he keeps eyeing the door like he’s going to bolt. But I know he won’t. He’d do anything for those he loves, even dance in front of a crowd with his two left feet.
“Jay is going to be freaking hilarious,” Tyler says and smacks the table.
I wipe cake from the corner of my mouth and set my napkin down. “Shh,” I say to him. “The dance routine is a secret. Don’t give it away. And be nice. Jay is not going to be hilarious.” I bite my lip. “Okay, he is, but you have to give him credit for trying.”
Barbara chuckles. “I’m not sure I can look.”
I laugh with her as Beck shoves more cake into his face, oblivious to the girl at the table beside us and the adoring look in her eyes as she watches him. I shift in my seat, take in the room full of people. Honest to God, I think all of Farmington is here today to celebrate the joining of Colin and Sara. I want them all at my oceanside wedding, too. Never in my life have I felt like I belonged, but these people all took me in and treated me like I was one of their own. Who knew I was a farm girl at heart?
Jay stands and smooths a hand down his tie, and I glance at the deejay. The plan is for him to trick Sara into thinking it’s the first wedding dance, when in fact he’s going to play “Sugar.” Colin stands and leads Sara to the dance floor, but Jay follows behind, chair in hand. Sara’s eyes go wide when he gestures for her to sit, and all the guys make their way to the floor.
I clap my hands together and give Jay a reassuring nod when he looks to me for support. “You got this,” I say to him.
The music starts, and the guys all line up. Sara’s face is lit up like a Christmas tree, and my heart is so full of love, it actually aches in my chest. The guys begin the routine, and they dance around Sara, who is laughing and having the time of her life. When she looks at Colin, and I see the love in her eyes, I know it’s the real deal. Jay looks at me the same way.
I gasp and Tyler laughs his ass off when Jay trips, but trooper that he is, he picks himself up and brushes himself off. I couldn’t love him any more if I tried.
“He got his rhythm from his father,” Barbara says and Beck snickers.
“No way am I ever doing that,” Tyler says.
“What if it’s something I secretly wanted?” I ask him, with a raised brow.
“Oh, Jesus, Alyson, tell me you don’t.”
“Maybe I do.”
He slinks in his chair, and I laugh. “Do you hate me?” he asks.
I laugh. “No, Ty, I love you, but you’re fun to torture.”
“I love you, too, and if you really want a stupid dance routine, you know I’ll do it.”
I lean in and kiss my soon-to-be brother-in-law—or as I prefer to think of him, my baby brother—on the cheek, and he grins at me. Barbara smiles; the love she has for her family, for me, radiates off her.
I bounce in my chair to the beat as I return my attention to the dance floor.
“They’re nailing it,” I say to no one in particular.
Everyone starts clapping to the beat, joining in, the whole community coming together as the guys finish up the routine. The men are all sweating and laughing when the song finally ends, and Colin leans down and kisses his bride. A second later, he reaches for the microphone.
“A huge thank you to my buddies for doing this,” he says, and everyone claps. Breathless, he says, “We never could have pulled this off if it weren’t for Alyson.” Warmth climbs into my cheeks as he calls me out. “Can we have a big round of applause for her?” People hoot and holler, and I catch Sara’s eyes. She mouths the words, “Thank you.”
We’ve become close over the last month, and she’s brought me into her circle of friends. Everyone here is so inclusive and treats me like I’ve always lived here.
The wedding song begins, and Colin lifts his bride from her chair. The lights dim as the two share their first dance as husband and wife.
Jay comes my way and crouches down beside me. I shift and put my hands on his face.
“You were great.”
“Oh, you didn’t