Page 33 of Revived

Just as I prepare to respond to her, Grayson runs up next to us, and ends our conversation—if you can even call it that, seeing as how I didn’t do much of the talking.

“Thank you,” I flick my eyes up to Luke’s as I take his hand and he leads me away from the car so the rest of the wedding party can exit. I shake off the memory of the conversation with his mom, reminding myself that today is not the day to head down that train of thought. Today is about Pfeiffer and Cash, not the emotional mess I’ve found myself in.

Jess will be walking with Luke, and I will be walking with Cooper, although the thought of switching partners is certainly appealing right now. But it’s not my wedding and seeing as how Cooper is Cash’s best man and I’m the maid of honor, that’s just how the cookie crumbled.

“Let’s do this,” Cooper says as we line up and start walking to the clearing in the trees where the guests are seated in white folding chairs and an arch of flowers has been delivered as a backdrop while Cash and Pfeiffer say their I do’s.

As we’re walking to the ceremony spot, I can’t help but admire the view of Luke’s ass in his pants, his long legs carrying him forward, his strong body so solid and commanding I can feel heat cover my cheeks.

“Make sure you dance with him tonight,” Cooper whispers in my ear, darting my eyes to him as I widen them.

“What?”

“You heard me.” He winks, and then we put on our game faces and perform our duties as Cash and Pfeiffer get married.

The ceremony is full of tears, and a few laughs, especially when Grayson shouts at one point.

“A woman’s heart beats slightly faster than a man’s heart!” He exclaims as Pfeiffer was reciting her vows, describing how fast Cash made her heart flutter.

Luke scolds him with a smile on his face as I laugh behind my hand and shake my head over at the two of them, Grayson’s pleased grin making us all laugh harder.

Once the ceremony was finished, everyone headed back to their cars to make their way to Cash and Pfeiffer’s home. The backyard had been transformed into a wedding reception from the movies. White tents with see-through ceilings and walls were anchored on the grass, housing round tables and chairs for around sixty people. White lilies in vases sat atop each table with tea light candles and crystals scattered around. A DJ was stationed in one corner of the tents and a make-shift dancefloor was constructed right in front of him. The caterer from Cristino’s, a local Italian restaurant that has been in Emerson Falls for over thirty years, was set up on the patio where guests could load their plates buffet style and feast.

“Rachel! I’m gonna eat spaghetti, but I’m sure it’s not as good as yours,” Grayson looks up at me and declares as we wait in line for our food, his tiny hands hoisting the large ceramic plate.

“Oh, that’s sweet, Grayson. But I’m pretty sure this spaghetti will still be delicious.”

Since Luke, Grayson and I are all part of the wedding party, we get to sit together and eat just like at home. Grayson itches to get down and dance and asks when it’s time to cut the cake about a thousand times.

“Jesus, the kid isn’t going to sleep tonight.” Luke finally turns to me and exhales, sitting back in his chair, relaxing for the first time this evening.

“Either that, or he’s going to pass out as soon as you start driving home.” I smile over at him, catching him staring at me.

“What? Do I have something on my face? In my teeth?”

“You’re beautiful, Rachel,” he says honestly, catching me completely off-guard.

“Oh. Well, thank you.” I can feel my cheeks blush as I hide my face from him.

“I mean it. I meant to tell you earlier, but it was crazy getting through the ceremony. When you stepped out of the car in your dress though, I… you… you just looked so beautiful.”

I’m speechless and full of a yearning that has been building for the past two months. The sky blue dresses that Pfeiffer picked out for me and Jess are gorgeous, strapless and soft chiffon fabric that hits just below the knee. She asked us to wear our hair down, with the top half pulled up off of our faces and light make-up, natural and not over the top. She wanted today to be classy, yet simple, and I think she accomplished that beautifully.

Even though it’s April and there’s still a slight chill to the air, the dress was perfect for the warm afternoon. Now that the sun has set, I’m definitely getting colder though. Luke sees me shudder and then stands from his seat. “Here.” He takes off his coat and then drapes it over my shoulders, instantly covering me in his warmth and his scent. The smell of his cologne is intoxicating, causing me to breathe deeply and close my eyes to savor the feeling of him on me, even though I still feel like we’re miles apart.

Suddenly, I pop open my eyes and veer up at him from my seat, my nerves firing rapidly but I know I need to take a chance here. “Dance with me,” I say, more as a command than a question.

His face comes alive with a sexy smirk. “That was my line.”

I chuckle and then stand, landing my hand in his as he leads me to the dance floor. Several other couples are swaying to the music beside us, but all I care about is feeling this man’s arms wrapped around me, his body alive and beating next to mine, his eyes solely locked on my own. To anyone else, it just looks like two friends sharing a dance, an innocent moment between a father and his nanny. We live together, we’re friends. Friends can dance.

But inside, my heart is racing, my body heated, my mind swirling with finally getting close to him in a way that lets us dance across the line we’ve been standing on opposite sides of since we met.

“Tell me more about New York,” he says as his hand finds my hip and he pulls me into him, the brush of his solid torso against my soft curves elicits a moan from me that I desperately try to stifle. The feeling of him holding me as we dance is better than I could have imagined.

“What do you want to know?”

“Everything. I just realized tonight that there’s so much about you I don’t know.”

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