Page 18 of Eternally London

“He’s the one,” she whispers wistfully before pressing her lips together in a line and pulling a long breath in through her nose.

I stare up at the tall guy standing beside Dixon and have to agree with Paige that he’s quite attractive. The Dixon men definitely have some quality genes. Ethan is so similar to Dixon, yet at the same time, he’s completely different. They’re both clearly in shape, but where Dixon has larger defined muscles, Ethan’s physique is more long and lean—like that of a surfer. Dixon is cleanly shaved with a short, precise haircut, that of a typical soldier. Ethan has scruff on his face, like he rolled out of bed this morning and forgot to shave. His hair is a couple of inches longer than Dixon’s and holds that sexy disheveled appearance.

Yeah, he’s hot.

We all rise from our seats as Sarah and Dixon finish their first kiss. They turn to face their guests as the pastor announces them as husband and wife. We all clap and cheer. I tilt my head in Loïc’s direction, he throws me a wink, and my smile grows wider.

I love that man.

Sarah and Dixon walk hand in hand back up the aisle. Loïc hikes Evan up onto his shoulders, and then Evan claps as they follow the happy couple, his little pillow and fake rings abandoned at the altar. Ethan is the last one in the wedding party to leave the altar, and I don’t miss him pause beside us and shoot Paige a look as he subtly bites his lip before turning with a smirk to follow the others.

I whip around to face Paige. “What was that?” I laugh. “Did something happen before the ceremony that I missed?”

Paige shrugs. “Nope. When you got it, you got it.”

“You do realize that he’s the only non-military guy here who is our age. You sure you want to commit to a target before scoping out the rest?” I ask.

“Oh, I’m sure.” Paige nods her head. “Besides, I’m over military men.”

“Really? Since when?” I chuckle.

“Since Mr. Hottie Pants arrived. He’s my dream guy. I want to marry him and have a hundred of his babies and pet him all day long.”

“Pet him?” I quirk up an eyebrow.

“Yes. All. Day. Long.” Paige adds a pause between each word for emphasis.

“All righty then. As your wingwoman, I shall make it my goal to get you some petting time with Mr. Hottie Pants.”

Paige and I start walking toward the bar.

“I’m feeling good. You saw that look,” she says to me.

“Oh, yeah, I saw it. I think he wants more than petting.”

“You know what? I’m completely okay with that,” Paige states.

We both laugh.

Paige has a fruity cocktail in hand, and I have a water. I scan the yard, waiting for Loïc to return. He’s probably helping Evan with something inside. I’m just about to tell Paige that I’m going to go check on him when Mr. Hottie Pants himself walks up to us.

“Hey, ladies,” he says with a smile.

“Hi,” we both answer, Paige a little more exuberant than me.

“So, you here with Sarah or Pete?” he asks.

“Pete?” Paige and I say at the same time.

Ethan laughs. “I always forget that everyone here calls him by his last time. I’m not really big into the military jargon. To me, he’s always been Pete.”

“I’m not into military either,” Paige blurts out.

I quickly pipe up, giving Paige time to recover from her outburst, “I’m London. Loïc’s my husband. He’s pretty good friends with both Sarah and Dixon.”

“Ah, so you’re London!” he says. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Yeah?”

---