Page 40 of Kiss me Forever

The opening notes for Single Ladies begin and I instantly laugh as the crowd erupts into cheers and laughter. It’s more than clear that Piper and Livie have performed this song before, most likely in all their years as roommates, as they begin to dance, their moves synchronized and full of energy. Piper’s confidence grows with every single beat, and I can’t help but bounce Julie as we move along to the music with her. I stand, too happy to sit any longer. I want to pull that woman into my arms and tell her I’ll put a dozen rings on her fingers because she’s mine, and only mine.

She’s absolutely incredible, and seeing her shining before this rowdy crowd makes my heart soar. Julie agrees as she smiles in my arms as I carefully cradle her while dancing. This is one more perfect night in a world of perfect days and nights.

Blake moves up next to me with a smile on his own lips. “You’re a very lucky man to not let her get away,” he tells me.

“I know it,” I say. “I never thought I’d want to marry which broke my mother’s heart, but from the moment I met Piper I couldn’t get her off my mind. It took me a year after our first meeting, but when I found her again, there was no going back.”

“I made some serious mistakes with Jewell, but luckily, I didn’t lose her. It’s been years now and I grow happier each and every day. I see that in you and Piper.”

“I appreciate it, Blake. I know I’ll be feeling the same way in ten years. The only thing that could bring me pain at this point is to lose her. I’ll do all I can to be worthy of her love for the rest of our lives.”

“What idiots we were for a lot of years of our lives,” Byron, Tyler’s other brother, says. “I’m sure as hell glad all of us have pulled our heads out of our asses.”

This makes me laugh which startles Julie. She frowns at me, and I panic as she starts to cry. I don’t know what to do with her when she cries. I’d rather hold a bomb than a crying baby. Tyler laughs as he steps up and takes her from me. My face must be filled with panic.

“It’s okay, Pumpkin. Uncle Magnus’s voice can be annoying,” he coos at his daughter who instantly smiles at her dad.

“She loves me,” I say.

He laughs again. “Yes, she does. This is a lot of noise though. She won’t be able to last a whole lot longer,” Tyler says, not at all upset to have to leave a party early. I totally understand. Priorities certainly change when you’re a family man.

When the song ends, the applause is deafening, and Piper and Livie give a bow before hugging each other. Livie then rushes from the stage straight to her husband. The three of them take Julie outside for a quiet moment. Piper’s eyes find mine and she blows me a kiss which I can feel even with space separating us. I can feel her in my very soul.

“Those were some sexy moves, Piper,” a man calls out, earning him a playful look from Piper and a glare from me. There’s no doubt that everyone in this room knows she’s mine, but another man liking her moves makes me want to mark my claim again.

Piper rushes forward and then she’s in my arms, making me forget all about the idiot looking at her. “Did you like my song?”

“It was sexy as hell,” I tell her, claiming her lips in a bit too long of a kiss for public. This gets a lot of cat calls from the crowd. She pulls back blushing. But she doesn’t go far. We spend a bit visiting before we’re torn apart again.

It doesn’t take long before Tyler comes back and smiles at me. I’m learning this means he’s up to something. “What’s going on?”

“We can’t let the ladies rule the night. We need to do our own song,” he says.

I throw my head back and laugh. “I might have to agree. The few cups of scotch I’ve had might be weighing into this decision.”

Blake, Byron, and Tyler put their heads in, and we whisper for a few minutes, then laugh as we come up with our own act. “Let’s do this,” Tyler says.

The four of us walk up to the stage, and Piper is bouncing in place as she looks up at me. Livie is beside her and my mother is in the backroom in absolute heaven rocking a sleeping Julie right now. It’s clear Livie won’t last much longer, but knowing her daughter’s being held by a loving grandma gives her peace to enjoy her husband and besties fiancé make fools of themselves.

I step up to the mic and give a big grin. “Alright, my beautiful soon-to-be-wife knocked it out of the ballpark, but this is a combined bachelor/bachelorette party so I gotta do a little number of my own with the help of some friends.”

The crowd cheers, more than happy to see us make fools of ourselves. I step back in line with the guys and then the song starts, and the crowd goes even more crazy as we begin singing Pour Some Sugar on Me.

We get into our performance, shaking our hips and enjoying every second of the song as the crowd sings along with us, the song a classic everyone knows well. I can’t remember the last time I’ve had so much fun making a fool of myself. Piper is doubled over as she laughs and sends me lustful looks. I think I’m going to get very lucky tonight. She’s pretty impressed.

“Move those sexy hips,” Livie calls out to her husband.

He breaks from the song as he calls back down to her. “Keep on taunting me, woman, and I’ll pull you up here for an encore,” he warns.

“Bring in on,” she yells back. Tyler abandons us and leaps from the stage, making everyone laugh more as he chases his wife, quickly catching her, and pulling her into his arms. He kisses her long and hot in front of everyone.

Our song ends and I immediately rush back to Piper who wraps her arms around my neck. “How did I do?”

“You’re my rockstar,” she whispers, her eyes shining, her lips turned up so bright it’s blinding.

“I’ll do things for you I’ve never even thought of doing before,” I tell her, still in shock at how I act with this woman.

“I feel the exact same,” she says before she stops further talking with another kiss. She leans back. “I can’t believe in only one more week we’ll be married. I’m glad our friends made us do this party. It’s wonderful.”

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