Face-Off at the Altar
Page 4
“So you think I should come down here? I don’t know. I don’t like how it is two staircases. Should Benji come down the other one?”
Benji Paxton, who was currently carrying their daughter on his shoulders, looked over at his bride. While the grin on Lucy’s face was unstoppable, Benji’s was gorgeous. He loved Lucy and their daughter something insane, and everyone knew it. His love radiated off him. It was stunning.
“It doesn’t work like that, does it?”
They both looked back at their wedding planner, Grace Justice. Grace was one of those women a person easily respected upon meeting. She was refined, lovely, and so damn smart. This wasn’t her first rodeo, and Mekena was sure Grace wasn’t shaking with nerves like she was. As Grace pressed her palms into her hips, Mekena couldn’t help but idolize the woman. She was perfect. “Not really. I’ve done over two hundred weddings here, it looks fine. I promise.”
That clearly puzzled Lucy as she nodded, her eyes looking back at the stairs. As Lucy bit into her lip, gazing up and down the stairs, Mekena caught Benji grinning at his bride, his eyes full of all sorts of love for her. It kind of warmed Mekena’s heart. She could still remember doing their engagement shots like it was only yesterday. It had been only ten months ago, but it had been such a memorable experience. Since then, they had moved in together, gotten legally married, and Benji had adopted Lucy’s daughter, Angie. Their life was moving along beautifully, and now, Benji wanted to give Lucy the wedding she deserved. His words, not Mekena’s.
And just like that, she was swooning.
Clearing her throat, Lucy shook her head, her brows coming together. “I don’t know. Maybe I should come out from underneath?”
Sensing her anxiety, Benji came beside her and took her hand. “Hey, I’ve got an idea.”
“Yeah?” she asked, looking up at him and their daughter.
“How about you come down one side, right after Angie comes down the other to meet Jace?”
Angie lit up, bouncing on his shoulders. “Yes! Mom, that would be awesome! Then we can have, like, bluebirds flying in the sky, dropping glitter around us!”
Benji grinned at his daughter’s crazy idea and nodded. “That too. I’m sure Mrs. Justice can make that happen.”
Grace’s eyes widened, and then she laughed. “I can try.”
Lucy’s face curved in a grin as she shook her head. “Yeah, I’m sure she can. Yes, I love it. You’re so smart, Paxton.”
He came in close, and she tilted her head back as he met her lips with his. “Don’t you forget it either, Paxton.”
As Mekena imagined the little girl and her mother coming down the stairs, a grin covered her face as Lucy looked back at her. “Do you think that would look good, Mekena?”
She nodded eagerly. “Yes, I do.”
Grace looked over to her and then smiled. “I forgot you were back there. You’re so quiet!”
Mekena’s cheeks reddened as she nodded. “I get that a lot.”
Grace gave her a grin before smacking her hands together. “Well, that’s solved. Let’s move on. You’ll come down the stairs, and the back doors will be opened and we’ll marry you right there.”
Mekena scoped out everything, deciding where she would stand to get the best shots. As Grace talked about the flowers, Mekena moved around, looking through her lens and taking test shots. When she noticed Benji nuzzling Angie’s cheek, she snapped a quick photo and smiled.
That man loved his daughter.
“What do you think, Mekena?”
She looked over to where Lucy was watching her, and she blushed. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t listening.”
Lucy smiled. “Do you think we should come more out on the porch or stay inside? What will be better for you?”
Walking to where they were, she looked around and shrugged. “Either is fine. The lighting will be beautiful and complement you, I’m sure.”
“Oh, hush.” Lucy waved modestly, and Mekena smirked.
“It will look amazing, I just know it,” she said confidently. She just wished she felt an ounce of it. Mekena had no doubt that Lucy would look phenomenal, but she worried she’d mess something up. She just couldn’t afford to do so. Her reputation had to stay intact; she valued it way more than she cared to admit.
Lucy nodded before looking back at Grace. “Let’s do inside.”
“Awesome.” Grace nodded as Lucy went to Benji and then in the direction of the reception hall. Turning to follow, Mekena noticed she had fallen into step with Grace as she grinned down at her. In her heels, Grace was well over three inches taller than Mekena’s 5’3”. Plus, she looked like a million bucks while Mekena looked like a nun.
“How long have you been in the business, Mekena?”
She gave her a small smile as Mekena’s heart jumped up into her throat. “A little over a year, but I’ve taken pictures my whole life.”
“Oh! I thought you’d been doing this for a while.”
“Just a year,” she said with a smile as her heart warmed at the compliment.
“Is this a new venture for you, then?”
Mekena shrugged. “Not really. I’ve always loved taking pictures, but I decided to pursue it hard-core when I dropped out of college at the beginning of the summer.”
Grace’s face scrunched up in confusion. “How old are you?”
“Almost twenty-one.”
Grace laughed. “Oh, I thought you were older!”
“I get that a lot,” she said once more, not the least bit offended. She knew that she didn’t look her age, and she was okay with that. She wanted to be taken seriously, which was why she dressed like a businesswoman and not some early twenties party girl. She wanted to succeed; she wanted to be the best at her craft.
“You seem wise beyond your years.”
“My aunt Libby tells me that a lot.”
“Well, obviously because Aunt Libby knows her stuff,” Grace added, sending Mekena a wink. “You’re not from around here, are you? Out-of-towner?”
Mekena shook her head. “Actually, I grew up here, right outside of Franklin, but I recently moved to Florida.”
“Ah, that’s too bad.”
Mekena’s brows came together. “It is?”
