Chapter 51
Camden
Ilisten as Del finishes his speech in front of his and Ingrid’s wedding guests during their beach reception in Cabo.
“It means everything to have you here, sharing this day with us.”
He turns to Ingrid, who’s standing next to him at heart-shaped two-person table they’re sharing overlooking the ocean at dusk.
“My wife and I.” He stops speaking, and the biggest smile I’ve ever seen Del make spreads across his face. He looks at Ingrid. “My wife. Damn, I like the sound of that.”
He drops the mic, grabs her face, and kisses her. Everyone whistles and cheers.
When they break apart, Ingrid is blushing and giggling.
Del picks the mic back up. “My wife and I just want to take a minute and say that we love you. Thank you for coming to Cabo and celebrating with us.”
Everyone claps. A soft, warm ocean breeze gently glides around the palm trees surrounding our cluster of tables on the beach.
While the staff serves dinner, I glance down at the plate they set in front of Ellie.
I stop the server. “Is this dairy-free and gluten-free? My wife has food allergies.”
The server nods. “Yes, absolutely.”
“Thank you,” I say.
Ellie smiles at me. “You’re so sweet for making sure.”
I rest my arm against the back of her chair and kiss her cheek. “It’s not. It’s the bare minimum a husband should do for his wife: make sure she’s properly fed.”
She beams and kisses me, then digs into her steak. Once dinner is over, everyone hits the dance floor.
Ellie’s giggling as I twirl her around.
“I’m so happy I convinced you to wear that pink tie,” she says, a beautiful smile on her face. She gives it a tug. “I love that we match.”
I spin her again, and the soft material of her long, pink dress flutters around her.
The song ends, and a slow song plays. I pull her against me, and we sway together on the dance floor.
“Don’t you know, baby? You can get me to do whatever you want. I’d do anything in the world for you.”
Emotion flickers in those big blue eyes. My heart thunders in my chest. The need to tell her that I love her hits me.
Wait just a little bit longer.
Ellie beams, then looks past my shoulder. “I’ve never seen Del look so happy.”
I turn and see Del and Ingrid slow dancing together just a few feet away from us. The frown I’m used to seeing his gone. He’s gazing at Ingrid, a small smile on his face.
“Dirty Del is in love,” I say.
When I look at Ellie, she’s staring at me, a shy look on her face. “Funny how being in love has that effect on you. It can change how you look and feel. Your whole outlook,” she says.
“Yeah. It can.”
We both go quiet for a moment. My heart hammers in my chest.
Wait, is she talking about us? Could she be in love with me?
A second later, someone bumps into me.
“Oh, sorry!” Ingrid says through a laugh. “I wasn’t watching where I was going. Too busy staring at my husband.”
Ellie and I chuckle.
“It’s all good,” I say.
“You look stunning, by the way,” Ellie says to Ingrid. “That dress was made for your body.”
Ingrid beams and skims a hand over the shiny white gown she’s wearing. It narrows at her knees and flares out at the bottom.
“The off-the-shoulder style is so beautiful on you,” Ellie raves.
Ingrid blushes. “Oh my gosh, you’re so sweet.”
They start talking about wedding gown styles while Del and I just shrug at each other.
“Cool tux,” I say to him.
“Thanks.”
Ellie and Ingrid burst into laughter, then the song ends, and something up-tempo plays.
Maya runs up to them. “It’s our song, girls!”
The three of them start dancing, so Del and I walk over to the bar to grab a drink.
“You’re three hours into married life. How are you feeling?” I ask.
Del gazes out onto the dance floor at his wife. The corner of his mouth slants up. “So fucking happy,” he says.
I grin. “I know the feeling.”
We tap our glasses together and sip our drinks. A minute later, Blomdahl comes up to us.
“Need another Scotch already? You just had a full glass,” I joke.
He shakes his head, glancing down at his phone screen. “No, I’m good. I, uh…” He tugs his hair. “Hey, have you heard from your agent or manager?”
“No, why?”
Blomdahl huffs out a breath, and his brow furrows like he’s stressed. He looks down at his phone again.
“I just got this sports news alert,” he says.
He hands me his phone. When I read what’s on his screen, my stomach falls to my feet.
Hockey star has sham marriage, commits insurance fraud
I almost drop my drink.