Chapter Twenty-One: Andrew

The crowd moved in unison as they bounced around in a line dance in the middle of the dance floor. A band was set up in the corner, seemingly having just as much of a good time as the guests.

Sadie’s wedding to Jacob had gone off without a hitch. She looked beautiful in an ivory gown that plumed out around her feet. Colton had walked her down the aisle, and I watched as Jacob’s watery smile grew while they said their I-dos. Kelsey gripped my arm as they kissed under the arbor. Thankfully, Rory had been seated at the other end of our aisle, since she and her husband arrived late, and missed the touch.

Out on the crowded wooden floor purposely scattered with sand—which kept leather-soled boots from slipping—Kelsey’s dress swirled between her legs as she switched positions with Rory. Her head tilted back as she laughed, while her hand laid across the small bump of her belly, and I’d never seen her look more beautiful.

The song ended, and the crowd on the floor dispersed, leaving just a few stragglers as the band switched to a slower number. Jacob swept Sadie out in a dramatic turn before pulling her close to dance together. She’d changed out of her ceremony dress and now wore a lacy one that flowed just above her feet.

She had never looked happier.

“Glad you came?” Kelsey asked, out of breath, as she took the seat beside me. I sat at the table with the rest of my family, sans Autumn and Colton, who were seated at the wedding-party table.

“I am,” I replied as I smiled at her, while she used her napkin to pat away some of the sweat along her hairline. “Thank you for coming with me.”

“Of course.”

I wanted to kiss her, hold her, sweep her across the dance floor like my siblings did with their husbands. Only, I couldn’t, and it was the worst fucking feeling ever.

Although, I could ask her to dance, since she was my wedding date, after all.

“Want me to get you another lemonade?”

As I stood, Kelsey gazed up at me like I’d just offered her a million dollars. “Yes, please.”

Normally, I would have pressed a chaste kiss to her lips, but I settled for a quick smile while I pushed my chair back farther with a squeak as I moved away from the table.

Stopping by the bar first, I requested a gin and tonic and waited for the bartender to make my drink. With my back turned to the bar, I watched as the star of the evening sidled up beside me.

“Hey, Andrew,” Sadie said, before requesting a glass of champagne from the bartender as he set my gin and tonic on the counter.

Before grabbing the glass, I hugged Sadie and congratulated her.

“Marriage looks good on you,” I told her, and she laughed in that childish, innocent way I remembered my sisters did when they were younger.

“Are you having a good time?” she asked as she sipped the bubbly beverage.

“I am. It was a beautiful wedding, and now an even better party,” I replied as I clutched my glass and took a quick sip, my eyes immediately seeking out Kelsey, who was busy chatting with Rory.

“I’m glad to hear that. You know… I like you two together.”

“What?” I asked, nearly choking on my drink.

“You and Kelsey. The two of you make sense.”

“We’re not—”

“Oh, you totally are. You can’t fool me. I’ve been watching you watch her all night. Plus, Marisol may have spilled it to me earlier.”

I groaned, thinking that our secret would be out in the open sooner than we were ready. “In your mom’s defense, it happened while we were drinking mimosas this morning. It was just me and her.”

“Well, I guess… thank you? We’re not sure where things will end up, but she’s found a lead on a job in the area, and… well… I love her.”

“Ah! I’m so excited. Maybe there will be another wedding soon.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” I told her, even though that’s exactly what I was hoping for as well.

Sadie flicked her hand in the air. “You can’t tell me what to do. It’s my day.”

“Don’t you have a husband to go dance with or something? I have it on good authority there is a pregnant lady eyeing your wedding cake. I’d get that cut before she gets ahold of it.”

She chuckled like she thought I was joking—something she and I did with each other frequently—but then stopped when she realized I wasn’t. With her wine glass in hand, she dashed across the dance floor, frantically speaking with the event planner.

Too bad she was already too late. Kelsey confessed she had skimmed the tiniest bits of icing from the bottom of Alex’s creation. At least she had the decency to take it from the groom’s cake, stating she didn’t want the bad juju for ruining such a profound tradition, adding, “Plus, his is chocolate. And damn was it heavenly.”

I grabbed my glass and made my way toward the other refreshments, swiping a cup of lemonade as I went. As I passed tables, guests and some of the wedding party waved or said hello, a few snagging me to chat for a bit. It took about thirty minutes to bring Kelsey her drink.

She chugged the lemonade immediately. “Woah, that’s good,” she said of the tart drink as she smacked her lips.

“Would you like another?” I asked as I chuckled.

“I’m okay. Thank you though. Did Sadie say how much longer it will be until the cake is cut? I’m starving.”

I wasn’t going to mention that she requested an additional plate of food when dinner was served and had eaten both before most people finished their first.

“I did. And I think soon.”

“Good.”

“How are you feeling?” I asked, my eyes darting down to her stomach. Over the last two weeks, her stomach had become more pronounced. She liked to say it appeared less like she’d eaten too many hamburgers and more like a baby was there. Next week, we’d find out the baby’s gender, and Kelsey was sure it was a boy. My mom, on the other hand, was certain she was carrying a girl.

