Protect Me (Rivers Edge Book 4)(29)
"Are you sure you're okay with holding Grant for the ceremony?" Nate asks.
"Are you kidding? I'm excited to have such a handsome little date," I reply with a wicked gleam in my eyes. Nate and I make our way down the stairs, the guys all laughing and carrying on as they follow closely behind us.
When we reach the bottom of the stairs, Maddox's parents are sitting in the family room with both Grant and Ryder on their laps. Nate walks over and gives Ryder a kiss on the top of his fuzzy head before taking Grant from Mrs. Jackson.
"Listen here, little man. We need to have a serious guy talk," Nate tells the ten month old toddler. "I'm leaving Lia in your hands, okay? I need you to watch out and keep her safe while I'm up at the altar," he says with a kiss to the top of Grant's dark hair. "And if I see you getting fresh with her, I'm going to come down from the altar and whoop your butt," he adds good-heartedly resulting in a laugh from me. But watching Grant laugh at his uncle makes me laugh even harder.
Nate places Grant in my arms as Travis comes up and gives his son a kiss. "Be a good boy for Auntie Lia," he tells his son.
The words cause an instant reaction to me. My gut twists and my heart speeds up to an alarming pace. Nate looks at me with his piercing eyes and gives me a smile causing those weird butterfly flutters deep in my belly.
After a kiss from Maddox, Ryder heads outside with Maddox's parents, leaving me and the toddler I'm holding, in the room with the wedding party. Grant rubs his slobbery hands up and down my cheek and gives me a big toothy grin. My heart breaks wide open. This little boy has knocked me on my ass and made me feel things I swore I never would. I don't want to be a mother. I don't deserve to be a mother. But, with this little person in my arms, I feel all of the motherly urges course through me. My biological clock practically starts to do a tap dance and singing the Macarena.
Nate leans forward and places another gentle kiss on my lips while his hand runs softly up my arm. "I'll see you soon," Nate says as he slowly pulls away.
I walk through the door toward the tent with the little boy tucked securely in my arms. I feel Nate's eyes on me as I make my way to the tent, and I can't help but glance behind me quickly before I enter. Nate is standing at the back door, eyes boring intently at my back. I give him a small smile - one that he returns - and I head inside the tent.
The wedding was beautiful. There is no other word to possibly describe it more accurately. I held up so well until it came to the vows part. Erin and Jake decided to write their own vows, and I'd be a liar if I said I didn't cry when Jake got choked up while reciting his promises. I tried to fight the urge to cry as I watched the big guy up front practically brought to his knees as he gazed deeply into his bride's eyes and professed his love and commitment to her. I'm certain there wasn't a dry eye in the house. They always say that it's the big ones that fall the hardest.
Grant has been my little shadow since the wedding. I'm pretty sure Nate doesn't find it too funny that the little guy keeps reaching back for me every time he takes him in his arms. Josselyn and Travis have been teasing him for at least an hour.
After an amazing dinner, the reception is finally underway. The new Mr. and Mrs. Stevens are enjoying their first dance as husband and wife while Nate and I sit around the table with Holly and Jase, Josselyn and Travis, and Avery and Maddox.
"I knew when Jake fell, he would fall hard," Avery says as she sips a glass of champagne.
"You're telling me. I almost burst into tears when he got choked up reciting his vows," Josselyn replies.
"He's a great big pussy," Nate announces to the table, resulting in a laugh from the other males present.
"I didn't cry, did I, babe?" Maddox asks Avery as he places a kiss to the crown of her head.
"No, you didn't, but I bawled like a baby," Avery says with a grin.
"That's because you were just then realizing that you were going to be stuck with Maddox for the rest of your life," Travis tells her with a laugh.
"Whatever, Travis. At least I didn't mess up when I put the ring on his hand," Avery retorts.
"Hey, the pastor was talking too fast and I got confused," Travis defends and looks at Joss.
"It was still one of the best moments of my life," Joss says with a smile just before Travis leans forward and kisses her square on the lips.
"This is why I'm eloping," Holly adds to the conversation. "No paparazzi following us around, flashing cameras in our faces or trying to snatch that first wedding picture from a helicopter."
"Have you guys decided on a date and everything yet?" Joss asks Holly and Jase.
"Yep, but we're not sharing anything until everyone boards the plane. You'll all know the destination when we're airborne," Jase announces with a huge smile as he places sweet kisses on Holly's bare shoulder.
Holly and Jase met before the Bent concert this past April. The story I'm told is that Jase, who was the lead singer of the Grammy winning rock band Bent, walked out to do a Meet and Greet, spotted Holly at the back of the room, and instantly fell in love with her. Bent was in the middle of a coast to coast tour of the United States so the first month of their unofficial relationship was spent with a phone in their hand, on Skype, and texting. Even vicious paparazzi and crazy, attention-whore supermodels couldn't keep them apart in the end.
Jase proposed to Holly on July 4th, about a month after the tour wrapped up, and together they moved to an older country home on the edge of Rivers Edge. No one was prepared for a rocker like Jase Bentley to move to town, but he was determined to give up his big lifestyle and be with Holly, and the residents of Rivers Edge are eating up the attention.
Rumor has it, everyone at the table - with the exception of me, of course - will be getting a very short notice of a departure date, along with a plane ticket to a destination unknown. I personally think it's incredibly romantic and love that Jase and Holly are determined to have a private, low-key wedding. If you consider Paris or Hawaii or Bora Bora low-key. Like I said, no one knows where they're going, but everyone has their bags practically packed already.
While the couples at the table continue to talk about their speculations for Jase and Holly's wedding, I can't help but return my eyes to the couple on the dance floor. They are like night and day in appearance and personality. Jake is as tall as Erin is short, he's as loud as Erin is quiet. But, it works for them. I love watching them bicker back and forth, especially because once they reach the turning point in their "discussion", you can see the look in their eyes and the smiles on their faces and know that make-up sex is right around the corner.
"Have you guys noticed that Jake hasn't taken his hand off of Erin's stomach all night?" I ask to no one in particular. However, the entire table is instantly quiet and staring at me. And then as if all pulled towards the dance floor by an imaginary string, all seven heads turn towards the couple. "Plus, I'm pretty sure she hasn't had anything to drink tonight," I add.
"Holy shit," Avery replies, wide eyed and with a huge smile, as she stares at her brother and his new wife.
"Now that you mention it, I am pretty sure she didn't drink the night of the bachelorette party," Josselyn adds with a smile.
"They're having a baby," Maddox states with a smile just before he leans over and kisses Avery on the lips. "We should have another baby," he whispers against her lips but not quite soft enough to not be heard by everyone at the table.
"Just don't make that baby right here," Holly says, feigning disgust. "I know both boys are sleeping right now, but Bean over there doesn't need to see that." Everyone turns to Brooklyn who is sitting at the table blowing bubbles leftover from the ceremony between Mr. and Mrs. Stevens. Both Ryder and Grant crashed about an hour ago and were taken by their mothers up to the nursery that Mrs. Stevens has set up for the grandkids. The small, portable monitor sits on the table between Joss and Avery.
Jake looks up from the dance floor and notices us all staring and smiling at them. He whispers something in Erin's ear and she whips around, shock on her face.
They know that we know.
As soon as their dance is complete, the DJ encourages everyone to join the couple on the dance floor for the next slow song. Nate stands up and takes me by the hand, leading me out to the center of the dance floor. He pulls me tightly into his embrace as we sway in rhythm to the music.