Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 102719 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102719 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
I love the way I do because I loved her.
Still do.
Always will.
Mrs. Underwood leads us through the I dos. I hand Cooper the ring. He kisses his bride. It’s a hungry, horny kiss that suits the sermon and the crowd, which erupts in thunderous applause.
“The ceremony has ended.” Mrs. Underwood closes her Bible, which she clearly didn’t reference. “Let us go in peace to party.”
And it is one hell of a party. After dinner, guests crowd the makeshift dance floor while I scoop ice-cold beers out of the coolers Woody let us borrow and hand them out like candy. The rain doesn’t let up, and neither does the band. Cooper and Goldie were hesitant when I told them to hire a band from a honky-tonk in Wilmington, but The Drive-By Shuckers are predictably on fire. They play everything from Tim McGraw and Usher to Taylor Swift and The Four seasons. They’re the kind of songs you forgot you knew every word to.
Goldie grinds on Coop. Joe and Lady make out to “September,” and they keep making out when “Love Shack” comes on. Even Tuck and Abel, who came stag, dance like idiots.
Lu lets me twirl her around. We’re totally in sync during “The Electric Slide,” but end up in a sweaty, smiling heap on the floor at the end of “Twist and Shout.” We sing along to “Call Me Maybe.” Shout the lyrics to “Poker Face.”
But it’s when she loops her arms around my neck and presses her body to mine when the band plays a Norah Jones cover that does me in. She’s happy. Touchy-feely, her fingers straying into my hair. I put my hands on her waist and sway with her, my shirt sticking to the sweat on my chest and back. We stay in each other’s arms when a Pharrell song comes on, bringing Tuck and Abel back onto the dance floor.
She bites her lip. “We fucking did it.”
“How fucking good are we?”
“The fucking best.”
“How are we still awake and on our feet?” I lean in to nip at her jaw.
Her body curves into mine. “Adrenaline. Although my feet are killing me.”
“Even without the shoes on?” I glance at her bare feet. She kicked the heels off as soon as the ceremony ended.
She nods. “Heels like that cause the kind of pain that lingers.”
“You sayin’ I need to carry you home?”
“I’m saying I need to put my feet up when we get there.” Lu fists her hand in my hair and gives it a small tug. An earthquake erupts low in my core. “Maybe up above my head.”
I groan. “That visual is . . . inconvenient.”
“I love torturing you.” Her eyes bounce between mine. They’re teasing but soft. Trusting.
I’m too tired to keep partying, but not tired enough to keep my dick in check. I palm her ass and press her against me, not caring who sees.
“I love being tortured. Actually, I hate it, but my dick doesn’t.”
“I heard that,” Tuck says.
“Go away,” I reply.
Abel rolls his eyes. “He’s jealous. And sexually frustrated.”
“Fuck off.” Tuck tips back his beer.
“Love you too, boo.” Abel turns to Lu. “Worst date ever, am I right?”
Lu laughs. “Cut him some slack. He worked hard today!”
“We all did.” Abel offers Lu a fist bump. “You were a rockstar. Any chance you’re free the next month or two? I could use some help finishing this place up.”
But instead of giving Abel the bump he’s looking for, she pulls him in for a hug. “We were all rockstars. Thanks for making my friend’s dreams come true.”
I don’t miss how Lu dances around Abel’s proposal. Makes my chest twist.
“Our friends,” Abel replies. “I’ve known Coop for . . . yeah, way too long now.”
She smiles. “Our friends.”
I look away. It’s all too good. Too perfect, watching my girl get along so well with my boys. I almost wish Lu didn’t hit it off with my friends. That’d make letting her go so much easier.
The song ends, and The Drive-By Shuckers’ lead singer tells us it’s time to send Goldie and Cooper off to wedded bliss.
Thankfully the rain finally stopped, and we’re able to light sparklers on the street outside and wave them at the bride and groom as they dash for a waiting golf cart. Goldie trips on her dress, but Coop is there to catch her. He lifts her into his arms and climbs into the cart. Laughing, they wave to us as Woody, our volunteer driver, pulls away.
Lu, who put on a pair of flip-flops she brought with her, sighs. “I can’t believe it’s over. Went by fast, didn’t it?”
“Whole week went by fast.” I glance over my shoulder at the house. “Why don’t I drop you off at the dock? I’ll join you after I help clean up.”
“I’m not leaving you to clean up.” Lu screws up her face. “I’ll stay.”