Where We Belong (Alabama Summer #3.5)

He lets out an exhausted breath. “If I ruin this nice suit . . . and please explain to me why you named this stupid thing. Who names their delivery van?” I ignore his last comment and start it up, glaring at him as he climbs in to ward off any further insults.

“Don’t make me put you in the back,” I warn as I pull away from the curb toward an evening of inevitable awkwardness.

“HOLY SHIT. THIS PLACE IS fantastic!” Joey shrieks as I pull onto the driveway leading up to Whitmore Mansion, following a long line of expensive vehicles. I wince and rub the steering wheel, preparing Sam for the looks he will undoubtedly receive. “Oh, for Christ’s sake. See. I fucking told you we would stand out like idiots. Do you realize we’re sandwiched between a Mercedes and Lamborghini. A fucking Lamborghini.”

I swallow loudly. Joey’s right. My delivery van, which is adorned with swirls of cupcakes and icing splashes on both sides, is completely out of place here. I’m fairly certain we will be the only non-luxury vehicle in the parking lot. My ringtone startles me and I quickly pull my phone out of my clutch, hitting the speaker phone button.

“Hey, Juls.”

“Are you here yet? I’m dying to introduce you to Ian and his entourage of insanely hot friends. HEY. What are you doing? You should be rounding up the groomsmen. Jesus, do I have to do everything around here?”

I giggle at my best friend as we slowly inch closer to the parking attendants. She’s usually very calm and collected, until it’s close to show time.

“Please, for the love of Christ, tell me one of Ian’s ridiculously hot friends prefers cock to pussy. I need to get laid, and I needed it to happen yesterday.” Joey is practically bouncing in his seat as I chuckle at him. There is nothing he likes more than a wild, no strings attached hook up, and weddings offer the best situation for such thing. Especially weddings where there is free booze.

“Actually, his friend Billy didn’t once glance at my boobs when I was leaning over Ian, so you might be good to go there, JoJo.” With that information, he pulls his visor down and begins fixing his already perfectly coifed blond hair.

“We’re at the valet guys now, so we’ll be right up.” I hit end and stop in front of three young boys who eye up Sam questionably and glance between the three of them, silently asking who wants to drive it. I step out with my purse and walk toward them. “Here, the clutch sticks, so don’t be afraid to be rough with him.” Tossing the keys to the one closest to me, I loop my arm through Joey’s and watch as the two boys who don’t have to drive Sam snicker at the one with the keys.

“It smells like cupcakes in here.”

My head falls back and I laugh with Joey at the valet attendant as we follow the crowd into the venue.

To describe this place as beautiful is an extreme understatement. Entering through rustic doors, the floor plan opens up to a massive foyer with dim lighting given off by Tiffany-inspired glass chandeliers. Stained glass windows surround both doors, and antique furnishings and artwork fill the room. Guests are making their way down the hallway, which leads into another large room, most likely where the ceremony will be taking place. A grand staircase, wide enough for ten people to walk side by side, leads up to a second level, and as I inhale, the scent of old wood and calla lilies fill my lungs. Damn it. This wedding is going to be beyond chic.

“There you are. Holy shit, Dyl, you look incredible. Is that dress new and when can I borrow it?” My beautiful best friend is adorned in a navy dress with an empire waist, her dark chocolate brown hair pulled back into a chic bun. “Justin is going to shit a brick when he sees you,” she whispers against my ear as she ends our hug. I’d prefer it if he just dropped dead at the sight of me, but I’m not that lucky.

“Thanks. You look amazing as usual. How’s the bride?” Her fingers fluff my blonde waves that fall past my shoulders, and she leans in and gives Joey a kiss on each cheek.

“Annoying. Come on, you both need to find seats and quickly. We’re about to start.” She grasps my hand in hers and I pull Joey behind me as we walk straight back and into the room labeled The Great Hall.

“Okay, where are all the hot boys at?” Joey searches the room, practically bouncing on his feet. The boy is on the hunt and has a predictable, one-track mind.

I shake my head at him. “Could you please try and keep it in your pants during the ceremony? You are technically my plus one, and can wait to get all freaky with some lucky man at the reception.”

“I make no promises, cupcake.” He smoothes his suit and wiggles his brows at me as Juls extends her hand, pointing toward the left side of the room.

“See the man sitting five rows back on the end, with the ponytail?”

I laugh and her eyes widen. “Ponytail? You didn’t say Ian had a ponytail.”

“Well, he does. And he lets me tug it when I’m coming.”

“Hot damn. Get it, Juls!” Joey begins fanning his face and I know I need to do the same. My cheeks suddenly feel like they’re on fire. Although, I shouldn’t be that surprised at my best friend’s comment.

Between the three of us, we’re all entirely too obsessed with the male appendage.

“Anyways,” she continues with a tone, “the three equally delicious looking men next to him are all his colleagues. And Billy,” she meets Joey’s anxious eyes, “is the one next to the two empty seats. You guys better hurry up and grab them before someone else does. Oh, shit.” She glances down at her watch and pushes us forward into the room. “Sit. Hurry.” She clicks away on her heels as I stare down the center aisle where the bride will be walking down any minute. Shit. I can’t walk down that aisle to my seat. That has to be some kind of weird karma to walk where the bride of your ex-boyfriend is about to walk. No, thank you. I do not need that kind of bad luck.

“Come on.” I grab Joey’s sleeve and pull him with me toward the left side of the room, walking quickly up the rows of chairs until we stop at the fifth row. Ian, Mr. Ponytail, glances up and smiles at me. Ooohhh, he is cute. “Excuse me,” I say softly. I step between his long legs and the chair in front of him, trying to quickly make my way to the two empty seats. There isn’t much space to wiggle through, and I inwardly laugh at the thought of my six foot two, muscly assistant doing the same shimmy right behind me. The lights start to dim, indicating the ceremony is about to start, so I move faster, Joey pushing up against my back.

“Oh, shit.” My heel slips on the arm of a suit jacket that is hanging on the back of a chair and I fall backward, crashing straight into the lap of the man sitting two seats down from Ian. His hands quickly grab my waist and I gasp at the contact. Oh, great. Good job, Dylan. Glancing down slowly, I see the sexiest pair of hands I’ve ever laid eyes on. They’re big, and his long fingers tightly grip my hips. Slightly tanned skin contrasts beautifully with my black dress, and I hear a few muffled laughs coming from behind and both sides of me. My eyes flick up to meet Joey, who is grinning widely and glancing behind me amusingly at whoever’s lap I am sitting in. I stand up quickly and spin, getting the first real look at the man my ass is now acquainted with. “Oh, shit,” I gasp, seeing a small smile form at the corner of his perfect mouth. Oh, God, I want those lips on me. Full and pink with a predominant slit running down the middle of the bottom one. His tongue darts out and slowly licks it. Whoa.