“Well…shoot. And I just shaved a big ol’ C in my crotch. Ya know, just in case I got lost and someone needed to know who I belonged to.”
I grab her, pulling her into me. My arm locks around her tight tush, not caring which aunt or grandma sees. I catch her dad eyeing me and quickly let go. “There’s no need to do that. I will not be leaving your sight, and tonight, when I search out that C, I’ll make sure to spell out the rest with my teeth.” Her flushed cheeks turn me on. I’m already apologizing in my head to Levi for not making it through dinner.
“Don’t even think about it.”
“About what?” I ask.
“You know what. I know that look.”
“Honestly, this is my bored look.” More like I’m about to take her into the ladies’ bathroom and do nasty things to her look.
“Today isn’t about you, Chase. Your needs can wait.”
The need to drag you up to that altar and bind you to me forever can’t. “Yeah, totally. Why would you think otherwise? If you’re done drooling over me, I need to get back to the guys.”
Stay strong. Look confident. Pretend you mean it.
Her slow, seductive smile breaks down every single manly part of me. I just want to pick her up and whisk her away. I open my mouth to ask if I can go with her to hang out with the girls just to stay close to her.
“Yeah, I’m done.”
“Okay. Well…enjoy. I’ve got guys—guys’ time…yeah.” I turn to walk away with some of my balls intact when she calls my name.
“After dinner, though. It’s fair game. I have no panties under this, and I can’t imagine how much longer it will be until my excitement starts showing through my dress.”
Weddings are stupid.
When I get married, I’m skipping the dinner portion. People can eat after. The second the server takes away our plates, I go to grab for Bridget, but she’s already being hauled off by Hannah. Since it’s rude to tackle the bride, I let it go.
I find the guys at the bar taking shots.
“Look who it is, weeping Romeo. The sad, lovesick little boy look is super cute on you.” The imprint of my fist is going to look even better on Ben if he doesn’t shut the hell up.
Levi slaps Ben on the shoulder. “Oh, leave him alone. It’s about time he found his own ball and chain.”
“Who has a ball and chain?” I ask like I don’t already know.
Ben laughs so loud, it draws attention. “You kidding me? We thought Kip had it bad. Even Levi. That dude literally had Cupid’s arrows sticking out of his ass. But you…you’ve got it bad. I mean, you practically have hearts shooting from your eyes and your balls—oh wait…are your balls heart shaped now? Dude, show us—”
I slap his hand away as he tries to grab my nuts. “Fuck you guys. Unlike Benny here, who probably doesn’t have balls since they fell off from some venereal disease, my girl likes my balls.”
“Oh, she likes your balls—”
“Hey, cool it, that’s my cousin,” Kip slurs, slapping Ben in the chest.
“She doesn’t need to see my balls hanging from her rear-view mirror like an object to know she has me. We get each other. We know each other. It’s a mutual…obsession.” Fuck. I give up. I throw my hands up as they laugh and enjoy my pain.
Levi slaps me on the back. “I’m happy for you, man. You deserve this.”
“What? The relationship or eating crow?”
Levi laughs. “Both. But mainly Bridge. There was a time, long, long ago, when I didn’t know how it felt to be so consumed by someone. I didn’t get what Kip saw. Not in Stacey, but the whole settling down thing. Then, one day, someone changed my mind.” I watch him as he peers over at Hannah, dancing like an idiot with her friends. “It’s not love that does you in…it’s the little things. The way they snort when they laugh. How they bite their nails. How they sigh in deep thought…” He trails off as he watches his wife, and I slowly get it.
It’s the little things about a person that make you the happiest—the things you never knew you needed. Their smell. The snarky looks and stealing the covers in the middle of the night. The kisses and affection. Even the way she dances while she’s naked after a shower, thinking no one is watching…
“Yeah, great speech. I…uh…I gotta go…”
I leave Levi standing there and storm onto the dancefloor. “Excuse me, ladies. I need to steal this one.” Bridget gives me the eye, but I don’t care. There’s no way she’s not coming with me.
“Chase, the reception is barely over.”
“It’s fine.” I continue to drag her through the crowd until I find an exit and haul us outside onto the terrace.