Chapter Eight #4
“Now that we’ve heard your vows to each other, and my incredibly heartfelt speech, it’s my deepest honor to pronounce you husband and wife.
Chad . . . now you can kiss your bride. And make it a good one.
None of this wimpy lip touching that some people feel is appropriate.
Kash, Mom, you guys might want to look away. ”
Kash muttered, “Gross,” before doing as Knox suggested and turning to look out at the cove, but everyone else watched as Chad bent Britt over his arm and kissed the daylights out of her.
“Is it time to eat now?” Kash asked, when Chad finally brought Britt upright once more. “I’m starving.”
Her kid was always hungry, but Harper didn’t hold it against him. He was still growing, and soon, hopefully, he’d start to fill out and would need all the calories he could get even more.
“I don’t know about that, but I’m freezing. Time to go inside!” Evelyn announced.
Everyone shuffled into the house, and Harper sighed in relief as the warmth surrounded her once she stepped into the living room.
The rest of the day was spent laughing and simply enjoying each other’s company.
They’d all gotten together recently at Thanksgiving, and today was just as satisfying as the holiday had been.
The food was amazing, Zach had once again stepped up and done most of the cooking, and seeing the joy on Britt and Chad’s faces throughout the night was rewarding on a visceral level.
Evelyn had insisted on making the “cake,” and it was probably the best thing Harper had ever tasted. It was untraditional, just like the rest of the wedding—a chocolate peanut butter pie, which she’d learned was Britt’s favorite.
Britt and Chad had even had a first dance as a married couple right there in the living room, after the men pushed furniture out of the way. Harper’s eyes teared up once more when Chad danced with his mom. All in all, it had been as close to a perfect day as Harper had ever experienced.
As she’d warned Kash time and time again, there was no such thing as an absolutely perfect day .
. . as predicted, her dad had left not long after the ceremony, and Marit dropped a bottle of wine, sending dark red alcohol flying all over the kitchen floor.
The shoes Harper bought had indeed been comfortable at first, but soon began rubbing her heels unbearably, and she’d had to borrow a pair of socks from Evelyn to save her poor feet.
But even with the small issues, the day was still unforgettable.
Everyone joined in picture-taking duties, and at the end of the night, they shared the photos by using their phones’ built-in features to drop them to each other in batches. As a result, Harper’s cell was full of the smiling faces of the Young family, and she loved each and every pic.
Her favorite was one Evelyn had taken. Harper and Linc had moved to the “dance floor” to share a slow dance, along with all the other couples.
She was gazing at him with what she could only describe as longing on her face, and Linc was staring back with the same expression.
One of his hands sat at the small of her back, the other holding their clasped hands up by his shoulder.
The picture captured all the emotions she was feeling at that moment perfectly. Desire, satisfaction, happiness, contentedness.
Her other favorite picture was of her and Kash.
They were holding hands and swinging around in a circle as they danced.
They were both laughing their heads off, and the joy on her son’s face was priceless to Harper.
His hair was mussed, he had a stain on his shirt from where he’d dropped something while he ate, and his bow tie was untied, hanging around his neck.
He was a boy on the cusp of manhood who still had no problem being silly with his mom. She loved that picture so much.
And at the end of the night, after everyone had said bye to Britt and Chad—who were going to spend their wedding night at a B&B in Rockville before heading to Portland—and after Harper, Linc, and Kash had said their own goodbyes, Linc pretended to drive off, but he turned out his lights and pulled into the boat storage yard instead.
Somehow, Harper was convinced to go with the boys to execute Operation Lobster, as they called it.
Hiding those tiny lobsters all over the small house Britt and Chad were living in was actually hysterical fun.
Finding places to stash the little critters was quite a challenge.
Especially two hundred and fifty of the suckers.
By the time they were done, Harper had a feeling the couple would be finding lobsters years from now. It was a harmless and fun prank, she’d decided, and weirdly, she felt honored to have been included.
It was late when they got back to Linc’s house, and Kash was dead on his feet, trying valiantly to keep his eyes open but walking like a zombie into the house and straight up the stairs.
He turned after a few steps and said, “Tonight was awesome. Thanks for the clothes, Linc. And the bow tie. And for including me in Operation Lobster. And Mom, thanks for everything you do for me. You’re the best mom in the world.
” Then, without giving either of them a chance to respond, he disappeared up the rest of the stairs.
Then it was just Harper and Linc. She felt shy all of a sudden. She was tired, and she knew he had to be too. There’d been a lot of emotion throughout the day, and she felt weighed down by it all.
“Go to bed, Harper. You look exhausted. You’re working in the afternoon, right?”
“Yeah. Two to ten.”
“Sleep in as long as you can. I’ve got Kash.”
Gratitude and longing hit Harper hard and fast. He was such a good man. She walked over and put her hands on his chest as she leaned into him. She felt his arms go around her, and she rested her forehead against his shoulder. They stood like that for a long moment before she straightened.
“Thanks for sharing your family with us. You have no idea how much it means to me.”
“You’re welcome,” Linc said simply. Then he licked his lips and said quietly, “I’ve wanted to kiss you again all night. Seeing you smile, your happy tears, you laughing with your son, I don’t think I’ve seen anything as beautiful as you in a very long time.”
Pleasure bloomed within Harper. No compliment she’d ever received meant as much as the ones coming from this man’s lips.
“Then kiss me,” she encouraged.
Her hand went to his nape as he leaned forward. This kiss wasn’t as . . . desperate . . . as the one they’d shared in the car. It was easy and affectionate. He kept it short—shorter than Harper would’ve liked.
“Good night, Harper. See you in the morning.”
She didn’t want to drop her hand from his neck, but his words were obviously meant as an ending to the wonderful day they’d shared.
Smiling as she backed away, Harper gave him a dorky little wave, then mentally winced at how stupid she was being. Turning, she headed for the stairs where Kash had disappeared moments earlier. Just like him, she turned after going up only a couple of steps.
“Do you think you’ll be able to sleep tonight? After all the excitement?” She worried about Linc. Kash had told her a little bit about how he had trouble sleeping, but since she usually slept like a rock, she hadn’t caught him awake in the middle of the night.
“Sure,” Linc said with a smile.
He was lying, but Harper didn’t know what she could do about it. Linc was a grown man, and if he wasn’t getting enough sleep, he’d know what to do to fix it. Wouldn’t he?
But Linc didn’t give her a chance to question him, he simply nodded and headed for his bedroom.
Wishing she had the guts to ask him to stay with her, even if just to sleep in his oversize chair again, Britt walked up the stairs toward her room.
She took off the dress and kicked off the shoes, making a mental note never to buy shoes from her workplace again, no matter how cute they looked.
She put on an oversize T-shirt and padded out to the bathroom.
By the time she got back to bed, she was dead on her feet. She’d planned on staying awake long enough to go over the wonderful memories of the day, especially Linc’s kisses. But as soon as her head hit her pillow, she was out like a light.