Man Crush Monday

by Kirsty Moseley

  The soft music stops, and the wedding march starts up.

  My breath catches in my throat, and I grip my pretty bouquet of roses, turning to look back at the girls standing with me, sending Heather a wink. My feet are itching to race me down the aisle, and I can barely stand still as I wait for my turn to walk up the little carpet and get to the front. My heart is racing.

  When it’s finally my turn, I step around the corner and beam a smile, loving how everyone is turned to watch me walk. I feel stunning in my dress with my hair all up in an impossibly cute up-do with loose curls around my face.

  The church looks beautiful as I focus on putting one foot in front of the other and not to stumble in my two-inch heels. (Heather insisted I wasn’t to wear my Converse.) The guests murmur how gorgeous I look, and I glow with pride as I walk down the aisle.

  When Jared turns, catching my eye and sending me that wonderful crinkle-eyed grin, my stomach flutters.

  It’s been six months since the accident, and he’s doing great. His heart is strong, and there are no ill effects from the crash at all, apart from a few scars. But even those I like; they’re part of him, a reminder that life is fragile. Jared is as strong as an ox and is even entered for another half-marathon next month. Only this time, instead of the money he raises just being for the dementia charity, he’s splitting it, donating half to the hospital that saved his life.

  The way he’s looking so lustfully at me makes a blush creep onto my cheeks, and I drop my eyes to the floor, trying not to think dirty thoughts. As I pass my mum and nanna, they grin at me widely, and Nanna sends me a dorky wave, which I return.

  When I finally get to the front, I see Jared’s teeth are sunken into his bottom lip as his eyes rake over me in my dress. I giggle at the lust I see there and step to my left, away from him. My eyes slip from Jared to Tim, seeing him fidgeting nervously with his hands. He looks a little pale.

  I grin and turn to the back of the church, watching as Heather and her dad step around the corner. She looks exquisite in her white princess ballgown, and I feel pride swell in my chest. My best friend is getting married to my other best friend today. I couldn’t be happier even if it were my own wedding day.

  Tim and Heather decided two years was long enough to be engaged, and after Jared’s accident, we all made a pact not to take things for granted or put off things. They booked their wedding a couple of days after he was released from the hospital. That crash scared and touched all of us in different ways.

  I turn back to watch Tim as he watches Heather. The look on his face makes my heart clench. His nerves are gone now; it’s just sheer love that I see shining from his eyes. I hold in a little squeal and shuffle on the spot in jubilation.

  When I look back at Jared, I see he’s still looking at me. He grins and raises his hands, telling me he loves me, using sign language. My heart melts a little more. This is the new language he has been learning in his spare time. At work, his proposals to the board have been funded, his department has expanded, and more people have been recruited for the specialised division he’s spearheading. His most recent hire is a partially deaf graphic designer. He uses sign language as well as lipreading to communicate, so Jared decided this was his new project. He is always trying to better himself, always striving to be the best person he can be. He awes me. Every. Single. Day. I’ve been learning it too. I’m not a fast learner like he is, but he is a patient teacher. I love you was one of the first things I could sign.

  As Heather gets to the top of the aisle, she hands me her flowers, and I give her a nod and a wink of encouragement before she turns back to Tim.

  The wedding ceremony is beautiful, just as I imagined it would be. They have their own vows they prepared. Tim’s makes everyone laugh; Heather’s makes me cry happy tears. The rings are exchanged, and the kiss has the perfect, respectable amount of tongue for church. They’ve pretty much nailed it all.

  As they turn and walk down the aisle, arm in arm, I grin and step to the side, letting the other bridesmaid, Heather’s cousin Hailey, walk behind them with the best man, Tim’s childhood best friend. When it’s my turn, I step to Jared’s side. Along with another friend of Tim’s, Jared has acted as an usher for the day. As my arm links through his, I smile up at him and sigh contentedly.

  Outside the church, we throw rice paper and rose petals as the camera clicks, catching the confetti explosion and the newlyweds’ ecstatic faces.

