Page 20 of Sprite Wedding
I flinched. Being warm and lovey wasn’t ever a way I’d describe myself. Standoffish and aloof would be more accurate, although Lucas brought out a less guarded and more relaxed version of me. Was it not enough?
As the audience cheered, he encouraged it by sauntering across the stage and cupping one hand near his ear. He appeared to revel in this attention.
Did he regret committing to a relationship with me?
He’d told me countless times I was his mate and the only one for him, but was it enough? He was so vibrant that he charmed people everywhere he went. Maybe he needed more.
“Lucas!” a woman hollered and then jumped out of her seat. She had straight dark hair parted down the middle and a curvy figure. She ran with her arms outstretched toward Lucas and bear hugged him.
I stood, my heart thumping. The way this woman clung onto him, her body pressed against his, pulled on every nerve. Although it seemed she had something far from her mind other than doing him harm, instincts to protect my guy kicked in. She wouldn’t let go of him and clung onto his body like a remora on a shark.
Before I reached them, a security guard who was standing nearby intervened and pulled the woman off of Lucas.
She kept her arms outstretched while he dragged her away. “Don’t leave again!”
Lucas appeared startled by the encounter. I was just as confused.
“I’ll find you!” the woman shouted.
Oh great, just what we needed—an overzealous fan. Hopefully, she’d just had too much to drink and would sleep it off.
After the woman was escorted away, Lucas said, “You know I love you all. But now I have a special lady in my life. I hope she’s out there somewhere.” He shielded his eyes as he searched the crowd, presumably for me. When he met my gaze, he beamed. “There she is.” He gestured at me. “Come on up here, Zoe.”
I winced. What on earth was he doing? Many women turned to face me. Oh, lovely.
When Lucas encouraged me once more, I had little choice but to join him onstage for whatever hijinks he had in mind. I stood and hurried over, desperate to get this over with.
He offered me his hand and helped me onstage. Once I stood beside him, he gestured toward me. “Here she is, the woman who stole my heart.”
Some cheering followed. One woman hollered, “We want you, Lucas.”
He shook his head. “Oh no, I’m all Zoe’s.” He turned to me and took my hand. “And I’m going to pledge my love to you in front of everyone here.” He bent down to one knee.
My eyes bulged out of my head. I muttered, “Lucas, what are you doing?”
He knew I hated being the center of attention. Being on stage here like this was extra awkward.
With one hand still clasped in his, he said, “Zoe, I love you and want to be with you forever. Will you marry me?”
Oh, potent potions. Lucas was proposing to me at a strip club? He had a dramatic flair and didn’t mind spectacles, but this was too much.
“Lucas, let’s not do this here,” I said in a low voice.
That’s when I noticed it—he had that same dazed look he had when he danced on the table at the strip club. Something peculiar was going on.
“Don’t break his heart!” one woman shouted.
“You better say yes,” another added with a hint of a threat.
“Forget her and propose to me, Lucas!” another called.
Oh, great. Was I going to get torn to pieces by an angry mob in a strip club? He stared up at me with expectant but dazed eyes.
I turned to the crowd, facing countless eyes staring at me. “You know he’s kidding.” I brushed off Lucas’s odd proposal with a smile. I turned back to him. “You’re such a joker.” Then I pulled Lucas up, dragged him behind the curtain backstage, and faced him with a serious expression. “What the crikey is going on?”
His dazed expression turned confused and hurt. “You don’t want to marry me, Zoe?”
“Lucas, I love you,” I said. “But something’s wrong. What’s going on?”
