Lucky

By Staci Stallings

Chapter 1

"You look so beautiful," Danae Scott said, her voice barely a whisper as she gazed at Molly Emerson in the rounded mirror. Molly's gold-toned blonde hair was pulled up, letting soft curls cascade down her long oval face. Danae's own emerald green satin gown was no comparison for the soft white satin of Molly's. Fitted with a drop shoulder shawl, it flowed to the floor in a wash of hand-sewn pearls.

Molly turned from her own reflection and looked at Danae with a mix of happy gentleness. "It won't be long, and you'll be the one standing here."

Danae stepped back to examine the back of Molly's dress more to avoid eye contact than to adjust anything on the dress. "He hasn't asked me yet."

"He will." Molly turned full around to talk to her friend, dragging most of the dress with her. "It's only a matter of time now. Think about it, by next year he'll have his master's, you'll be teaching, you can move off together and have lots of little cousins for our kids to play with."

It was a nice thought, but even after seven years, it still seemed so very far away. With little enthusiasm, Danae looked at Molly and smiled. "How about we get you and Rick married first? You haven't even said, 'I do' yet."

Molly smoothed the shiny material over her stomach. "It's so hard to believe we're already here. It seems like just yesterday you brought him to the Golden Light."

"And it was love at first sight," Danae said as she fluffed out the train to check for hidden wrinkles. It was a story she had by now memorized-half because she had heard it so many times and half because she had lived it.

"Have you seen him yet?" Molly asked, her attention swerving back to her own life.

"Rick?"

"Yeah."

Danae laughed. "It would be a little hard to see him. I've been in here with you since we got here."

Molly half-turned to her friend, pleading in her green-blue eyes. "Would you mind going and making sure he got here all right?"

"I guess that's why they call me a bride's maid," Danae said teasingly.

"Very funny."

"Stay put. I'll see what's going on out there." With that, Danae left Molly and stepped out onto the inside balcony. The festive sounds below engulfed her.

"Is she ready?" Mrs. Emerson, the older, more dignified, version of her daughter asked, meeting Danae on the top step of the gently winding staircase of the stately old mansion.

Careful not to move too drastically, Danae readjusted the sleeveless bodice that wrapped around her chest like a tight rubber band. "She's dressed, but she's a little worried Rick might make a break for it."

Mrs. Emerson laughed. "He'd better not. Victor would probably shoot the poor kid."

"Well, that would be kind compared with what Molly would do to him."

Danae crossed past Mrs. Emerson and started down the stairs. One hand held the banister; the other pulled her floor length skirt away from her shoes. "I'll be right back."

"Take your time, dear. Oh, and make sure Brandt got his cummerbund on right. I gave up."

"I'll be sure to check." Careful not to trip on the soft shimmering material at her feet, Danae descended the last ten steps of the picturesque antebellum estate that Molly and Rick had mortgaged their parents' lives to rent for their special evening.

It was strange how much a part of Mrs. Emerson's family Danae felt. After all the years she had been dating their youngest son, Brandt, she might as well have already been one of the family's daughters.

Molly and Brandt and the rest of the Emerson family had moved next door to Danae's family the summer before she went to kindergarten. Their trampolines and backyards had never been the same since. Hardly a day had gone by since that first one that one group of kids wasn't at the other's house. It was almost like they were one and the same family.

Elementary school plays, middle school band, high school parties, dances, basketball, football, and baseball. Every season, every day. They were always together. They even went to the same church-youth group and all.

One without the other seemed incomplete, and so when it came time to choose a college, there had been very little choice involved. Molly went to Tennessee University in their hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee, and two years later, Brandt and Danae followed. The only one who had broken ranks was Nikki, Danae's older sister. She made it the first two years, but then following their mother's advice, she had hooked herself to a wealthy frat boy and followed him to Virginia. They were expecting twins at any moment.

It was now only a matter of time before Danae, true to the well-known expectations of just about everyone around them, hooked herself permanently to her own semi-wealthy frat boy-the one and only Brandtly V. Emerson II.

Making nearly no sound at all compared with the other human beings on the premises, she stepped through the growing crowd of wedding specialists. There were five for the cake and three for the flowers, four for the music and two for the photography. She slipped through the throng and at the door down the hallway knocked softly. "Knock. Knock."

There was a mumble from the other side.

"It's Danae," she said to the mahogany wood door. A beat and then she turned the knob. The door swung inward an inch. "Everybody decent?"

"Hey, Brandt, the ball and chain's here," Rick called when he caught sight of her. He went back to fumbling with his tie at the mirror.

"Ha. Ha." She scrunched her face. "I'm not here to see him anyway." She stepped into the spacious room, which was decorated in rich mahogany furniture with burgundy and gold accents, and closed the door behind her.

"Let me guess," Rick said, "Molly thinks I'm going to bail."

"No, she doesn't think that. If she did, she'd have picked you up at your place with her shotgun."

With a frustrated growl, he swiped his fingers through the tie. "Stupid thing."

"Here, let me help." Danae stepped over to him, and he turned to face her.

The solid shoulders lined up with hers as the dark eyes and angled features perused her face.

His eyes snagged on hers just before he lifted his chin. "How's she doing?"

"A little nervous, but that's to be expected. How are you?"

The tie finished, his gaze slid to hers and held. "Only one thing could make today any better."

She shook her head. "Rick, we've been through this a million times."

His gaze dropped to the floor. "I know, I just-"

The snap of the door behind them sent them both scrambling backward.

Brandt, taller than the two of them by a full eight inches, stalked into the room. The second he saw Danae, annoyance tramped across his darkly tanned features. "What? Did Mom send in the second string?"

Danae took another step away from Rick and put her hands on her hips.

"You know, you've really got to learn to curb your enthusiasm."

He yanked on his tie. "When's the keg getting here? Then I'll be downright thrilled."

"First things, first." Danae looked back at Rick who was busy repositioning his jacket. "I was going to tell you the photographer is here, so I think they'll be ready to start pictures any time now."

"Ugh. The joy never ends," Brandt said. "Why didn't you guys just elope? It would've made this so much easier."

