Chapter 12

A listair had never worn a tuxedo before, and he now understood why people reserved them for special occasions only: it wasn't comfortable. While he could admit he looked dashing, handsome even , and according to his soulmate, he was "hands down the sexiest guy on the planet," he wished he wasn't wearing a bowtie that made him feel like he was being strangled or a jacket that made him feel like he was about to pop the seams whenever he moved.

Still, he'd gladly be uncomfortable to spend time with Maggie. She was wearing a one-shouldered dress in a color she'd called dusty rose, which her sister had picked out for her. The bodice was sequined and hugged her curves, and the skirt fell in layers past her knees. She looked amazing, but hell, he thought she looked amazing in anything she wore.

They'd arrived at the club an hour before the ceremony and he'd met her family: her sister, Penny, and her parents, Barbie and Glen. He waited in the foyer while the family had photos in the garden, and his elephant did not like being separated from Maggie one bit.

He felt her before he saw her, his elephant in tune with everything about her. She stepped into his embrace, and he kissed the top of her head.

"How was it?" he asked.

"Boring. And my feet hurt. These are such cute shoes, but my toes are numb. Are you bored silly?"

"Not at all."

She peeked up at him with a grin. "Liar."

"I'm fine now that you're here, sweetheart."

"Good. Come on, my mom and dad want to spend a little time with you before we need to find our seats." She took his hand but then paused. "Thank you so much for coming with me. This last week has been nothing short of amazing, and I'm so happy you're here."

He wanted to tell her everything right then.

That he was a shifter and they were soulmates.

That she was his entire world.

He even wanted to tell her that he loved her, because he did.

Instead, he kissed her gently on the lips and said, "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, Maggie."

She smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners, and gave his hand a squeeze. They walked outside where the ceremony was going to be held on a beautifully manicured lawn that was bordered by flower beds. White chairs in long rows were separated by a black aisle runner, and the chairs on the ends of the rows had flower bouquets hanging from them.

"Why didn't your sister make you her Maid of Honor?" he asked.

"She and I aren't super close because of the ten-year age difference," she said. "I wasn't offended when she wanted her best friend as her Maid of Honor since they were keeping the wedding party small. Plus, I didn't really want the headache of being at her beck and call for all the wedding stuff. I helped out enough as it was."

He chuckled. "It looks really nice here. I've never been to this club before."

"My parents joined so they could have the wedding here, but my dad likes coming to play golf."

They met up with her parents, and her mom gushed over the decorations and the perfect weather. Glen rocked back on his heels. "Wanna grab a drink?"

"Glen!" Barbie said. "We have to be in the foyer for the wedding entrance in fifteen minutes. People are already coming in to find their seats."

"I can drink fast." He put his hand on Alistair's shoulder and said, "Come on, I never like to drink alone."

Alistair smiled at Maggie and followed Glen into the building where an old-fashioned bar setup had a long mahogany counter with a mirrored back and glass shelves filled with bottles of colorful alcohol.

Alistair wasn't much of a drinker beyond the occasional beer when he went out with the guys, but since there wasn't much time, he took a whiskey on the rocks like Glen did. When they were settled on padded stools on one side of the nearly empty bar area, Glen said, "I wanted to talk to you away from the girls."

"What's on your mind?" Alistair sipped the whiskey, the ice clinking against the crystal.

"Well, first I wanted to say that it's a pleasure to meet you. Maggie has had nothing but wonderful things to say about you." He stared down at his drink. "She and I talked Wednesday after the bachelorette thing. Maggie was really hurt by what Penny did with her ex still being on the invite list. I offered to call him myself and tell him to hit the road, but Penny begged me not to. It turns out that because Brian and that asshole work at the same place, Brian won't let her disinvite him because he's afraid it will make waves."

"I didn't realize they worked together."

"They don't, they're in different departments, but Brian isn't looking for any blowback from anything, so when Penny said he had to come, I had to just wash my hands of it."

"I understand. I mean, I don't in a way because I think it's shitty that the guy who hurt her so badly she didn't go on a date for a year is still coming to this, but I do understand that Penny wouldn't want to cause a problem for her soon-to-be husband at his job. Maggie wouldn't want that either."

"Maggie is a good person," Glen said. He cut a look at Alistair that, if he didn't know for sure the male was human, he would have thought he was an alpha. "I'm giving you the obligatory father threat: don't hurt my daughter. I don't want to see her go through what she did with that asshat again."

"I'm crazy about Maggie," he said. "I promise I only want her to be happy and I think I'm the right man for the job."

"Good." Glen drained the drink and set the glass on the bar. "I hope you'll ask me for permission when the time is right. I'm a traditional guy."

"I will."

Glen clapped him on the shoulder and walked away, leaving Alistair to finish his drink. He hadn't thought much farther in the future than figuring out how to win Maggie's heart so he could tell her the truth and they could become mates. But marrying her? Hell yes, he wanted to do that.

And he would definitely ask her father for her hand in marriage.

But first? He had to claim her heart.

The wedding was a little on the long side and Maggie was uncomfortable in the hard wooden chairs, but she really loved seeing Penny get married. Even though she and Alistair had only been dating for a week, she had a pang of longing at the forever between Penny and Brian as they exchanged rings and then kissed, with everyone clapping.

