We all followed suit, shouting and confetti flew so thick in the air it seemed to be snowing. It drifted around slowly, floating softly as it fell around the newlyweds.
I saw the tears glimmering in Jules’s eyes as she looked around at her friends then she turned, Vance’s arms closed around her and she shoved her face in his neck.
That’s when I felt my throat close.
“Shit,” Indy, standing close to me, muttered and Lee mumbled, “Honey,” and slid his arms around her. She pressed a red, trying not to cry face into his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck.
That’s when I felt my throat begin to burn and I took a step back, for some reason, needing to escape.
So I looked to escape as fast as my purple shoes would take me.
I whirled and ran, dodging well-wishers and waiters, and made it halfway down the middle aisle of books before an arm caught me at the waist and I was turned to face Luke.
My head tilted back and my gaze met his. His face was soft, his eyes were searching. My eyes were filled with tears.
“Babe,” he murmured. “Talk to me.”
I shook my head and took a step back. Both his arms went around me and he pulled me close. Therefore, no retreat.
Eek!
“No running,” he said, voice soft but firm. “Talk.”
“I don’t think –” I started, then stopped.
Get it out, get it out, get it OUT, girl, Good Ava demanded.
Yeah, for goodness sake, let’s get this over with. I need more champagne, Bad Ava sounded bored.
“Ava –” Luke said low when I didn’t start talking.
I cleared my throat, took a deep breath, straightened in his arms and said, straight out before I could stop myself, “I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy.”
His head jerked back and I knew that was not what he was expecting to hear.
Then his face changed, he looked at me in a way he had never looked at me before and whatever was in his face made my lungs seize.
His arms moved, one went low, very low, passed my waist, his hand going lower, pressing into my behind so my hips were fit snug into his. The other arm slid up my back so it was wrapped just under my shoulder blades and I felt his fingers against the side of my breast.
“I’m scared,” I told him in a small voice and I felt a shiver slide through my body. I felt suddenly cold, so I pressed in close and put my hands on his shoulders. I closed my eyes tight then opened them and whispered, “Luke, I’m scared to death. I’ve never been so scared in all my life.”
“Tell me and, I swear to God, I’ll make it so you won’t be scared ever again,” he promised.
I blinked at him. “Tell you what?”
“You know what.”
“I don’t know what.” After I said it, I knew what and my body went tense.
“Babe, I’ve been waitin’ since that day your family breezed into town.”
That’s when I knew that he knew all along. How he knew I did not know but then again, he knew everything.
“Do I have to say it?” I asked quietly.
He gave me a half-grin and an arm squeeze. “Yeah, you have to say it.”
I sighed.
He did another arm squeeze.
My hands slid up from his shoulders to his jaw and I looked him in the eyes.
Oh well, I had been waiting since I was eight. I had created extravagant daydreams about it. I had dreamed of it at night. I had written about how I would do it in my diary. I had hoped for a chance to do this, for over twenty years. I had even prayed for it.
There was no reason to wait any longer. If I waited any longer I’d be a serious wuss.
And there was one thing I knew about myself after the last couple of months, I was no wuss.
“Lucas Stark,” I whispered, “I love you.”
I hadn’t let my mind move forward passed the actual saying of the words to process what I thought his response to my telling him I loved him would be.
However, even in my wildest imaginings it wasn’t what I got.
His arms did another squeeze, this one so tight it crushed me to him. He kissed me, the kiss was so hot, so hard, so deep, it bruised my lips (truth be told, I didn’t really mind).
Then he let me go and I was in such a Luke Lip Fog that I went back on a foot, my hand curling around his upper arm to steady myself but I didn’t have to do that. Mainly because, all of a sudden, I was no longer on my feet. Instead, I was thrown over Luke’s shoulder, his arm wrapped around the backs of my thighs. He turned and started walking back toward the party.
Oh… my… God.
He was not carrying me to the party! Was he?
“Luke!” I hissed. “Put me down.”
He kept walking.
“Luke! Everyone is going to –”
Too late, we hit the open area, people were chatting, laughing, glasses were clinking.
As Luke walked through, the chatting, laughing and clinking glasses stopped and I looked around from my position hanging over Luke’s back, my hands at this waist, my head lifted up and I saw everyone stare.
“You the man!” Sniff shouted at us and there were a few low laughs.