  The crowd thins, and people start making their way to their cars, so they can make the short trip to the wedding reception. The party is being held in a marquee, set up in the breathtaking grounds of the hotel we stayed at last night. I went down to the marquee this morning to make sure everything was in place, and it looked magnificent. Heather is going to love it.

  As I follow behind the rest of the wedding party, meaning to get in one of the posh cars they hired for the bridesmaids, Jared’s hand tightens in mine, and he pulls me to a stop.

  I turn and look up at him, seeing him looking down at me with that look. My insides clench at the unadulterated lust I see in his eyes as he steps closer to me, his arm snaking around my back and pulling me flush against him.

  He looks like he wants to eat me, and my whole body is begging for it too.

  “You look absolutely stunning.” His voice is hoarse with arousal as his hand slides down to my bum, squeezing gently. “I can’t wait to get you home later. Have you got some sexy underwear on under this?”

  A heavy ache settles between my legs at the promise in his voice. I wince, knowing I’m wearing an ugly flesh-coloured pair of Spanx again. “I hate to tell you, but I’m wearing those ridiculously massive hold-me-in knickers again.”

  He chuckles and leans down, putting his forehead to mine. “Even better.”

  I squeal and kiss him. I now can’t wait to get home either.

  Jared and I have been living together for the last three months. Things have been moving fast between us, but when you know, you know. And we definitely know. We now have a lovely little two-bedroom flat with his and hers sinks in the bathroom and a cute little balcony that we often watch the sunset from. It is nothing like Jared’s old wraparound grand balcony, but this one is even better because it is ours. When we decided to move in together, it quickly became apparent that negotiation and compromise were in order. My flat was too small, and his flat was too posh and clinical, so we settled on somewhere new. We now reside in a recently renovated, second-floor flat in a gorgeous building not far from where I work. Jared had the final say on which flat we picked, and I got final say on the decoration inside. Give and take. Perfect.

  Us taking the next step and deciding to live together meant that Theo had to find somewhere else to live—no longer able to freeload off his twin. He now shares a flat that’s not too far from ours with one of their other friends. He’s doing well, still trudging along through life as if it were a comedy show, and generally being his awesome self. We see him often, and I’m pleased to say, the little mistaken identity blip hasn’t soured their relationship in the slightest.

  As Jared’s tongue slips into my mouth and I get my first taste of him for the day, I grip his waist and press myself closer to him as the lust builds inside me. We’ve been together almost eight months now, and I still can’t get enough of him.

  A throat clearing from behind me makes me pull away, a little bit dazed as I realise where I am. Jared smiles sheepishly over my shoulder as his arms loosen on me, his hands sliding up from my bum to the small of my back. I blink, coming back to reality as I turn and spot my mum and nanna standing there, watching us.

  Nanna is grinning at us like we’re the cutest thing ever, and Mum rolls her eyes, already knowing what we’re like. She couldn’t be happier that Jared and I are on track. She adores him like the son she never had and admitted after the events that she secretly hoped I would make this choice. Nanna adores him too—though she still looks at him like he is a three-course meal. I can’t even blame her.

 
“Are we heading to the hotel together?” Mum asks. “Or are you two going to continue to stand there, making out on sacred ground?”

  Jared shrugs. “I vote continue making out on sacred ground.”

  I grin. “Seconded. Motion passed,” I chime in, laughing as Jared plants a noisy, playful kiss on my lips again, eliciting an exasperated sigh from my mother and a naughty chuckle from my nanna.

  Later, the party is in full swing. We’ve eaten and had the speeches, and I’ve even had a couple of dances. When a high-pitched tinging gets my attention, I glance around. A waitress is tapping a knife on a glass.

  “Single ladies, it’s time for the bride to throw the bouquet!” the waitress announces. A ripple of excited chatter erupts, and my eyes widen. “If you could make your way outside of the marquee.”

  I look back at Jared and grin smugly. I’m so having that bouquet.

  He raises one eyebrow and slowly shakes his head. “No.”

