by Jodie Larson
“You ready?” Tatum asks over my shoulder.
I nod. “More than ready.”
The three of us wander into the cramped room. I move off to the side as they’re introduced by the DJ, holding their joined hands above their head to the cheers and whistles of the crowd. It’s announced that everyone should take their seats, giving me my first palpitation as Lizzie makes her way over to our table.
Her steps falter slightly, but she flashes a bright smile while sliding into her chair. “This turned out amazing,” she says, leaning over to grab Tatum’s hand.
“It really did.” Tears well in her eyes as she covertly wipes them away.
I hand her a handkerchief under the table, which she gladly accepts.
Myles clanks the glass in front of him, garnering everyone’s attention. He stands and adjusts his suit coat, tugging at the lapels in a nervous gesture.
“I want to thank everyone for coming tonight. It means the world to me and Tatum that everyone took time out of their busy lives to help us celebrate our marriage. This woman is the best thing to ever happen to me and I consider myself lucky every day to wake up next to her. We wouldn’t be here without your support, so this is our way of showing how much we appreciate each and every one of you.”
A round of applause sounds as Myles takes his seat and kisses his wife. Tatum is going to be a blubbering mess before they even have their first dance. If she’s trying to keep this pregnancy a secret, she’s failing miserably.
Lizzie stands with her paper in hand, taking the mic from the DJ who just walked it over.
“Um, hi.” A loud screech has a few people covering their ears before the sound guys get the feedback under control. “That better?” She nervously looks around. The color slowly drains from her face and I’m almost afraid she’s going to pass out. Part of me wants to rush to her side, but I know she’ll be fine. Public speaking was never her thing.
She clears her throat and tries again. “As you know, I’m Myles’ little sister. I’ve adored him my entire life. He was my first hero—besides my dad, of course—and my idol, someone I wanted to be like. I guess you could say he hung the moon in my eyes. But as we got older, the ideology shifted. He became my protector and I can’t thank him enough for always looking out for me, even though he was misguided at times.” A few people in the crowd chuckle as she side-eyes Myles. “Tatum’s always been like a sister. She balances Myles in a way no one else can, keeping him in check because she’s the only person who can do it.”
“Amen to that!” Quinn yells from the table next to us, eliciting another laugh from the crowd.
Lizzie grabs her glass and raises it high in the air. “So, I want to toast my big brother and my now-official sister. May you have a lifetime of happiness and joy, filled with blessings and surprises because you both deserve the best in life.”
Glasses clink together as everyone chants “here-here.” I noticed Tatum’s glass is a slightly paler color than the rest of ours. They must have had a sparkling juice placed in the glasses before everyone got here.
Looks like it’s my turn.
Lizzie looks over and smiles at me while she hands over the microphone. Our fingertips brush against one another, sending a shock I can feel all the way down to my toes. I know she felt it too because her eyes dilate slightly as her skin dots with goosebumps.
I clear my throat and face the crowd. “Hey, everyone. What’s happening,” I say, using my best Lumburgh voice. A few people get the joke and laugh. Others just stare like I’ve lost my mind. They obviously need to watch Office Space. “In case you don’t know me, I’m Myles’ best friend. Also known as the good son. Right, Mom?” I point to Susan, who nods and blows me a kiss. This time I get the response I’m looking for. I even earn a middle finger from Myles. “Don’t be a hater. You know it’s true.” I look back at the crowd and smile. “Now I know we all have stories about these two that we could share. Some funny, some not, some that will probably have you sticking sharp objects into your ears, so you can try to unhear them. But all of them have the same common theme. That these two were meant to be together. It’s not often you find the love of your life when you’re a kid.” I pause and look over. “But that’s another reason why we’re best friends and brothers. We were both lucky enough to find our soul mates early on in life, so we knew they’d always be by our sides.”
Lizzie looks up, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. She places her folded hands in front of her mouth, hanging on my every word.
