Page 51 of Weston

Wes shook his head and sighed.

“Busted,” Ellie murmured, and they grinned at each other. “Shall we?”

“Let’s go. Hopefully it’ll be painless.”

“With these guys? Who knows what they’re plotting?”

???

The party Wes’ team had planned for them was beyond sweet and Ellie was truly touched. Everyone was there, including Julia and the very lovely Lottie, Brand’s bartender who Chaz couldn’t stop staring at. They had decorated the bar like they were celebrating a wedding reception—champagne flowed, silly toasts were shared, silver balloons and streamers hung everywhere and there was even a big, white cake. When she saw the Precious Moments statue on top of it, her eyes filled with tears. They’d really gone all out to celebrate Wes and Ellie being reunited, and her heart nearly burst with joy, gratitude and love. So much love.

Ellie was sitting on her husband’s lap and laughing her ass off at the current conversation. She’d nearly spit her champagne out twice as Chaz and Lex went back and forth, trying to one-up each other. And every time Lottie laughed at something Chaz said, the man puffed his chest out.

“I like them together,” Ellie whispered into Wes’ ear.

“Chaz and Lex?” he joked.

“Chaz and Lottie, silly.”

“Brand forbid it. Poor Chaz. He better wipe the drool off his face.”

“I think it’s cute.” Ellie flicked her tongue against his ear, shifting on his lap. “No one can stop true love. Not even Brandon Ward.”

“We know that better than anyone, don’t we?”

She couldn’t miss his arousal pressing into her thigh. “Yes, we do,” she said with a little mischievous wiggle.

He barely stifled a groan. “You’re killing me.”

“You need to cool off, Mr. Murphy. How about some more champagne?” She offered him her glass, tipping it toward his lips, and he took a drink.

“Are you trying to get me drunk, Mrs. Murphy? So you can have your way with me when we get back home?”

“Always.” She dragged her fingers through his short brown hair, looking deeply into his matching eyes. As if on cue, their song came on, Billy Joel’s “She’s Got A Way” pouring from the speakers.

“May I have this dance, my love?”

“You can have every dance,” Ellie promised.

Wes smiled then helped her slide off his lap. They stood up, clasped hands and took a few steps away from the table before falling back into each other’s arms, swaying to the music.

“Holy hell, I want what those two are high on,” Lex announced, sitting back until the front legs of his chair lifted up off the floor. He propped his hands behind his head and winked at Ellie.

“Stop flirting with my wife,” Wes growled.

“They’re high on love,” Brand stated, reaching for Julia’s chair and dragging it closer.

“Yes, they are,” Julia agreed. They leaned in and began kissing.

“So, what’s the key?” Xander asked, eyeing Wes and Ellie. He set his beer down and crossed his arms. “How are you both still so in love with each other almost thirty years later?”

Ellie looked up at Wes, considering Xander’s question. How could they explain what it felt like when two souls fell in love? When you’ve found your other half and everything inside of you yearns to be with that person forever?

“Yeah, any advice or words of wisdom for the single men in the house?” Jayson asked.

“Stay single,” Chaz joked, and the guys chuckled.

Wes focused on Ellie and the smile he gave her lit up her spirit. “True love doesn’t care about time. Clocks and calendars mean nothing when you’ve found the one who loves and understands you on every level.”

---