Thirty-six
Will nearly swallowed his tongue when Lexi opened the door in a wedding gown. Not just a wedding gown but one so beautiful he thought maybe he was imagining it. Maybe everything he’d begun to want more than he’d ever wanted anything was happening. There was no word strong enough for the emotions coursing through him. The top of the dress let her showcase the delicate sexiness of her collarbone, her toned shoulders and arms. The cinched waist made her seem curvier, and the skirt billowed out romantically like she was a princess in a movie.
Words rumbled around like rocks in his head, trying to force their way out of his mouth. He stepped closer even as they continued to hold each other’s gazes, something much stronger and deeper than simple passion or care flickering between them. An all-consuming need thrummed inside him like a heavy pulsebeat.
“You look fucking amazing,” he whispered. He cleared his throat, tried again. “Let’s skip the party and get married tonight.”
Some of the tension in her gaze—which he hoped was from wanting him as much as he wanted her—lessened and she tipped her head back in a laugh. Her dark tresses were pulled up away from her face and he had the overwhelming need to press his mouth to the long column of her neck, right in the hollow of her softest skin.
When he did, she gasped, igniting the need inside of him to something he’d never felt before. He swallowed her surprise with a kiss that he wasn’t sure could convey how much he felt. But he was willing to try.
Taking her face between his hands, he memorized the feel of her lips against his own, the taste of her with a hint of something fruity she must have put on her lips. He groaned at the touch of her hands on his shoulders, the way her body pressed into his as she gave him back everything she had with the same urgency he felt.
Will moved his hands down, circling her waist and drawing her closer, lifting her right off the ground. He couldn’t get close enough. He wondered if he’d ever get enough of this woman. He knew it might have started as a pretense, but this was it. She was it. She owned his heart whether she knew it or not and he had no intention of letting her go. As soon as this party was done, he was going to talk to his fake fiancée about making the commitment between them very, very real.
Side Tap was decked out for Halloween in the strangest way Will had ever seen. While the day’s colors were typically black and orange, Ethan had used white and cream pumpkins, gorgeous yellow and white flowers, hundreds of extra twinkle lights—the kind with bigger, round bulbs and white light—ribbons of silk and organza (he’d been an active participant in Rachel and Maddie’s wedding conversations) as streamers, and so many candles it might have been a fire hazard.
“Oh my God,” Lexi whispered when they walked in the double doors. “It was supposed to be gaudy. Skeletons and cobwebs. It’s Halloween. I helped plan everything out.”
“Guess he made some last-minute changes. It’s incredible. Look,” Will said, holding her hand tightly with his own while using the other one to point to the banner that read: CONGRATULATIONS ALEXANDRIA & WILLIAM .
Son of a bitch. His joke about making this an engagement party must not have been a joke. And he’d kept it as a surprise.
“The guests of honor are in the house! Everyone welcome the bride and groom.”
Will turned to see his friend behind the bar dressed like Rip Wheeler from Yellowstone, a microphone in hand. He even had a fake beard to go with the dark glasses and the black Stetson. One of the waitresses stood beside him dressed as Beth Dutton, clapping and whistling over the music and other shouts of congratulations.
He’d known the theme was couples, but it was pretty incredible to see it in action. They walked farther into the bar, where the longest farmhouse-style table was dressed like a head table. Ethan had even tacked a sign to the wall that said brIDE AND GROOM SIT HERE .
Maisie bounded over to them dressed as… he had no idea who she was dressed as. It looked almost like a one-piece bathing suit, the top half red with a yellow i in a black circle across her chest. The bottom was black, she wore a mask, and her hair was flat and straight. She wore red tights and knee-high black boots.
“Holy shit, you are the prettiest bride I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen a lot of brides. When you didn’t get back to me, I figured you were doing the prom thing.” Maisie threw her arms around Lexi’s neck.
“I thought you were coming as a zombie cheerleader,” Lexi said over the roar of music and people milling about, waiting for a chance to say hello.
Maisie pulled back. “As if. Ethan looped me in on this a while back. The theme is couples.”
“Okay, I have to know, then—who are you supposed to be?” Will pulled her into a hug as well.
When she stepped back, she pointed to her chest. “I’m Elastigirl! From The Incredibles. I figured this was a surefire way of manifesting a better half with huge muscles.”
Lexi laughed with her friend. Will vaguely recalled the Pixar movie about the superhero family. Maisie stayed by their side as several people hugged them, shook their hands, congratulated them, and asked where they’d be registering. He felt Lexi’s tension notching up like a clock ticking.
