Page 87 of Can't Help Falling in Love
Maddie and Rachel, dressed as David Bowie and Iman, gave them hard hugs.
“I’m so excited for you guys,” Lexi said to the two of them.
Rachel winked at her and rubbed a hand over her flat stomach. “You’ll be an auntie.”
He felt rather than saw Lexi’s flinch. She smiled brightly and turned to Kyra, who joined them and was dressed as Barbie. Will glanced around, wondering whom she might have brought as Ken. His protective brotherly instincts surged thinking about his little sister and a guy he might not know. For one brief second, he understood why his mother might find comfort in choosing one of their partners. What guy was good enough for his baby sister?
“Why are you frowning? Your bride is standing beside you, this party is in your honor, and Ethan has a new beer on tap,” Kyra said, giving him a playful shove.
“I’m wondering where yourKenis,” Will said.
Lexi laughed, squeezed his hand. “Leave her alone.”
In her bright-pink, short spaghetti-strap dress, his sister did an awkward curtsy. “Thank you, Lexi. You are now my favorite.”
After Will helped Lexi navigate her way through the crowd with her dress, they sat at the head table. So many people stopped by while they sampled a finger-food menu Ethan had created for tonight. Lexi’s grin was genuine when Jackie and Nigel came by, her dressed as a cheerleader to complement Nigel’s quarterback outfit.
“You said it was a Halloween party, not an engagement party. Thank you for inviting us,” Jackie said.
“We didn’t know,” Lexi said over the increasing volume of music and people.
“We didn’t but we’re so glad you could come,” Will said, slipping his hand onto Lexi’s knee, giving it a gentle squeeze.
“You guys look amazing,” Lexi said, her hand coming to the top of Will’s.
Will sensed Lexi’s restlessness as the conversation carried on. He pushed back in his seat as the music changed to a slower tempo.
Putting a hand on Lexi’s bare shoulder, loving the feel of her skin beneath his palm, he said, “If you’ll excuse us, I’d like to dance with my bride.”
Lexi tipped her head back, looked up at him. Will leaned down, kissed her, running his finger along her jaw.
“That sounds wonderful.” Her reply was just a little breathy.
“Oh, you two. We should dance too, honey,” Jackie said.
They parted ways on the makeshift dance floor that Ethan had set up in the raised area of the pub where Will and Lexi had once shared appetizers. That seemed like a lifetime ago. He pulled Lexi into his arms, gripping one of her hands while keeping his other hand pressed low on her back. She smelled like honey and Lexi and he wanted more nights like this: dancing, being with friends, laughing. He wanted it to be real. Forever.
Lexi seemed as lost in the moment and the subtle synchronized sway of their bodies as he was. Twinkle lights danced overhead, and though it was crowded, it was easy to pretend it was just the two of them when he leaned back to gaze into her eyes.
Because she was all he could see.
He bent his head to hers, pressed their foreheads together like it would help herfeelwhat he was thinking.
The hand he wasn’t holding slipped up around his neck like she too craved a closeness that couldn’t be quenched.
The words floated around in his heart and his head, adrift, bouncing off one another, looking for a place to land.
“I don’t want this to be pretend,” he whispered, staring into her eyes.
“What?”
“Us. I want it all to be real. The engagement. A life together. It’s not pretend for me. Any of it. It’s not a misunderstanding. It’s the most real thing I’ve ever known. I love you, Lexi. I want you. Always.”
He couldn’t read her expression as he watched it change. Her eyes widened, her lips parting before forming a smallo. Her hand loosened on the back of his neck like it’d been covered in grease and slipped right down to her side.
“What are you doing?” she whispered.
He smiled. His sweet, cautious Lexi. “I’m telling you I love you. For real.” He felt like a helium balloon someone had let go of: free, soaring. The words were energizing and powerful. Not just because he’d said them to her but because he felt them in every molecule of his being.
