Page 86 of Hooked on Trouble

“So is Nico,” she says on a sigh.

The big guy is watching us, his gaze unwavering as Jackson runs into his legs. Nico claps Kolton’s mini-me on the back, but his focus stays on me.

“Yeah. Nico is, too,” I agree, my tone less dreamy. My exhibit clearly affected him, but we’re nowhere near out of the woods.

Shay wraps her arms over mine, squeezing us closer. “You’ll figure things out.”

The alternative is highly unpleasant, but I don’t let my mind go there. This night is too special to ruin with what-ifs.

Sawyer’s mother fusses with her granddaughters, organizing the twins in front of Shay. Sawyer’s father and brother join him on their side. The rhythm of the violin changes, the crowd hushes, and the twins giggle as they walk down the aisle, baskets in hand. Their white petals flutter on the floor, my heart fluttering with them. Shay and Kolton follow, the couple so freaking in love, you’d think it was their wedding.

I’m next.

Nico and me.

The candlelight is soft. Each flicker licks his dark skin, and when I reach him, he pauses so long, whispers float our way. Then he presses his luscious lips to my jaw. This is our first kiss in two months. Sixty-two days. My lips are nowhere near his, but his touch is like the first snowfall and running through puddles and falling into leaves.

I grip his arm to stay upright.

He guides me forward, our elbows hooked, his hand folded over mine. I’ve never been so aware of his body—the brush of his thigh, the press of his hip. Thankfully we don’t talk. I’m not sure what I’d say. So many words have been hoarded I doubt I’d make much sense. When we reach the canopy, I move to pull away, but he tugs me close, and my heart jostles. His gaze is fierce, like he wants to devour me. Like we’re not at our friends’ wedding in front of two hundred guests.

His blue eyes are liquid, shining like sun-drenched water. He doesn’t ravage me, though. He leans down and whispers, “I’m so far gone in love with you.”

I die. Melt. Disappear into a puddle of joy.

Then he lets me go. He walks to his side of the aisle, and I rock on my feet, unsteady. Heat flares up my neck. If I were at home, I’d blare the Clash and rock out like I was fourteen being noticed by my first crush. But I’m not at home. And I’m not fourteen.

Somehow I make it to Shay’s side. She digs her fingers into my wrist. “What the hell was that?”

I try to listen to her whisper, but my focus is locked on Nico. Even from here, I can tell his chest rises as fast as mine. “He loves me,” I manage.

She gives a little jump. “You guys are gonna have the hottest babies.”

I pinch her arm to shut her up, but now I’m picturing my Sexy Beast, shirtless, our kid—a kid I’ve never cared to envision—pressed to his chest, and I’m a puddle again.

The music shifts, a sign that Sawyer is making his way down the aisle, his mother on his arm, but Nico hasn’t looked away. I can’t look away, either. My ribs curl inward, struggling to contain my swelling heart. I love you, I mouth. His large hand floats up to cover his breastbone, and he taps his fingers twice. His heartbeat? Mine?

He might as well be tapping my inner thigh.

Flushed and flustered, I tear my gaze away. Sawyer is halfway down the aisle, handsome in his purple tux, the color as wild as we’d let him get. It’s fun and sexy and suits the man he is, the husband he will become. At the front, his mother whispers in his ear and his shoulders relax.

Then Lily appears.

Shay clutches my hand, and I squeeze back. Our friend is an earthly angel. Her white-blond hair spills down her back in loose waves, pink and purple flowers woven in the strands. Her dress is strapless like ours, but silk instead of satin, the white top blooming into pink and lilac toward the floor. People murmur, and Sawyer’s breath hisses out, his brown eyes ablaze. He shifts on his feet, as though not running to her is killing him. His restraint doesn’t last long.

As soon as Lily’s father leaves her at the altar, Sawyer hauls her into his arms and dips her back, kissing her with abandon. His mother groans, her face full of mirth, and the guests laugh, everyone enjoying the spontaneous show of affection. I check to make sure Sasha captures it. She, of course, hasn’t missed a beat, but my heart has. It trips over itself for Lily and this night and the sting of pleasure lingering from Nico’s words. The big guy beams, shaking his head at his friend, his attention sliding back to me. Heat. An inferno of heat. And desire, and that thing I’ve been terrified to wish for: love love, so much love.

The ceremony passes with little incident, vows spoken, rings exchanged. Sawyer only cuts off the priest once to kiss Lily again, and red apples bloom on her cheeks. Once, near the end, she fidgets, her trademark anxiety making an appearance. But Sawyer clasps her hands and stills her fingers with his lips. Again, my heart skips. Things don’t finish as planned, though. Sawyer must have gotten to someone who wasn’t able to resist his charms. He probably promised them a year of Moondog clothing. Without warning the dim lights go black, flickering candles all that are left.

And Pitbull blares from the speakers.

Horns blast as “I Know You Want Me” bounces off the ceiling, neon lights we never okayed lighting up the space. Sawyer leaves Lily, her mouth open in shock and horror, and he joins his nieces for a dance the twins must have choreographed. I doubt he planned to sway his hips quite like that or shake his shoulders.

“That fucker,” Shay growls, her eyes as wide as mine.

I’m mute, his willingness to embarrass himself rendering me speechless. But I laugh. Hard. Along with every person in the room. It starts as a nervous burst of air until my stomach rolls with humor, my abs sore by the time his routine ends. Lily’s smile could light the solar system. She runs into his arms and he spins her around, the dance music fading into something soft and lyrical. The type of music Lily loves. They dance or maybe float. I don’t recognize the song, but it talks of living off love and feeding off love and breathing and drinking and sinking in love.

“‘Beauty’ by the Shivers,” Shay whispers in my ear, knowing this music isn’t my thing. The way she bites her lip and dabs her eyes, I’d say she’s forgiven Sawyer for hijacking our event.