Page 41 of Chasing I Do
Gage tried to play it cool. “Well, I didn’t talk to her myself, but according to Rhett, she was impressed enough by the direction that they want to give Belle Mont House the cover.”
This time he couldn’t stop her from abandoning their dance. Not that he minded, since she threw her arms around his neck and plastered herself to him like plastic wrap.
“The cover? The house, not a bride in a dress, but the house?”
“Well, I think they want Rhett and Stephanie in front of the house, and probably Littleshit in wedding attire, but yeah, the house will be the backdrop.”
She pulled back, and the way her eyes lit up was worth the drive, and the two hours. Hell, it was worth pushing though the past few years. “Do you know what this means?”
“That Rhett gets to be on the cover of a national magazine, his bride on one side and a glorified bunny in pink leashed to the other?” He grinned. “Owen and I are going to get the image blown up and hang it at Stout. Right above the bar.”
“That means that Belle Mont House will be the number one romantic destination in the country.” She was bouncing up and down now, which did amazing things for that neckline. “The August issue always puts their top pick on the cover. Oh my God,” she breathed. “Belle Mont isWeddingMagazine’stop pick for the year.” She looked up at him. “I don’t know how to thank you.”
“Thank me? Pink, this was all you. Sure, part of Lana’s original interest was because of the high-profile wedding. But the cover, that was all you.”
And he couldn’t be prouder.
“Not just for the help with the magazine and this wedding, but for being you,” she said. “For being the kind of man to drive all the way out here in the middle of the night to tell me something you could have done over the phone.”
“It’s only twenty minutes.” He leaned down and brushed her lips with his. “And I wanted to see your smile.”
“It wasn’t just twenty minutes. You wanted a kiss,” she teased, but he could hear the emotion in her voice.
“That too.” He gave her another one.
“But to me, it means that I had someone to share this with.” Darcy looked down to collect herself, and when she met his gaze again, her heart was there. Raw and unfiltered. “Being a single mom is one of the most amazing things I have ever done, but sometimes it gets overwhelming riding out the highs and lows on my own. I wouldn’t trade in a second of it, but there are times I question if I’m making the right decisions. I didn’t have the best role model when it came to being a responsible parent, so it’s a struggle for me to be in it alone, wondering how my choices will affect Kylie’s happiness. Her wellbeing.”
“You, Darcy Kincaid, are an amazing mom. You’ve done an incredible job with Kylie, and with this wedding. Which is why,” he took her hand, “I snagged some champagne from the bar earlier. It’s on your porch and probably warm by now, but I thought we could have a little toast. To celebrate.”
She looked back at the main house, then bit her lower lip in a move that was all seduction. “When I saw you sitting on the porch, I asked the bartender to leave one chilling in the kitchen. Just in case.”
He tugged her against him. “Just in case?”
She nodded, looking up at him through her lashes. “There’s cake too. Just in case you were ready to cash in that raincheck.”
“Cake always tastes better when shared.”
Chapter 10
“Second thoughts?”
Gage looked up at Darcy with her hair tumbling down her back, her bare legs dangling from the counter, and shrugged. “I might need one more taste. To be sure.”
Only instead of forking off a piece of cake, he opened his mouth and waited. Darcy rolled her eyes, but offered him a bite. Meeting her gaze, he waited for the fork to slide in and felt his mouth sigh at the explosion of creamy textures and exotic flavors.
It paired perfectly with the champagne—and the company.
“That’s the vanilla bean cake with mango mousse frosting. It’s the one Jillian and I picked for Stephanie and Rhett. Stephanie wanted a mango martini for their signature cocktail, so I think they will really like it.”
“They will love it.”
“What do you think?” she asked, smiling up at him, and man, she was gorgeous. Heart in her eyes, a little bit of frosting on her lower lip, so unbelievably gorgeous it was hard not to stare.
“I think—” he said stepping between her legs and resting his palms on the counter “—that I need another taste.”
“What are you doing?” she asked when he didn’t reach for the fork, but instead slid a hand around the nape of her neck.
“Picking my favorite.” He gently nipped her lower lip, drinking down the sweetness of the frosting, and taking his time to savor the hint of champagne that still lingered. “But, Pink, I think I’m going to need a few more tastes.”
