He’d told her he’d save her a dance, though. Because of that short-circuiting effect she had on his brain, he hadn’t been able to think on his feet fast enough to come up with a good excuse not to.
Just thinking about holding her made his body ache, and he knew his only hope was that she was so tipsy she’d neither notice nor care if he didn’t dance with her. Or, if he couldn’t avoid it, at best he wouldn’t make a fool of himself. But he was about out of self-control when it came to Lauren.
Chapter Ten
The cake had been cut and the bouquet had been tossed—which Liz caught, much to her apparent horror if the look on her face was any indication. She’d tried to sit it out, but Rosie had been quick to point out that she wasn’t married and was therefore technically eligible to take part in the tradition.
Lauren was relieved she’d escaped the curse of the bouquet and now she was about to give up on dancing with Ryan and head home. She was starting to get the feeling he was avoiding her for some reason, and she could take a hint.
He should have just told her he was busy or tired or come up with some other excuse if he didn’t want to dance with her. It would have been less awkward then dodging her, and she would already be on her way home.
She wasn’t quite sure how she was going to get there, though. They’d come in Hailey’s car, but Hailey had enjoyed the champagne almost as much as she had. Neither of them would be driving.
“They’re getting ready to leave,” Hailey said, dragging Lauren toward the front yard. It wasn’t easy to keep up with her in the grass, wearing heels, but she managed not to fall down.
Mitch and Paige were on the front porch of the lodge, posing for a few last pictures, and Lauren had to stifle a laugh when she saw Paige’s car. She’d never seen that many ribbons and cans tied to a vehicle before, and there was a huge sign in the back window that said Make Way for the Weddingmobile of Doom! Just married!
“How legal is that car right now?” she asked Drew, whom she’d ended up next to, and who looked more relaxed than he’d been since Mallory left him.
“Not very. The backseat being full of balloons is definitely a problem.”
She got a little sniffly when Mitch hugged Rose and his aunt before leading his new bride through a veritable gauntlet of Kowalskis to the car. He honked the horn all the way down the driveway until they were out of sight. Then the guests all drifted around to the backyard again.
Lauren set her empty glass on the table and waved Fran off when she held up yet another bottle. “I’ve had enough.”
When she saw Ryan walking toward her, her breath seemed to catch in her chest. Maybe she shouldn’t dance with him. She didn’t think she was drunk, but she definitely wasn’t sober and the last thing she wanted to do was make a fool out of herself in front of these people.
“I’m told you rode over with Hailey,” he said.
Was he going to offer to bring her home? Or maybe tell her she should stay at the lodge? With him? “Yeah.”
“She won’t be driving anywhere tonight, so I’ll be driving you both home. Just let me know when you’re ready to go.”
“Oh.” That was a bit of a letdown. “Okay.”
“Wait,” Hailey said, mysteriously appearing next to her. “You guys haven’t danced yet.”
She’d never wanted to stuff a sock in Hailey’s mouth more than she did at that moment. “It doesn’t matter.”
“She’s right. I said I’d save you a dance.” He smiled and held out his hand, but Lauren noticed the smile didn’t quite light up his eyes.
His fingers closed around hers, warm and strong, and he led her to where a few people were still dancing. The song was slow and romantic, and she sighed when he rested the hand not holding hers on her hip.
Then, they simply danced. There was no sliding of his hands across the fabric of her dress. No pulling her close. No resting her head against his chest to hear if his heart was beating as fast as hers.
Instead, he held himself so straight he was almost rigid, carefully leaving space between their bodies. His mouth was set in a straight line and he seemed content to blankly stare over the top of her head.
Okay, so she’d misread his earlier signals. Just one more thing to blame on the champagne. Rather than suffer in excruciating silence, she tried for polite small talk. “Where are Mitch and Paige going for their honeymoon?”
“They wouldn’t tell us.” His voice was as tense as his body.
“She wouldn’t tell us, either.” She paused, but he didn’t say anything else. “Probably smart. Nobody likes pranks on their wedding night.”
“Nope.”
She gave up. The song seemed to go on forever, which would have been a good thing if Ryan wasn’t holding her as if she was Typhoid Mary.
When it finally ended, he dropped his hands and took a step back. “Just let me know when you and Hailey are ready to go.”
She was done. “Anytime you are.”
“Let me round up a couple more people and then we’ll go.”
She nodded and walked back to Hailey, who was frowning, a little of the glow gone from the evening.