Chapter 27
Tate
Mick and Taryn’s wedding is amazing. Sasha lives in the biggest, most incredible mansion I’ve ever seen, much less been inside.
Of course, she’s the daughter of rock and roll royalty as well as the stepdaughter of a European king.
On top of that, she’s married to a professional hockey player named Anton Petrov, so it makes sense that her house is over the top.
And it’s a great place to have a wedding.
She has a massive fenced-in back yard that’s been decorated for the event. There are pathways to walk for people who want to get outside for fresh air and seating for those who may want to escape the music and have a drink.
Inside, she’s turned the formal dining room into a buffet, with food and desserts. A room I can’t quite identify now that it’s been turned into a ballroom of sorts has linen-covered tables and chairs, along with a small area for dancing.
I have no idea how this is normally decorated—or what she does with all this space—but it’s incredibly generous of her to throw a party like this for Mick and Taryn. It’s a testament to the friendship we’ve built with both Sasha and the record label headed by her mother.
Especially since Mick and Taryn were truly planning something low-key.
Once Sasha got involved it turned into something memorable.
It went from about thirty people to over a hundred, and now that dinner, dancing, and the cake cutting is over, I pull Summer onto the dance floor.
“Marry You” by Bruno Mars is playing and though it’s not a slow song, I wrap my arms around her anyway.
She’s wearing a slinky pink dress that falls to mid-thigh and gives me a breathtaking view of her cleavage. She smells nice too, and I’ve never wanted to scoop a woman up and carry her up to bed more than I do right now. Sasha probably wouldn’t appreciate it, but it’s a fun thought.
“Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?” I ask.
“You look pretty handsome yourself.” She runs one hand up my chest and adjusts my tie. “I’ve never seen you in a suit.”
“And I’ve never seen you in a dress like this.”
“Sadly, it’ll probably be the last time I fit into it for a long time.”
“You’re beautiful no matter what you’re wearing,” I say softly. “Or how pregnancy will change your body. I wanted you the first night I saw you, when you were wearing that awful uniform at the diner.”
She laughs. “You don’t like my uniform?”
“Honestly, I barely noticed the uniform. All I saw was you. Your beautiful golden eyes. Your round breasts. Your long legs. Those gorgeous lips. I was mesmerized.”
She winds her arms around my neck. “I like when you sweet talk to me.”
“I probably don’t do it often enough.”
“You haven’t had much of a chance.”
“Well, there will be plenty of sweet talk between now and when I leave for Europe.”
“That sounds like something I’m going to enjoy.”
“I plan to spoil my new bride.”
Her eyes drift up to mine, and I see a strange mix of emotions.
Happiness, wariness, and hope, maybe even a little confusion.
Like she isn’t sure what to make of what’s happening between us.
I can’t keep reassuring her, though. At some point, she has to trust me.
Trust in the way it feels, in the way I treat her, and hopefully, in the way she feels about me.
“Time for the bouquet toss!” Sasha yells, ushering women onto the makeshift dance floor and shooing the men.
“See you in a minute!” I tell Summer, joining the other guys on the sidelines.
Summer moves to the back of the crowd, while Ryleigh gets right in front.
“I’m ready!” Ryleigh yells to Taryn, who laughs.
“You better not throw it to me.” A well-known fashion designer named Alexa Humboldt says, standing next to Ryleigh with a scowl on her face. Ryleigh whispers something to her and they both laugh.
“I mean, you’re getting married next no matter what happens,” Jonny points out.
“Yeah, but this is tradition. Besides, it’s fun.”
He shrugs. “Meh. Weddings aren’t my thing. When I fall in love, I hope she’s willing to elope because this looks like a huge waste of time and money.”
“Seriously, dude? Why are you so grumpy?”
“I’m not. Just saying, this isn’t my thing.”
“It’s been a blast,” I protest. “All our friends. Good food and music. Your brother marrying a woman he absolutely adores…what’s not to love?”
“I don’t know.” He looks over to where Mick is whispering to Taryn, one hand on the small of her back. “You’re all just…”
“What?” I ask.
“It’s different now. You’re all in love. You’re all…attached. Mick basically has a kid now and next year you will too. And then there’s me.”
“Living your best life. You don’t have to stop doing anything and everything you want to do. And we’ll be right there with you. Just not with other women.”
“We couldn’t even get you guys lap dances the other night,” he complains.
“But you can still have them. How does it impact you that we don’t want to do some of that stuff anymore?
“It impacts me because now I have to do them alone.”
Ah, shit.
He’s feeling left out, and I don’t know how to handle that.
Fortunately, I’m prevented from responding because Taryn has moved to the far end of the dance floor with her back to the ladies who’ve lined up.
Ryleigh looks determined, Summer is more amused, and Alexa is still a little surly.
Most of the other ladies just seem resigned to Ryleigh coming out the winner since she’s making a big show of catching it.
“Ready?” Taryn calls out. She lowers her bouquet and then throws it back over her head toward the waiting ladies.
Alexa ducks, Ryleigh jumps up in the air while most of the other girls move out of the way.
Except Summer.
She’s just standing there politely, and when the bouquet hits Ryleigh’s hand but bounces up and back, Summer simply lifts her hand and catches it without moving anything but her arm. And she looks a little shocked that she caught it.
Everyone, including Ryleigh, bursts out laughing.
Now it’s time for Mick to toss the garter, and based on the looks I see some of the guys exchange, I have a feeling I’m a shoo-in. But that’s okay. If this is their way of giving Summer and me a little mini-wedding reception of our own, I appreciate it.
There’s some grappling among the men, making a show of going for it, but Jonny gives it a nudge in my direction, and sure enough, I wind up with the lacy garment and am immediately ushered to the center of the dance floor, where Summer is now sitting in a chair.
“I feel like this was a set-up,” she murmurs, glancing up at me with a soft smile.
“Absolutely,” I agree. “I think they just wanted us to have a moment in the spotlight too since we’re not having a wedding.”
“You have really nice friends,” she says softly.
“We have really nice friends.”
We exchange a tender look, her gaze lingering on mine until the DJ starts playing stripper music.
Which is hilarious considering I’m supposed to put the garter on her, not take anything off.
But I’m an entertainer by profession, so I make a little show of it, doing a couple of dance steps before I drop down to my haunches.
Summer hikes up the hem of her dress ever so slowly, stopping at mid-thigh.
Everyone boos so she pulls it up another inch or two and then looks down at me expectantly.
I make a big deal out of running my hands along her calf and letting her stiletto heel fall off before sliding the garter around her foot, over her ankle and up her leg.
Everyone is hooting and hollering, and we laugh along with them as I bend my head and use my teeth to drag it up the rest of the way.
At the end, I rest my head in her lap and everyone claps and cheers.
Summer puts her hand on my hair, stroking softly for a few seconds before I lift my head and sit up.
We smile at each other, unspoken understanding between us. Like this is a private moment we shared. I don’t completely understand it, but I like it.
And for some reason, I feel like we just passed some kind of milestone.