Page 121 of Perfect Playbook

He kept them.

I love this man. He is everything I thought he was then and more. “Should we wear them?”

He glances up at me. “That’s the plan. But you don’t have to put it on now. It just felt like the perfect time to give it to you.”

“Let’s wear them now.” I take his hand in mine. “Since neither of us remember our vows from Vegas, let me just say, Logan, I promise you sarcastic laughter, truth you never asked for, to push myself to grow with you, and of course… a lifetime of cake.” I slide the ring on his right ring finger. “Forever.”

He processes what I said with the kind of joy that beams straight from the chest. Then, he takes my right hand and professes his own promise. “Shana Guadalupe Hunter…”

Ever since I changed my name is can’t stop using it. “You just love saying that, don’t you?”

He raises his eyebrows. “I do. And I promise you riotous fun, to push your boundaries and your buttons, to put you and Nino first for the rest of my life. I promise to support your true potential, and last but not least… I promise gray sweatpants.”

I gasp and slap his chest lightly. “Shut up. You knew…” I purse my lips.

He kisses my cheek. “You’re so transparent.”

Chapter Forty-One

After dinnerand a heartfelt and very tearful thank-you speech by Luis, Shay and I have our first dance. The hundreds of eyes on us are tangible, but they soon fade, and there’s nothing but me and my perfect wife.

Our song plays, but it sounds so distant because even in this tent full of bodies, there’s a silence between me and Shay. It’s calm, it’s a moment where we’re alone in the presence of all these people.

I kiss her gently. “I’m so glad I chased you.”

She kisses me back. “I’m so glad you finally caught up.”

I rub her back. We sway to the romantic melody, and her cheek rests on my chest. I pull her in tightly andrun my hands over the small of her back. It’s satin and smooth to the touch, but I also feel the curves and dents and worn edges of our past. Shay and I are complex, and the strange thing is, I’m not patient with anyone else. I’m not still, or calm. But this woman stops my world from spinning.

Our dance comes to an end, and it’s hard to let go of her tiny hands, to peel her body from my chest. But we’re not just here for ourselves. In fact, I’m pretty sure this is Luis’ party. He spins a finger in the air as if he pre-planned this moment with the DJ and rushes on the dance floor as soon as we’re finished. He takes Shay by the hand to the edge and starts to encourage a conga line to form behind her.

My entire family is here, loads of people from the Canyon, and many of Shay’s relatives from afar. All her brothers are here, and the space is filled with laughter. The dance floor is rocking as a long conga line with nearly every person I love snakes around the room. Music blares into the darkness around the Mendez ranch nestled between cozy mountains.

My eyes scan the space where friends and family swirl in a kaleidoscope of colors and emotions. My grumpy brother, Dash, holds on to the waist of his wife, Molly. Colt’s gaze dry humps his wife, Sam. Ashton and Jolie are absolutely jamming, neither one being able to resist a party, and my mom and Eve shimmy their shoulders in unison.

The uplifting beats of the music beckons to them, and they surrender willingly, letting the melodies guide their movements. There, at the helm of the whirlwind, is my bride—radiant, beautiful, somehow able to look offbeat in a conga line. A laugh rises up into my throat. I love seeing how the wine lets down her guard. Her mouth sings to the lyrics of a song we used to hear at the bars in college.

At the tail end of the line is Luis who wrangles herbrothers as they trail behind. Those men are as hard to read as Shay. None of the Mendez siblings seem to have inherited Luis’ vulnerability, though Santi is the most like me, and he furrows his eyebrows, wobbling his head to the music, enjoying it a lot more than the others as he hangs on to his dad’s hips. Gabriel, Rio, and Enzo follow behind, and their expressions are more like professional dancers deeply concentrating on their steps.

Those men are my brothers now. Though they haven’t exactly embraced me with open arms, everyone knows I can get along with a hard-ass, so I’m sure we’ll get close over the years, if they ever come up for air and away from their desks.

The conga snake weaves around the marquee, and I’m filled with a sensation I’ve never felt before. The dance floor is a canvas, each step paints a story of connection, joy… shared history. This town is its own little universe, one I might have left for a while to swashbuckle and gallivant but…thisis who I am.

It’s no surprise I ended up back here. We all need gravity to stop us floating away into the great expanse, into some sort of existential crisis where we can’t figure out what the hell life is about. Starlight Canyon is a familiarity of decades of companionship, neighbors, and friends. And now, Shay is the star around which I revolve. She can make my life shine just as sure as she can burn me, and my heart rises and sets with her.

I don’t know how I ever lived without her all those years.

When ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ comes on, a lot of the men on the dance floor head for the bar, including my brothers and the Dane boys. Colt pulls in next to me and lifts his finger, then orders a round of beers forus.

“Just have to say again, Logan,” my older brother puts a hand on my shoulder, “Dad… well, he would have been…”

“Proud?” I finish his sentence.

“I was going to say surprised, but you might be right about that, too.” He smiles devilishly and slaps my back affectionately.

We drink for a moment and stare at the large group of women with their hands in the air like they just don’t care singing to Cyndi Lauper’s timeless girl-power anthem.

Dash can’t take his eyes off Molly who has a slip. He nearly drops his beer to rush off and help her, but two of Shay’s cousins catch her by the arms and prop her back up, Molly giggling all the way back to her feet.

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