"We like to torture people," Rick retorted.

"Obviously," Brandt spat. "Well, at least Danae and I are going to be smart. It's Vegas all the way for us. Right, baby?"

"Yeah." Danae's insides curled over themselves, but she held what she was really thinking in a tight rein. She turned to Rick. "Where's Philip anyway?"

"He went with Molly's dad a while ago. I think they're checking on the reception set up across the way."

She frowned. "Then I'd better go get them rounded up, too." With two fists of green material, she hiked her skirt up and started for the door. "I should've worn roller skates."

"Tell Molly I can't wait to see her," Rick said, his voice softening.

"She'll be the one at the end of the aisle," Danae said with a soft smile. She reached for the doorknob.

"Danae," Brandt said suddenly.

"Yeah?"

"Tell Mom I forgot my cufflinks."

Danae exhaled. "Figures."

"What?" he asked with no small amount of annoyance.

"I'll tell her."

Considering she hadn't been chosen as maid of honor, Danae had wrongly assumed that the day would be a snap. All she would have to do was take a few pictures, walk down the aisle with Brandt, look happy, and walk back.

However, what she hadn't adequately figured on was being the one and only person everyone else counted on to make the day run smoothly.
As she strode across the gravel and puddle strewn parking lot to the reception building, she wondered how Krystal, the vaunted maid of honor, had actually made it to two hours before the nuptials without doing anything to help.

It was Danae who had wrapped birdseed in tiny bundles of tulle until her fingers were stiff and red. It was Danae who had painstakingly assembled the centerpieces for the reception-green and cream curling ribbon and all. It was Danae who had gone with Molly to get her pictures made-just before she went with the guys for their tuxedo fitting, and now it was Danae who had to make sure there would actually be photographic proof of this happy day.

"Mr. Emerson?" she called as she stepped from the sunshine into the room lit only by pinpoints of what would have to pass as starlight. Three weeks of intermittent thunderstorms hadn't given anyone confidence that the reception could reliably be held outside, so they had opted to bring the outside in. To one side the band was setting up. Wires criss-crossed the floor in front of the stage in a gazillion directions. She stopped one of the caterers. "Do you know where Mr. Emerson, umm, the bride's father is?"

"I think he's back there," the young man said, pointing to one of the storage closets just beyond the sea of cables.

"Thanks," she barely mumbled. Praying she wouldn't trip over something and lay herself out in front of the six guys in the band, she strode over to the mess of cables, surveyed her options, and then seeing no other way to get to the door, she tiptoed ever so carefully into the melee, wondering how long it would take to get to the other side.

"Can I help you?" one of the band members called just as she got to the center of the snaking cables.

Danae stopped instantly. "I'm sorry. I'm trying to get the bride's father for pictures."

Another one of the band members, who was at the moment on the stage piecing the sound system together, threw the connection cord he was carrying to the floor. "Stay right there. I'll get him."

Obediently Danae stood stock-still right in the middle of the ocean of black. In ten seconds, the band member returned with two tuxedoed figures in tow.

"It'd be better to go around," the band member said as he guided the two around the far outer edge of the cables pressed up against the wall. His shag-cut golden hair ended right at his chin line, and the black T-shirt on black jeans outfit he wore looked like he'd just climbed off a motorcycle.

"Danae, what're you doing over here?" Mr. Emerson asked, puffing his rounded frame out like he was upset about being interrupted.

"I'm sorry, but they're about to start pictures," she said, turning carefully. Realizing only then that she should've made her assault next to the wall, she began to pick her way back out of the cables, but out was much farther than she had realized it would be. She stepped and stepped again, holding her dress, fighting to keep her balance, and trying to avoid catching her shoe on anything that would send her crashing to the floor. But the farther she went, the farther clear floor seemed to be.

"Here," the band member said when he and his charges reached the outer edge of the cables closest to the outside door. He put his foot into the mess of cords and reached for her hand. She put her hand in his, hoping he wouldn't just yank her free. Under her hand his felt smooth, his fingers easily blending with hers. "Not a good idea in heels," he said with a light smile.

She took two more steps, and together they stepped out of the mass of black. "Whoa." She ran her hand down the soft green satin at her stomach and then over her carefully pinned and upswept dark hair. "I may have to turn in my bridesmaid card if they keep sending me on these kinds of missions."

The band member's gaze had never left her. Soft and gentle, he smiled. "I wouldn't worry about that. You look beautiful." It was then that she noticed his thick accent that had nothing to do with eastern Tennessee.

Heat rushed to her cheeks, and Danae's gaze slid down her frame. With her shoulders bared and the top of the dress beginning only at the top of her chest, she suddenly felt very self-conscious. She mumbled a thank you, slid her hand over her hair again, and retrained her attention to Mr. Emerson and Philip. "We'd better go. The photographer's waiting."

Kalin Lane had the impression that someone had just sucker punched him because suddenly there was a weird lack of air in the building. He stood barely six inches from the snaking cables as he watched her glide gracefully to the door with her two tuxedoed companions.

"Wow. Did you get a load of the knockers on that one?" Von, the wild-haired guitarist, said as he stepped up to Kalin's side. "I'd sure like to take a drive on those curves." He put his hands out as if he was driving a racecar and slid them side to side. He turned to the other band members. "Maybe this gig won't be such a bust after all, boys. With bridesmaids like her we could be in for a long night."

Catcalls from the others met his lurid tone.

"Let the games begin!" he said, leaning in to Kalin.

"Shut up, Von," Kalin said with a shake of his head as he reached down to retrieve a cable. "If you'd get your mind out of the gutter once in awhile, you might figure out that the good ones aren't impressed with junkies like you."

"Oh, excuse me. I forgot I was talking to the preacher man," Von said loud enough for the others to hear as he too went back to work. "Hey, everybody, the preacher man's giving us another sermon on the wantonness of our ways."

"You need a sermon, Von," Claude, the drummer, called from the back of the stage.

"I don't need no sermons. Just give me some good lines and that bridesmaid, and I'll be in heaven." Von mounted the stage. "Know what I'm saying?"

