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I looked over at him behind the wheel of his little sports car and reached over to grab his thigh. “I love you.”
He flashed me a smile. “I know.”
“Not exactly the appropriate response.” I laughed.
“You already know I love you,” he said.
“Yes, but you could say it again,” I replied.
“So, I was thinking,” he started.
“Oh no, this sounds dangerous,” I groaned.
“Instead of going to the apartment, let’s go see your dad right now,” he said. “We’ll be straight with him. I have a feeling he’s probably a little pissed that we weren’t honest from the beginning. He’s going to be pissed at me for not talking to him before I plucked his sweet little girl from his arms. I have to apologize for not asking him if he was okay with us being together.”
“And if he tells you he doesn’t want us together?” I asked.
“Then I’ll tell him to fuck off and we leave,” he replied. “I’ll grab your hand and we’ll race for the door with your hair flying behind you. We’ll jump in my car and I’ll burn rubber, squealing tires and the whole nine yards as we speed away.”
“You’re trying to be funny, but you do know there is a damn good chance that’s exactly how this plays out?”
He shrugged. “I’m prepared for that. Unless he puts a hit out on me, there’s not a lot he can do to me. We’re adults. We’re not dependent on him for anything. I have made my own way. Yes, I owe him a lot for giving me an education and setting me up for success, but I didn’t sell my soul. I’m still my own man.”
“Okay.” I shrugged. “May as well get this over with. I’m ready.”
ChapterThirty-One
Luke
As the best man, I knew I had a lot of responsibilities on Leo’s wedding day. One of those responsibilities was helping him get dressed in his tuxedo. Leo didn’t do tuxedos. Getting him to wear a suit was a struggle. I was picturing it like trying to dress a toddler. I was going in armed with a fifth of tequila to hopefully calm him down enough to get him stuffed into the tux with Hunter and Sean’s help.
I walked into the dressing room and found Leo standing nervously in front of the mirror.
“Hey,” I said. “How you feeling?”
Leo let out a deep breath. “Nervous,” he admitted. “I can’t believe this is actually happening. I’m not nervous as in cold feet, but I’m just not the kind of person who likes to be the center of attention.”
“Trust me, man, you’re going to be fine. You and Caroline are meant to be together. The rest of us just want to gawk. We’ve got a bet about who will say ‘fuck’ the first time in front of the preacher.”
He smirked. “I’ll get in on that bet. Ten bucks it’s Caroline.”
“My money’s on Caroline as well.” I laughed. “In fact, I think everyone’s money is on Caroline. I brought liquid courage if you need some help getting dressed. I don’t think getting down the aisle is going to be your problem. It’s doing it in that tux.”
He nodded, then looked down at his tuxedo, which was laid out on the bed. “Okay, so, how does this thing work?”
I chuckled and put the bottle down. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. Let’s get you dressed.”
I picked up the jacket and helped Leo put it on, making sure that everything was straight and in place. Then came the tie, which I expertly tied in a perfect knot.
“You’re looking sharp,” I said, stepping back to admire my handiwork.
Leo smiled weakly. “I don’t know how you do it. I feel like I’m being choked and squeezed at the same time.”
“Just for a few hours,” I said.
Leo nodded, then straightened his arms and looked at himself in the mirror. “Do you think Caroline will like it? She’s not a tuxedo person either. We’re both just a little too blue-collar for all this shit. I don’t want her to think I look like a penguin.”
I laughed. “Caroline is going to think you look like James Bond. She’s going to be blown away. I bet you she drops an F-bomb when she sees you.”
