by Iris Trovao
During the father-daughter dance, Carson spun Lily around and caught her laughing frame as they swayed to the music. “Are you having fun?” he asked.
“The most fun ever.” She leaned in and kissed his cheek, letting out a happy sigh. “All the crazy planning was worth it.”
“That’s good to hear.” As more couples entered the dance floor, he narrowed his eyes at the Best Man whispering in Rose’s ear as they danced, his hands dangerously close to her backside.
“Oh my god, will you leave her alone?” Lily hissed, pinching his shoulder. “Paul is such a nice guy, he’s not gonna like defile her or anything.”
Carson grimaced. “Please don’t use that word.”
“What, defile?” She smirked. “I mean, really we should be worried about sweet poor Paul getting defiled—”
“Don’t even finish that sentence,” he warned, shaking his head and resisting the urge to shove his fingers in his ears.
“You’re so ridiculous, Dad.” Lily rolled her eyes, and as the song ended, she inclined her head behind him. “Dance with your lady now, kay? Save her from Thad’s horrible dance moves.”
He glanced over his shoulder and couldn’t help but laugh as Jolie staggered out of the way of one of Thad’s flailing arms. “May I?” he asked, stepping up to the duo, and she took his hand.
“Absolutely.” She laughed as Thad gave an exaggerated bow and attempted to moonwalk away.
Carson pulled her against him, gazing down at her soft features beneath the light of the chandelier. The memory of their first date suddenly overwhelmed him, beneath the mood lighting in the restaurant all those years ago. How he’d known as soon as he’d seen her that she was Jolie, his Jolie. Or Jane, as he’d known her for so long before that.
Her eyelids fluttered shut as he leaned down to kiss her tentatively, so chaste yet so full of fireworks.
“Are you having a good time?” she asked softly when he pulled away.
He sighed as their swaying brought Rose back into his line of vision. “A lovely time, as long as that Paul fellow keeps his hands off of my daughter’s behind.”
“Oh god, I’d be more worried about Paul,” Jolie scoffed, and Carson’s blood ran cold.
“Why does everyone keep saying that?” he moaned, shaking his head. “Did you hear back from Alicia?”
She nodded. “Yeah, she emailed me some pictures of the villa she’s staying in. New Zealand seems to be making her happy.”
“Good for her,” he said with a smile. “I’m glad she’s sharing it with you.”
Jolie shrugged. “Little bits, right? I don’t know if we’ll ever get to the level we were at before John passed, but…I mean it is what it is. I’m just glad she seems to be healing finally.”
“Definitely.”
They danced in silence for a time, content against each other.
“You’re beautiful,” Carson finally said, and planted a kiss on her forehead.
Jolie smirked. “So are you, doc. We clean up nice, huh?”
He nodded, and as the song faded out, giving way to upbeat hip hop, Lily squealed and ran around the dance floor, collecting all of her bridesmaids, Jolie included. The girls shrieked and danced some kind of synchronized thing from whatever viral post the song was associated with.
Carson watched and clapped and grinned, his heart so full of everything that he never could have ever known he needed.
END
About the Author
Emily S Hurricane writing as Iris Trovao
Emily is an east-coast Canadian thirtysomething mom of two humans and a furbaby. Her lumbersexual husband doesn’t actually work in lumber anymore, but he still wears the plaid and the beard.
As well as authoring, she’s a freelance editor and ghostwriter. Her books range in genre from Romance and Erotica to Horror and Science Fiction, and everything in between.
When she’s not writing and/or momming, she’s sipping espresso, crocheting, and listening to audiobooks.
You can find Emily and her collected works at emilyshurricane.com. If you want access to her entire backlist and early content, check out her Patreon at patreon.com/emilyshurricane.
Other Stories
Romance
As Iris Trovao
Shotgun Cowgirl
Shotgun Wedding
Shotgun Sheriff
Wrong Number
Paranormal Fantasy
As Emily S Hurricane
The Beginning of the End
Southern Ice
A Tale of Two Fathers
The Sea Meets The Sky
Northern Fire
Serial Stories
On Radish Fiction
Bloodlines
Her Tyrant Alpha
Shotgun Cowgirl
Anthologies
Love at First Sip, A Romance Anthology (Emily S Hurricane)
Secrets, An Erotic Anthology (Maria Rush)
BDSM Erotica
As Valerie Gale
Bag of Tricks
With Friends Like These
Princess
Hard Lessons
Tasting Mrs. Carter
Internal Affairs
Quiet, Please!
Caught and Punished
Dined and Dominated
Training the Guitarist
Menage/RH/Poly Erotica
As Arlene Tempest
Behind the Curtain
A Blond, a Brunette, and a Redhead
The House Always Wins
Playing Doctor
Long Distance
Sapphic Erotica
As Maria Rush
The Boss’ Daughter
The Boxer and the Bartender
Cherry Pie
Rev Your Engines
Unwrapping Santa
Paranormal Erotica
As Ophelia Storm
Black, White, and Red All Over
The Witch and the Fairy
The Beast and the Convent
Undead and Dominated
Holycanthropy!
Wolfensaint
And Then There Were Nun
Erotica Bundles
A Bundle of Moresomes
Dominated by Him
Bad Habits
Dominated by Her
All Hers
Find all of these and more as well as early access to upcoming stories at patreon.com/emilyshurricane!