With the smallest shake of his head, Kalin pulled the cable in his hands over to the soundboard. Lord, they are really trying my patience today. Thanks for telling me to ride out here on my bike. There's no telling when they'll get home tonight.

For good measure, he said a little side prayer for the protection of every woman at the wedding. With the six members of Silver Moonlight, Kalin's most recently adopted musical family, on the loose, the women would need all the prayers they could get.

The garden was awash in spring color. The rains followed by two bright days of sunshine brought the blossoms out of every one of their hiding places. Breathtaking barely described it, Danae thought as she walked down the aisle toward Rick, who stood in the gazebo with the preacher. It really was too bad that she and Brandt were so meant to be. Rick would certainly have gotten more than a half-second look from her had the situation been different. She smiled at him, and his return smile told her without words that everything she felt in her heart was in his as well. Just before she turned, she thought about smiling at Brandt, but when she looked his way, his gaze had already slipped past her to the aisle beyond.

At the end of her journey, she took her place where she turned and watched as Krystal, tall, blonde, and curvaceous traced down Danae's steps to the gazebo. They had never been friends. They barely knew each other-not for wont of trying on Danae's part, but Krystal didn't have time for other women, she was too focused on the other half of the population. It was still a mystery to Danae what Molly saw in her former college roommate. However, she decided that now was not the time to try to sort all of that out.

When Krystal was finally in her place, the song ended and the guests stood. For several full minutes Danae had to use her imagination to make out what was happening because she couldn't see anything through the crush of bodies. It took no imagination whatsoever to understand the look of pure joy on Rick's face as he watched his bride coming to meet him.

Molly was right. Sooner than not, that would be Danae walking toward Brandt. That thought lodged in her throat making her cough softly. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind and slid her gaze to the picture that had come into focus when Molly stepped past the final guest. Her eyes sparkled with love and excitement as she gazed at Rick. At that moment everything that had gone before slipped into oblivion. From this moment forward Molly and Rick would be tied to each other forever, and for that reason alone, everything was right with the world.

"Oh, Danae, your dress is so gorgeous," Elaine Benton, Mrs. Emerson's best friend, cooed when she strode up, pink punch in hand. Her baby blue dress barely contained her stout figure. "Oh, Brandtly, dear." She reached a perfectly manicured set of fingers out for Brandt who was standing five feet away surveying the crowd with Philip, Rick's brother. Mrs. Benton took hold of Brandt and pulled him over to Danae's side. "I want to get a picture of you two."

Dutifully although he didn't really look at Danae, Brandt slid his arm around her from her shoulder to her waist. They both smiled as if this was the best day of their lives. The camera flashed, and Brandt immediately released Danae.

"You know, it won't be long, and it will be the two of you standing up there," Mrs. Benton enthused.

"Something to look forward to," Brandt said soft enough that only Danae heard it. She tried to smile at his joke, but it wasn't really meant for her.

"So, Danae," Mrs. Benton said, pulling her from his side at which point he gratefully faded back to Philip's side, "tell me about teaching. When are you going to be finished?"

"Oh, well, all I lack is student teaching in the fall," Danae said. Her gaze bounced around the reception area, searching desperately for an excuse out of this conversation.

"Now tell me again, what age are you planning to teach?"

Danae cleared her throat. "Elementary. K through fifth."

"I can see you teaching fourth grade. You would be a good fourth grade teacher."

"Well, I hope so," she said although she had completely removed herself from the conversation in mind and spirit.

"And Brandtly, what's he going to do again?"

Danae had to clear her throat again to get the words out. "Structural engineering. He's going to build bridges."

"Are you planning on moving when you get out?" Mrs. Benton asked with concern.

"Oh, well, we haven't really made any solid plans yet. It's all kind of up in the air-"

"Danae! Sweetheart, will you help us with these?" Mrs. Emerson asked, straining under three massive presents. "They have some more out in the van."

"Sure," she said, not really wanting to be the moving crew but thankful for the pretext to conclude the conversation.

"Oh, Elaine," Mrs. Emerson said happily when she had transferred the boxes to Danae, "we're so glad you could come!"

Wishing she had asked the seamstress to take another inch or so off the hem of the full-length skirt, Danae made her way through the guests to the over-flowing gift table. One thing was for sure, the Emersons had no lack of friends.

"Well, if it isn't Danae Scott," Marcia Turner, a friend from high school, said as she fell into step with Danae.

"Hey, Marcia, I'm headed to the gift table. Walk with me. Talk with me."
Marcia sipped on her punch. "Looks like you and Brandt are still shacking up."

"We're not shacking up," Danae said, wishing she had remembered how annoying Marcia could be.

"Too bad for you," Marcia said, and Danae sighed to keep herself from leveling this friend in wolf's clothing. "So, are you guys ever going to get married, or are you just going to keep stringing him along forever?"

"Funny, I thought it was the guy who was supposed to ask."

"So, what's he waiting for-a telegraph from Mars?"

Danae set the presents down and headed for the door Mrs. Emerson had come from with the gifts. "You're going to have to ask him that question. If you'll excuse me…" She purposely stepped through a knot of guests so that Marcia couldn't follow her. The closer she got to the door, the better it looked. Just leave. Would anyone really miss her? Probably not unless they needed some grunt work done.

She crossed out into the late evening sunset and found the van Mrs. Emerson had spoken about. It was indeed filled to the brim with gifts. Mr. Emerson stood next to it handing them out to the few helpers standing around. It took nothing to notice that she was the only bridal attendant in on this work detail.

"Oh, good, Danae," he said. He pulled one box out and handed it to her, and she barely managed to keep from dropping it. "I think this is some of the crystal so be careful with it."

Just as she nodded and turned to head back, he exclaimed, "Oh! And take this one too." With that, he stacked a second box at least the size but thankfully not the weight of the first on the top of the previous one.

Her ankles wobbled under the weight and the bulk.

"This should've been done yesterday," Mr. Emerson said to one of the others helping, "but Gail didn't want anything stolen…"

Danae picked her way across the gravel, past the guests who seemed not to even notice her presence. As she reached the door, she began to wonder how she would ever manage to get it open without dropping the boxes. However, just as that thought went through her head, the door burst open seemingly on its own.

