Chapter 30
Isit on the stone steps with a sigh, crystal champagne flute in my hand as I watch everyone on the dance floor.
The stars are sparkling in the sky above us, the gusts of wind are cooler now that the sun has set, but it feels good against my warm skin.
Dad twirls mom and she tips her head back laughing.
Lydia has her arms wrapped around one of Jason’s groomsmen.
I even find myself smiling at Kate staring into Jason’s eyes.
Elise sits next to me and nudges her shoulder with mine.
“Hey,” she says.
I nudge her back. “Hey yourself.”
“How are you holding up?” I toss her a questioning look and she shrugs in reply. “I kind of overheard some of your talk with Kate this morning. It sounded heavy, so I just wanted to check in on you.”
Another smile touches my lips. “I’m alright. Kate is Kate, you know? She’s going to do her thing, just like Lydia is. I can’t fault them for that. But I can control how I react. So no more being a yes man.”
“That’s a great idea.”
A waiter carrying a tray of champagne starts to pass the stairs. When he makes eye contact with me, I lift my empty flute in signal. He walks the steps and I lift two glasses off.
“Thank you, sir.”
“Of course.”
I press the crisp glass into Elise’s hand. She arches a brow at me. “To setting boundaries.”
“And to holding them.”
“And to family who cares, even if they aren’t related by blood.”
Her smile widens at my words and she clinks her glass with mine. I take a sip and sigh. “Oh, that’s good.”
“Is it?”
I turn to look at her. “Did you not drink it? It’s bad luck to not drink after a toast.”
She breaks eye contact with me, instead focusing on the bubbles popping in the champagne glass. I take another sip as I wait for her to finally say, “I actually can’t drink right now. For a few more months.”
I choke on the champagne. “Wait, what?” I sputter around the coughing fit. Elise brushes a hand to her stomach. When she lifts her eyes to me and my gaping jaw, she smiles.
“Surprise,” she says, using her free hand to wiggle her fingers in a jazz hand.
“Oh my god, congratulations!” I wrap my free arm around her and pull her in for a hug. “You’re going to be such an amazing mom.”
“And you’re going to be a wonderful aunt.”
I release her and settle back. “When are you due?”
She beams. “Early February.”
I’m still staring at her with wide eyes, trying to wrap my head around due dates and how long she’s been pregnant. Which, “Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”
“Before Kate’s big day? Yeah, no thanks. I’ll wait until she’s back from her honeymoon.”
“Wow, I’m so happy for you.”
“Thanks.” She smiles wide, her fingers instinctively finding her belly.
With another grin, I stare back out at the dance floor.
My eyes catch on Reid dancing with my mom now.
I’m not sure when he cut in between her and my dad, but I’m sure they’re both having the time of their lives.
He’s giving her a gentle spin before resting his hand back on the middle of her back.
Mom makes eye contact with me as he spins her my way and she winks.
“I’m happy for you too, you know,” Elise says.
“Me? Why?”
She nods toward the dance floor. “Reid’s a good one. He brings out the best in you. I like him.”
“Yeah, but if we break up you have to take my side.”
“You won’t break up. I think he’s in it for the long haul.”
He is one of the good ones. One of the best ones.
And I am so madly in love with him.
Reid finishes his slow circle and now his eyes find mine. The smile on his face widens as our gazes connect and my heart feels warm and tingly at the sight.
“Yeah, me too.”
Despite all the stress and drama, this wedding ended up being a true once-in-a -lifetime experience.
I got to go to Italy. I got to drink limoncellos and learn to make pasta from scratch. I got to repair my relationship with my sisters and I grew closer to Elise.
And, most importantly, I met the man who changed my life forever.
The song ends and the chords to a new one begin. I tip my head back and laugh as I recognize it. Reid stops in the middle of the dance floor—my mom having gone back to my dad for a dance—and he points at me as he sings along to the opening line.
“When I’m dreaming, I’m guided to another world. Time and time again,” he sings at the top of his lungs. Kate and Jason are watching him, laughing as he sings. Jessica is sitting at a chair, arms crossed, tapping her foot impatiently as she stares at him with narrowed eyes.
I just laugh as he sings the next lines of “Higher” by Creed, pouring his entire heart into the performance.
Elise grabs the glass from my hand and nudges me to my feet.
I meet Reid at the bottom of the stone steps, where he’s already grabbing my hand, pulling me to his chest as he continues to sing to me.
“Great song choice,” I say.
“Right? You’re welcome everyone!” he shouts. Couples are either dancing next to us with confused expressions on their faces or skittering off the dance floor now.
“You were right by the way,” he says.
“About?”
“I had the lyrics wrong.”
“Yeah, no kidding.”
“It doesn’t matter though.”
I tilt my head to the side, pursing my lips. “It does, though. If you’re going to sing it at the top of your lungs, you should probably know what it is you’re singing.”
“Well, as long as you don’t mind—”
“I do, though.”
“Fine, I’ll learn the words so I can serenade you every day.”
“Much better.”
I grip his tie in my hand and pull him toward me, pressing a kiss to his lips.
I can feel the smile on his mouth, his warm hands on my lower back.
And I suddenly can’t wait to hear this song every day of my life—loudly, wrong, and off-key, it doesn’t matter as long as I get to hear it from Reid Matthews, the man who stole my heart.