Maddie and Rachel, dressed as David Bowie and Iman, gave them hard hugs.
“I’m so excited for you guys,” Lexi said to the two of them.
Rachel winked at her and rubbed a hand over her flat stomach. “You’ll be an auntie.”
He felt rather than saw Lexi’s flinch. She smiled brightly and turned to Kyra, who joined them and was dressed as Barbie. Will glanced around, wondering whom she might have brought as Ken. His protective brotherly instincts surged thinking about his little sister and a guy he might not know. For one brief second, he understood why his mother might find comfort in choosing one of their partners. What guy was good enough for his baby sister?
“Why are you frowning? Your bride is standing beside you, this party is in your honor, and Ethan has a new beer on tap,” Kyra said, giving him a playful shove.
“I’m wondering where your Ken is,” Will said.
Lexi laughed, squeezed his hand. “Leave her alone.”
In her bright-pink, short spaghetti-strap dress, his sister did an awkward curtsy. “Thank you, Lexi. You are now my favorite.”
After Will helped Lexi navigate her way through the crowd with her dress, they sat at the head table. So many people stopped by while they sampled a finger-food menu Ethan had created for tonight. Lexi’s grin was genuine when Jackie and Nigel came by, her dressed as a cheerleader to complement Nigel’s quarterback outfit.
“You said it was a Halloween party, not an engagement party. Thank you for inviting us,” Jackie said.
“We didn’t know,” Lexi said over the increasing volume of music and people.
“We didn’t but we’re so glad you could come,” Will said, slipping his hand onto Lexi’s knee, giving it a gentle squeeze.
“You guys look amazing,” Lexi said, her hand coming to the top of Will’s.
Will sensed Lexi’s restlessness as the conversation carried on. He pushed back in his seat as the music changed to a slower tempo.
Putting a hand on Lexi’s bare shoulder, loving the feel of her skin beneath his palm, he said, “If you’ll excuse us, I’d like to dance with my bride.”
Lexi tipped her head back, looked up at him. Will leaned down, kissed her, running his finger along her jaw.
“That sounds wonderful.” Her reply was just a little breathy.
“Oh, you two. We should dance too, honey,” Jackie said.
They parted ways on the makeshift dance floor that Ethan had set up in the raised area of the pub where Will and Lexi had once shared appetizers. That seemed like a lifetime ago. He pulled Lexi into his arms, gripping one of her hands while keeping his other hand pressed low on her back. She smelled like honey and Lexi and he wanted more nights like this: dancing, being with friends, laughing. He wanted it to be real. Forever.
Lexi seemed as lost in the moment and the subtle synchronized sway of their bodies as he was. Twinkle lights danced overhead, and though it was crowded, it was easy to pretend it was just the two of them when he leaned back to gaze into her eyes.
Because she was all he could see.
He bent his head to hers, pressed their foreheads together like it would help her feel what he was thinking.
The hand he wasn’t holding slipped up around his neck like she too craved a closeness that couldn’t be quenched.
The words floated around in his heart and his head, adrift, bouncing off one another, looking for a place to land.
“I don’t want this to be pretend,” he whispered, staring into her eyes.
“What?”
“Us. I want it all to be real. The engagement. A life together. It’s not pretend for me. Any of it. It’s not a misunderstanding. It’s the most real thing I’ve ever known. I love you, Lexi. I want you. Always.”
He couldn’t read her expression as he watched it change. Her eyes widened, her lips parting before forming a small o . Her hand loosened on the back of his neck like it’d been covered in grease and slipped right down to her side.
“What are you doing?” she whispered.
He smiled. His sweet, cautious Lexi. “I’m telling you I love you. For real.” He felt like a helium balloon someone had let go of: free, soaring. The words were energizing and powerful. Not just because he’d said them to her but because he felt them in every molecule of his being.
“I love you.” He grinned, liking the way the words felt in his mouth, how they sounded out loud. “I love you.”
And just like that, like an unexpected branch popping a balloon and stealing all of the life out of it, making it shrink until it disappeared, Lexi pulled away. She picked up her skirt, shaking her head, and looked at him with sadness swamping her eyes.
“I can’t do this. I have to go.”
Will stood on the dance floor, staring after her as she wove through the crowd, ignoring people and pushing past. Stunned, he didn’t even go after her because despite the fact that he knew what he said was true, he very much loved her, what had just happened didn’t feel real. More than that, he didn’t want it to be.