"Whoa!" said the person who'd opened it. "Looks like you've got a handful there."

Her heart skipped through her chest although she hadn't caught so much as a glimpse at the owner of that voice. The accent was impossible to miss.

"Here." Without asking, he pulled the top box from her and held the door with his foot. "They've really got you working overtime today."

She laughed as she crossed in front of him. A whiff of his cologne sent her head spinning. "It's one of the hazards of the job." She had thought he would give her the box back once they were inside. Instead he followed her across the expanse to the gift table. Trying not to, she noticed the tattoo, peeking out from under the hem of his black T-shirt sleeve on his nicely rounded bicep. She couldn't tell what the artwork was exactly, and before she got too carried away trying to figure it out, she yanked her attention back to the task at hand.

"Looks like they'll be here opening presents for a month," he said.

"Let's hope not." She set her box down, retrieved his and set it down as well. "Thanks." Her hand slipped up to her hair and smoothed it back. "I was wondering how I was going to get that done."

He smiled at her, and for the first time she noticed how soft his hazy gray eyes were couched underneath that golden mane. "Done."

She laughed. "Well, thank you."

"Danae! We need you over here for pictures!" Mrs. Emerson called from the cake table.

Danae looked at him and smiled helplessly. "Back to the grindstone."

"Looks like it."

With that, she turned and strode over to rejoin the wedding party.

Kalin tried not to watch her, but it wasn't easy. She was mesmerizing. The dark hair, the soft brown eyes, the skin like crushed velvet-to his way of thinking, she could've just stepped off the cover of a magazine. He faded back into the wall and watched as she took her place next to the tall young man with the Ivy League features. Kalin's heart plummeted to his shoes as he watched the young man wrap her in his arms and plant a kiss on her forehead. He hoped beyond all rationality that what he was seeing wasn't the reality of the situation.

But when they stayed right at each other's sides, arms entwined, toasting and drinking their champagne, he couldn't deny it. They were together and not at all trying to hide it. He twisted the leather wristband at his left wrist.

With a push, he forced himself to go back to the stage. It was stupid to even let his thoughts go anywhere near her. He didn't need a woman in his life. He could barely keep up with himself.

"Did you get it?" Von asked when Kalin made it back to the stage.

"It…?" Then he stopped himself. The extra strap he had set out to get from their equipment trailer. "Oh, no, man. It wasn't there."

Von spat an expletive and spun back to recheck the amp. "I could've sworn I threw an extra one in there."

"Here, you can use mine," Kalin said. "I won't need it the first set anyway."

Quickly he unhooked his guitar strap and handed it across the stage to Von. The fewer outbursts they managed to have, the better. This gig was a favor for his manager's old friend. Upsetting the old friend didn't sound like the best career move in the world, and he'd made enough bad career moves that it was a wonder he was even on a stage anywhere in the world-much less one in the great state of Tennessee.

Chapter 2

"Danae, sweetheart, I haven't seen your mother all day. I hope nothing's wrong," June Avery, K Street's answer to the town crier, said as Danae reassembled the bride's table that had obviously been viewed by too many guests.

She repositioned the picture of Molly and then the collage of Molly and Rick. "No, Ma'am. Everything's fine. She's in Virginia with Nikki."

"Oh, I hope nothing's wrong with Nikki," Mrs. Avery said, obviously fishing for some juicy little tidbit to pass along to the rest of the neighborhood.

"No, it's just with the twins on the way, Mom took some leave time and went to help her out." Danae reset the photo album that laid out the lives of Molly and Rick in all their four-color glory.

"That's so nice," Mrs. Avery said. "Now remind me again, when are the twins due?"

"May 17, but the doctors don't think she'll go that long."

"Oh, I bet you're just bustin' to get to see them."

Danae fought not to wince. "Yeah, bustin'." Her gaze chanced across the crowd to the door. "If you'll excuse me…" Normally she didn't make a point of catching up with Brandt, but this was a dire exception. "Brandt! Hold up."

As quickly as she could, she strode to his side just before he and Philip made it to the door. "Where're you going? The dance is about to start."

"We were going to grab a beer," Brandt said, not too kindly. "Do you mind?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Three minutes," Philip said. "Surely they can wait that long."

Tall, with all the cockiness that came with being 20, Philip had a way of doing whatever he wanted no matter if that messed something up for anyone else on the planet or not. Without waiting for her reply, they left her standing at the door. A small shake of her head accompanied by the tiniest of sighs, and Danae turned back to the merriment wondering how long this torture was going to last.

On stage, Kalin was busy going over the list of songs for the first set. He'd been with Silver Moonlight three months, and still it seemed they weren't quite in sync. He had the sneaking suspicion that the gear-slips had as much to do with the extra-curricular activities of the other members as it had to his being new, but they didn't see it that way.

"They said groom and bride, then attendants and parents, and then two parent songs." Kalin ticked through the list quickly. "Then we've got three songs, and they'll do the garter and bouquet."

"Whatever you say," Von said as if he was about to fall asleep. "You're the boss."

It was the standard insult, right after the one about being a preacher. He wasn't the boss any more than they were the employees. It was simply an alliance that seemed to be about to drive right off a cliff at any moment.

Stuffing all of that and everything else down, he stepped over to the microphone and let his smile take over his voice.

"Good evening, folks. We're really honored to be here for this very special occasion. If the bride and groom would come forward, we'd like to honor them with a very special song."

Behind him the band finalized their preparations while in front of him, the groom stepped forward and turned back to wait for his bride. It was then that Kalin caught sight of the bridesmaid working diligently to pin up the final folds of the bride's dress, and a genuine smile traipsed through him.

Finally the bride joined the groom on the dance floor, and oohs and aahs echoed across the space.

On the keyboard just behind and to the side of Kalin, Carson drifted through the intro. The twinkling of the lights around the floor made it almost look like the twilight outside. As the words approached and he looked beyond the bride and groom to the bridesmaid standing at the edge of the floor watching, he wished the weather hadn't scared the families indoors. There was something special about playing outdoors in a cool Tennessee evening breeze.

