Page 56 of A Wedding in the Bay

He grinned at her, taking that to mean that she felt sure she wanted to continue dating him. He knew that they needed to take things slowly and carefully, but he felt glad about this new reassurance that she wanted to be with him.

Even after the song changed to an upbeat one, they continued to dance, laughing and acting silly together. He dipped her back a couple of times, making her giggle as she clung more tightly to him.

I haven’t had this much fun in a long time, he thought. I’m looking forward to all the new things we can try together, now that we don’t have to sneak around anymore.

It felt more right than he ever would have imagined to have her in his arms.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

“That was an absolutely amazing day,” Alissa said, heaving a happy sigh as she sat down in the car next to Dane. She clicked her seat belt into place, wiggling a little to get comfortable. “So much laughing and crying and good food. And great company. It was everything a wedding should be.” They’d just left Josie and Wesley’s wedding, and her heart was full.

“It really was.” Her husband was staring straight ahead as he turned on the ignition of the car. His brow was furrowed a little, and the wide-eyed look that he’d had ever since his mother and Everett started dancing together like a couple of love-struck teenagers was still plastered to his face.

Alissa chuckled. Dane still seemed a little bit dazed over the fact that his mother and Everett were dating, and she couldn’t blame him. When he’d hurried back to the dance floor and whispered the news in her ear, her jaw had dropped. She’d been delighted and intrigued by the idea, but it was very unexpected. Then a few minutes later, Johanna and Everett had started dancing together, looking as smitten with each other as a pair of young lovers.

“I’m still pretty stunned about your mom and Everett,” she said as Dane turned the car out of the parking lot and began to drive them home. A full moon glowed with a silvery light over the snowy landscape, and Alissa leaned back in her seat, glad to be cozy and warm inside the car. The outdoors looked breathtaking—with the moonlight making the snow glitter—but she knew it was bitterly cold out there. She was looking forward to going to sleep next to her husband in their nice warm bed and resting her poor aching feet.

“I am too.” He laughed. “I never would have thought it, you know? They’re so different from each other.”

“Mm, externally. Maybe inside they’re not so different after all.”

“That’s a good point. They must have seen something in each other. I wonder how it got started? I mean, things were pretty frigid with them at our party. And they acted like they barely knew each other during bowling.”

She shrugged. “Well, clearly they’ve been trying to keep it a secret. Who knows when that started? Although I have to say, your mom has seemed much happier than usual lately. I’d just chalked it up to her feeling more at home here in Blueberry Bay, but clearly her happiness has something to do with Everett. Did you see the way her eyes were shining at him while they were dancing?”

“I did. And you’re right—she has seemed happier. My guess would be that the two of them started dating sometime after the dinner party. They did linger behind while the rest of us were returning our shoes after bowling. Do you remember that? I bet they were secretly dating then.”

“Yes!” She clapped her hands together gleefully. “Maybe they snuck a kiss when no one was watching. Oh, that blows my mind. I absolutely never would have suspected. I’m tempted to present them both with Oscars for their stellar performances.”

He shook his head, chuckling. She wondered if it was strange for him to see his mother dating someone. It probably was—but she could tell from the way his eyes danced that he was happy about it.

Personally, she was thrilled. She wanted that kind of happiness for Johanna, and Everett seemed well-deserving of it as well. He was a kind, steady man who had a lot to offer someone like Johanna, who blossomed when she was given warmth and affection.

“I still want to know what made them see that in each other,” he mused, turning the car carefully around an icy corner. “What made them realize that they could fall in love? They certainly didn’t seem interested in each other after the dinner party.”

“We’ll have to ask them when we get a chance,” she said, resting her head back against the seat. “But I think sometimes the greatest love sneaks up on you when you’re least expecting it. You and I are a perfect example of that. Who would’ve expected when we first met that we’d end up where we are now?”

He glanced at her, his eyes shining. It was clear that he was remembering when they first met and started to fall in love.

“You’re right,” he said softly.

“And I’m so happy we found each other. I think something in us just knew, you know? And it looks like the same kind of thing has happened for your mom. Now she’s found someone too, even though it seemed so unlikely that it would be Everett.”

“It sure did.” He chuckled. “I just can’t get over the idea of the two of them keeping their relationship a secret. Like, they must have been sneaking around like a couple of teenagers.”

She laughed. “I think it’s sweet. And honestly, it’s pretty impressive they pulled the wool over all our eyes all this time. I wonder what they’ve been doing—going for walks late at night when no one else is around?”

He grinned. “I think it’s sweet too. I’m looking forward to seeing the two of them interact together more. I think someone sweet and stable like Everett will be really good for my mom. And I love the idea of her not being alone anymore.”

She nodded and reached over to squeeze his hand. “I’m looking forward to that too. I’m excited to see how this makes her life change for the better.”

“The future is looking pretty exciting.”

“You’re right. I’m looking forward to a lot of things,” she murmured, looking down at her belly and thinking about Oscar.

“I am too,” he said, interlacing his fingers with hers.

In another few minutes, they were home. They hurried through the cold into their warm house and continued to talk as they got ready for bed. She felt happy and tired in a good way—the kind of tired that happened after a long, fun day. She found herself blinking back sleepiness as she got into her pajamas and brushed her teeth. Finally, yawning like a lion, she crawled into bed next to her husband. She wiggled her toes against his, happy to be cozy and about to go to sleep next to her favorite person.

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