uncle’s on Sloane. “Can I sit beside you at dinner? Mommy says I can’t sit beside Uncle Levi ’cause he’s gonna be um…getting head—”
“Sitting at the head table,” Madeleine interjected.
Sloane exchanged a quick look with Levi, both of them suppressing smiles.
“I’d rather sit with you, princess,” Levi said.
“I’m not sure if we’re sitting at the same table,” Sloane said to Emily with a smile. “But if we are, you can for sure sit beside me. That would be fun.”
The bride and groom appeared in the doorway then, beaming and glowing. Tara was a beautiful bride, her dark hair cascading down her back in loose curls, a veil pinned to the back, her wedding dress a frothy white confection that left slender shoulders and arms bare and showed off some impressive cleavage. Sexy yet classy.
“I wanna go see the bride! She looks like a for real princess!” Emily wriggled out of Levi’s arms and dashed off. “Come on, Elijah!”
The little guy obediently followed his sister.
“She’s so bossy,” Levi said. “I wonder where she gets that from.” He rolled his eyes at his sister, who punched his shoulder before following her children.
When Sloane had first seen Levi standing up at the front for the ceremony in his black tuxedo, she’d been swamped with a rush of emotion. She wasn’t sure what that emotion was and didn’t want to try too hard to name it. Weddings. They always did that to people, right?
He’d winked at her as he’d passed by escorting the maid of honor out following the exchange of vows. She found herself…jealous of that maid of honor, a pretty redhead looking gorgeous in a green dress, holding on to Levi’s arm.
Who picked green for their bridesmaids’ dresses? But Tara had, a satiny moss green, each bridesmaid’s style a little different—two strapless, one V-neck and another with spaghetti straps. With white rose bouquets accented with greenery, they looked stunning, and the guys in black tuxedos with moss green pocket squares and white rosebud and green leaf boutonnieres complemented them perfectly.
Now, with their champagne glasses in hand, Levi took her around and introduced her to his buddies Luke, Tucker and Cam, some other friends, members of Jacob’s family who apparently were like his own, and finally the bride and groom.
“So, this is Sloane.” Jacob shook her hand and gave her an appraising look. He was almost as good looking as Levi, with dark blond hair in a very short cut, standing about an inch shorter than Levi and a little heavier. “Happy to meet you.”
“Likewise.” She respected his assessment of whether she was a good enough date for his best friend. “I appreciate you having me here on your special day. Congratulations to both of you.”
“I didn’t believe he’d actually bring a date,” Tara said, dark eyes gleaming. “And he even introduced you to his family. Whoa, Levi.”
Sloane gave Levi a sidelong glance. “Should I feel honored?”
Tara laughed and Levi rolled his eyes. “Moving on.” He took Sloane’s hand. “Don’t forget, Tara, I’m making a speech tonight. You don’t want to piss me off.”
“Gah!” Tara actually looked nervous. “Levi…”
He gave her an evil grin and tugged Sloane on to introduce her to more people.
“I’ve been tormenting her for weeks with what my speech is going to be about,” Levi said.
“Please tell me I’m not the only woman you’ve ever introduced to your family.”
He shrugged. “Okay.”
She frowned. What the hell did that mean?
Eventually people were directed to take their seats for dinner. Sloane was at a round table with Levi’s single sister Essie, his other sister Heather and her husband, Nick, his parents, Michael and Linda, and a cousin of Jacob’s and his date. Levi’s other sister Madeleine was at a table beside them with her husband, Bryan, and Emily and Elijah.
“Sloane, Sloane, sit here!” Emily said.
“She can’t sit with us, honey.” Madeleine smiled at Sloane. The pretty place cards indicated where each guest was to sit. “See…what does this say?” She got Emily to read the place cards, sounding out the names. Pretty good for a five-year-old.
“But hey, my seat is right here.” Sloane pulled out the chair right behind Emily’s. “It’s pretty close.”
This seemed to satisfy Emily, who for some reason seemed to have taken a liking to her.
The dinner was amazing, filet mignon with caramelized onions, goat cheese crusts and truffle butter. The entire wedding was incredible. The head table sat in front of tall windows draped in velvet, city lights visible beyond the glass panes. White and pale peach roses