Face-Off at the Altar Read online

  He just couldn’t fuck it up or get distracted.

  Eyes on the prize.

  The NHL.

  Mekena Preston felt like she was slowly but surely going to freak the hell out.

  As she stood in the middle of this amazing mansion, her eyes were wide as saucers while she gazed around in complete bewilderment.

  She was insane.

  Why she thought she could do this was beyond her.

  But she just couldn’t say no to her best friend’s sister-in-law.

  Earlier this year when Lucy Sinclair had asked her to take some family pictures of her and her boyfriend, along with her daughter, Mekena had known it would be a breeze. She loved doing beach shots, and that was one of the main things that helped her move from her home in Nashville, Tennessee to Fort Lauderdale. That and the fact that she had a place to live and a job waiting for her.

  She still wasn’t sure she had made the right choice, picking up and leaving everything she had known. She had only been in Fort Lauderdale a little over a year, and she was happy, she guessed. She wanted to say that she was living the life. That she was out being a normal almost twenty-one-year-old girl, shopping, living on the beach, and partying. But actually, that was so far from the truth, it wasn’t even funny.

  But at least she was happy…ish.

  When Mekena wasn’t in the studio or on the beach taking pictures, she was at her house playing Scrabble with her aunt or watching reruns of Outlander and Gilmore Girls while cuddling with Mr. Right. Sadly, Mr. Right was not of the human male variety but really a very grumpy white Scottish Fold that had her heart. He had been her baby since she was fourteen, and while he was very cantankerous and kind of a dick, she loved him.

  She was content with her life. Though, sometimes she felt like she ran from her problems, and she couldn’t stand that. If there was one thing about Mekena Preston, it was that she didn’t like to fail.

  She was too smart for that.

  Finishing at the top of her class, with a GPA of 4.0 all through middle and high school, Mekena had planned to be very successful. She wanted to be a doctor, or at least, she thought she had. After one year at Bellevue University, she decided she wasn’t made for the university life. It surprised everyone in her family. They’d all thought they’d be calling her “Doctor” one day, but it just didn’t feel right. She wasn’t sure why, she’d thought it was her goal, she had chosen the school of her dreams because it had a great medical program that offered her a wonderful scholarship, her older sister was also going there, and it was so close to home. It was everything she wanted, but it just fell flat.

  It didn’t live up to her dreams.

  Maybe it wasn’t her dream.

  Or maybe it was because of what happened.

  All she knew was that when she had a camera in her hand, her eye pressed to the viewfinder of her Nikon, she felt at home. She felt her imagination come alive with each click of her finger.

  So she’d left.

  Packed up, didn’t re-enroll, put Mr. Right in his carrier, and went to Florida, despite her parents begging her to reconsider. Despite her fear of going somewhere that was so unfamiliar to her. Yeah, she knew her aunt Libby, and Mekena had been to Fort Lauderdale before, but never in her life had she thought she would move there and start a life.

  Sometimes, it didn’t feel right, but she couldn’t think of that right now. Not when she was supposed to be paying attention and taking notes on the lighting in the huge, gorgeous mansion. This would be her first indoor wedding. She had done outdoor weddings galore and even more outdoor shoots along with some studio shoots, but not an indoor wedding. And it was easy to say, she was shaking in her boots.

  Or really, her supercute vintage Mary Jane’s.

  She wasn’t sure why she was nervous; she should be ready. She had gone to a one-year program for photography, acing every class since she retained information like none other, and she had been learning about photography since she was young. Her very first gift from Aunt Libby had been a Polaroid camera that used to be hers and had been all over the world. It was awesome, and Mekena yearned to do the same thing—to travel the world and take pictures. She wasn’t a one-trick pony. She loved all types of photography, so she knew what she was doing. She did, but apparently, her body wasn’t listening to her brain at that moment.

  Unfortunately, that happened a lot.

  Still, though, she shuddered with fear as she sucked in a deep breath and bit the inside of her cheek while she gazed around. Everything in the house looked completely original, as if it were still the 1800s. It was beautiful, and as Mekena followed behind Lucy, she snapped pictures of the little things. The gold of the staircase, the uneven brick, even the cracks along the floor. It was the imperfectness of the home that thrilled her. She loved the thought that even though the house had cracks, it still stood in all its beautiful glory. She wished she could be more like the house.

  Instead, the imaginary caution tape she was convinced was wrapped around her was strangling her more with every second that passed.

  Blowing out a calming breath, she let her camera hang around her neck as she followed Lucy Sinclair while she moved her hand up and down in the direction of the stairs. Lucy was such a beautiful woman, favoring her brothers more so than Mekena had ever seen. Her hair was lighter than usual, but her blazing green eyes were breathtaking. Usually, Lucy had a very bad case of resting bitch face, but every time Mekena saw her now, she was grinning.

  “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 hi