for him. Nato had managed to put his pack in Matt's truck without raising any suspicions. He returned to the party just as Bird walked out the door.

"Where's our drinks?" He asked nonchalantly.

"They're inside. I came back but you had disappeared."

Nato played off his disappearance as a need for fresh air. Bird didn't give it a second thought as they returned to the evening's festivities. By now, Noah and Blue had arrived at the reception bearing smiles and greeting guests. As the evening wore on, Nato waited patiently for a chance to speak with Lila without the overbearing presence of her husband. And just as he hoped, baby Gypsy had become fussy. He watched and listened as Lila told Bam she was going to take Gypsy back to the house for the remainder of the evening. Nato paid close attention knowing he had to ditch Bird in order to get to Lila. He excused himself telling Bird he needed to smoke a cigarette while turning Bird over to her brother for a dance. He slipped outside unnoticed and followed Lila back to her home.

Lila finished feeding the baby and soon settled her in the crib. She dimmed the lights in the room and made her way back down the stairs. She saw a pair of boots as she descended the stairs thinking her husband had followed her home.

"Bam, Gypsy is sound asleep...." but before she could finish the rest of her sentence, she realized it was Nato who waited for her. "Nato, you startled me. You shouldn't be here." He could sense the uneasiness in her voice.

"I just wanted to talk with you without your shadow."

"I think we had better return to the reception. It won't be long before Joshua comes looking for me." Lila began to move towards the door but Nato blocked her exit.

"Let him come. By the time he gets here, we'll be gone."

"Nato, I'm not going anywhere with you. I told you. There is no us. There is only Joshua." Lila hoped she could convince Nato she was content with her life but he seemed almost manic as she spoke to her. Lila's first thought was to move the danger away from her sleeping daughter. As she stepped closer to the door, Nato placed his hand over her mouth and directed her to the waiting truck. Lila didn't struggle as she caught a glimpse of steel in his waistband. She believed in her heart that he wouldn't harm her so she sat stone faced as Nato disappeared into the darkness with what he had come.

Nazareth-Love Hurts