As the music played softly, she and Alistair followed her parents down the aisle and out to greet the new couple before heading into the ballroom.

"Thank you so much for coming," Penny said as she smiled at Alistair. "I look forward to getting to know you."

Alistair nodded in agreement, then took Maggie's hand and followed her to the ballroom. They stopped outside of the room and looked at the seating chart.

"Here we are," Maggie said. "Table two with my parents, my Uncle Ray, and my Grandma Debbie." They found their seats and were joined quickly by her family, where she introduced her grandma and uncle to Alistair. Appetizers were served and then the couple and the Maid of Honor and Best Man made their entrance. Champagne was passed out and speeches were made.

As they toasted the newlyweds, Maggie tipped her glass to Alistair's and it clinked, then she took a sip of the too-sweet bubbly liquid. Setting the glass down, she said, "What did you and my dad talk about?"

"He threatened to kill me if I hurt you."

"What?"

"I'm kidding," he said with a chuckle. "He just said he wants the best for you and doesn't want you to get hurt again."

She hummed. Her dad was very sweet. She lowered her voice, "He never liked the previous guy. He wanted to run him over with his car when he found out what he did." He was really the only one in the family that had understood why she broke up with him. Penny and her mom had thought she'd blown things out of proportion.

Alistair lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. "I promise to be careful with your heart, Maggie. I'm really very crazy about you already, even if it has only been a week."

She was going to tell him she was crazy about him too when their meals were set in front of them so she didn't have a chance. The choices for the meal had been chicken or steak, and she'd chosen one of each for them both.

"Would you like the steak?" she asked.

"I'm fine with the chicken."

"We could split them," she suggested.

"Sure if you'd like, that would be fine with me."

They both split their entrees in half, then dug into the food. Conversation flowed around the table, with her family asking Alistair questions and sharing old family anecdotes about the "holy terror" that everyone claimed Maggie to be as a child.

"I wasn't that bad," she protested with a laugh. "I promise, they're exaggerating."

Alistair flashed his sexy smile at her. "I believe you." He kissed her temple and whispered, "I like knowing that you were a bit of a wild child."

After the couple's first dance, the floor was opened to the guests, and Alistair took her out for a spin.

"I'm so glad that you came with me," she said as they moved together to a slow romantic song.

"Me too. Thanks for inviting me."

"My family isn't too crazy for you?"

"Not at all. Plus, I told you, I literally have circus people in my family, so yours is pretty tame, comparatively speaking."

She had the strangest feeling that someone was staring at her. As she and Alistair turned slowly to the music, she caught Seth's dark gaze from where he was sitting at a table near the back of the ballroom. She hadn't seen him during the ceremony and had wondered if he'd decided not to come. She'd even breathed a sigh of relief at not seeing him. But he'd shown up for the reception.

She didn't hold his gaze because she didn't want to look at him. But the pit in her stomach at knowing he was actually there made her want to leave.

"You okay, sweetheart?" Alistair asked softly.

"My ex is here," she said with a sigh. "I didn't see him at the ceremony, but just now, I felt like someone was staring at me and that's when I saw him."

Alistair's eyes seemed to flash to that odd amber color again. This time, she was sure she'd seen it. But it happened so fast.

"I'm sorry. Do you want to leave?"

"No, they haven't even cut the cake yet. I'm not going to let something from my past keep me from enjoying the present. Plus, I'm with you and you're pretty damn special."

"I think you're special too."

He dipped her gently and then kissed her when he pulled her upright. She felt like a heroine in a romance movie, enchanted by the handsome hero.

"You know how you said earlier that you were crazy about me?"

The song ended and another one, faster and not meant for slow dancing, started. They stopped swaying to the music and simply held each other's gazes.

"Yes," he said. "It's one hundred percent true."

"I'm crazy about you too. It doesn't feel like it's only been a week; it feels like it's been a lot longer. Like I was meant to be at the park that day and meet you."

"Like soulmates," he said.

She held his gaze for a long moment, remembering that she'd been feeling like he was holding something back from her, but she pushed that thought aside and said, "Yes, that's the perfect word."

He cupped her face and kissed her, then took her hand and led her from the dance floor.

"I'm going to use the restroom," she said.

He nodded and sat back down at the table, greeting her family, while she made her way to the hall where the restrooms were.

When she'd used the facilities, she walked out of the restroom and nearly collided with someone.

She gasped as she realized it was Seth.

Attempting to simply walk away from him, she stepped to the side, but he mirrored her.

"Hello, Maggie."

Ugh. Had he always sounded like that? Grating, like nails on a chalkboard?

"Seth."

"It's been a while."

"I'm not interested in making small talk with you. I need to get back to my date."

His eyes narrowed. "Yes, I can see that. You know, I was quite embarrassed to see I'd been relegated to a table where I didn't know anyone. When I spoke to Brian about it after the ceremony, he said you refused to sit with me." Seth's upper lip curled. "You embarrassed me, and that was entirely uncalled for."

"I don't owe you anything. Go to hell."

She turned to walk away and he grabbed her upper arm and drew her back, making her stumble on her heels. She nearly crashed into him, but someone pushed between them, quickly disengaging Seth's hand from her arm and protectively securing her behind them.

Alistair!