“Oh. Darn.”
She snorts. “I can tell you’re just upset about it.”
“Totally. I—”
I’m cut off by Liv’s voice. Everyone turns to see her standing by the tire swing.
“I’d like to thank everyone for coming by tonight to welcome Dr. and Mrs. McKenzie home,” she says.
Holden comes up behind me as everyone begins to clap. His breath is hot against my ear.
“Welcome home, Mrs. McKenzie,” he teases.
I smile at the onlookers. “Who said I’m changing my name?” I say without moving my lips. “You might end up being Mr. Bates.”
Holden can’t hide the puff of disbelief that escapes his lips. “Right.”
“Now without further ado,” Liv says. “Can I ask my sister and her husband to please come forward?”
My heart pounds in my chest. I look at the door to the kitchen—it’s only a few steps to my right. I could make it inside and shut the door in just a few seconds. But before I can, Holden takes my hand in his.
“What is she doing?” I ask, swallowing a dose of anxiety.
“No clue.” He bends down as if to kiss my cheek. Instead, he whispers, “Let’s go before things look suspicious.”
“Right,” I mumble.
He leads me toward Liv. I shoot her the quickest glare. She accepts it with a sweet smile.
Ugh.
“We don’t have time tonight for all the traditional wedding things, like cutting the cake. But Birdie did bring you an apple pie,” Liv says loud enough for everyone to hear.
Birdie beams. “You’re going to love it, Holden.” As if she just realizes that I’m standing here, too, she looks at me. “And you, too, sweetheart.”
I lace my fingers through Holden’s without thinking twice. Only when he gives me a smirk do I realize I’ve even done it.
There’s no time to mitigate my actions, however. Liv makes sure of that.
“But what we do have time for,” Liv says, “is one of the best traditions of a reception. In my opinion, anyway.”
“What are you doing?” I groan.
“The first dance. I should’ve asked you what your song was, but you were off eloping. So I picked one. Hope that’s okay.” She winks. “Please make room for Dr. and Mrs. McKenzie.”
“What?” I stammer as the group surrounding us begins to part.
It’s only now that I see her phone connected to a speaker by the kitchen door. My stomach falls as my blood pressure soars.
Ever so slowly, I turn to Holden. I don’t know what I expect his reaction to be, but it’s not what I get.
As Elvis begins to croon, his voice singing about fools rushing into love, Holden’s face sobers. The smirk from earlier is gone. The levity I always see in his gaze has evaporated.
He watches me with hooded eyes.
He raises our interlocked hands and presses a sweet, gentle kiss to our knuckles. I can hear the gasps from Liv and Dottie.
My heart swells in my chest as Holden pulls me close. He wraps his other hand around the small of my back. I let mine do the same to his.
My brain misfires as my body overheats. The combination of Holden’s steady gaze and gentle yet intentional touch makes it hard to stay in control of my thoughts.
I have completely given up control of this situation.
Our bodies move together, swaying back and forth in time with the smooth, rich voice of The King. The sun slipping behind the trees paints shadows on Holden’s face. It makes him more handsome, if possible.
The greens of his eyes deepen as he guides me in a slow circle. The muscles in his back flex as we move, and I fight the strongest urge to move my hand beneath the hem of his shirt—to feel his back, his skin, his sweat.
The song fades into the background of Holden’s embrace. Everything does.
His lips part into a smile that I haven’t seen before. It’s a hint of something, a promise that’s just for me. I don’t have time to decipher the meaning because he pulls me closer yet again.
He leans forward and lets his lips hover against the shell of my ear.
My skin breaks out into a fit of goose bumps as the heat of his breath runs across it.
“I’m going to kiss you,” he whispers.
I force a swallow through my constricted throat. “Why does that feel like a warning?”
His chest shakes against mine as he chuckles. “We have to make this believable, right?”
I nod. I think.
He pulls back far enough to look me in the eye. I open my mouth to say something—what, I’m not sure. Just something to give myself a few seconds to try to prepare for whatever is about to happen.
But it’s too late.
His lips press against mine before I get the chance to even close my eyes.
I inhale deeply, taken aback by the suddenness of his actions. The air is filled with his scent, his pheromones, and I’m a puddle at his feet.