I smile and give her a wink. “To find a love like that is special. You have to grab it with both hands and never let go, which is exactly what they did. The road was never smooth and had a few bumps along the way, but every turn always led them back to each other. So, let’s raise a glass to finding your love and never letting go.”
Myles stands from his chair and walks over to pull me into a hug. “Thanks for making my speech about you.”
I laugh. “Well, yeah. Who else would it be about?”
The wait staff comes out with the dinner, serving our table first. I can’t stop looking over at Lizzie, who apparently has the same idea as me. Susan desperately tries to engage her in conversation, but Lizzie’s eyes never leave mine. She even flashes one of her secret smiles, dedicated only to me.
Once everyone is finished and the dance floor has been cleared, we’ve finally reached the point of the night I’ve been waiting for.
Tatum gives me a wink as she and Myles take the floor, dancing to a song he recorded in Kade’s studio over the last few weeks.
An arm brushes up against me. I smirk but don’t turn my head to acknowledge the woman by my side.
“Your speech was good,” she says quietly, staring at my profile.
I turn and finally look at the woman who holds my heart in her hands. “So was yours.”
We stand in silence as the song comes to an end. Applause and whistles sound as Myles kisses Tatum on the dance floor. He gives me a nod.
That’s my cue.
Holding my hand out to Lizzie, I stand in front of her and smile. “Can I have this dance?”
Her brows draw together but laces her hand in mine anyway as I tug her to the middle of the floor.
“Folks, we have something a little different for you. A special request by the bride and groom for another happy couple.”
Pulling her close to my chest, we start swaying back and forth as Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect” fills the room. A few women sigh as we spin around the floor. But they don’t matter. No one matters. Only the angel in my arms, looking up at me with such love and adoration while I sing the lyrics into her ear.
This is the moment I’ve been waiting for. How I wanted to tell her she is my everything, the love of my life, the reason I breathe.
“Brecken.” Her soft voice is music to my ears as the world drifts away, leaving the two of us in this perfect bubble. I draw her closer, convinced we’re too far apart, even though I can feel her heart beating against my chest. With her head pressed against my shoulder, I close my eyes and breathe her in.
Perfect.
As the song ends, the world slowly filters back in. Lizzie looks up, her eyes on the verge of tears.
“Come with me.” I tug her off the floor as a dance song grabs everyone’s attention. We walk down the hall until we reach the entrance to the garden in the courtyard. The stars light up the night sky, giving us our own sparkling chandelier.
We sit on one of the benches, keeping her hand in mine.
“Breck, I—”
“Shh,” I whisper, running my finger down her cheek. “Let me go first.” Gathering up my nerve, I lay everything out in front of me. “I need to apologize. I lied to you and it wasn’t fair.” Lizzie tries to tug her hand out of mine, but I hold on tighter. “Just listen. This isn’t bad, I promise.” When she stops fighting me, I continue. “Our agreement was to stop seeing each other once we caught feelings. That was my lie because I’ve had feelings for you for a long, long time. I want
ed to use this as my chance to show you how good we can be together, how perfect we are, to give a glimpse of our life together because I honestly can’t see mine without you in it. You fill the empty space you created when we kissed all those years ago. No one has been worthy of my love. It was only you.”
Lizzie sniffs as a tear falls down her cheek. “I lied, too. I thought I could convince myself that we could only be together physically, that I could ignore the little voice in my head who screamed I was going to screw this up. I didn’t think we could work. We had two different life plans and I wasn’t sure how to fit into yours.” She reaches up and cups my cheek. “I realized something over these last few weeks. A plan is only that. It’s not set in stone. Plans change. People change and adapt. I realized even though I could live without you, I didn’t want to.” She smiles, melting my heart instantly. “I guess what I’m trying to say is I want a new arrangement. One where we’re together out in the open. No more secrets and lies. No cover ups and late-night booty calls.”
“Well, let’s not get rash.”
