Forever - Chapter 43 #2
“What are you doing?” I tried to put my hands on his shoulders, but his head disappeared beneath my dress.
And then I felt his kiss on the inside of my thigh.
Jesus.
He grabbed my garter with his teeth and slowly pulled it down my leg.
Rob whistled as Matt’s head reemerged.
Matt winked at me and then turned around. He shot the garter into the air and even though Tanner tried to sidestep it, there was no room for him to move. It landed against his chest. He grabbed it, shook his head, and then handed it off to Rob.
“Dude, I’m married,” Rob said with a laugh and tried to hand it back.
“I am most certainly not the next man here to be married. Here.” Tanner grabbed the garter and handed it to my dad.
My dad looked equally bewildered.
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Your turn,” Matt said and picked my bouquet off the table.
I looked around for Kennedy. I really wanted to aim it at her, but I didn’t see her or Felix anywhere.
I smiled. They must have snuck off somewhere.
I didn’t see Justin anywhere either. Or he definitely would have reminded us to do this before we left.
I turned around, took a deep breath, and tossed the bouquet over my shoulder.
I spun back around just in time to see it land in Scarlett’s outstretched hands.
“I’m getting married! I’m getting married!” Scarlett yelled. The smile on her face was so big. “Daddy, look!”
And now James was the one that looked bewildered.
“Sorry,” I mouthed silently at him.
He shook his head. The scowl he used to wear so frequently back in high school was etched across his face.
I smiled when Scarlett took turns holding the bouquet with Jacob and Axel for pictures. She was going to be so much trouble when she was older.
We said our goodbyes to our parents and other friends and headed outside into the snow. The whole city was hushed in a white blanket. I had a feeling I was really going to love winters here. I smiled and looked up at the sky, remembering dancing in the snow with Miller.
Matt wrapped his arm around my shoulders and guided us toward the hotel.
I smiled when I saw Justin and Donnelley chatting by the bridge. As we walked closer, Justin gave me two thumbs up.
Even though it was cold, I felt warm with all the laughter around us.
We made it across the bridge before the first snowball flew through the air. It hit Nigel in the back of the head. I spun around to see Jacob laughing.
“Snowball fight!” Nigel yelled and then immediately got hit in the face with another snowball from someone else. He dove behind a big rock as the kids started pelting him.
I laughed and then screamed when a snowball hit my back. I spun around to see James laughing.
“Oh, it’s so on.” I leaned down and started to make a snowball. But I got pelted with two more before I stood back up. I tossed one at Rob and he used Daphne as a human shield.
“Hey!” Daphne tackled him into the snow in a fit of laughter.
Matt started throwing snowballs at Tanner.
Tanner looked completely shocked.
“Don’t tell me they didn’t do this overseas either?” Matt asked.
“No, they did.” He brushed the snow off his jacket. “I just didn’t think anyone was silly enough to start a war with me.” He made a snowball at record speed and started chucking them at Matt.
It took five seconds before the silent night descended into chaos.
“What the fuck?” Matt said and tried to block them from hitting his face.
I threw one at Tanner to help out Matt.
But Tanner didn’t seem at all phased by the cold snow. He was like a snowball machine.
And then the most shocking thing happened. Rob joined him and started pelting us.
They were working as a team. Finally. But in the worst way possible for me and Matt.
Matt tried his best to shelter me from the flying snowballs. But they were coming from every direction now.
I tossed one at James.
He tossed three back at me at record speed.
Justin and Donnelley ran across the bridge and joined in too.
All you could hear was our laughter in the swirling snow.
Penny laughed as James took a snowball right in the face.
And Bee kept screaming and trying to hide behind Mason.
“Help me!” Mason said. But then he realized that Bee didn’t have any gloves.
Penny didn’t have any either, but that wasn’t slowing her down. She was throwing them even faster than James.
The kids had started making snow angels, already bored of the snowball fight. But the adults were very much enjoying attacking each other.
I tried to dodge a snowball from Mason and started to slip.
Matt caught me around the waist and somehow we both toppled into the snow.
He moved on top of me to cover me from the onslaught of snowballs.
I couldn’t stop laughing. But Matt silenced me with a kiss.
God, I’d been dying to be alone with him all night.
And even though it felt like just the two of us in that moment, I knew we were surrounded by people.
And snow. So much snow. It fell around us and I couldn’t really describe the feeling in my chest. I felt at home whenever I was with Matt.
But I felt it so much in that moment. It was like a piece of the lake house was back here in the city with me.
The tip of Matt’s nose was red. And his cheeks were rosy. And even with all the planning and craziness leading up to this day, I was pretty sure this was what I’d remember most. The snowball fight with our friends.
His lips fell from mine and moved to my ear. “So much for not ruining your dress.”
I groaned. I could already feel the chill seeping through the thin material. “At least it’s just snow. But you do have a good point. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“That we should get you and the baby out of the snow?”
I laughed. “Not exactly.” That was another good point though. I bit my lip, hoping he’d get the message that my thoughts were much more sinful.
He smiled. “Then you’re probably thinking we need to get you out of this wet dress and hang it up to dry. Immediately. So it doesn’t get ruined. Right?” He smiled.
I doubted he really cared about the state of my dress. He was staring at me like he was just excited to get me out of it. “Yes, please.”
He pulled me to my feet.
I took one last look at all our friends playing in the snow. When I was around Matt, I truly did feel like a teenager again. This was honestly madness. And the best wedding ever.
“Ready?” Matt asked.
I squeezed his hands. “I’ve been waiting for this moment all night.”