It didn’t feel right saying prayers given the situation.”
She laughed lightly and shifted so we faced one another. “Probably a good idea.” She placed her hand on my chest and I looked down at the simple band that butted up against the paper ring. “Nice touch with the rings, by the way,” she said. “And the bouquet. Thank you, Liam. Honestly, the whole thing was beautiful.”
“That’s what I thought too,” I said, looking directly into her eyes so she understood my meaning.
“How about a kiss?” the photographer asked.
I tipped her chin with one finger, bringing her soft lips in contact with mine. It was so easy to lose myself in her, each time we connected this way. It was if kissing her was a language I’d quickly mastered, a language that felt more comfortable than any other.
After a moment, Tori dropped the bouquet she’d been holding and gripped onto my jacket, pulling me closer, tighter, to her. Our lips fused, heat shot through my body, and I was immensely grateful that my nearly instant erection was hidden by our pose.
She let go before I did, giving me a wicked smile the moment my eyes slid open again.
Yep, I’d definitely lied to myself when I said she wasn’t made of magic.
11
“I’m kind of disappointed that we didn’t even get an Elvis,” Lauren said from the backseat of the Uber. “Isn’t that the thing with Las Vegas weddings?”
“All the impersonators were booked,” Liam explained, sipping from his soda.
“I thought it was beautiful,” Bekka gushed, her eyes all dreamy. “You know at the end of Twilight, when Edward and Bella dance together in that gazebo? That’s what the conservatory reminded me of.”
I laughed and glanced sideways at Liam, fully expecting him not to get the reference, but he actually burst out laughing.
“You’ve seen Twilight?” I asked.
“Yeah, I have. Funny story. My friend, Will, heard that there was this vampire movie in the theaters, right after Halloween.” Liam’s bright blue eyes lit up and he played with his straw in a distracted way. “So, he calls all of us—our group of friends—and says, ‘Let’s go see this scary movie, see who chickens out first.’” Liam laughed and ran a hand through his hair. “So, we go. All five of us, sitting in the same row. But we notice that the theater is filling up with teenage girls. Vince looks around, confused, and asked Will what the movie was even about. But Will was just as confused as he was and shrugged. The movie begins and we are stuck in the middle of the theater for the entire time. At the very end of the movie, Vince stood up and exclaimed, ‘That was bullshit!’ We were run out of the theater by all the teenage girls.” Liam ran a hand over his face as we all laughed. “So, yes. I know what scene you’re talking about. She has a broken leg or something, right?”
“Right, and he lifts her while they’re dancing.” Bekka had a faraway look in her eyes. “That was the only thing missing from your wedding. The dancing.”
“Oh, dancing,” Lauren said with a sigh. “Let’s go dancing!”
I was about to protest. Not because I was tired—I wasn’t. But I didn’t want Liam to feel obligated to spend any more time together. The wedding and the burgers were great and while I enjoyed spending time with him, I also was hyper aware of the fact that I needed to figure out my next steps. Like, when I’d go home and face the bullshit that was my dad’s lack of commitment and the fallout from that.
But before I could give Liam an out, he put his arm around my shoulders. “Up for some dancing, then?”
Like I could say no.
The club Katy had chosen—because of course she had—was just down the block from the hotel, which was a good thing considering the amount of alcohol we were all partaking in. One celebratory tequila shot had turned into two, which had turned into three, and then four and after that, I’d lost track.
To my surprise, Liam was hitting it off with Lauren and Bekka. He took turns spinning them on the dance floor. Katy had decided to head to the hotel somewhere around the third round of shots, leaving us four to dance the night away.
“God, he’s just so great,” Bekka said after her turn with Liam was over. She tilted her head back so that her hair fell across the bar. Sweat and spilled drinks had