Page 106 of The Shift Between Us
“I can’t wait for our wedding day,” I whisper without thinking and quickly press my lips together because it feels way too soon to say something like that.
He’s not smiling as I peek up at him through the fringe of my lashes. I swallow loudly, waiting for him to say something—anything—to help pop the tension I created. He slides his hand up my arm until he cups the side of my face. “I was thinking the same thing.”
I find myself drawn to each word, as though something invisible and powerful is gently urging me closer to him. Luke’s eyes are heated, like a warm brownie smothered in hot fudge, which sounds absolutely delicious.
“You’re wearing your thoughts on your face,” he whispers, his voice husky and deep.
“I’m not that easy to read.” I scrunch my nose, earning a grin from him.
“You were thinking about dessert.”
“Lucky guess. I’m always thinking about dessert.”
The warmth of his hands seep through the fabric of my dress, and as his fingers gently press into the curve of my spine, it causes a pulsing ache beneath my skin, a buzzing hum of awareness at his touch. I suddenly wish we were alone so that I could kiss him like I’ve been craving to do all day.
“Now you’re coming up with an escape plan to get me alone,” he leans in and whispers into my ear. I can feel the warmth from his breath everywhere. A hot blush races across my skin, and I can see the moment he notices. His smile grows into something bigger and fuller that has me melting into a puddle.
I lean forward and kiss the curve of his smile. “I guess you can read me after all. What am I thinking now?”
He looks at me like he’s hungry, like I'm the rose-honey cupcakes he devoured moments before we started dancing. He’s about to lean in and kiss me when we're interrupted by Edna.
“Oh, get a room, you two!” Edna grins at us. She’s one of our biggest supporters since we’ve made everything official. She’s dancing with an older gentleman who twirls her and gives us a wink before they shuffle away.
I glance over at the table near the edge of the dance floor. Zane and Ashton are sitting there, mirroring each other in that quiet, broody way only two men with cracks in their hearts can. Zane is chowing down on more wedding cake, like it personally offended him, while Ashton stares at the ground, seeming as if he’s trying to rewrite the past with the weight of a single thought. They both look completely uninterested in the romance surrounding them—detached, even—as if they’ve already made up their minds that love isn’t for them.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it's that love has a funny way of showing up when you least expect it—even for the ones who’ve stopped believing in it.
“They’ve not been themselves tonight,” Luke says, his gaze landing on Zane and Ashton, reading my thoughtsagain.
“I was just thinking that.”
“Ashton at least has an excuse with his dad just having a stroke. He’s been under a lot of stress, poor guy. But I’m not sure what’s gotten into Zane.”
“I do. If you haven’t forgotten, he thought he’d be marriedby now, but when he proposed to Lily, she completely broke his heart. I can’t imagine how hard that must have been for him.”
“Oh yeah,” Luke says, rubbing the back of his neck like the memory just landed with new weight. “Man, I forgot how serious he was about her.”
I glance back at their table again, at the two of them sitting there like the world’s most tragic bachelors club. Neither of them seems to notice the magic in the air or the way Raine and Ryland can’t stop smiling at each other.
“They both look like they’ve given up,” I say quietly.
Luke slips his hand into mine, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Maybe. Or they’re just waiting for the right woman to come along and shake things up.”
I glance up at him, smiling. “Like someone pretending to be in love with their best friend?”
His grin deepens, that mischievous glint I know too well dancing in his eyes. “Exactly like that.”
I look back at Zane and Ashton, still lost in their own shadows. They don’t know it yet, but their stories are just getting started.
“If we can find our happily ever after, so can they,” I say, returning my attention back to Luke.
I nuzzle into his chest, wrapping both arms around him. My nerves spark to life, not with anxiety but with awe, because my heart still can’t quite believe he is mine. His hands move gently along my back, slow circles that anchor me right here, in this moment.
“I’m so thankful that God brought us together,” he murmurs, his voice soft as silk.
I lift my chin to look at him, and for a moment, the noise of the reception fades. It’s just us. It’s hard to put into words what I feel for Luke. I’ve saidI love youmore times than I can count, but somehow, it’s never enough, because it’s more than love.
He reads my thoughts like he alwaysdoes, offering me that crooked smirk I’ve known since childhood. The one that somehow still makes my knees a little weak.
“I love you too.” His words sound like a promise.
I close my eyes for a beat, letting it sink in. We could’ve missed this, and we almost did, but I’m so thankful we embraced the shift between us.
