Page 88 of Sweeper
Santino said a lot of odd things to me in a short amount of time, but the ones I can’t help but replay are,“I never thought this day would come.”
Do any men see the women they fall for coming? I certainly didn’t picture myself at a wedding with Daphney when I first hit on her at Old George. I didn’t see myself developing real feelings for her either. But now, she’s become a regular fixture in my life over here. The thought of losing her is something I cannot even fathom. And if being her boyfriend is how I can keep hold of her, then I will be the best boyfriend I can be.
“Okay, lovebirds. It’s time to get this party started!” Vi exclaims, shuffling over to our table at the end of the song. She grabs Daphney’s hand. “Come on, we need some young blood out there to show the old buggers how to dance properly!”
“How perfect,” Daphney squeals and reaches back to drag me along behind her. “Zander is a self-proclaimed excellent dancer. Moves like Jagger, isn’t it?”
I glare at Daphney’s sarcastic tone as we join Santino, Tilly, Mac, and Freya on the dance floor. Feeling fancy, I spin both Daphney and Vi around a few times before Hayden walks toward me with a somber look on his face.
“I’m trusting you with my sister, Zander.” He narrows his eyes at me and reaches out for Vi’s hand as he pulls her close and begins spinning her away. “But not my wife.”
We exchange a look over the shoulders of our partners that leaves no room for interpretation. Something along the lines of,“Break my sister’s heart, and I’ll break your bloody neck.”
Message received, I think to myself as I spin Daphney away from me for a moment.
The dance floor fills up quickly when all four of the Harris Brothers with their wives join in. Everyone is animatedly busting a move in their own unique way, and I find myself having a genuinely good time. It’s easy with Daphney in my arms.
I pull her in close and murmur in her ear, “So, are we official then? Are you going to start calling me your boyfriend now?” I sing the last bit at the end like the mature adult I am.
Daphney glares up at me. “That depends. Are you going to call me your girlfriend?”
I purse my lips together and nod. “But I prefer sweetheart.” We stop moving as I cup her face and press my lips to her forehead. I linger for a moment, breathing in the scent of her and finding myself amazed that I could ever be this happy with a woman.
A soft sigh escapes her lips as she lays her head on my chest. “Don’t break my heart, Zander.”
Her words hit me like a ton of bricks when I realize that being in a relationship with her isn’t just fun and games. It’s a responsibility that I want to be good enough for. My dad cherished my mom. They were each other’s person. I want to build that with Daphney.
Everyone begins cheering around us when the music shifts to the infamousDirty Dancingsong, “Time of My Life.” I look at Daphney with a giant smile.
“It’s destiny,” I say, gripping her hips to mine as I begin to lead her in a salsa step. “This movie was one of my mom’s favorites. And now I don’t have to behave myself because we’re not hiding our relationship from people.”
“You absolutely have to behave yourself,” she states, staring down at our hips swiveling together.
“Why? They’re not.” I point over at Gareth, Camden, Tanner, and Booker, who are all in the process of trying to do the big lift at the end ofDirty Dancing. The one when Baby runs into Johnny’s arms, and he deadlifts her over his head. Their wives want nothing to do with it, so Tanner is trying to lift Camden, and Booker is trying to get Gareth to lift him, and they are all failing miserably. Finally, they bring in Mac because he’s apparently the strongest, and if Tanner and Camden both stand on either side of him and Gareth braces Mac on his back, they can all lift Booker up together. Their wives are all standing at the edge of the dance floor, cringing and laughing along with Santino and Tilly.
They’re just about to make their move as Booker begins a slow jog toward Mac’s outstretched hands when Vaughn barrels between them and stops Booker in his tracks. He shakes his finger at Booker and Camden, telling them to stop acting like idiots before they injure themselves and sabotage their season. He then looks at Mac, Gareth, and Tanner like they should know better.
Tanner apparently takes that as an opening for him to attempt to deadlift Gareth since they aren’t still professional athletes. The two collapse onto the ground in a heap after a massive failed attempt. Booker and Camden help them up, and the four of them are gesticulating wildly as they try to figure out where they went wrong and gear up for another attempt. Tanner even begins stretching.
“Do you trust me?” I murmur into Daphney’s ear before spinning her out and away from me.
“What?” she asks, as her eyes blink curiously back at me.
I nod and slowly walk backward, giving us more space. “Do you trust me?”
“To do that?” She points at the guys who are still dusting themselves off. “Absolutely not.”
“Come on, Ducky. It’s my party trick.”
“It’s not mine,” she exclaims, propping her hands on her hips. “No way. If professional footballers can’t manage it, then I certainly can’t either.”
“Just trust me,” I state it again and hold my hands out to her, nodding.
She bites her lip and wrings her hands in front of her, but I can see the uncertainty slowly melt away. She looks at me with that spark of confidence in her eye that I noticed the first time we met.
“Don’t make me regret this, Soccer Boy,” she says, slipping off her heels and tossing them to the side. The girls notice that we’re gearing up for something big, and they begin catcalling out to the two of us.
The music crescendos up to the big finish at the end just as she runs straight at me and launches herself into my arms. I grip her hips and push her straight up. Her legs are bent at first as she holds my arms and squeals nervously. But then she relaxes and straightens her legs and hands out and holds the pose for a couple of seconds. The entire wedding erupts, cheering us on from the tables and the dance floor before she collapses and falls into my arms.
