Page 48 of Bleeding Hearts

“Because the beer is back here,” I state the obvious.

“Get out,” she deadpans. “You want a beer, you ask. I’m bartending tonight.”

“Oh, June. My favorite lady in the entire world. May I please have a beer?” I smile at her as I walk toward the other side of the bar.

“Fine.” She grunts, moving to grab one from the same place I was about to grab it myself. She practically shoves the bottle into my hand. “Now go away.”

“Thanks, June. You’re the best,” I say, turning to see Theo practically skipping out of the office.

“We’re ready,” he shouts, making his way over to sit on a barstool.

Everyone else follows, finding their seats while King makes his way up to the front. The seats are set in two rows of three on each side of the aisle.

Lo’s mom and her boyfriend sit in the front row on the right, Darla, the receptionist from Blackheart Ink and her husband sit in the row behind them.

On the left, Demi, Gabby, and Theo sit up front, with Willow and Ellie sitting behind them. I walk over, plopping down next to Willow and directly behind Demi.

I reach over, tickling Willow as I sit down next to her, and she laughs loudly, slapping me away. Demi turns around for a brief second and smiles at me before directing her attention toward the aisle. I do the same.

The ceremony itself goes by fairly quickly. Kade and Lo exchange their own sets of vows and promises. There are some rings and some “I dos,” and it all ends with the two of them officially becoming husband and wife.

As the ceremony finishes, everyone disperses. King and I move the barstools back to the bar so there’s room for a makeshift dance floor, and music plays throughout the bar, courtesy of Theo.

Some people head straight for the food and others head straight for the dance floor.

It’s not the most organized and it’s all pretty casual, but everyone seems happy. It seems pretty perfect to me as far as weddings go, not that I’ve been to many.

Kade and Logan stand in the middle of the dance floor, holding each other, whispering and laughing and they dance, seeming so fucking happy.

I feel a pang in my chest, it’s small, but it’s there. It’s the small part of me that thinks maybe I do want this, what they have, and it grows bigger every day.

Especially when I’m around her.

“Hey, handsome.” Demi jumps in front of me, a wide smile on her face. “Want to dance with me?”

I pause, getting a good look at her in her dress for the first time. My eyes roam over her in the short black dress that hugs her every curve.

Her cleavage presses out of the top but not in an over-the-top way, almost like it’s just a small tease of what she has, but not showing it off. It has some sort of puffy sleeves with butterflies on them that just feel like Demi.

My eyes fall to her smooth legs that look a mile long coming out of the dress and the black high heel boots on her feet that give her a few inches of height.

She looks stunning. I mean, she always looks stunning, but right now, it’s really fucking hard for me to tear my eyes away.

“Cat got your tongue?” she teases, gaining back my attention. A knowing smile sits on her face, although the slight blush on her cheeks gives away how much my stare affects her.

“Let’s go, buttercup.” I pull her into me and onto the dance floor. She laughs as she follows, settling in my arms just as “Until I Found You” by Stephen Sanchez starts playing.

She wraps her arms loosely around my neck and I settle my hands on her lower back, pulling her into me. It’s weird being this close to her, slow dancing with her to such an intimate song. Not a bad weird though. Just a different weird.

A weird that I could get used to if I let myself.

“Have I told you how incredible you look tonight?” I look down at her at the same time she looks up at me, our eyes locking.

“No, but feel free to tell me all you want.” She smiles, her eyes full of amusement.

“You look absolutely stunning, Demi.” I brush a strand of fallen hair out of her face, gently letting my fingers trail down her body as they find their way back to her lower back.

The smile drops from her face, and I watch as her tongue slips out, running over her glossy pink lips.

---