Page 71 of Love on the Brain
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Ryan stoodwith Lanie behind Jane and Matt while Shelby and Damon waltzed to their first dance as husband and wife. Other first dances haunted his memories. With Sunny at their junior prom, with Jane at their first college formal. Jane and Casey’s first dance as husband and wife. Him and Sunny at their own wedding.
The bridal party joined Shelby and Damon, and he felt Lanie’s light touch on his arm. “How soon is too soon to cut in?” she asked.
Ryan smiled and offered his hand to her. “As long as we’re not the first, we’re good. Look at JC. See his eyes darting? He’s trying to figure out how to switch Rachel out with Damon’s college buddy to dance with your sister.”
“Ah!” Lanie laughed and took his hand as the DJ invited other couples onto the floor. “And there he goes. Let’s do it!”
Ryan set his left hand lightly on her waist and whirled her expertly through the couples between them and their significant others.
Matt saw them coming, and in one fluid, dizzying move, the two men twirled their partners into the other’s arms.
“Smooth!” Jane laughed as she placed her hand in his. “Did you guys practice that?”
Ryan shook his head. “It’s a well-practiced move in all Southern circles, I think. Your Northern wallflower guys don’t know what they’re missing.”
Jane laughed. “Yeah, no kidding. I’m sure the ‘I don’t dance’ excuse doesn’t fly well south of DC, hmm?”
“Not if their grandmothers have any say in the matter.” Ryan smiled, thinking of his own grandmothers. “Personally, I learned to dance before I learned to read.”
“‘Train up a child in the way he should go,’” Jane quoted.
“And ‘even when he is old, he will not depart from it,’” Ryan finished.
“Your family did a most excellent job raising you and your brother,” she said. Ryan followed her gaze to Noah, now in Damon’s arms so the little boy could dance with his aunt and uncle. “Raising children is not for the faint of heart.”
“It’s definitely not.” Ryan tightened his grip on her hand and waited until she turned back to him to speak what was on his heart. “It would be an honor and a privilege to partner with you in raising Noah and…” He took a deep breath and swallowed the lump that began to form in his suddenly dry throat. “And any other children the Lord might bless you with.”
Jane let go of his hand and cupped his cheek. Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears and sober determination. “You meanus.”
Us.
He’d purposely not said the simple, two-letter word that was on his heart, afraid to speak it out loud. Leaning into her palm, he blinked back his own tears.
“Us,”he repeated.
She smiled. “You can start by flying up for his preschool graduation.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he choked out.
Jane’s left hand cupped his other cheek, and she pulled his face down to hers. “You should probably talk to my dad sometime this weekend,” she said, then pressed her lips to his.
He replied by intensifying their kiss while guiding them off the dance floor and out of the ballroom. He barely noticed Easton opening the door for them as they stepped over the threshold and onto the porch.
EPILOGUE
Jane cheered for Noah as his little legs skipped across the stage in Acadia High School’s theater. She hadn’t been on school grounds since Casey’s last day, when he’d collapsed on the field at his team’s last game of the season.
Sandwiched in between Ryan and Shelby, both of whose fingers were in their mouths conducting whistles that would give Fenway an earache, she’d held herself together until this moment. No one had to say what they all were thinking, that Casey should be there.
Noah accepted his scroll from his teacher and waited for her to ask the question she’d asked all the kids. “Congratulations, Noah! And what are you looking forward to most about going to kindergarten?”
Noah turned and pointed to where they were sitting. “I’m gonna have a new daddy in kindergarten. Uncle Ryan is going to ask my mommy to marry him tonight, and then I can call him Daddy Ryan!”
Jane gasped as the audience laughed. Noah jumped up and down with excitement, knocking his hat off. He picked it up and danced across the stage, oblivious to the bomb he’d dropped.
“Kids say the funniest things.” Shelby snickered.
