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I boosted Asher again, feeling my arm go dead, and Cade said, “Let me take him.” He plucked him out of my arms before I had a chance to tell him I was okay, and Asher took my flowers with him. He didn’t seem to want to give them up, so I let him have them.
“Come on, you two.” Lola grabbed mine and Belle’s arms. “Picture time!” She pulled us away from Uncle Brody and Cade, but I couldn’t resist taking one last look at Cade. He winked at me, and I needed his touch like I needed my last breath.
The end of the school year could not come soon enough.
Chapter Fifteen
ARIA
Sal grunted as he was led onto the dance floor by Mom for the obligatory first dance. It was a tradition Mom wouldn’t pass up on, and she’d made it known since they’d been engaged. I even saw them practicing a few times in the living room.
The music flowed from the band on the stage, and they swayed left to right, all the while I tried to keep my gaze on them. Our table with me, Mom, Sal, Belle, and Uncle Brody was separated from everyone else’s, and I tried my hardest not to keep veering my attention to Cade. I didn’t want to be too obvious, not in front of all these people.
The song changed to a different one, and people started to walk out onto the dance floor. Lola came over to Uncle Brody and raised her brow, and it was all he needed to stand up and take her onto the dance floor. Ford came and kneeled in front of Belle to hold his hand out for her, and I shook my head. He had no idea she’d already planned out their wedding. I didn’t want to be him when she found out it would never happen.
I leaned back in my chair and watched everyone dance, keeping my attention fixed onto them. There was only one more song until Mom and Sal were announcing they were leaving.
“You be good,” Mom told me as she pulled me in for a hug. “I’m going to miss you so much.”
“I’ll miss you too,” I told her because I would. She may not have been home most of the time, but she was always around. We’d never spent time apart, not like this, but I knew she’d have the time of her life.
She let me go, and Sal wrapped his arms around me, grunting, “Don’t get arrested while I’m gone.” I couldn’t help but laugh at his words. I pulled away from him and stood back as they said their goodbyes to everyone else and exited the room.
“They’ll be back before you know it,” Lola said from beside me.
I turned to look at her. “I know.” I was sad they were going, but I was also happy. Mom deserved to have this time with Sal. They both worked so hard and needed a break. “Plus, I hear the people I’m staying with are pretty co
ol.”
“Pretty cool?” Lola raised her brows and planted her hands on her hips. “I hear they’re the coolest people of all.”
“Oh, really?” I laughed. “That’s some high expectations right there.”
“I think they can live up to them,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders. “Oh, this is my jam!” She rocked her hips side to side as she made her way back to the dance floor, and I stood off to the side, watching the floor fill up with people again.
“You just gonna stare at people dancing all night, or get out there?” a gruff voice said from behind me.
I twirled around to see Ford’s face, his lips quirked the smallest amount. “Got no one to dance with,” I told him. It wasn’t the truth, not really, but the one person I wanted to dance with hadn’t asked me so…
“Come on.” Ford grabbed my wrist and weaved us through the chairs. “Let’s dance.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him no, but as soon as he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close to him, I was already dancing. The song slowed down, and Ford dipped me lower, causing a shocked laugh to escape my lips.
“That’s what I wanted to hear,” Ford said, his lips turning up even more. “It won’t be long now,” he said, and I frowned up at him as I clasped his biceps.
“What won’t be long?”
He winked and spun me under his arm then brought me back to his chest. “You’ll se—”
“Mind if I cut in?” a deep voice I’d been craving to hear ground out from beside us.
“Told you.” Ford let me go. “You’re welcome.”
I stared after him as he sauntered across the dance floor and to one of the tables, but it was only seconds until I was in the arms of the man who I desperately wanted.
“He did that on purpose,” Cade growled out, placing his one hand on the bottom of my back and closing my hand with his other.
I flicked my gaze up to him at the same time he looked down, his dark-blue eyes sparkling. “I think he did.” I pressed a little closer to him, wishing we weren’t surrounded by people. “I wish we were alone.”
