Page 91 of The Wedding Planner's Manny
A few hours after the ceremony, after we'd all eaten and I'd called home a couple of times to check up on the kids—who were being watched by Ethan's mother—it was time for the newlyweds' first dance.
We'd moved into the guest house's ballroom for this. It wasn't super spacious, so it was a little crowded, but still comfortable. We all lined up at the sides of the dance floor to watch Nick and Zander and Kade and Shane dance. They moved to a slow waltz, probably because there was at least one person in each couple who wasn't too comfortable dancing. Nick and Kade were both leading their alphas across the floor. It was fun to watch. Not something I would ever have seen at a Vinist wedding, that much was for sure.
We all clapped when the first song ended, and then gradually, other couples moved onto the dance floor as well.
Out of the corner of my eyes, I spotted Jake and Conner. They weren't dancing, though, no. Conner was straightening out Jake's tie. The image almost made me laugh.
“What's so funny?” Ethan asked, appearing at my side.
“Nothing.” I looked away from the kids and back toward the middle of the ballroom, to the couples swaying together. In the crowd, I spotted my big brother with his mate, Griffin's head resting on Dean's shoulder.
“This is a really nice wedding,” I found myself saying. “You planned it well.”
“I'm glad you think so.” Ethan gave me a small smile, and then he offered me his hand. “Would you give me this dance?” He said it with a slight bow, like a true gentleman.
“You know, I never learned how to dance.” Thinking back to that day in the dance studio now, it seemed silly how nervous I'd been—so scared that Ethan might think less of me or that he wouldn't want me anymore. It was still difficult for me to remember that all the lies that Jeremiah had planted in my head about how worthless I was were just that—lies—but being with Ethan day in and day out, seeing him fawn over my baby,ourbaby, made that easier.
“I don't mind if you step on my feet,” Ethan reassured me. “I promise it's easy. Just let me lead.”
“Okay then.” I gave him my hand. I didn't mind letting him lead, because with him, it was always my choice. He pulled me close, and I let him dictate the movements of our bodies, following his rhythm.
It was a little awkward at first, and I stepped on Ethan's feet more than once, but he never even winced, and soon enough, we were dancing together just like the other couples surrounding us. I hardly noticed the people around us, though. As we danced, Ethan and I were enclosed in our own little bubble where nobody else mattered. It was wonderful. I closed my eyes, breathed in his scent and feltsafe.
While I was with Ethan, there was no need for me to worry about how to act or how to behave properly—and it wasn't because he gave me rules to follow or anything like that, no. It was because he loved me, just the way I was. With him, I could justbe.
And I felt no need to untangle myself from him before the mutterings of the people around us caught my attention. Something was going on. When I looked up, I saw my brother on the stage at the far side of the room.
“I have an announcement to make,” Nick spoke into the microphone with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “We’ve kidnapped Shane's husband. Tam’s keeping him at the top of the lighthouse with a fierce dog guarding the entry. No worries, he's safe, but he does desperately want to be rescued by his new husband.”
I glanced at Ethan. “Did you know about this?”
“Of course I did. And I've brought ear plugs.”
“Ear plugs?”
Ethan only grinned in response and pointed at the stage. “Just watch.”
Nick didn't have to call for Shane to come up on stage. Less than a minute after Nick was done speaking, our cousin appeared next to him. “What are you up to now?” he asked.
Nick grinned. “Nothing too bad, don't worry. All you have to do to rescue your husband is to sing.”
“Sing?” Shane stared at Nick in disbelief. “You can't be serious. Nobody here wants to hear me sing.”
He looked at the crowd, but everyone was staring back at him in expectation.
“C'mon, Shane,” Nick said. “He sings for you all the time! The least you can do is return the favor. I'm sure you have at least one of his songs memorized, don't you?”
“When he sings it's art, when I sing it's torture.”
“Don't be like that,” Nick insisted, holding the mic out to him.
“See now why I brought the ear plugs?” Ethan asked, popping them in. “Your brother is a great guy, but he has the weirdest ideas.”
I nodded. “That's Nick.” And it was usually pretty hard to escape if you got caught up in his net.
Shane must have realized this too, because he wasn't putting up too much of a fight.
“I'm not going to be held responsible for any bleeding ears,” he said, taking the mic from Nick.
