Music of the Heart(66)
After inhaling a sharp breath of frustration, a nasty smell assaulted my senses. Leaning forward in my seat, I tapped Brayden’s arm. “I believe your daughter has a surprise for you.”
As I passed Melody to him, he laughed. “Thanks. We’ll take care of it.”
“Trust me dude, friendship only goes so far, and it doesn’t involve shitty diapers.”
“Wow, I’m so touched,” Brayden replied before rising out of his seat. I snickered at the sight of him with the pale pink diaper bag draped on his shoulder. He bent down and kissed Lily’s cheek before heading to the bathroom with Melody “Now that’s love,” I murmured under my breath.
My gaze once again went to the dance floor to Abby and AJ. “I need some air,” I muttered to Rhys. He gave me a knowing smile before bobbing his head. Grabbing two champagne flutes from a passing waiter, I made my way out the side door of the ballroom.
After AJ and I finished our dance, beads of sweat were dripping down my face and back. I was so thirsty that I gulped down a flute of champagne the moment we got back to the table and had started on another. “Ugh, I need water.”
Easing down in a chair beside me, AJ asked, “So I assume the way you’re throwing it back you’ve acquired a taste for champagne?”
I wrinkled my nose. “Actually, it just kinda makes me wanna burp. Now these,” I picked up a chocolate strawberry off the dessert platter on the table and waved it at him, “These I enjoy a lot.”
“Yeah, well, just go easy on getting tipsy. You’ve got to be at the studio really early in the morning, right?”
“Eight.” Then I squealed and dropped the strawberry.
AJ’s dark eyes widened at me. “What the hell is wrong?”
“I’m singing in the morning.”
“Yes and…” he prompted.
I rolled my eyes. “I’ve been eating my weight in chocolate tonight, which has dairy in it.
You’re never supposed to do that.”
At what must’ve been the absolute horror on my face, AJ patted my leg. “You’ll be fine. Flush it out with some water.”
“Shit,” I muttered as I flagged down a waiter. Once he brought me a glass, I downed it in three long gulps. I then eyed the room for my noticeably absent date. Lily and Brayden were dancing while Rhys sat beside with a sleeping Melody in his arms. I craned my neck around the room. “Where’s Jake?”
Rhys motioned to the courtyard outside. “He said he needed some air.”
AJ nodded as he eyed Jake’s dad, Mark, dancing with Jake’s stepmom, Paula. “Even though it’s been fifteen years, sometimes Jake still can’t take the two of them together.”
Rhys snorted. “Yeah, I don’t think them dancing together was the issue.”
When I got his meaning, my heart did a funny little shuddering before I rose out of my chair. “I better go check on him.” I hurried out the side door and onto the tiled pavement. In the middle of the courtyard was a huge, circular fountain. It had a giant swan in the middle of it that was illuminated by light.
Jake sat on the edge of the fountain with his elbows braced on his knees. “Hey.”
“Hey,” he replied.
I eased down beside him. We sat in silence for a few seconds before I nudged him
playfully. “I was kinda thinking for a minute there that I’d been jilted.”
He glanced up at me. “Sorry. I just needed some air.”
Tilting my head, I gazed up at the stars. “It’s nice out here.”
“Without your dance partner?” he spat.
I couldn’t help the smile that curved on my lips. He was jealous of me dancing with AJ. “The only dance partner I want is out here.”
“Hmm,” he muttered.
Tension hung heavy around us. Trying to ease the mood, I slid out of my killer heels. I groaned in agony. “Remind me to hunt down the person who invented heels.”
“Yeah, well, it’s your fault for going out there with AJ and acting like you two were on Dancing with the Stars or some shit.”
“Jake Slater, I do believe you’re jealous.”
He jerked his gaze to meet mine. “I am not!”
I grinned. “Pity. I kinda like the idea of you being all caveman possessive sometimes.”
“Sure you do.”
I scooted closer to him. “There will never, ever be anything between me and AJ. You know that, right?”
“I guess.”
“He and I just wanted to dance and have fun.”
“And sadly for us, your partner has no rhythm, huh?”
“No, you did just fine before.”
He smirked at me. “Just fine?”