Page 76 of How Sweet It Is

The bouquet arcs through the air like something out of a movie, slow and spiraling in the light from the overhead string bulbs.

Savannah gasps when it lands directly in her hands. There’s a beat of stunned silence, then laughter and applause erupt around her. Her cheeks go as pink as the roses in the bouquet, and her eyes flick to Noah as if she’s embarrassed.

Noah, on the other hand, looks like he just won the lottery. He grins at her with an open expression that tells the world exactly what he’s thinking. I inwardly sigh. Levi told me how Noah’s been in love with Savannah since high school, and this whole thing is too adorable.

I turn toward the cake table just in time to see Kiki and Tobias standing in front of the beautiful, mostly intact cake Levi and I managed to save earlier with the stolen flower buds.

Tobias carefully slices a bite of cake, his hand steady, his expression serious, as if this is a delicate medical procedure instead of dessert. He carefully feeds it to Kiki like he’s feeding a baby bird.

She gives him a wicked grin, and I know exactly what’s coming. She grabs a hunk of frosting-covered cake and smashes it right into his face.

The crowd howls with laughter. Tobias blinks through the icing then laughs, deep and full, before pulling her in for a frosting-smeared kiss.

My heart pinches.

I glance toward Levi and find him watching them, too, a soft smile pulling at his lips. He catches me looking and raises his brow like he’s about to say something snarky, but then the music starts. The lights dim. It’s time for the first dance.

The crowd instinctively parts to give them space. Kiki steps into Tobias’s arms as if she was always meant to be there, her head tilted up, his gaze fixed on her with complete focus. They start to sway, just the two of them, spinning slowly under the glow of the string lights.

I press a hand to my chest, surprised by the lump rising in my throat. There’s something so raw and beautiful about the way he holds her. Like he still can’t believe she’s real. And Kiki, with her bare feet and massive grin, looks happier than I’ve ever seen her. She came to this island with nothing, and somehow, she foundthis. A family. A love that sees every scar and stays anyway.

It’s the kind of love people search for their whole lives.

And she didn’t chase it. It found her.

Levi comes up next to me. “You okay?”

I didn’t realize I was frowning until he said something. I smooth my features. “Fine.”

“Are you sad you didn’t catch the bouquet?”

I snort. “Not at all.”

That might not have been a great reaction because he lifts one eyebrow as if I hurt his feelings. But then the song changes to a new one, and couples begin to go out on the dance floor.

He doesn’t ask. He doesn’t have to. He simply steps forward and offers his hand, and somehow, my fingers are in his like my body knows exactly where I should be at this moment.

He pulls me close, one hand on the small of my back, the other holding mine, like we’ve done this a million times. His warmth surrounds me. His cologne smells woodsy and something darker, like dusk and danger. My chest tightens.

We sway to the music, and the world fades away. My feet move on their own, following his lead. He’s so sure of himself when he dances, like this is the one place he never doubts he belongs.

“You know,” he murmurs, his lips brushing my ear, “you clean up real nice.”

I laugh, but my voice catches. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

It’s nothing. Just words. But the way he’s looking at me right now, it’s not nothing. He’s looking at me like I matter.

Levi dips me low, catching me off guard, and I laugh, breathless. When he pulls me back up, our faces are inches apart.

“Careful,” I whisper. “You’re going to make me fall.”

His eyes search mine. “That’s kind of the point.”

And suddenly, my throat is tight, my heart heavy with something I don’t want to name.

I’m falling for him.

The realization lands like a thunderclap. I blink, like maybe I imagined it. But no, there it is, rising in my chest like a tide I can’t stop.

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