He nods. “I’ll talk to your mother,” he holds my stare, “but no one else.”
“Thank you, Uncle Lucien.”
He walks away after a brief hug for us both.
“I meant to tell you about Italy moving forward, I just got caught up in us.”
“I’m not ready to lose you.” I hold her close and bury my face into her hair.
“Come with me.”
“What?”
“Michael worked overseas for a short time, so why can’t you? Come with me. Hold my hand as we walk around Florence, eat delicious food in Italian bistros, and make sweet love.”
“I’m so tempted to throw everything to the wind and say yes, but I can’t. Not until I’ve spoken to Michael and Olivia. I can’t leave them without support, and right now I’m supposed to be covering while Michael takes time off with Brooke.” I step back and run my hands through my hair. “I don’t know how to make it work.” I tug at the longer strands.
“Let’s not think about it now, okay? I want to dance with you at Charlotte’s wedding.” Rachel smiles and her face lights up. “Of course I’ll then have to dance with everyone else, but at least I will have had your arms around me on the dance floor.”
“Paige isn’t going to like it.”
Rachel bites her lip. “We’ll take the chance that she won’t make a scene because I’m not about to let her have control of my decisions or what we do. You told your dad that we’re together, which we are.”
My heart feels like it’s going to explode with the love I have for this beautiful woman in my arms. “Take my hand,” I offer.
Our fingers intertwine. “Let’s dance.”
She giggles as I lead her inside. The small function room already has music playing and couples dancing. Uncle Sebastian makes me laugh as he starts getting fresh with Aunt Carla.
I roll my eyes when Rachel meets my gaze with mirth in hers. My arms tighten around her and we’re slow dancing. I grin and Rachel returns it just as I spin her around and then back into my arms. She comes back to me laughing and that’s how the rest of the dance goes. We have fun but have to keep it light, and then I lose her to Uncle Ramon, her father.
My mother slips into my arms, giving me a pointed look. She pulls me close and whispers, “I love you.” Her words momentarily derail me, but then she has me dancing around the room with her until she finds my father and entices him to the dance floor with her. “He hates to dance.”
“He needs to be close to you,” I comment and moving away, I grab Charlotte from her husband’s arms.
“That’s so not fair,” she grumbles.
“You can’t expect the men in your family to not dance with you on your wedding day.”
“I want to dance with him on our wedding day.”
I laugh. “You sound like a two year old having a tantrum.”
“Well, if you don’t return me to my husband, you’ll see what kind of tantrum I’m capable of.”
I grin and leaning in, kiss her on the cheek. “
I’m really happy for you Charlotte.” I kiss her again and return her to Tanner, taking Madison from him.
“Nice to see you’re not hiding behind anymore plants,” I comment and get a glare in return.
“I’m done with the hiding. I actually think the wine has something to do with that.” She giggles and I groan.
“How much have you had to drink?”
“Enough to forget all about the flesh I’m revealing in this dress.”
Help!