“Way to set the bar too high for the rest of us,” Lucah called out to Fin as I gave him a hug.
“I can’t believe you pulled that off,” I said as he lifted me off my feet. I was so beyond happy to see him.
“It wasn’t easy. I actually enlisted the help of your mother, if you can believe that. Now that she’s given up on me being her son-in-law, she’s been surprisingly supportive of my current relationship.” He glanced over his shoulder at Marisol, who was being mopped up by Chloe and Sloane.
“She’s been very supportive of mine as well,” I said, jabbing Lucah in the ribs with my elbow and making him wince. “You look really good, Fin.” He did. His suit actually fit his tall frame, and cut in all the right places. Marisol was a lucky woman. She came over and couldn’t stop giggling as Fin gave her another kiss and then dragged her away so they could dance.
“We can’t let them show us up on the dance floor, can we?” Lucah said, taking my hand and leading me to the space in front of the tables that was cleared for dancing. Marisol had found a replacement band, and I didn’t know what the original had sounded like, but the replacements were fabulous, playing the old standards mixed with some newer songs so they could please the diverse crowd.
The rest of our crew followed behind Lucah and me. Tate and April, who looked stunning in her white dress; Ryder and Sloane, who looked like a walking silver screen siren in rose gold and then Chloe in green with one of her male coworkers (who also happened to be gay, but went with her to formal events as her heterosexual beard).
The band struck up a new song, and after a second I realized it was a slower version of “Royals” by Lorde. It took me back to the first ball and how I’d been so happy to dance with Lucah. I’d been bursting with so much happiness and love I didn’t think it could grow any more.
But it had. I adored him even more than I did on that night. And a year from now I’d probably love him more, and the year after that and so on. Forever.
“I can’t wait to marry you, Miss Clarke. Or should I say, future Mrs. Blythe,” Lucah said in my ear as we waltzed to the non-traditional song.
“Mrs. Blythe,” I said, testing out the name. My potential name. I didn’t know how I felt about it. I’d been Rory Clarke for my entire life. I didn’t know how to be anyone else. Lucah had the luxury of trying different identities on. I was sure if he really wanted to, he could become anyone. But I would always be Rory Clarke.
“Or maybe you want to keep your name?” Lucah said after a few beats of silence. He’d done it again, read my mind.
“How about we compromise?” I said moving my hand up his neck and tugging a tiny bit on the hair on the back of his head. “How does Mrs. Clarke-Blythe sound?” Rory Clarke-Blythe. Yes. I could be her.
He chuckled in my ear, sending shivers racing down my spine. Ryder had finally found a job busing tables at a local restaurant, so he’d moved out this morning. Tonight was going to be our first night in our apartment with just the two of us again, and I knew both of us had more than a few plans as to what to do with our returned privacy.
“I like the sound of that, almost future Mrs. Clarke-Blythe. Or I could take your name. I could be Lucah Clarke. We’ve never really been the traditional couple, have we?” No, we certainly hadn’t. Most couples didn’t start out as a one-night stand. But tradition was boring.
“I just want you to be you. Lucah Jacob Blythe. Nobody else.” He pulled back and I raised my head from where it had rested on his chest to meet his gaze.
“You be Rory and I’ll be Lucah.” He twirled me under his arm and I giggled as I nearly crashed into Sloane where she danced nearby with Ryder.
“As long as I get to call you mine,” I said.