"Your love took me by surprise." The song slid through him with little need for his brain to pay attention to it. "Your love reminds me to be me. Your love helps me to be strong. Your love is what I've been waiting for…"

Danae couldn't concentrate on Molly and Rick. Her gaze went back to the door in annoyance as she folded her arms across her chest. If Brandt and Philip didn't get back soon, they were going to totally ruin everything. Of course, that wouldn't surprise her at all. They were good at it, but today of all days they needed to act like the adults they were supposed to be. Okay, that was probably asking too much but…

"Miss me?" Brandt asked right in her ear. Relief poured through her.

"Of course," she said, letting all the bad thoughts drift away from her.

Maybe she was wound a little too tightly for her own good. "I'm glad you're back."

"I'm glad I'm back, too," he said.

For one moment Danae remembered why she had fallen so hard for him in the first place. He really could be very sweet when he wanted to be. She smiled up at him as he wound his arm around her waist.

"They look happy," she said, gazing out at the dancers as she laid her head against the muscle in his shoulder.

"I'm glad." In time with her, his body swayed. It felt so right having him there. If she could ever just quit being annoyed with him, their fairy tale was within grasp.

The song ended.

"We would like to present to you Mr. and Mrs. Rick Langhorne," the lead singer said, and his voice jolted Danae out of the daydream. Her gaze snapped not to the bride and groom but to the stage. Sure enough, it was him. He had added a blue and white plaid shirt over the black T-shirt and jeans. Without really thinking about it, her mind contemplated how that shirt would bring out the color of his eyes if she was close enough to actually see them. He flipped his hair back nonchalantly and retook the microphone. "And now if we could have the attendants and the parents join the happy couple."

Danae's feet followed Brandt, but her mind was squarely on the stage. Even as the music started and Brandt took her into his arms, she had to fight to stay in the moment and not daydream about the guy at the microphone singing to her instead of to a room full of people. Of course, it was a love song, and of course, it melted right through her. She let Brandt pull her closer mostly so she wouldn't have to worry about carrying on a logical conversation. Every other person in the room dropped away as she floated on the wings of his voice.

"So, when are you two going to make it official?" Rick's dad asked suddenly, slicing through the moment like a hacksaw.

With a jolt, Danae's head came off Brandt's chest, and her attention crashed back into the room.

"Oh, you know," Brandt said, "we're just waiting for the right moment."

"No time like the present," Rick's dad said, to which his mom made a hard right turn.

"Don't mind him," she said over her shoulder, "he's just ready for another party." They danced away.

Danae's insides somersaulted through her as she looked up at Brandt. He looked down at her, and for the briefest of seconds she thought their lives might change right at that moment.

"Good band they got," he finally said.

"Oh, yeah." She ducked, realizing she was being utterly ridiculous. "I wonder where they found them."

"I think Dad pulled in a favor from one of his agent friends in Nashville."

That startled her. "They're professional?" She stumbled on the words. "I mean they aren't just some band out of Knoxville?"

"No, they're the real deal. I think the lead singer even had a contract or something at one time."

The comment didn't totally surprise her, but it threw her "wondering machine" into full gear. "They're really good."

"Yes, they are," he said just as the song ended. They let go of one another to clap. He led her off the floor. "Well, now that that's over, I think I'm going to run go get a cold beverage. You coming?"

"Oh, no." Danae wrapped her arms around her middle. "I think I'll just stay and watch."

He shrugged. "Suit yourself."

No more than ten seconds later, she was once again standing at the edge of the crowd, wishing she could be anywhere else.

How many times Kalin had berated himself to keep his mind on his present mission, he didn't know, but by the time they broke for the bouquet toss, his mind was playing tag with her ghost. He'd see her for seconds, and then she was gone again. No rational part of him said that even looking for her made any sense; however, he couldn't help himself. The only clear way he saw of breaking the spell was to remove himself from the premises altogether.

"I'm going to go look for that strap again," he said to Carson. "Why don't you MC this thing?" He walked to the side of the stage, stepped down the two steps, and exited through the side door. The cool night beyond the reception area whispered to his ragged spirit. If only this life wasn't so insane… If only he had kept it together the first go-round, then he wouldn't be here, praying he could make enough to make it to the next gig. Why he let his first opportunity slip through his fingers, he would never know.

He rounded the corner of the building and realized there was a group of wedding guests standing there. Feeling like the hired help, he skirted the crowd and headed for the band's trailer. However, even trying not to listen, he caught the mention of her name, and his steps slowed.

"…oh, you know, Danae," one of the group's participants said. "It'll be a miracle if I get to lay her on our wedding night."

"Yeah, but she is fine!" one of the others said.

"Like that does me a lot of good," the first guy said.

Kalin put his hands in his pockets and ducked his head as he stalked by them. A step past, however, his gaze bounced up to the face, and he realized who it was-those Ivy League features would be hard to mistake.

"Maybe you could get her drunk," the other guy said.

"I'd have a better chance of laying her!" the first guy said, and the whole group cracked up.

He'd heard enough. Fists jammed into his pockets, Kalin hurried to the trailer and let it bang a little extra loud against the side. "Jerks," he said to the emptiness of the blackness beyond. Sure, it had taken him nearly ten years and more meetings than he wanted to count to get past being that immature, but now that he was past it, it just looked disgusting. Once again as he emerged with the strap in hand, he repeated his prayer for her from earlier.

God, I think this may be more serious than I thought. There are wolves everywhere tonight. Please keep her safe. She needs Your protection.

By the time Brandt made it back in, the band was well into their third set, and Danae had resigned herself to sitting in the dark and obeying orders when they showed up. The cake was now down. The photos safely out in the van. The presents packed up as well. If she had thought the guests wouldn't mind, she might well have started taking the lights down. It was only a matter of time before she would be climbing the chairs to do that too.

A sick feeling slid through her stomach when Brandt walked up behind her as she stood watching the dancers. She could smell the alcohol that seemed to permeate his entire being.

"Hey, love of my life," he said softly as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Wanna dance?"