“Good. Hungry, of course.” She giggled.

“Of course. I mentioned to Sadie she should push things along.”

True to my word, the venue’s event planner announced that the happy couple would be cutting the cake followed by a few speeches by their families. When slices of the decadent raspberry-filled dessert made their rounds, I made sure to not so subtly slide my plate toward Kelsey. Her eyes glazed over in utter delight as Nash did the same.

“Y’all spoil me,” she said around a mouthful of frosting.

“As we should,” he reminded her before turning back to Marisol.

The speeches were short and sweet with very few dry eyes in the house. Colton’s words had been the ones that did everyone in. A lot of phrases about love and family and how he wished them years of happiness together. He had been in the foster system and learned he had a half-sister only six years ago, when she sought him out.

Once the speeches commenced, Sadie danced with her brother while Jacob danced with his mom. Colton twirled his sister across the dance floor, her second reception dress eddying around her like flower petals.

I had a quick flashback of my younger sisters asking me to spin them across the floor of the kitchen while they paraded around in their princess dresses. A smile grew along my lips as the memory unlocked.

“Hey, you look happy,” Kelsey said as she leaned toward me.

Our eyes locked, and I realized how truly happy I was. “I am.” Just then, the band directed everyone out to the dance floor to join the couples. “Dance with me?”

Kelsey’s gaze darted around the table, and while I knew Rory wasn’t near us at the moment, I also didn’t care if she saw. I was tired of hiding how I felt about this woman, and it was time I put on my big-boy britches, as my mother liked to say. If Rory was upset, she’d have to get over it, because I loved her best friend too much to keep us a secret.

I stood and held out my hand for Kelsey, and after a slight hesitation, she placed her smaller one in mine.

“Let’s go show them how it’s done,” I joked as we made it to the center of the floor next to Autumn and Colton. With a delicate hold, I spun Kelsey outward, then rolled her into my arms until her back pressed against my chest, then did it again until I tugged her to me and held her face-to-face. My hand flexed against her waist, immediately recognizing the familiar dip of her body. In my left hand, her fingers intertwined with mine as her other hand wrapped around the back of my neck.

“I love you, baby,” I murmured just loud enough for her to hear over the music.

Her sparkling smile made my chest explode like fireworks on the Fourth of July.

“I love you too.”

Kelsey and I continued to spin around the dance floor, neither of us noticing the others around us.

The song ended, and I kept Kelsey’s hand in mine, pulling her toward the side door to step into a hallway that led to the restrooms. I’d gone too long without putting my mouth on her. Hell, I was ready to leave the wedding and head back to my rental.

“Where are we going?” Kelsey asked on a laugh.

Spinning around, I pulled her against me and leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “I want to taste you, baby, and maybe if we can find a nice, dark spot, I can slide my cock between your legs and fuck you. Imagine how many people could walk by and see you coming all over my dick.”

“Mm… Andrew,” she moaned, and I knew if I slipped my hand between her legs, I’d find her drenched. My cock was already tenting the front of my suit pants.

With urgency, we hurried toward the kitchen area, where I planned to sneak out through the employee entrance. That was one of the perks for being an owner of the venue.

We broke through the door and stepped into the cool night air, the only illumination coming from the light by the door, the few lanterns set up around a gravel walking area, and the moon. Kelsey jerked my head down to hers and kissed me like her life depended on it.

Instinctively, I reached down for her ass and hoisted her against me. Her long dress kept her from wrapping her legs around my waist, but that was probably a good thing until I could find a more hidden spot for us. There were enough people milling around outside who were about to get more than they bargained for. Yet, I didn’t care; I only had eyes for Kelsey as she drove her fingers into my hair, her nails scraping along my scalp as her tongue entered my mouth. Blindly, I began moving us away from the building and toward the walking path.

“What’s going on here?” a familiar voice said, and Kelsey stiffened in my arms before I slowly lowered her to her feet.

“Rory,” Kelsey spoke softly as she went to approach her friend, but I grabbed her hand and pulled her back against me. She wasn’t doing this on her own—now or ever.

Talon stepped up next to his wife, mouthing an apology in my direction.

“What’s going on?” Rory repeated, sounding more hurt than angry as she pointed between me and Kelsey.

“We… uh… I mean—” Kelsey started, but I cut her off.

“We’ve been seeing each other.”

“Seeing each other? What does that mean, exactly?”

Rolling my eyes at my sister, I replied, “What it sounds like, Rory. Kelsey and I are in a relationship.”

“For how long? Why didn’t you tell me?” Her eyes went immediately to Kelsey, whose back straightened.

“I… I don’t know exactly. A while.” She shrugged. “I never meant to hurt you, Rory. I didn’t say anything, because your friendship means everything to me. But… I…. We….”

I watched helplessly as her eyes watered as she prepared for her friendship with my sister to deteriorate. But we both underestimated my sibling.