  “Oh, yeah, it’s happening. I’m getting it,” I tell him. I bend down and unbuckle my shoes, taking them off and passing them to him. “Hold these. I don’t need any distractions.”

  He laughs, and I spring from my chair and follow the crowd outside, feeling the grass tickle my toes. There are about ten ladies grouped together in the middle. Heather is standing in front of them with her bouquet in her hand, squinting through the low evening sun. When she spots me, she grins and waggles her eyebrows at me.

  “You’d better aim straight,” I tell her as I walk past to join the group.

  “I got you, boo,” she replies, winking at me.

  I position myself off to one side of the group, stretching my arms above my head and rolling my shoulders to loosen them. I eye the group, sussing out my competition.

  That bouquet is going down!

  When I look over at Jared, his eyes are narrowed at me, and he raises his hand, using two fingers to point to his eyes and then flicking them at me—the universal sign for I’m watching you. I chuckle and blow him a kiss as I limber up my knees too.

  “Ready, ladies?” Heather calls, turning her back on us. She takes one last look over her shoulder before launching her bouquet in a perfect arc towards my face.

  I squeal, reaching for it, picturing myself catching it. My insides are already fizzing with excitement, so when someone darts to the left, elbowing me, grabbing for it too, I’m too shocked to even see it coming. The girl stands on my foot, and we both land a hand on it at the same time. Heather’s cousin’s face is twisted in concentration and determination as she shoves and bumps me, trying to wrench it from my steely grip. We wrestle over it for a couple of seconds, and then I suddenly feel the flowers slip through my fingertips. My eyes widen in indignation. I grunt in disappointment as they’re ripped away from me, and she holds them above her head in triumph.

  People clap and cheer for her, and I want to kill her.

  That was mine. What an absolute bitch. I’ve never liked her.

  When she turns back to me and gives me a smug grin, I force a smile even though I know it doesn’t reach my eyes.

  I hope you get chicken pox on your arsehole!

  Heather shrugs and raises her hands in a wasn’t meant to be gesture, and I simmer with jealousy inside. Now that the spectacle is over, the crowd starts heading back inside the marquee again, eager for more of the free wine and canapés.

  Jared strides towards me, shaking his head in mock disappointment, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “Oh well. You gave it a good go.”

  “Bloody muggle stole it right from my hands,” I grumble under my breath.

  He chuckles and steps close to me, gripping my waist and pulling me against him. I sigh and put my hands on his chest to steady myself on the uneven ground. Under my palm, I can feel his heart beating. I sigh, letting the annoyance of the bouquet go; it isn’t important. What is important is that little thump-thump under my palm. It is the most precious thing in the world.

  “I can’t believe you let her take it. You had that in the bag,” he teases.

  I glare over at her back as she walks into the marquee, grinning proudly and waving her flowers around like a trophy.

  Jared shrugs. “You had one job, Amy.”

  I grip his lapel and press myself closer to him, breathing him in. “I’ll get the next one.”

  He purses his lips and nods. “Okay. But what am I supposed to do with this in the meantime?”

  He removes one hand from my waist and holds it up to his chest. My eyes flick over it. On the tip of one finger, a beautiful gold ring, inset with a pink diamond, glints and sparkles in the sunshine. It’s absolutely gorgeous.

  My whole body jerks as I gasp in shock. I stare at it, my eyes filling with tears. “Oh my God. Are you serious?” I whisper.

  He shrugs. “Well, I was. But you didn’t catch it, so …”

  “You’d better give it to me!” Where my hands are gripping his lapel, I give him a little stern shake.

  He chuckles, his eyes glittering with amusement.

  I realise what I’ve just done and shake my head, smoothing down his suit. “Sorry, sorry, my excitement got the better of me for a second there.”

  “He’s gonna do it!” Nanna hisses from off to the side. “It’s happening. Jeez Louise, I might actually soil myself; I’m so excited.”

  “Shh, Mum!” my own mother hisses.

