Page 16 of Tangled Up With You

Lennix huffed out a breath and shook her head. “I want to skin that asshole alive for what he did.”

I couldn’t help but smile at her fierce loyalty. She might have been a few years younger than I was, but she was one of the best friends a woman could ask for. “I love you, but there’s really no reason for you to resort to violence.”

She harrumphed. “Agree to disagree.”

I shook my head on a chuckle. “Seriously, it’s okay.I’mokay. Just... keep this between us. Please? I want to forget any of it ever happened.”

“Deal,” she agreed. “But I reserve the right to punch him in the dick if he does anything else to hurt you.”

“I can give you that.”

“But, Ivy, honey, you have to know that it’s his loss. You’re a total catch. You’re beautiful and smart and funny, and you’re just the right amount of crazy.”

I snorted out a laugh, the fist that had been squeezing my chest in its tight grip the past few hours finally loosening. It was amazing what good friends could do. “How can anyone be the right amount of crazy?”

She shrugged, lifting her hands so her palms faced the sky. “I don’t know, but you manage to pull it off.”

“Thank you,” I said, my voice quiet and sincere. “For letting me talk to you and for having my back. It really helped.”

She smiled at me and reached out to give my arm a squeeze. “You never have to thank me for having your back. It’s something I’ll always do. Now what do you say we take that bottle back and make a huge dent before the ceremony? Then we’ll hit the open bar once the reception starts and tie one on. Sound good?”

It sounded perfect.

Chapter Nine

Ivy

Lennix and I had done exactly what she’d suggested, taking full advantage of the open bar at the reception.

I couldn’t remember a time in the past few months when I’d been this relaxed. A lot of that had to do with the booze, but it was also the atmosphere.

The music was pumping up through the dance floor, making my body vibrate like a live wire as I moved to the fast beat of the song the DJ was playing. A soothing breeze blew in from the fields beyond the massive tent Zach and Rae had set up on the ranch for the reception, moving through the opened walls and caressing my fevered skin. I wasn’t sure how long I’d been dancing, but it was long enough that a light sweat had formed at my hairline and the back of my neck.

Everyone was having a great time. My two friends were over the moon now that they were husband and wife. I was surrounded by friends and family, and the buzz I’d been working on since before the wedding was still going strong, working its way into full-on drunk.

The hours had passed without any drama, and I was beyond grateful. Tanner had been right. He was great at weddings. It wasn’t awkward for him, being surrounded by so many strangers. I went about making introductions when we first got to the reception, and he was surprisingly good at remembering names. He was able to mingle like he’d been a part of the fabric of this town for years, not only a couple weeks. He kept up with me on the dance floor without complaining.

He was still a big attraction to a lot of the people in town—who the hell knew there were so many hockey fans in Hope Valley—so there were several times throughout the night when he’d been pulled into different conversations that had nothing to do with me, and he held his own perfectly. More than once he’d been caught up in a totally different group than I was, and it was really nice not having to babysit him all night long or make sure he was having a good time.

And speaking of my hot hockey date... I spun around when I felt the heat of his large hand land on my shoulder as the song I was dancing to ended and another slower one started up.

“Hey,” I chirped happily. Okay, so maybe I had already crossed the line well into drunk, but I was beyond worried about what the hangover would be like in the morning.

He chuckled as he smoothly shifted us into position for a slow dance. One large palm rested on the center of my back—a respectful distance from my ass—and he held my much smaller hand in the other. “Hey back. You look like you’re having a good time.”

I draped my free arm over his wide shoulder and let my body go lax, allowing him to set us to swaying to the beat. “I’m having a great time. You were right. You’re a terrific wedding date.”

His grin was big and comforting, and I could see why women all over town were talking about him. There was a part of me that still thought it was a shame I wasn’t attracted to him, but therewas an even bigger part that was happy to have made a new friend—someone as cool as Tanner Fine. I didn’t know if it was a friendship that would extend beyond his vacation to my little town, but I was happy to have met him.

“Thanks. You aren’t so bad yourself.”

“So, you’ve been having fun?”

“I really have.” He cast a glance around the tent. “Though it seems like things are starting to die down.”

I followed his gaze, noticing for the first time the tent was far emptier than it had been at the start of the night. I shouldn’t have been surprised. We’d all seen Zach and Rae off hours ago. They were staying at a hotel in the city for the night and flying out for their tropical honeymoon in the morning.

“Oh wow. You’re right.” I’d been in my own little drunken world and hadn’t noticed the party was drawing to a close. The bartender was starting to pack things up and the caterers were clearing the tables of stray dishes and tablecloths. “I’m so sorry.” I turned back to Tanner and tilted my face upward. “You were probably ready to go a while ago, and I’ve dragged it out.”

---