She places her tiny fingers over my lips. I purse to kiss them. “I want a life with you and I don’t care where or how. As long as we’re together, I know we’ll figure it out.”
“Does that mean you’re willing to move to L.A. with me?”
Her nod is not enough.
“Say it. I have to hear you say the actual words, Lizzie.”
Lizzie’s entire face lights up. “Yes, I’ll move to L.A. with you.”
Finally. After years of waiting, Lizzie Donovan is going to be mine.
I doubt anyone cared that we skipped out of the rest of the party. After Brecken’s declaration by song, I knew we were done there. We needed a private party for two, preferably with access to a soft mattress.
We rush through my front door, not caring about the furniture as we stumble our way through the house. Brecken has the mental capacity to stop for a moment to shut and lock the front door.
With a predatory growl, he stalks toward me, but I resist.
“Want to see my new kitchen?”
He shakes his head. Heat and fire dance in his eyes as he slowly makes his way over to me.
“I’ll look at it tomorrow when I’m cooking us breakfast.” I squeak when he grabs my waist, pulling me flush against his hard body. “Maybe brunch.”
I giggle into his neck as he scoops me into his arms and carries me down the hallway.
“Isn’t your flight tomorrow?”
Tossing me on the bed, I yelp and giggle, enjoying the show as he pulls the tie off his neck before slowly undoing the buttons on his shirt one by one.
“I can change it. Besides, we need to add your ticket as well.” The shirt falls off his shoulders, giving me a heart-stopping view of his sculpted chest. I watch with rapt attention as he unbuckles his belt, unthreading it through the loops before letting it clang to the floor.
It’s been too long since I’ve touched him, had him in this bed. Getting up on my knees, I slowly drag the dress over my head, exposing the power suit as Quinn calls it. The pale pink slip does exactly what I hope for as Brecken stops pulling the zipper of his pants, his eyes roaming over every inch of my body.
“That’s new.”
I smirk and run a hand between my breasts, down my stomach, and gather the silk between my legs. “I got it for you.”
In an instant, his pants and boxers are off, and I’m pinned beneath him, searching for any sort of friction to help quell this ache he’s created.
“You know what would make this look better?” I shake my head. “If it was on the floor.”
“Ha.” I laugh. “I’m going to tell Quinn I was right.”
Brecken buries his face between my breasts, slowly skimming down my torso before pushing the hem up to my waist. Any laughter dies on my lips as he makes contact with the sensitive folds between my legs.
“Baby, I’ve missed you.” His expert tongue teases and plays, giving me a sweet torment that has me crying out his name over and over again. Stars flash behind my eyes as I claw at the sheets, my body taut and ready to break. And I shatter, gloriously, giving myself over to the powerful sensations only Brecken has ever elicited from my body.
As I come to, I feel his lips crawl up my body, taking the silk slip with it. Pulling it off, I bare myself fully, offering everything I have for him to keep safe.
“I love you,” I say, pulling him down to show my expression, tasting myself on his tongue as he nudges my knees apart.
Slowly, he enters me, pushing inch by glorious inch, filling me so I can feel nothing else but him.
“I love you, too.” We start a rhythm, slow and steady, telling our story with our bodies and hearts.
This man knew we were worth the fight, knew when to push my boundaries and insecurities until I could only face the truth. And the truth was right in front of me all along.
We were more than the forbidden lyrics I had convinced myself and wanted to accept. No, we were the whole song, a beautiful love story I’d been singing my whole life. I just needed him to teach me the words.
Brecken and I didn’t go to L.A. right away. We were a week behind everyone else, including Kade, Adrienne, and their beautiful baby girl. I had some loose ends to tie up here.
My boss wasn’t too thrilled that I was taking a leave of absence. I didn’t have the heart to outright quit. I love that job too much to ever leave. When I offered to give a month’s notice to come back to work, she agreed to the new arrangement. Adrienne was right. I wouldn’t be happy staying behind while Brecken was on the road. I’d need a distraction, something to occupy my time. Besides, he fixed up my house. Wouldn’t want it to go to waste and never get used.
