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“They didn’t fire me.”
Those four words flood relief through me, my tense shoulders relaxing instantly. I hadn’t realized how tensed up they were until Alex came rushing up to me in those heels. All around us, people mingle while settling in their seats, waiting for the ceremony to begin. I stand up at the altar made up of white roses, Caden, JJ, and Reed chatting amongst themselves just a couple of feet away. Mostly to keep Caden from shitting his pants, I think.
“That’s great, honey,” I begin to grin, only to falter when I see Alex pressing her lips together, looking a little sheepish. “What?”
“They, uh,” she lets out a chuckle. “They forced me to quit.” Everything freezes at her admittance, my eyes widening and the tension once again returning to my muscles in full swing. A ball of indignation and alarm knots itself in my stomach, but Alex is already putting a hand on my arm. “Which is fine, Leo. It’s better than them blackballing me and practically making me unhireable.”
“How is this fine?” I ask lowly, tension and frustration lacing my voice as I struggle to keep it down. Everyone around is all smiles and delight, which they should be, because this is a wedding and celebration is key. But I can’t even begin to fathom how calm Alex looks in front of me—gorgeous and breathtaking in her lavender dress, but utterly relaxed and unpanicked and not at all looking like someone who just lost her job. Because ofme.
And then her grin grows, an excited glint appearing in her blue eyes, which only bewilders me even more. “Because I already have another job lined up,” she whispers, exhilaration making her rush her words as she squeezes my arm. “I didn’t tell you about it because I didn’t want to jinx it in case it didn’t pan out. But I got a job as a social worker for the Chicago field office for DCFS. I start next week.”
I blink a couple of times, her words wrapping around my head as I look down at her, stunned speechless. Ofcourseshe already had a job lined up when she decided it was time for us to take our relationship public. Which we did, a little less than a month ago, and this entire time the agency she worked for as a nanny for all these years had taken its sweet time in debating whether or not Alex pursuing a relationship with me was a fireable offense. Apparently, it was.
And, apparently, it didn’t matter anymore.
A bewildered breath escapes me. “Alex—”
Music starts playing, signaling the start of the ceremony, and Alex throws a quick look over her shoulder before turning to me. “To be continued,” she says with a cheeky wink, leaning up to press a quick kiss to my cheek before she walks off to sit at her seat in the front row, right in between Andrea and Willow.
I have no choice but to assume position, standing right between Reed and JJ, Caden up at the altar as my head spins but I try to righten it as the bridesmaids start making their way down the aisle.
First up is Tina, one of Daria’s friends, holding a small bouquet made of white roses. She is all smiles and behind her appears Louisa, Daria’s brother’s girlfriend. Everyone is all smiles as the two of them make their way down the aisle, followed up by Bianca, the Maid of Honor and Daria’s best friend. Bianca already looks like she is about to burst into tears, which is endearing in its own way.
Then the music changes, Wagner’s Bridal Chorus playing as two flower girls make their way down. My heart swells in my chest, my smile widening as Lilah and Elaine, in matching flower girl dresses, trot down the aisle, each carrying a small wicker basket and gently tossing white rose petals on the ground. My eyes meet Alex’s, and she is grinning like a proud mother at Lilah, which only further spreads the warmth through.
And then Daria appears, gorgeous in her flowing wedding dress, arm hooked with her brother, Cody, as he walks her down the aisle. All eyes are on the stunning bride, who is grinning through her own tears while her eyes are locked on Caden’s. One glance at my friend, and I can tell he is blind to everyone and everything else except for the woman making her way towards him.
In the front row, Daria’s grandmother is tearing up, having flown in for the ceremony, but I am pretty sure there is not a dry eye in the place as Daria reaches the aisle.
My gaze meets Alex’s once more, and she shoots me a wink as she settles back in her chair, and we all turn to watch our two friends get married. And I can’t help but imagine the day that Alex and I will be the ones up here.
* * *
“I think you owe me a dance and an explanation,” I murmur in Alex’s ear when I come up behind her.
She laughs and says to Willow and Bianca, “Excuse me, girls,” before turning to face me. “I think so, too.”
Grinning, I take her hand in mine and pull her towards the dance floor. More and more people slide in to slow dance as I pull Alex towards me, her hand in mine and my other arm wrapping around her waist. “So?” I ask with a raised eyebrow. “DCFS?”
Alex smiles, softer and gentler. “That had always been the goal, I think. I just lost sight of it for a while.” Her eyes meet mine. Under the golden fairy lights of the reception hall, Alex looks ethereal. She steals my breath easily, but it was hers to take anyway. “I had applied a while ago, but kind of forgot about it when we went public and I was fielding calls left and right from the agency and my parents,” she explains with a roll of her eyes. My jaw clenches momentarily. Her relationship with her parents hasn’t improved, and I think at this point it bothers me more than it bothers her. “But they told me yesterday I got the job, and now that this business with the agency is over, I’m good to go.”
My throat is tight, staring down at her in wonder as we sway to the beat of the ballad playing through the speakers. “And that’s. . . You’re okay, though? I know how much being a nanny meant to you, and I’m sorry that you lost it because of me—”
“I didn’tloseanything,” Alex cuts me off, her hand squeezing mine. Her smile widens. “I got a job with normal hours where I will still be looking out for kids. I got you. I got Lilah. I’m. . .” Her throat works, a sheen glassing over her pretty blue eyes. “I’mhappy, Leo. More than I have been in a long time, and I wouldn’t be if it weren’t for you. If anything, you’ve given me the opportunity to have the kind of life I have been wanting. And that’s more than I could ever ask for.”
Well, fuck.
The tightness in my throat intensifies, and my body surges with the kind of feeling I have only experienced for and with Alex. Intense, breathtaking, and just hers. “I think you’re giving me too much credit, honey,” I say, my voice gruff with emotion. “You worked for everything you have.”
Her eyes soften. “You helped make it all worth it.”
I swallow, unable to help myself in leaning down and pressing my lips to hers. She kisses me back in earnest, the rest of the world fading into nothing as I murmur against her lips, “I love you.”
I can feel Alex smiling into the kiss when she responds, “I love you, too.”
Fire explodes in my veins. Hearing her utter those words every time, is like the first time all over again. I can never get enough of it, can never get tired of hearing her say it to me.
For months, we kept our relationship, our love, a secret. Slowly, we let people in. Our friends, my parents—who fell in love with Alex almost immediately upon meeting her, unsurprisingly—until we decided to stop the secrecy and let it all out in the open. The turning point for Alex was when, one day, we woke up and Lilah had run into the bedroom and asked a simple question from Alex. But it was the last word she had uttered that completely knocked us back on our asses.
