“I hope I look at a woman like that one day,” a voice sighed.
I turned to see Rubin standing beside me, happy and carefree, like a young kid his age should.
“You will,” I told him. “Just go for the one who makes you angry the first time you lay eyes on her, and know that that anger isn’t because you hate her… it’s because you know she’s going to be the one to break down all your bullshit and expose you for who you really are. Then watch that hate slide right into love, brother.”
Rubin smiled, reaching out to grab onto my shoulder. “Mind if I come to you for advice if that happens?”
“You’d better.” I reached up and rested my hand on his, tapping it twice. He was a new feature in my heart—anotherthing for me to protect and provide for. I planned on upholding all the promises I’d set to him in recent months.
“Happy wedding day, bro.” Rubin offered, his eyes sparkling with contentment.
“Thanks, kid.”
Laughter erupted behind us, pulling our attention in that direction, and when I looked behind me, Autumn was charging forward, her eyebrow raised as she approached.
“Oh, hell,” I muttered under my breath, but she was on me before I could ask any questions or try to protest, pulling me up by both hands, her strength surprising me.
“Up you get,” she said through a heavy breath, standing me on my feet and brushing her hands down over the chest of my tailored vest to smarten me up.
“Autumn?”
“Come on now, Drew. You know more than anyone that the best part of a wedding is always the first dance with your lady. I do believe she’s wearing the right boots for a bit of two-stepping. Go spin her around while we all watch on like fools.”
When I looked up, Ayda was being led to a small dance floor by Sloane, the two of them giggling, and their eyes bright with enthusiasm.
With a small flourish, Sloane spun Ayda into the middle of the dance floor, leaving Ayda to slow to a stop in front of me. Pulling her dress up, she flashed a pair of white cowboy boots and tapped the toes together before glancing back up at me.
“You owe me a dance, husband,” she called out above the buzz of conversation, silencing almost everyone between the two of us.
Husband.
Fuck, yes.
I turned to her fully, my legs shoulder-width apart as I reached up to unfasten my bowtie, my eyes on hers the whole time as she watched me. I unraveled it and left it hangingaround my neck before I popped the top two buttons of my white shirt open, and then moved to open every button on my black tailored vest, pushing the edges back before I walked over to take her in my arms. With one hand around her waist, the other holding her hand tightly, I pulled her close, so our faces were only an inch apart.
“At your service, wife,” I whispered.
“Say that again,” she moaned quietly.
I dropped my mouth to her ear, my lips brushing against her lobe as I breathed warm air onto her skin. “Yours for life, wife.”
She closed her eyes for a moment, her lips still smiling. When she opened them again, all I could see in those pools of blue was warmth, love, and raging hormones.
“I think I’m ready for that ride now,” she said quietly, the last words fading as the music started.
Together, we danced a dance so natural, the two of us moving in perfect time as our song rang out around us—a song I’d chosen to tell her what I felt about her.Tangled Up in Youby Staind led us around the dance floor, the lyrics I’d listened to a thousand times now there for everyone to hear and understand how I felt about the woman in my arms.
I couldn’t take my eyes off her, couldn’t get her close enough or tell her how much I loved her. Everything I felt was all-consuming, wrecking me, and reducing me to what I was as we danced together. I mouthed the lyrics to her as we moved around, and when it came to an end, I didn’t stop dancing, needing to hold her this close for so much longer.
“You and me now, darlin’,” I told her softly.
Pushing her fingers into my hair, Ayda pressed her body to mine. “Forever,” she whispered.
Deeks and Autumn joined us on the dance floor, as did Kenny and Sloane, and an awkward-looking Tate, with Libby dragging him along. Once the space around us was crowded, Iknew it was time.
We’d shared enough of our day with everyone else.
It was time to step into the night on our own.