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Chapter Nineteen
Emily thought it was a perfect day. Oh, the wedding hadn’t been perfect. Her new shoes made a blister on her toe while they were taking pictures, so she’d discarded them to make her way down the aisle barefooted. The flower girl, one of Spencer’s cousins, had run all the way to the altar without throwing any petals, while the ring bearer had refused to take a single step down the aisle. Throughout the ceremony, Josh had been smiling and waggling his eyebrows at Charlie who vacillated between spearing him with her glares and refusing to make eye contact at all. Her sister had been furious with Spencer for choosing Josh as his best man, resulting in their pairing during the wedding ceremony. But over the last four and a half months, Spencer and Josh had become amazingly good friends. Spencer somehow credited Josh with helping him get engaged by providing the computer to prove his innocence, although secretly, Emily knew she would have believed him anyway.
But when Spencer squeezed her hand under the tablecloth, she felt a marvelous joy. She was married to an amazing boy, no—an amazing man. He was not only handsome and smart, but he adored her in every way. He’d already proven he’d do anything to protect her and care for her. And she knew with absolute confidence he loved her and would always love her and only her. And she returned that love with all of her heart.
Parts of the wedding had been storybook perfect. The beautiful classical music emanating from the grand piano. Walking down the aisle with Steven. Standing before the stained glass windows that decorated the front of the church with Charlie and all four of Spencer’s sisters as bridesmaids. Her mother, crying and hugging her, radiantly beautiful despite being eight months pregnant with twins.
And she definitely looked pregnant now.
Steven’s Gram, the tiny, feisty, ninety-six-year-old, held hands with Gus while describing her recent marriage to the ninety-one-year-old as robbing the cradle. Gram had insisted on buying Emily’s wedding gown, arguing she loved buying dresses for her granddaughters. It had cost way more than Emily was comfortable with, but wearing it made her feel like a fairy princess.
Altogether, it was an amazing day.
Spencer pulled up her left hand and kissed it, gazing fondly at the new band nestled next to her grandmother’s ring. “I still can’t believe you didn’t want a new engagement ring. I think you deserve a bigger diamond.”
Emily rolled her eyes. They’d had this discussion so many times. “But I don’t like big, flashy diamonds. And this is exactly what I wanted, plus it’s sentimental. Anyway, you put plenty of diamonds on the wedding band.”
“Yes, but none of them are very big.”
“Size isn’t important.”
He grinned impudently, whispering in her ear, “It will be tonight.”
“Spencer!” She knew her face was flaming, as if the entire group of guests could hear.
*****
Josh laughed and joked with the rest of the wedding party, but his heart wasn’t in it. His mind was on the tall, beautiful maid of honor with the big golden eyes. He’d thought she was beautiful before, but he’d never seen her in a dress with her hair down. His breath caught in his throat whenever he looked at her. His eyes drank her in as his chest constricted so tightly he was certain his heart wasn’t beating.
He’d hoped when they saw each other on the wedding weekend, Charlie would... What had he hoped for? That she would suddenly decide she was in love with him? That she would decide to transfer to NYU in the spring so they could be together? No, he hadn’t really even hoped she would start accepting his phone calls. He’d hoped when they were together, he could talk to her. That he could convince her to give him an opportunity to prove himself. That he could show her how much he’d changed. That she would see how different he was. That she would give him a fighting chance.
The band was playing, and guests, young and old, were having fun on the dance floor. When Bohemian Rhapsody played, even Anne Gherring was dancing, swearing she couldn’t possibly sit down for this one. There was a variety of music, including oldies, current songs, waltzes, salsas, and tangos. Spencer and Emily had taken more dance classes together, and were showing off their talents to the guests. Josh noticed Charlie was sitting down during a waltz, with a wistful expression, and he moved to stand in front of her.
He held out his hand. “May I have the pleasure of this dance, my fair lady?” He tried to appear confident and suave, but his heart was hammering in his chest. He knew she would turn him down.
His twinkling eyes dimmed as she hesitated. “Josh, I really don’t think it’s a good idea—”
“Please? It’s a waltz. You barely have to touch me.”
“I’m really not that graceful.”
He laughed. “I’m graceful enough for both of us.” He could see her waffling in her refusal. “Come on, you know you want to dance. It’ll be fun, even with me.”
With a sigh, she took his proffered hand. Regrettably, he noted it was probably sweaty, since he was incredibly nervous in her company. What was it about this girl that made him so uncomfortable in his own skin?
They twirled smoothly around the dance floor. He’d intended to keep up a merry banter to entertain her, but the scent of her hair and the movement of her waist beneath his fingers distracted him. Her right hand trembled slightly in his grasp, but her face remained serene. He pulled her close to him when they turned so she brushed lightly against his chest. He enjoyed the contact so much he turned them as often as possible, until they were both stumbling a bit from dizziness.
Forced to abandon the wild spinning, he smiled unrepentantly. “Sorry. I got a little vertiginous, but it was worth it.”
“Vertiginous?”
“Like vertigo—it means dizzy. But turning is fun, don’t you agree?” When she didn’t respond, he tried a new approach. “Spencer and Emily look very happy together, don’t you think?”
She pressed her lips together in a firm line, refusing to engage. He decided to bait her a bit. “It’s nice to see you in a dress. You look like a real woman.”
“I beg your pardon! Wearing a dress has nothing to do with being a woman. I happen to think it’s demeaning to insist women wear dresses.”
“Oh, I would never insist you wear a dress. Au contraire. I’d be perfectly happy if you wore nothing at all.”