“Yeah, my son, who is nineteen almost twenty, is moving back home. You’d be perfect for him.”
Benji Paxton, who was currently carrying their daughter on his shoulders, looked over at his bride. While the grin on Lucy’s face was unstoppable, Benji’s was gorgeous. He loved Lucy and their daughter something insane, and everyone knew it. His love radiated off him. It was stunning.
“It doesn’t work like that, does it?”
They both looked back at their wedding planner, Grace Justice. Grace was one of those women a person easily respected upon meeting. She was refined, lovely, and so damn smart. This wasn’t her first rodeo, and Mekena was sure Grace wasn’t shaking with nerves like she was. As Grace pressed her palms into her hips, Mekena couldn’t help but idolize the woman. She was perfect. “Not really. I’ve done over two hundred weddings here, it looks fine. I promise.”
That clearly puzzled Lucy as she nodded, her eyes looking back at the stairs. As Lucy bit into her lip, gazing up and down the stairs, Mekena caught Benji grinning at his bride, his eyes full of all sorts of love for her. It kind of warmed Mekena’s heart. She could still remember doing their engagement shots like it was only yesterday. It had been only ten months ago, but it had been such a memorable experience. Since then, they had moved in together, gotten legally married, and Benji had adopted Lucy’s daughter, Angie. Their life was moving along beautifully, and now, Benji wanted to give Lucy the wedding she deserved. His words, not Mekena’s.
And just like that, she was swooning.
Clearing her throat, Lucy shook her head, her brows coming together. “I don’t know. Maybe I should come out from underneath?”
Sensing her anxiety, Benji came beside her and took her hand. “Hey, I’ve got an idea.”
“Yeah?” she asked, looking up at him and their daughter.
“How about you come down one side, right after Angie comes down the other to meet Jace?”
Angie lit up, bouncing on his shoulders. “Yes! Mom, that would be awesome! Then we can have, like, bluebirds flying in the sky, dropping glitter around us!”
Benji grinned at his daughter’s crazy idea and nodded. “That too. I’m sure Mrs. Justice can make that happen.”
Grace’s eyes widened, and then she laughed. “I can try.”
Lucy’s face curved in a grin as she shook her head. “Yeah, I’m sure she can. Yes, I love it. You’re so smart, Paxton.”
He came in close, and she tilted her head back as he met her lips with his. “Don’t you forget it either, Paxton.”
As Mekena imagined the little girl and her mother coming down the stairs, a grin covered her face as Lucy looked back at her. “Do you think that would look good, Mekena?”
She nodded eagerly. “Yes, I do.”
Grace looked over to her and then smiled. “I forgot you were back there. You’re so quiet!”
Mekena’s cheeks reddened as she nodded. “I get that a lot.”
Grace gave her a grin before smacking her hands together. “Well, that’s solved. Let’s move on. You’ll come down the stairs, and the back doors will be opened and we’ll marry you right there.”
Mekena scoped out everything, deciding where she would stand to get the best shots. As Grace talked about the flowers, Mekena moved around, looking through her lens and taking test shots. When she noticed Benji nuzzling Angie’s cheek, she snapped a quick photo and smiled.
That man loved his daughter.
“What do you think, Mekena?”
She looked over to where Lucy was watching her, and she blushed. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t listening.”
Lucy smiled. “Do you think we should come more out on the porch or stay inside? What will be better for you?”
Walking to where they were, she looked around and shrugged. “Either is fine. The lighting will be beautiful and complement you, I’m sure.”
“Oh, hush.” Lucy waved modestly, and Mekena smirked.
“It will look amazing, I just know it,” she said confidently. She just wished she felt an ounce of it. Mekena had no doubt that Lucy would look phenomenal, but she worried she’d mess something up. She just couldn’t afford to do so. Her reputation had to stay intact; she valued it way more than she cared to admit.
Lucy nodded before looking back at Grace. “Let’s do inside.”
“Awesome.” Grace nodded as Lucy went to Benji and then in the direction of the reception hall. Turning to follow, Mekena noticed she had fallen into step with Grace as she grinned down at her. In her heels, Grace was well over three inches taller than Mekena’s 5’3”. Plus, she looked like a million bucks while Mekena looked like a nun.
“How long have you been in the business, Mekena?”
She gave her a small smile as Mekena’s heart jumped up into her throat. “A little over a year, but I’ve taken pictures my whole life.”
“Oh! I thought you’d been doing this for a while.”
“Just a year,” she said with a smile as her heart warmed at the compliment.
“Is this a new venture for you, then?”
Mekena shrugged. “Not really. I’ve always loved taking pictures, but I decided to pursue it hard-core when I dropped out of college at the beginning of the summer.”
Grace’s face scrunched up in confusion. “How old are you?”
“Almost twenty-one.”
Grace laughed. “Oh, I thought you were older!”
“I get that a lot,” she said once more, not the least bit offended. She knew that she didn’t look her age, and she was okay with that. She wanted to be taken seriously, which was why she dressed like a businesswoman and not some early twenties party girl. She wanted to succeed; she wanted to be the best at her craft.
“You seem wise beyond your years.”
“My aunt Libby tells me that a lot.”
“Well, obviously because Aunt Libby knows her stuff,” Grace added, sending Mekena a wink. “You’re not from around here, are you? Out-of-towner?”
Mekena shook her head. “Actually, I grew up here, right outside of Franklin, but I recently moved to Florida.”
“Ah, that’s too bad.”
Mekena’s brows came together. “It is?”
“Yeah, my son, who is nineteen almost twenty, is moving back home. You’d be perfect for him.”