  I chuckle, and Jared and I both look to the side, seeing my mother, Nanna, Heather, and Tim all standing there, watching. They must have stayed behind because they knew this was going to happen. They’re all grinning from ear to ear. My mum is crying. My nanna is waving her hand in a get on with it gesture. Heather gives me two thumbs-up, her face glowing with pleasure.

  Jared turns back to me and smiles. “No pressure. Okay, well, here goes.” He pulls back and gets down on one knee, firmly holding my left hand in his.

  Before he can open his mouth, my excitement peaks again. “Yes, I’ll marry you!” I squeal, bouncing on the spot.

  The group laughs off to the side, and Jared beams up at me. “I didn’t ask you yet.”

  “Sorry, sorry. Go ahead. I’m in full control again now.” I press my lips together and try to breathe, smoothing my dress down with my free hand, trying to prepare myself for it.

  This is it. He’s going to propose. I’ve dreamed of this moment for months. While wedding planning with Heather, I secretly made all my own wedding decisions and stored them for one day in case Jared ever decided to pop the question.

  Jared’s eyes sparkle with amusement as he looks up at me, his thumb brushing over my knuckles. “Amy,” he begins.

  I chew my lip as a squeal escapes.

  “From the second I met you, you’ve brought colour into my life. Before that day, I hadn’t even realised that everything was just a mundane shade of grey. I love you so much. I promise I will always have your back, always support you, always be your biggest fan, and never complain if I turn up home and you’ve adopted a dog.”

  He grins, and I chuckle.

  “I’m in awe of you every day. You truly do amaze me. You’re weird and wonderful and just perfect. Every night, I go to sleep, thinking how lucky I am to have you. Every morning, I wake up with you and fall just a little bit deeper down that rabbit hole when you smile at me. I want to spend the rest of my life making you smile as much as you are right now.”

  He beams up at me and takes a deep breath before asking, “Will you marry me?”

  I blink, committing each of his sweet words to memory as I nod. “Yes,” I whisper as a happy tear slides down my cheek.

  My bravado is gone, replaced by a quiet, humble love for him that makes my heart ache in my chest. I’ve never been more completely happy than in this moment.

  He seems to breathe a sigh of relief as he takes the ring from his finger and slides it onto mine. My eyes drop down to it, and I feel a rush of love overwhelm me. It’s perfection, just like he is. And it’s mine.

  He gets to his feet, pressing his lips
to mine, kissing me with so much passion that it makes my knees weaken. I grin against his lips and throw my arms around his neck as he lifts me off my feet without breaking the kiss, spinning in a little circle. I hear my family whoop and holler, clapping excitedly, but I can’t concentrate on anything other than Jared and the all-consuming love I feel for him. Just him.

  Would you like more Jared and Amy? How about their first meeting from Jared’s point of view? You’re in luck. You can get a free bonus chapter, exclusive for newsletter subscribers, HERE.

  DEAREST READER,

  I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS BOOK!

  IF SO, PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING A SPOILER-FREE REVIEW.

  THANK YOU!

  HUGS,

  KIRSTY X

  OTHER BOOKS BY KIRSTY MOSELEY

  SINGLE TITLES

  The Boy Who Sneaks in My Bedroom Window

  Poles Apart

  Reasons Not to Fall in Love (Novella)

  BEST FRIEND SERIES

  Always You

  Free Falling

  GUARDED HEARTS SERIES

  Guarding the Broken (Nothing Left to Lose, Part 1)

  Blurring the Lines (Nothing Left to Lose, Part 2)

  Enjoying the Chase

  One Wild Night

  FIGHTING SERIES

  Fighting to Be Free

  Worth Fighting For

  CONNECT WITH KIRSTY MOSELEY

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  Acknowledgements

  To my husband, best friend, and biggest supporter, Lee—Thank you endlessly for always believing in me, even when I don’t.

  To my wonderful family—You guys are the best a girl could ask for.

  To my son, Braxton—Thanks for once asking me, “Mum, why are you like this?” (a line I stole for Jared in this book. LOL.) I love you lots. You are still the best thing I’ve ever done in life.