It should've been heart-warming. It wasn't. She could tell by the slur in his voice he was drunk, and that always meant one thing. One question. One suggestion. One argument. On the dance floor he crushed her body to his so that she had to turn her head to be able to breathe.

"Having fun?" he asked, bending to look at her.

"I guess," she said with no enthusiasm at all. "You?"

"That depends. You got anything special planned for me tonight?"

Revulsion coiled around her. "Dancing?"

"No, not dancing," he said in annoyance. Then he looked around at the others. "Well, not here anyway. I was thinking, Mom and Dad rented this place for the whole night. We could have our pick of rooms."

She pulled in a long breath that lodged in her lungs. "Brandt, we've been through this."

"Yeah, and I keep hoping one of these days, you're going to quit just saying you love me and start proving it." He lowered his mouth to her neck, and she took an awkward step backward which very nearly landed them both on the floor.

"Brandt, not here," she pleaded, looking around at everyone else.

He pulled his head back. "Then come away with me. Right now. That big old house is empty. Nobody will disturb us…"

"We've talked about this," she said, looking into his alcohol-dulled eyes. "I want my wedding night to be special-"

"This night could be special."

"No, Brandt. It's not the same."

The song ended, and he took one step back from her. "You're serious?"

She smoothed out her dress. "Yes, I'm serious."

His gaze could've melted steel. With a set of his jaw he shook his head.

"Fine. Whatever you want, Danae. I just don't see what the difference is."

The next song started. Without even asking, he pulled her into his grasp.

"Then it shouldn't make any difference if we wait," she said, but he didn't choose to continue the conversation. Instead he withdrew into his own little pity-party shell like he always did.

Tears stung her eyes. Why did every serious conversation with him have to come back to this one subject? It wasn't like he didn't know what her answer would be-what her answer had always been. Yet he kept asking, kept suggesting, kept needling. She sniffed to keep the tears from falling. The harder he pushed, the farther the love felt from her heart, and it hurt to watch it go.

When that song ended, he squeezed her extra-tight. "I'm going to go help Phil with the keg."

"Yeah," Danae said, swiping at the tears that hadn't fallen. "You do that."

She didn't watch him leave. She didn't have to. She could feel it. They had been friends for what seemed like forever. They had been dating for nearly eight years, but she wondered at that moment if she knew him at all-or if he knew her. Her gaze fell to the silver ring on her left hand. It had been a promise she had made to herself and to God. Going back on that promise now felt like selling a piece of her soul. She twisted the ring first to the right and then to the left. Her eyes closed as she pulled the decision through her spirit.

God, I don't know what to do. I don't want to lose him, but this just doesn't feel right. What am I supposed to do?

"Life gives as good as it takes, destroys as good as it makes," they sang from the stage. "Stay true to your heart's message, your soul's direction. You'll never get lost. You'll never lose track. You'll never give in. You'll never look back…"

Her gaze drifted heavenward, and she smiled at how quickly God could answer prayers. She wouldn't give in, and Brandt would get over it just like he always did. Life would go on, and someday it would be right. Through all of the turmoil of the day, peace rushed through her.

"Dance with me," Rick said as he approached her.

Her smile was real then. They half-danced, half-walked out to the floor. At the edge of the dance floor, he spun her under his arm and sang the next ten words for emphasis. She laughed at him, and his smile washed through her as she stepped into his arms.

"Happy?" she asked.

He took a breath. "Ecstatic."

"Well, I'm happy for you."

"Yep, looks like we both got what we wanted."

"Oh, yeah? How's that?"

"Well, I've got a woman who loves me, and you've got Brandt. So it's all good."

"Yes," she said, nodding. "It's all good."

The clock had wound around to past midnight-fifteen, and Danae was dead on her feet. Molly and Rick had left to a hail of birdseed and cheers. They truly looked like the happiest couple on the earth. As she walked back into the hall, the band was beginning its last set. She pulled her hands up to her bare arms. Spring was beautiful, but the Tennessee nights of April hadn't quite gotten the message to warm up yet. Coupled with the rain-cooled air from the previous week's thunderstorms, the weather could only be called chilly.

"Danae, where is Brandt?" Mrs. Emerson asked in a huff when she strode up. "I've been looking everywhere for him."

Danae surveyed the quickly thinning crowd. "I haven't seen him in awhile.

Maybe he went back to the house to get the tuxedos ready." She knew that was the last thing he was doing. More likely he was passed out in the back of Phil's pickup, but she would spare Mrs. Emerson the gory details of that theory.

"Would you mind running over there to check?" Mrs. Emerson asked. "I really can't leave right now, and Aunt Patricia and Uncle Teddy will be leaving soon. He should be here to say good-bye."

How she was planning on finding him, Danae had no idea, but she reasoned if she was gone looking, it would give her an excuse to miss the relatives leaving as well. "Sure, I'll go check."

"Oh, thank you, sweetheart. You are so wonderful."

Ulterior motives and all, Danae escaped from the building and headed to the mansion. In the ebony darkness it looked very big, very dark, and very quiet. She wrapped her arms around themselves and considered looking for Phil instead, but that could take more work than it was worth. Doggedly she stuck to her mission. She would search the parts of the house she knew. If he wasn't there, it wasn't her fault.

Only two table lamps were on in the large living room when she opened the front door. The house was completely still and eerily devoid of life. Her gaze traveled to the winding staircase that led up to the second floor. She considered going upstairs to change. Her clothes from sometime before time began were still up in the bridesmaids' room, but she nixed that idea when she considered the grief she would catch if she were to go back to the reception in her street clothes.

Instead she turned her steps down the now nearly black hallway and headed for the groom's room. It was a good thing she had been sent on her mission to check on Rick earlier in the day. Now she knew exactly which room she was looking for-otherwise a cursory search would have involved many more rooms, and at the moment all she wanted to do was get out of this creepy old house and back to the crowd of guests.

Just as she got to the door, she heard a noise, and hope jumped into her heart. Maybe she had been right after all. Maybe the guys had just come over here to get their things ready to go.

