Page 99 of Take Me
“The kind that lasts forever.The kind Dolly and Kenny sang about.The kind people build feather-filled honeymoon suites for.The kind I’ve been searching for my whole life and then found right in front of me because it’s always the last damn place you look.”
She wipes away tears with the back of her hand.“But Annabelle?—”
“Isn’t you.”There’s no way the two could compare.“She’s great and I wish Annabelle well, but she’s not the woman I love.She’s an excellent vet who told me last night that my dog isn’t sick.He’s just missing you almost as much as I am.Annabelle isn’t the person I’m meant to be with.That’s you, Erika—you and only you.”I look into her eyes, willing her to believe me.To give me the one thing I hope for right now.“I love you, Erika.Please say you’ll be my girlfriend for real.”
“Oh my God.”She laughs, and it flutters out on a sob.“This is so not the conversation I thought we’d be having.”
“Is that a yes?”
“It’s a yes.”Her laugh sounds a lot stronger this time.“Hell yes.”
“Good.”I grin.So hard my face hurts.“After this many years of knowing each other, we don’t get too many chances to surprise one another.”
“You shocked the shit out of me.”Laughing again, she shrugs.“There was probably a more romantic way to say that.”
“It sounded good to me.”Pulling her close, I go in for a kiss.
It’s supposed to be chaste, since anyone could peer through the rain and see us out here on the deck.But as I press her back against the railing, I’m consumed by the feeling of coming home.The softness of her mouth, the scent of her skin, the breathy gasp she makes as my tongue grazes hers.Her arms go around me, holding on for dear life.
Mine, my brain screams as I deepen the kiss.
She responds by hooking a heel at the back of my leg.She’s pulling me closer, her purple bridesmaid dress hiking up one thigh.By the time we break apart, we’re both breathing hard.
“Are we good?”I breathe, brushing back hair from her face.
“So good.”Her face fills with wonder as she touches my cheek.“I love you so much, Mason.Also, you’re a really good kisser.”
I laugh as I lace my fingers through hers.“There’s more where that came from.”I’m not just talking about the kiss.“Are you cold?Do you want to go in now?”
“Not cold, but starving.”
“Let’s go.”I hold open the door, and she shucks off her layers as she moves through it.I notice she keeps the sweater bundled around her shoulders.
“Here.”She hands back my tux coat and surveys the crowd.“What’s for dinner, anyway?”
“Fancy food.”I locate our table near the front of the room, right beside Lucy and Peter’s.That’s one wedding tradition Harper insisted on: a special spot just for the three of them.“My sister hired Dal Yang to do the catering.He came all the way over the mountains this morning.”
“The guy from Fresh Start at Juniper Ridge?”
“Yep.His mother-in-law lives here, so?—”
“That’s right, he married Lana Judson.”
We take our seats at the table, both of us glowing as my siblings all filter around us.Jake catches my eye and glances between Erika and me.“All good?”
“Yeah.”I squeeze Erika’s hand under the table.“All good.”
My big brother grunts, and that’s it.Enough heart-to-heart talking for now.I keep hold of Erika’s hand under the table, our fingers twined together, even when the food filters out of the kitchen.
There’s salad and fruit, and focaccia to die for.Everyone eases into normal post-wedding chatter.Jake and Cassidy sit beside Zoe and Cal, all of them laughing and smiling like dopey newlyweds.Kaleb and Brooke sit moony eyed next to them, planning their wedding in hushed tones.Parker and Calliope trade bites of bruschetta and laugh over some inside joke.
Hazel sits next to Noah, the only two souls at our table who aren’t coupled up.My cousin lifts her champagne glass toward Noah.“Are you feeling a bit like the odd man out?”
My brother just shrugs.“Haven’t lived here for more than two decades.I’m always the odd man out.”
“Fair enough,” she muses.
“How about you, cuz?”
