Page 222 of Wild Card

The women have successfully lodged Willow front and center. Ford leads Rowan to the dance floor, turning her fromthe waiting crowd of women. His arms circle her waist, his mouth at her ear as he twists her back and forth.

His eyes catch mine, understanding bright.

I jerk my chin in confirmation.

Willow hates being in the spotlight, and she may kill me for this, but she’ll get over it.

Ford whispers something, Rowan rears back, and the bouquet flies through the air.

It’s almost slow motion as Harley and Jewls nudge Willow forward and the flowers land in her barely outstretched hands.

Addie and Carson dance in a circle, fist-bumping their victory.

All the single guys huddle, Drake and Sam front and center.

Suckers.

Ford doesn’t wait for a chair. He squats to his knees, lifting Rowan’s leg and sliding her garter off.

“That’s my queue.” I hand my glass to my dad and waltz to the center of the dance floor, plucking the material from Ford’s hand.

“You have to be shitting me!” Drake complains loudly.

“Did you ever think there was a chance of anyone else getting this?” I whip the garter around my finger then crook it for Willow to join me.

She’s beet red, her eyes wide and mouth parted.

The music changes and the whole band has joined Declan and Blake on the stage.

Willow walks slowly, her blush deepening when I haul her to me.

“Did you plan this?”

“Even I can’t control the trajectory of flowers.”

She grins. “Something tells me it’s another of your superpowers.”

I sway her around the dance floor, aware of the eyes on us. “You give me too much credit. But there was no way any other man in this room was getting to dance with you.”

A squeak escapes before she presses her lips together in an adorable way.

“Love that sound, Princess.”

“You’re crazy.”

“I haven’t hidden that.”

Her laughter fills the space and I catch the approval of Sterling, Rosie, and Lynden watching us. My gaze drifts to Stacy standing close, her stare locked on Sterling’s profile.

“It hurts to see her agony,” Willow says softly.

“Who?”

“Stacy,” she pauses, “my mom. She looks at Dad with so much longing and love. It’s beautifully heartbreaking.”

Willow’s relationship with her mom has been on the mend, and to her credit, Stacy’s worked hard to heal the rift with all the Richards. Chase is tentative, stuck in his loyalty to Willow, but he’s slowly letting her back into his and Wyatt’s life.

“Your mom has to deal with the consequences.”

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