My wife. God, how did I get so lucky?
I met her halfway across the dance floor and took her hand, seamlessly tugging her into me just as one slow song morphed into another. She folded her fingers around mine and hooked an arm around my neck without skipping a beat. Smiling, she rested her head against my shoulder.
“Mrs. Westwood,” I murmured against her temple.
She let out a soft laugh. “That has a nice ring to it.”
“It really does.”
As I led her around the dance floor, I caught sight of Zach and Adeline near the bar, talking to Sterling and Laney whileJameson, Callum, and Will were chasing after kids, looking like they’d been sucked into a suited game of tag.
Jesse, Jacque, Harrison, and Nate were watching them with various expressions of amusement on their faces. Trent and Charlotte had joined Kate and Jane at the table where Colin and the other Thayer brothers had made themselves at home.
Alex had a smug smile on his lips where he sat with Dad at the head of the table, the two talking quietly while sipping on regular old bottles of beer. I couldn’t believe things had turned out this well, but they really had.
My entire family had flown in for the wedding and they’d been here for a week, helping Raquel with the final details for the wedding while Alex, Nate, Sterling, Jameson, and I had been hard at work at the Arizona branch of W&S. So much had happened just this week that it made my head spin, but it was safe to say that opening a branch here hadn’t been a mistake.
Raquel tilted her head up to look into my eyes, her gaze snapping me out of my thoughts. “Are you okay?”
My fingers flexed against her back as we kept swaying to the music. “I’m better than okay. How’s Clyde holding up? I saw Avery with him, Randy, and Harvey a little while ago. They were all smiling, so I took it as a good sign.”
“Yeah.” She smiled, toying absently with the hair at my nape. “Dad’s actually having a really good day today.”
My eyebrows hiked up. “Seriously? That’s awesome.”
Her eyes shimmered with tears as she nodded. “He was lucid all morning and Avery says he’s been the same since.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah, he even told me he was proud of me right before he walked me down the aisle.” She inhaled a deep breath, clearly trying to hold back tears. “He said I was the spitting image of my mom on their wedding day.”
My heart ached for her. I held her even tighter, resting my head against hers and inhaling a deep breath. “I’m so glad you got to have such a special moment with him today, baby.”
“Yeah, I’ll cherish it forever,” she murmured. “Definitely.”
She settled against me as one song turned into the next. We danced to it as well, neither of us apparently interested in letting go just yet.
As I moved to lay my cheek against her hair, I caught sight of Avery standing at the edge of the dance floor, a beer in one hand and the other in his pocket as he watched us. We locked eyes and I gave him a small nod, silently letting him know that everything was good.
He gave me a small smile and returned my nod, then backed away toward the bar. Once he was gone, I decided it was now or never. I’d been dying for a proper kiss from my bride all damn day and this felt like my best shot.
“Come with me,” I murmured, slowly dancing us toward the edge of the dance floor. “I’m stealing you away.”
“Not if I steal you first,” she joked, taking my hand and escaping with me as we rounded the edge of the barn.
We’d chosen our venue for its simplicity, just a barn that doubled as the main hall for those who wanted their reception inside, some bathrooms, an interior and exterior bar, and the pergola for the musicians. Unfortunately, that meant no storage rooms or such to disappear into, but the back side of the barn was deserted.
Perfect.
The second we’d made our way around it, I had her against the wall. She let out a surprised laugh, but it morphed into a moan when I kissed her. She grabbed at my jacket, pulling me closer like she’d been waiting for this moment too.
Kissing me back, she melted into me and I ran my hands along her sides, digging my fingers into the lace of the dress andgroaning into her mouth. She giggled against my lips when I hooked my fingers around the skirt, shoving it up a little.
“Stop pawing at my dress,” she murmured. “We have to go back soon. I can’t do that if you tear it off me.”
I finally paused, breathing hard as I brought my forehead to rest against hers. “It’s not my fault you picked a dress that does things to me.”
She let out a breathy laugh. “You can take it off later. I promise, but it does need to last for the rest of the reception.”