“Are you sure you’re okay with me coming back to K.C. while you’re on the road?”
He slides his arms around my waist, kissing the sweet spot behind my ear. “All I want is for you to be happy.”
I giggle and wrap my hands over his. “Mom was less than thrilled to have both her kids away from home, but I think it’s all a show. There was a light in her eyes and I really, really don’t want to dive too much into it.”
“Probably best to leave it alone.” He snickers in my ear, which earns him an elbow to the gut.
“Not funny! How would you like to think about your parents acting like us?”
“Been there, done that.”
I turn in his arms and quirk a brow. “Care to elaborate?”
“Nope,” he says, letting the “P” pop. “The less I think about that, the better our sex life will be.”
True. Very true.
We finish clearing out a spot in his closet for the clothes I brought with, which wasn’t everything, but enough to get me through. Definitely a bit of a climate change. When we left Kansas City, the temperature was dropping, and autumn was in full swing. Now it’s like I’m getting a second summer. I can see why Adrienne wants to stay here for the winter. No snow, no cold. Sounds perfect.
Pax gave us some privacy for the evening; saying something about heading out to the ‘usual spot.’ I’m not sure what that means, nor did I dive too much into it. It’s going to take some getting used to, having a roommate after owning my own house. But I refuse to be that girlfriend, the one who makes demands without giving the new situation a try first. Sure, I want Brecken all to myself, for purely selfish reasons. There’s nothing more I’d rather do than spend his off days naked around the house without worrying if someone will walk in. But we’re not there yet. This is all still new and we’re trying to find how each other fits into our lives.
Not to mention, when they’re on the road, I’ll have this condo to myself, though I don’t plan on spending a lot of time here. Not when I have family living close by and a baby to squish and love. Hopefully Adrienne won’t mind if I kidnap her baby to get my fix.
Once everything is put away, we sit on the balcony, enjoying the setting sun as it disappears over the horizon. Brecken refills my wine glass with a smile. “You h
appy?”
I tilt my head to the side. “Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”
He shrugs and sits back, taking a pull from his beer. “I know it’s a big change for you and I can’t help but feel like I’m asking you to bend to my life, rather than me adjusting to yours.”
“Stop,” I say, placing my wine glass on the table between us. “This isn’t a sacrifice. I love you and want to be with you. Think of all the years we wasted.” I pause. “Well, only a few since I was in high school, then college, and you were making a name for yourself. I knew what getting into a relationship with you involved. I’m not going in blind. And yes, it means my life will be different, but it’s not a bad change. I get to wake up next to you every morning and know that you’re always going to be there for me, even when you’re not physically.”
A slow smile tugs at his lips. “Remind me to thank Adrienne for whatever advice she gave you.”
Standing, I walk around the table and sit on his lap. “Not advice, more of an eye-opener. My life was going to change one way or the other. It’s the only constant other than taxes and death. And rather than fight it and be miserable, I want to embrace the change and keep you with me at all times.” I run a hand down his cheek. “I love you, Brecken Lavery.”
“I love you, too.” He threads his fingers into my hair, holding me in place as his lips connect with mine. Soft. Loving. Speaking a promise without words, one we plan on keeping no matter what distance falls between us.
We break apart and finish watching the sunset, wrapped in each other’s arms.
I wouldn’t have it any other way.
It’s true what they say, that it takes a village to help support your dreams. My village…my people…I wouldn’t be here without them. And you, the readers, are part of that village. Without you, my words would still be stuck in my head, begging to get out. Your love for my stories keep me going, and I can’t thank you enough for all your unending support.
To my husband, thank you for encouraging me when I feel lost, for pushing me to do better, for supporting me as I travel this road, and believing in me like no one else can.