Chapter Twenty-Seven
May I have this dance?”
“Tom!”
Amy exclaimed, immediately letting go of Lucas’s arms and rushing over to her best friend.
With all the prepping she’d been put through during the week, she hadn’t been to the office and hadn’t had a moment alone with him.
Seeing him looking so handsome in his tux made her eyes sting for the millionth time that day.
“You know, you’re absolutely stunning.”
“You have to say that. And, yes, I’d love to have this dance,”
she said with a watery smile.
He pulled her into his arms and began swinging her around the dance floor, making her feel like she was floating on water.
“You’ve been holding out on me. Where did you learn to dance like this?”
she asked with surprise.
“I have an incredible mother who insisted her boys knew how to treat a lady properly. Unfortunately, our father never found the time to take her dancing, or even bring her flowers, for that matter. He ended up running off with his twenty-year-younger secretary, and my mom’s never been happier. Now she goes dancing all the time,”
Tom said as he spun Amy in a circle.
“That’s both tragic and wonderful.”
“Well, the best part is, a year after dearest Daddy ran off with the bimbo, she left him, running away with some surfer in Southern California who had a bigger . . . wallet,”
he said with a pause and a laugh.
“You’re absolutely terrible,”
Amy said, the stress of her day lifting as time was suspended for a few brief moments.
“I really try. Your husband is glaring at us. I just thought you should know,”
he said as he sent a wink over her shoulder.
Amy turned and saw Lucas’s eyes narrow. Obviously, Tom’s wink had been for him, and he didn’t appreciate it much.
“Would you quit goading him?”
“I can’t help it. Before he steals you away again, I want you to know that I’m always going to be here for you, no matter what. If everything goes south, then you call me, and I’ll come get you. My place certainly isn’t going to be up to par with any house Mr. Anderson gives you, but it will be full of love.”
“Thank you, Tom. You don’t know how much that means to me.”
“Well, you better not forget about me now that you’re married and fat,”
he said with a teasing smile. She could see the insecurity beneath the teasing, though.
“First of all, I am so not fat, you horrible person. Secondly, I haven’t had any true friends my entire life. You’re the first, and I promise, you’ll always be the one I call when I need a shoulder to cry on. That also goes both ways. You better not forget about me.”
“Amy, it’s time to cut the cake,”
Lucas interrupted them as he placed a possessive hand on her shoulder.
“Okay,”
she said reluctantly.
“Make sure you catch the bouquet,”
she called out as Lucas led her away. She got the reaction she was looking for when Tom began laughing.
Lucas and Amy cut the cake and fed each other. They toasted their union and shared dances with family members. Lucas was surprised by the intense jealousy he felt as each of his brothers pulled Amy too close for a married woman and whisked her around the dance floor.
When she was dancing with Alex, she let out a delighted laugh at something he said. Lucas walked away from his dance partner without a word and reclaimed his bride. His brother laughed harder and kissed Amy on the cheek before releasing her.
“What were the two of you laughing about?”
he questioned as he spun her around the floor.
“He told me if I came to my senses, I could call him, and he’d whisk me away from his boring older brother,”
she said, still smiling in delight.
“You’re mine, and only mine, and the only one who’ll be whisking you anywhere will be me,”
he said and pulled her even closer so she’d have room for only him in her mind.
He kissed her until he could hardly stand anymore, and then he decided they’d spent enough time with people.
“It’s time to go. Let’s say goodnight to my parents and get away from here,”
he said as he took her hand and led her in the direction of his mom and dad.