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But he already knew. It would feel like heaven.
A small hand curled around his. “We gotta dance, Uncle Gideon. ’Cause we’re part of the wedding party, right?”
Of course Gideon couldn’t resist Noah’s request—and wherever Noah went, Jorge went too.
As Gideon led the two boys onto the dance floor, Sebastian rolled Francine out, twirling around her walker as she bounced her knees and swayed in time with the music. It was the signal for all the Mavericks to join in. Kelsey and Lyssa and Chi swung the boys and Gideon into a big circle, stopping only to drag Jeremy in with them when Will whirled Harper away from her brother.
Through the crowd on the dance floor, Gideon could no longer see Rosie, but his whole body ached to swing her into his arms.
Then at last, Ari and Bob were close enough that he could cut in and dance with his sister.
“I know I’ve already said it, but you look so beautiful, Ari.” She led them into a perfect turn. He’d never been a dancer, but she was so graceful that she more than made up for his two left feet. “Seeing you this happy…” The words caught in his throat. “It’s everything I ever wanted for you.”
“First, you’re too handsome for words.” She kissed his cheek without losing a beat. Then she said, “I am happy, Gideon.” She paused for a moment before adding, “Everything has worked out just the way it should.”
She’d told him so many times during the past nine months that he didn’t need to beat himself up for anything in the past, but he knew she was just being kind. Yet even now, on her wedding day, she went out of her way to let him off the hook.
“Thank you,” she said softly. “For everything.”
“You don’t have to thank me. You know I’d do anything for you. And I wanted your wedding to be everything you’d ever dreamed of.”
Not that he thought it could make up for the years he was gone, for the years he’d left Ari alone to fend for herself. Nothing could make up for his mistakes. But with all the money he’d been saving over the past ten years, paying for her wedding was the least he could do.
Beside them on the dance floor, Paige clung to Evan, a glow about her so bright it was like a spotlight. Charlie had joined Francine and Sebastian. Daniel and Tasha swayed together. Then Rosie floated past, this time in Matt’s arms.
Gideon’s chest clenched. What he wouldn’t give to hold her. To whirl her around the floor. To breathe in the sweetness of her hair, the lightness of her perfume, to feel her body against his.
Then Matt was reaching for Ari. “You don’t mind if I take my wife back, do you?”
A moment later, his sister was swept from Gideon’s arms…and Rosie was twirling straight into his embrace.
* * *
Being held by Gideon was all Rosie had imagined—and more. The strength in his hands, the hardness of his body against hers, his delicious scent in her head. Though he held her as stiffly as the Tin Man, her skin tingled head to toe with the thrill of finally being in his arms.
She’d been aware of his well-defined muscles when he’d played Marco Polo in the pool with Noah and Jorge. But there was nothing like her body pressed to his, his arm around her waist, his heart beating against hers.
Maybe his obvious reticence about dancing with her should have tempted her to let him disappear into the shadows again. But now that Rosie had decided to take off the kid gloves, she wasn’t about to miss this made-in-heaven opportunity. From here on out, she was going to treat him the same way she treated all her friends—with total openness and honesty. Which, in this moment, meant expressing just how much the wedding had meant to her.
“I have to tell you how touching it was when you walked Ari up the aisle. The makeup artist had warned us not to mess up her work by crying, but I couldn’t help it. And when Matt hugged you like you were already his brother?” She smiled into Gideon’s dark blue eyes. “It was such a great moment. When Noah gave him away, I was a total mess. And then again when they said their vows while holding Noah’s hands.” She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so happy that she was floating on air. It wasn’t just the wedding—it was this moment with Gideon, his arms around her, his maleness intoxicating her, and finally, after what seemed like forever, the chance of getting to know each other. “It was all so beautiful, wasn’t it?”
Where she’d been extremely loquacious, he barely managed a nod. But she was still in his arms, and right now, the feel of him against her was all that counted. Other couples floated past them, Evan with a beaming Paige in his arms, Will and Harper, Tasha and Daniel, Charlie in her flame-red dress, Sebastian’s arms tight around her.
“And the boys?” she continued as though they were having a perfectly normal, two-way conversation. “They’re having such a good time today. And,” she said as she pointed across the dance floor, “I’m pretty sure Kelsey and Lyssa are in love with those two kids.” Chi was out there with the boys too, playing ring-around-the-rosy.
“What’s not to love?” he agreed. Though his voice was a little croaky, at least she got a verbal response this time. Probably because they were talking about the boys, the two people who were always able to break through the walls around Gideon’s heart.
Well, Rosie could absolutely work with that. At least for now, when she was so enjoying their dance, the heat and strength of his body against hers, the sense of aliveness that made her want to stretch her arms around his neck and lay her lips on his. If only the song could go on forever, surely he’d realize it would be so much easier to let himself relax when they were together.
“Doesn’t this song seem like it’s been playing forever?” he asked.
She laughed, because it was so close to what she’d been thinking—from the completely opposite point of view. “Are you trying to say you’re not having a good time dancing with me?”
“No.” He shook his head, hard, even stiffer against her now. “Of course I didn’t mean that.”
“I was just teasing,” she said with a little smile, hoping against hope that he’d smile back. God, she wanted so badly to show him that he could dance, he could laugh, he could be pl
ayful with more than just the boys. If only she could show him that he didn’t need an excuse to be happy, that he was allowed to feel joy. Barring those choices, she opted for saying, “I am really loving this dance with you.”
