Chapter 13 – Allegra
13
ALLEGRA
I ’m laughing when Raine dips me so low, we both almost tip over.
“Pull me up, you idiot.”
He does as I order, then he twirls me out. I stop in the middle of the dance floor because I can’t stop laughing.
After Rachel and her family vacated the resort, only a few of her friends and family showed up, so Theo invited those who made the trip and all the employees for a big party. He refused to waste the food. It wasn’t the type of stuff you could send to shelters because it would have gone bad by the time they could distribute it. Although, I do know that he sent a lot of the cookies to the local shelters.
We all gorged ourselves on food, and the band Rachel paid for has been playing all night. I’ve danced with all of my brothers now, and we have had a blast. I wish our parents were here right now. It would be so much fun to have the entire family together.
“Uh oh, what’s up with that look?” Raine asks.
“Just missing Mom and Dad.”
“You could see them all the time if you lived in Denver.”
I sigh. “My job is here.”
“And Theo.”
I glance around, looking for the man in question, but he is nowhere to be found. Theo’s been making the rounds, making sure everyone has what they need.
“Yeah.”
“You don’t sound too sure.”
“It’s all new, that’s all. He’s a little bigger than life.”
“And he will fit into our family because of that.”
I study him. “Why do you say that?”
He sighs. “That man is head over heels in love with you, Five.”
I know he told me that but hearing someone else say it makes me even giddier.
“Yeah, but we’re different.”
“Not a problem. Look at Mom and Dad. Those two are so different. They’ve been together almost forty years.”
I smile. “You’re right.”
“Excuse me, but I think this is my dance.”
I look over my shoulder and see Theo standing there. He’s changed into dress slacks and a shirt, leaving it unbuttoned. The green shirt brings out his eyes.
“Of course,” Raine says with a smile, leaning forward, he whispers, “He adores you. Just remember that.”
He steps away, and Theo pulls me into his arms. The band is playing a Dominion ballad—one of my favs—as Theo expertly moves me around the floor.
“Where have you been?”
“I had to get cleaned up. Couldn’t put my paws on you until I cleaned up.”
Just the way he states that he’s going to put his paws on me sends a rush of giddiness through me. I have never had a man try to romance me, not that I noticed anyway. Work is all that mattered.
“Nothing to say?”
I swallow and shake my head.
“If I had known that flirting with you would shut you up, I would have tried it months ago.”
“I had a feeling about you two,” Nancy says as she dances by with her husband. “You’re the perfect couple.”
I blink. “What was that about?”
His cheeks turn ruddy, and he mumbles so low that I can’t hear him. This is so out of character for Theo.
“What was that?” I repeat.
“I told them all we are in a committed relationship and that maybe Enrique needed to quit looking at your ass.”
I have to blink again. “Enrique was looking at my ass?’
“Yes, and I was not allowing that.”
I roll my eyes. “And what am I supposed to do about all the women who look at you?”
“Like they have a chance at me now. You are the only woman I want from now until the day I die.”
He says it in a voice like I would be stupid not to know.
“Well, the same goes for me.”
His eyes soften. “Yeah?”
I want to laugh because he’s Theo Darling, a player with a long list of broken hearts in his past. But he really does seem to be worried about my affections.
“I was a twenty-five-year-old virgin until yesterday, so, yeah, I think I like you a little. I thought we already declared our love.”
“So, if I said we should get married tonight, you would do it?”
“No.” He opens his mouth. “I’m the only girl in my family, and if I don’t have my mama there, she will come after you with scissors. And let’s just say, we might not be able to have children after she was done with you. And you will have to win her over.”
“Don’t worry about that. I have a feeling your mother is going to love me.”
“Of course, she is. I love you, so she will love you too.”
He stops dancing and pulls me closer. The kiss he gives me is thoroughly erotic, and my head is spinning by the time he pulls back. My face turns red when I hear all the hoots and hollers from the staff. Even my brothers are making noise.
“I think we might need some privacy.”
He nods and grabs me by my hand. “You read my mind.”
We’re laughing as we run from the room, which makes everyone yell louder. And I realize then that my life is more than just work. It’s family and love, and I’m sure I will have both of those with Theo in my life.