"Brandt?" she said, knocking softly even as her other hand turned the knob. "You in there?" On the next push she was in the room. With one look, the world as she had always known it shattered around her.

Chapter 3

"Danae." Brandt grabbed for the sheets and blankets that were in a heap on the bed. "What're you doing here?"

For the breath of a second, her eyes widened on the scene. "I'm… I'm sorry." Stunned, she backed out of the room and closed the door behind her. An eternity of memories flashed before her as she stood there, holding onto the doorknob to keep from falling to the ground. Gasping for breath, she fought to get the image of Brandt entangled with Krystal out of her head. She slammed her eyes closed, willing the scene to go away, to not tell her everything that it just had.

A sound on the other side of the door jolted her body into motion, and in the next breath, she was running down the hallway for the front door. Air lodged in her chest making it impossible to breathe as she fumbled for the doorknob before yanking the front door open. From behind her, Brandt called her name, but it didn't register. Nothing was registering. Nothing was making any sense. The carefree sounds pouring from the reception on the other side of the garden sounded like the mind-twisting music of a funhouse.

Her feet were running, stumbling through the parking lot pock-marked with the few remaining cars and potholes. The scene and Brandt's voice dogged her every stumbling step. In the darkness she had no idea where she was going, only that she was going as fast as she could because stopping meant she would have to face the nightmare she had somehow fallen into.

At the other end of the parking lot, her foot stepped off the pavement, and body and soul, she crashed to the ground next to the front tire of one of the cars. The earth under her hands and knees was moist, and pieces of wayward gravel dug into her flesh. Whimpers of agony ripped loose from her chest and clawed through the still night air. Had anyone heard, they would have thought an animal, ensnared in a trap, was dying a slow, unimaginably painful death. That's what this felt like. No, it was worse. Death itself couldn't hurt this badly. Out of breath she choked on the tears, retching and coughing, fighting to find the air. Everything in her hurt. It was as if the entire world was screaming in pain around her.

When the first wave of agony subsided, she reached up to her nose and wiped it with the back of her hand. All energy gone, her body slouched against the tire as her mind relentlessly replayed that scene-that one snippet of time, ensnared in her memory and destined to haunt her forever.

Her lungs screamed for air as her shoulders quaked forward. She was nearly doubled over now, knees to her chest, face buried in the folds of the skirt that she clutched with both fists. How could she have ever thought she loved him? How could she have ever convinced herself that he loved her? That wasn't love. That was… that was… she couldn't even get the words to line up in her head right. Tears and anguish marched right through the line of them, whisking them away as if on river rapids.

Until that moment she had never thought she could hate anyone, but along with every other good thought in her life, he had taken that belief from her too. She arched her foot upward and slammed it to the ground, digging the heel of her shoe into the soft earth. Frustration and anger poured through her. She'd been a fool to ever trust him, to ever believe him, to ever think they could have a future together. Grief and hurt jammed into her throat, choking out the air until she was gasping again.

For that moment the only real thing in the world was the fact that her entire life had been predicated on a lie. A lie that she loved him. A lie that he loved her, and to her, that had to be the biggest lie of all.

"I think we're going to hang out here for awhile," Von said with a second meaning just beneath the words. "Carson hooked up with one of the caterers, and me and Claude are going to wait around for him and relax."

"All right. Then I guess I'll see you Monday for practice," Kalin said, not even sniffing at the bait. "You want me to take my equipment to the trailer?"

"Na, man, we'll get it," Von said, his words slurring over themselves.

Kalin took one final look at the remnants of the band and shook his head. "Then I'm headed on. Catch you down the road." With that, he turned, grabbed his jacket, and exited out the side door. He hadn't realized how much he had been sweating, but the second the night-chilled air found his skin, he remembered. He pulled the warm black leather around him, glad for the barrier against the cool breeze drifting off the mountains.

It would be a cold four-hour ride back to Nashville on the bike, but even so, he was glad he had decided to come on his own. Staying around while Carson made out and the others got stoned was not at all his idea of fun.

A departing car's headlights sliced across the parking lot, illuminating his bike leaning against a tree on the far side for a second. He turned his steps toward it. The darkness retook the parking lot as his thoughts slid back to the band. All he could do was shake his head again. He had been hounding his manager since the second gig he did with Silver Moonlight three months before to find him another band, any other band. He wasn't picky. True, he had been through two bands-if you could call them that-before the Silver Moonlight connection, but surely there had to be something a step up from a bunch of crackheads…

Just as he stepped off the pavement, he heard a sound that seemed wholly out of place. It yanked his attention from his thoughts. His face furrowed in concentration as he glanced back to the brightly lit reception hall wondering where the sound had come from. However, with his gaze distracted as he wound around the last car on his way to his bike, he very nearly tripped right over the sobbing figure huddled in the darkness.

"Oh, m…!" He stopped so short, his balance swayed dangerously away from him. In the next heartbeat fear and concern swept through every other thought. "What happened? Are you all right?" He stood for a moment to get his bearings and then bent down to assess the magnitude of the situation. However, when enough images pieced themselves together for him to realize who it was, the rest of life slammed to a stop. "Good grief! What happened? Are you all right? Did you fall?"

His mind scrambled to make sense of the huddled mass of agony that gazed up at him through glassy brown eyes couched in the middle of a face smeared with mud and mascara. He reached out and touched her arms to make sure she was in fact still alive. "Good grief, you're freezing." Without questioning it, he ripped off his jacket, pulled her forward gently, and wrapped it around her shoulders. It took another second for him to assess the situation further and come up with a plan of action. "We should get you inside."

"No!" The word tore through the night air around him. Her gaze drilled into his, pleading and wild. "No. I'm not going back in there."

The panic in her voice did nothing to calm the alarm racing through him.

God, I need your help with this one! "Okay. Okay. Then can you at least tell me if you're all right?"

It was the most absurd question Danae had ever heard, and yet in it she heard his concern and distress.

"If I said, 'Yes,' would you believe me?" she asked, tilting her throbbing head to the side as if it weighed a million pounds.

"No," he said, apparently not seeing the humor. His gaze searched hers.

