Page 118 of Love Lessons

Xander’s face fell. While I had no idea whether Woodvale had a bridge league or not, or if he would ever report on such a thing, I could tell I’d struck a nerve with the guy. He wasn’t exactly doing any kind of award-winning reporting in this backwards town, and we both knew it.

Wanting to have the last word, I pulled the door open and walked out without giving him another glance. I couldn’t let this asshole put a damper on my mood. I made my way down that long corridor, the sounds of “Party in the USA” echoing from the dancefloor. And that’s where I found Finley dancing in a circle with Kendall, Sarah, my sister, and some of my nieces and nephews. Even a couple of my drunk aunts were out there with them—Owen’s mom included. Jake and Owen were not far away, seemingly having a beer-chugging contest by the DJ booth.

The sight of Kendall surrounded by my family immediately turned my mood around. Because this was it—this was exactly what had been missing from my life. Our lives. I stood back, watching Kendall take Finley’s hands and twist her around and around, both of them laughing hysterically. I could have cried at the sight.

And as though the universe was on my side for once, the Miley Cyrus song faded out and a slow Shawn Mendes song began playing. I was feeling pretty bold, so I walked right up to Kendall and grabbed her by the elbow as she started to leave the dancefloor. “Dance with me,” I demanded.

Her eyes widened as she glanced toward my mom. “But—”

I yanked her toward me, unwilling to give her a choice. “Just a couple of friends dancing. No one will think a thing of it.” At that point, who the fuck cared? Owen knew. My mom knew. Xander knew. Who were we trying to hide this from, anyway?

Kendall still had a look of concern on her face, but she draped her hands behind my neck, anyway. I slipped my arms around her waist, maintaining just enough distance to not arouse too much suspicion. Kendall’s eyes were still darting around.

“Eyes on me, princess,” I said. “Nobody’s looking at us.”

But that might have been a lie. With a quick skim of that reception hall, I observed a lot of eyes pointed in our direction. My entire family, for starters. A disgruntled looking Heath scowled at us from a nearby table. Xander was back in the room now, too, looking just as dejected as Heath—but he was staring at Abigail and Daya, who were talking close at the edge of the dance floor. I wanted to believe he was rejected by one or both of them, too.

And directly behind Kendall, I spotted Owen dancing close with his new bride. He smiled warmly in our direction, flashing me a subtle thumbs up behind Sarah’s back.

My eyes found Kendall’s again, and she responded with a sweet grin. “You are the most beautiful woman in this room,” I told her.

“I think Sarah’s more deserving of that honor tonight.”

“Well,” I said, glancing toward Owen and Sarah again. “She does look stunning, I’ll give her that. But she still comes in second, even tonight. Nobody can hold a candle to you.”

Kendall giggled. “You already got into my panties tonight, Mason. Stop trying to flatter me.”

“I’m just being honest,” I said, letting go of her waist so I could twirl her. When she came back to me, I drew her in even closer. It took every bit of strength I had not to kiss that woman right then and there.

Before the song reached the second verse, Finley excitedly wedged herself between Kendall and me. “Twirl me, Daddy!” she squealed. I shot Kendall an apologetic smile before taking Finley by the hand and twirling her, just like I had with Kendall. She laughed the entire time. I motioned for her to step up onto my shoes with her bare feet so we could dance together. Then, I brought her hands to the belt loops on my hips, freeing my own hands to reach for Kendall’s waist again. And the three of us danced just like that, with Finley tucked between us. I almost apologized to Kendall for the interruption, but it was unnecessary—her smile was as big as mine must have been.

And if people weren’t looking at us before, they sure were now.

My heart broke when the song came to an end and both of my girls pulled away from me. I had half a mind to request another slow song, just to relive that perfect moment.

Just then, one of my cousins came up behind me and clapped his hand against my shoulder. “Hey man,” he said. “What’s Whitney doing in town?”

My heart skipped a beat, and I suddenly felt dizzy. It was as if a fog descended on the dancefloor, narrowing my focus until everything around me faded to black.

I found it difficult to even swallow.

“What?”

chapter forty-five

kendall

I danced with Finley in an attempt to distract her from the conversation unfolding two feet away from us. Thankfully, she hadn’t heard the mention of her mom’s name. But I eavesdropped on the conversation, too curious about it to give Finley my full attention. “Yeah,” the guy talking to Mason said. “We saw her at the gas station earlier.”

“And you’re sure it was her?”

“Unless she’s got an identical twin, it was definitely her. I sat behind her in homeroom for four years. I know what she looks like.”

Mason appeared to go shaky at the knees, and his face was paler than I’d ever seen. He darted off the dancefloor and disappeared into the dark corridor near the bathrooms. My stomach was in knots. What did this mean? What was Whitney doing back in Woodvale?

“I’ll be back, Finley,” I said, leaving her with Lesley and Sarah. I needed to check on Mason. He had to be panicking out there. I assumed he probably returned to the groom’s room at the end of the hall, but he was standing in a dark corner by a row of tall windows overlooking the balcony—and he was looking at his phone.

“Mason,” I said, coming up beside him. He didn’t look up. “Is she really in town?”

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