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“Look, this whole family scares them away. If it’s all right with you, I’d like to keep Cass around, so stop it,” Ray warned.
It was my turn to raise my eyebrows.
“And before you ask, no, I haven’t told Cass everything yet. Don’t mention it. I’d like to explain it to her on my own.”
His comment jumbled my nerves even more, which I didn’t think was possible. I already felt as if I had a ton of bricks in my stomach that were tumbling around and around.
“Hmm, well, good for you, Ray. It was a pleasure to meet you, Cass.” Before Maxi turned, she said, “Hope to see you both on the dance floor later.”
The DJ asked everyone to take their seats, then announced the wedding party as they entered the reception hall. Shortly afterward, the food was served and toasts were made. After the first dance, Lucas and his new husband, Matthew, appeared at our table. “Hi, Dad,” Lucas said.
“Hey, bub, congratulations! I love you, son.”
“Love you, too,” he said.
Ray stood to give his son a hug.
“Welcome to the family, Matt.”
“Thanks, Dad,” Matt replied.
“I’m sorry Junior didn’t make it. I’m sorry for it all.”
“I know,” Lucas said, waving his hand. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll meet up with him next week.” Lucas and Matt turned their attention to me. “You must be Cass?” Matt asked.
I grinned. “Yep.”
“I’m glad you could make it and that you’re still here,” Lucas said. “Thank you for coming.” He reached over and gave me a hug. “Hope to see you on the dance floor soon.”
I realized the whole family and most of the guests loved to dance. I had a great time. The DJ played a variety of music, including hip-hop, R&B, some country, pop, and jazz. We danced, and danced, and danced.
Chapter Ten
After the reception Ray held my hand and invited me to take a walk with him. He guided me to the beach. We took off our shoes, and he rolled up the cuffs of his pants. We walked along the water’s edge, and occasionally our feet touched the water. There were only a few people on the beach. It was dark out but mystical. A cool breeze wafted through, and the stars were spectacular. The sound of the waves crashing calmed my nerves.
“So,” Ray started, “I’d like to clear the air. Explain some things.”
“Okay,” I agreed.
“First, I’m sixty-two years old. How old are you?”
“Thirty-two,” I answered.
“And Kyra is how old?”
“Thirteen. I had Kyra when I was nineteen. Dex and I were high-school sweethearts. I got pregnant the night of graduation.”
“Are you okay with our age difference?”
“It doesn’t matter to me,” I said.
“Good.”
“So…” His voice sounded surprisingly shaky. “This is hard for me. But I’d rather you hear it all from me. Anyone else will get it completely wrong.”
“Okay,” I said.
We continued to walk but slowed our pace. “About three years ago, I went to a bar after work. I had had a long shift and just wanted to grab a beer and go home. But, while I was there, I saw a gorgeous woman. She was a redhead with emerald-green eyes. She looked frazzled. I thought she was too beautiful to be so frazzled. I figured I’d talk to her and try to cheer her up. So we talked. She told me she thought her boyfriend was going to propose, and she didn’t know if she was going to say yes. She said she wanted to have one fling before she decided. So, being an idiot, I offered to be her one fling.” He shook his head, swallowed, then continued, “She was at my place when Junior stopped by the next morning.”