“It’s about time. God, I’ve been walking on eggshells around y’all, waiting for one of you to say something.” She rolled her eyes, popping her hip out sassily as she crossed her arms, then stared at us accusingly.

“Wait… you’re not mad?”

Talon stepped closer to his wife and draped his arm around her shoulders. She immediately leaned into him, her haughtiness subsiding.

“I was at first, but then I realized you two being together makes perfect sense.”

“And the age different doesn’t bother you?” I asked, because outside of Rory finding out, as much as I hated to admit it, I worried what the people in town would think about the gap.

Rory shrugged and explained that Autumn and Alex were married to men quite a bit older than them. “And besides, you’re the most caring and loving person I know, Andrew. I couldn’t have asked for a better person for my best friend. Who knows? Maybe we’ll be sisters one day.”

Squeezing Kelsey’s hand, I replied, “Maybe.”

“How did you find out, anyway? We’ve tried to be extra careful,” Kelsey asked, and I was curious as well.

“At the fair. Talon and I had just parked in front of Alex’s shop. We were walking toward the entrance, when I heard growling coming from the alleyway.” Rory’s cheeks blushed as she continued. “I went to check, and there you two were… um… you know.”

“Why didn’t you say anything then? Or at least when we were walking around?” Kelsey’s hand clenched mine.

“Because I didn’t know what to make of it. Was it a one-off, or were you two a thing? And, I don’t know… I was hoping you would be the one to say something first.” She shrugged. “I am really happy about this. I know at first when you arrived, I tried to talk you away from Andrew, but I can see it all worked out as it was supposed to.”

I agreed with Rory, nodding along. If Kelsey hadn’t lost her job all because of her douchebag ex, then I would have had to deal with someone else for my rehab. The weeks alone with Kelsey forced us to get to know each other on a different level than most couples would have the chance at.

“You’re really not mad?” Kelsey asked again, and Rory left the safety of her husband’s arm and walked toward her to embrace her tightly.

“I love you, Kels.” Rory then walked up to me and wrapped her arms around my waist, the same way she always had. “I love you too, Andy. But just know… I’ll be watching you.”

Rolling my eyes, I patted her head like a toddler’s. “I’ll sleep with one eye open. Now, get out of here, squirt.”

I watched Rory’s retreating back as Kelsey snuggled closer to me.

“I can’t believe she knew all along.”

“I can. Rory has always been the one who believed in romantic fairy tales. She made me watch Cinderella for a month straight when she was nine.”

“She loves love.”

“She does.” Looking down at Kelsey’s striking face, I grinned. The marks left by her mom were no longer visible, but I knew the internal ones were going to take a lot longer to heal.

Tasha had already been found guilty of assault and battery against Kelsey, since the physical and video evidence were handed to the judge as undeniable proof. There was another hearing set for the following month, regarding the extortion of Caleb’s signed dissolution of paternal rights paperwork for money. No one thought Kelsey’s mother would see the outside of a jail cell for a while, especially the investigator I hired to find evidence that she’d done things like this to others. And he had already started compiling mounds of data.

Our lawyer was going to have an easy job; that was for sure.

“So, do you think we should head back inside, since that kind of killed the mood?” Kelsey asked, bringing me back to the moment.

“Only if you promise we won’t leave the bed for at least twenty-four hours when we get home.”

She turned and wrapped her arms around my neck. My lips automatically sought hers out. “If you’re a good boy, maybe we can try that new thing I was reading about.”

I’d become an avid customer at the bookshop in town, buying as many erotic and contemporary romances for Kelsey as we could stack on the shelves of the rental. She liked to try out some of the love scenes herself, which she read aloud to me, and I was always her willing partner.

“I’m looking forward to it,” I whispered, just as Rory popped her head back out through venue’s kitchen door.

“Come on, you two. Sadie’s about to toss the bouquet, and Mom is searching for you, Andrew.”

“Coming, brat!” I shouted back, and then looked at Kelsey. “Good luck,” I whispered to her as we trekked back inside.

“What for?”

“Because I have a feeling you’re going to end up with the bouquet.”

“Oh, well, then maybe I should be saying good luck to you.”

Chuckling, I asked, “Why?”

“Because you’re the one who would have to ask the important question.”

“And you’re telling me you wouldn’t say yes?”

Kelsey shrugged and skipped away.

“Get back here!” I shouted as I chased her through the kitchen, only slowing down when we stepped into the reception and eyes focused on us. I grabbed her hand and tugged her to me, pressing a heated kiss to her mouth.

She melted in my arms just as the event planner called for all the unmarried women to the center of the dance floor. Kelsey began to pull away, but not before I gripped her closer and whispered in her ear, “Twenty-four hours, baby.”

“Looking forward to it,” she replied as she spun, brushed her ass against my cock, waking him instantly, and giggled at my body’s response.

Adjusting myself, I rumbled, “Things will never be boring with you, and I wouldn’t change a single thing.”

She walked off toward the growing crowd, looking over her shoulder and calling back, “I like being your wild one.”