"Do you mind telling me why you're sitting out here alone in the mud?"

She forced a loopy smile onto her face as she reached up and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "Oh, lots of reasons."

His features fell in understanding. "You're drunk," he said with no humor in his voice.

She only snorted. "I wish. Maybe then I wouldn't remember my boyfriend making out with the maid of honor."

That statement pushed him back on his heels where he sat for several seconds just looking at her. Slowly he spun around and sat down on the soft ground beside her, his back pressed against the cold steel of the car's door. "So, how long have you been out here?"

Her head was swimming from the tears and the pain, and she let it thunk back into the car fender. "Long enough. You?"

"I just got here," he said softly. Then his gaze drifted over to her face. "But I wish I would've come sooner."

With a jerk she pulled her head back down and nodded. "Let me tell you, it was quite a show."

"I can imagine. So, you found them out here then?"

She sniffed that image away and wiped her nose with her wrist. "No, over in the house. This is just how far I got before I stopped." She sniffed again just as the sounds of someone walking to their car halted the conversation.
Her golden-headed savior, who really at the moment could well have been an angel for all she knew, held up his index finger to get her words to stop. She didn't talk. She hardly took a breath until the car three doors down started and crunched its way onto the gravel driveway. When it was gone, he looked at her.

"I'm Kalin by the way. Kalin Lane." He extended a hand to her.

With the last ounce of her strength she pulled her hand up from the warmth of his jacket and touched his hand. "Danae Scott." She sniffed again. It was a given that she looked a fright, but at the moment, she really didn't care. It was too much work to care.

"So, Danae Scott were you planning to sit out here in the mud all night or did you have another destination in mind?" he asked, apparently not grasping the gravity of the situation.

She shrugged although with no strength in her shoulders, she barely moved the jacket at all. "Hadn't really thought about it." Her gaze took in the darkness stretching out before them. She let the air in her lungs out slowly, hoping she could keep from breaking down again. "I guess I really don't have much of a way to go anywhere."

His gaze slipped over her. "Why not?"

Dully she let her gaze find his. "I came with him this morning, so I guess unless I hijack his car, I'm on my own." On my own, the words dredged up a fresh wave of pain, and the numbness crumpled under a gush of hurt. She ducked her head to the side and clamped her mouth closed to keep herself from crying. However, keeping herself from breathing only made the gasp for air sharper. Tears and pain ripped through her chest as she fought not to remember. In one second there was nothing but raw emotion left as she relinquished control to the tears.

"Hey," he said softly. "Hey." His arm came around her shoulders, and she didn't have the energy to keep from collapsing into him.

"I was so stupid," she said, shaking her head and dragging the words through the tears. "I was just so stupid."

"Shh," he whispered. "No, he's the stupid one. Don't do that to yourself."

She raked in air through her nose, sniffing hard. With a self-conscious tug, she pulled herself upright again. "I should've just gone…"

Confusion slipped over Kalin's features. "Gone where?"

Another sniff as her anger turned inward. "He asked me to go… back to the house with him, but I didn't."

Fury crashed through Kalin as he sat, looking at her crushed and broken under the callous boot of a self-centered boy who was too stupid to appreciate what he had. "No, you shouldn't have to give up your values for someone to love you. Real love doesn't work like that."

For a second her gaze grabbed his, and he thought she was going to ask how he knew anything at all about why she hadn't gone. However, even that seemed to require too much energy, and her head fell again.

"I'm telling you, don't do that to yourself, Danae. Don't give up who you are to make him happy. All you'll do is make yourself miserable. Besides, anybody that would do that-"

The trail of words snapped in half as his ears picked up the sound of footfalls in the parking lot. He listened, trying to discern their destination, but instead it caught on the nearly inaudible conversation.

"I wish you didn't have to go back tonight, but since you do, I can take you," the male voice said, and Kalin's attention snapped to Danae when she gasped.

Instantly his senses went on alert. Where were they going? Which car were they intending to take? Questions and options rushed through him at break-neck speed. The footfalls stopped at the car next to the one they were huddled against. Kalin's gaze slid to her face, which was crumpled with anguish. Slowly, gently, he reached over and pulled her under his arm. If they found them, he was plenty prepared to do whatever need be done to protect her.

"You really don't have to," the sultry voice said, and Kalin had been in that conversation often enough to know that she was working a very well-rehearsed plan.

"I want to," the male voice said, and the sounds of them pawing one another tore a soft sob from Danae.

"Shhh." Kalin bent his lips to her hair.

"What about Danae?" the female voice asked, like a cat on the prowl.

"What about her?" he asked, clearly having more attention for his current prey than for his girlfriend.

"How's she going to get home?" she asked as the sounds of his ardor escalated.

"Danae's a big girl," he said, his voice thick with desire. "I'm sure she'll think of something."

With that, the verbal part of the conversation stopped, and Kalin closed his eyes, wishing he could make them both disappear. Come on, God. She doesn't deserve this. Get them out of here.

"So, am I driving, or are you?" the female voice finally asked.

"I'll drive," he said, "you can entertain me." With that, the car door opened, and amid one final flurry of passion, the door finally closed, the car started, and with a screech of the tires, they were gone.

For a long moment neither of them moved. Then a sickening thought hit Kalin squarely in the lungs. She hadn't moved, not so much as a breath in more than five minutes. Huddled next to him, she could well have been dead for all he knew. "Danae. Hey, they're gone."

It was like waking from a nightmare too horrible to comprehend. She pulled her head, neck, and shoulders from the protectiveness of his embrace and wobbled twice on the weight they brought with them. His gaze traced through her. "I'm so sorry," he said barely loud enough to be heard over the breeze.

"Yeah, well." She brushed the strands of hair that had fallen out of the pins from her face. There was a thought there to finish that sentence, and then it was gone.

Concern etched across his heart. "If you want, I could take you home." He glanced over at his bike and then back to her dress, not sure how he would accomplish that if she accepted. However, she shook her head slowly.

"I think I just want to sit here for awhile."

He considered that as he surveyed her. "Okay. Then we'll sit here for awhile."

Copyright Staci Stallings, 2006