Page 113 of One Little Mistake
By the time I reach the stage, Colt has knocked Halton to the ground, and they’re a tangle of limbs rolling around.
Preston and Dex grab Colton, while Seth and Loki grab Halt and pull them apart.
“Get talking, East,” Dex mumbles while Colton continues to thrash and yell obscenities.
“Ah, sorry to any kids in the audience. It’s a little late to yell, ‘Earmuffs!’ I guess.” Thankfully, the crowd gives me a polite chuckle, so I continue. “Well, Burke Hollow. This is us. We’re a big, loud, crazy family. We love …” I glance over my shoulder to see two of my brothers still being subdued. “We love, and we fight big, but we always have each other’s backs. And we’re committed to having yours, too, if you’ll have us.”
That’s when I see her. My girl. My wife. My future is standing in the back of the crowd with a crooked smile on her face.
“Ah, so, we’ll get back to the auction—”
“Yes, I’ll take you for two hundred,” someone yells.
“Ha, thanks. Yeah, I’m not up for auction. We’re only auctioning off single men today, and I am very much taken. I don’t think my wife would appreciate me dating anyone else.”
The crowd groans, but it’s my brothers behind me that I hear the loudest. Peering over my shoulder, I grin and give them a shrug. “Sometimes, Vegas follows you home.”
The shocked expressions on each of their faces are priceless as I return to the crowd.
“You see, once upon a time, there was this girl in Vegas.”
Staring at Lexi, it’s like we’re alone in a crowd full of people.
“She could be a real bitch sometimes, and she thought she hated me. She also kicked my ass on the basketball court and gave me my first lesson: never underestimate a Heart woman.”
All eyes shift around until they find Lexi. Slowly, the crowd parts, and they begin to usher her toward me.
“Our journey hasn’t been easy, but life never is, right?” Lexi pauses and shakes her head. “You see, that night in Vegas, one little kiss turned into one little mistake that turned into forever. I want to be your forever, Locket. I want you to choose me.”
When she doesn’t move, I jump off the stage, so we’re on even footing, and I wait for her. This has to be her choice.Please, for the love of God, let her choose me.
“I think I fell in love with you the first time your sassy mouth called me Mr. Sunshine.”
Her lips twitch with amusement.
“Put that dang song on now,” I hear GG yelling in the background, but I can’t take my eyes off Lexi.
“The first time we danced, I knew I was in trouble.”
“You’re a terrible dancer,” she laughs.
A song I should recognize but don’t blares over the speakers, and Lexi throws her head back and laughs. The sound reverberates in my chest, and I know she’ll always be home for me.
“Choose me, Lexi,” I yell over the music.
Her grin warms me from the inside out, and when she swings her dress from side to side, recognition hits. It’s the song from the movieDirty Dancing.
“Do it,” I yell. “I’ll always catch you, sweetheart.”
When people start to sing all around me, I remember every member of Burke Hollow is here with us. At this moment, I understand why she needed to come home. These people are her chaos collectors. They’re the ones who picked her up when she was down. The ones who cheered her on when she was at her best. This is her home, and these people are her family.
“Let me be your family, Lex. Do it,” I command.
With a look of pure determination, Lexi sprints toward me just as the song crescendos. Bending my knees when she leaps into the air, my hands find her waist, and I lift her over my head.
The applause around us is deafening as I let her slide down my body.
“And the crowd goes wild,” she teases.
