I lean back. “No. Leave yours on. It’s the sweetest thing.” I reach up and ruffle his hair. “I’m so excited for you.”
“Holy shit! This wedding is insane,” Brooke declares with her drink in her hand as she comes up to the group. She motions with her free hand toward the rest of the crowd that are all mingling and dancing. “Side note. There is zero play for me at this shindig. You all seriously need to find some more single friends.” She winks before grabbing Joey and Billy, congratulating them. Juls and Ian begin dancing and I look around for my groom, only scanning half the room before I feel him behind me.
His lips press against my hair as his arms wrap around my waist. “I love you, Mrs. Carroll.”
I spin around and link my fingers behind his neck. “I love you. Feel like taking a bathroom break? I’ve heard the amenities here are prime for fucking.”
He shakes his head, laughing at me. I think he’s going to respond with some filthy comment, but he kisses me instead. And when that happens, I no longer hear the hysterical excitement of our friends. I no longer hear the song playing overhead or the noises of the crowd around us. I’m purely focused on Reese and the way he kisses me.
The way my husband kisses me.
And nothing could pull me out of this moment with him. Not even a vacant men’s bathroom.
“Why are we stopping at the bakery?” I ask as the limo pulls in front of my shop and comes to a stop. Reese and I left The Whitmore underneath a cloud of bubbles before getting into our getaway vehicle. It was supposed to drive us straight to his condo. Or so I thought.
I don’t get an answer from my groom before he opens the door and steps out, offering me his hand. I take it and exit the limo, looking up at him.
“Umm, did you not get enough of that cake? Is that why we’re here? For treats? Because I thought I saw you eat, like, four pieces.”
He opens the shop door, keeping my hand in his as he enters the alarm code. “That was the best cake I’ve ever had. And I meant what I said about you making that every year on our anniversary.”
“Not to scale, I hope,” I reply with a smile.
He pulls me through the back and toward the stairs. I stop him, firmly holding my place by the worktop.
“Wait. What are you doing?”
Did he completely forget that all of my stuff was moved out today?
He smiles sweetly. “Come upstairs with me.”
I can feel the wrinkles setting into my skin as I put on my most baffled expression. Before I have time to ask any more questions, he steps into me, lifting me off the floor and cradling me in his arms. I hold onto his neck as he carries me up the stairs, swings the door open, and steps out into my old loft.
Because that’s what it is.
What I’m looking at now is definitely not the loft I’m familiar with.
Some of my stuff is here, but it’s been moved around. Blended with his. A perfect mix of his furniture and mine. The screen that separates the bedroom area from the living room space is now moved to the far corner of the room, separating a smaller area from everything else. The arrangement is different, making the space seem bigger somehow. My bed has been moved against the wall, leaving more room around it. After taking in my surroundings, I turn my head to meet his anxious eyes.
“I’m confused.”
He smiles, setting me down on my feet and taking my hand in his. His other hand works at loosening his tie. “Why are you confused? This is your wedding present.” He pulls me toward the bed and spins me around to face it while he stays at my back. I feel his fingers tug at the buttons on my dress. “Dylan, I don’t need things. I don’t need a big condo, or extra room, or all this shit I’ve accumulated over the years. This place is tiny, but we can make it work. I had the rest of our stuff put into storage until we figure out what to do with it.”
“But what about when we have a baby? We agreed we’d be cramped in here.”
His finger points over my shoulder, and I follow it to the decorative screen. “The baby can be right there. That way he’s right next to us.”
“He?” I ask, biting back my smile. I feel his fingers unsnap the clasp behind my neck holding my halter up and seconds later, my dress drops to the floor. Turning around, I watch his gaze slowly move up my body, taking in my wedding present to him. His chest rises with a deep inhale as his eyes seems to lose focus somewhere between my stomach and my neck. I let him look for a few more seconds before I coax an answer from him. “Reese?”
“Hmm?”
“You said ‘he’. We’re not having any daughters?”