Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 80304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
I lean into Crosby and lay my arm around the back of her chair. “Missed you,” I say softly.
She turns and smiles at me. “Party-crasher.”
“Only if it gets me closer to you.”
“We need tunes,” Deacon announces when the room falls silent. He stands and heads toward the Touch Tunes box hanging on the far wall.
“He can’t be trusted to pick the good stuff on his own,” Orrin says, standing and following him.
“Um, I love my husband,” Ramsey says, watching where Deacon is already at the Touch Tunes, scanning for songs. “But he and Orrin together are not going to pick anything this crowd”—she motions her finger around the bar—“is going to want to hear.”
“Luckily, it’s not too busy tonight,” I tell her. “I’m sure whatever they pick, it will be fine.”
Jade points at me. “You remember that when they’re queuing up the oldies.” She chuckles.
“They’re not that old.” Alyssa chuckles.
“Doesn’t matter, Tink. You know those two will do it just to mess with us.”
“Yeah, but some of the oldies are good,” Kennedy defends.
Before anyone else can reply, Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” flows through the speakers. “See!” Brooks points at Alyssa and Kennedy. “Told you.” He grins.
“This is a good song,” Sterling defends. He wags his eyebrows at Alyssa, and she shakes her head and smiles.
“It’s baby-making music,” Ramsey defends.
“Maybe Deacon is trying to tell you something, Rams,” Brooks tells her.
“We’re trying,” she confesses.
The ladies all nod as if they already knew this information, and I’m sure that they did. I guess that solves a little bit of the mystery of what they talk about when we’re not around.
By the time Orrin and Deacon are back at the table, the song changes, and when they pull their wives up to dance, I hold my hand out for Crosby. “Come on, gorgeous, show me what you’ve got.”
“’My Girl’? Really?” Crosby laughs.
“Hey, don’t knock The Temptations.” Orrin points at her before leading Jade to the small dance floor.
“Come on, ladies.” Alyssa stands up. “We might as well embrace the fact that they’re crashing our night.” She takes Sterling by the hand and leads him in the same direction.
I don’t notice if the others join us because Crosby places her hand in mine, and just like anytime I get to touch her, she’s all I can see. I swing her around and sing the lyrics to her. She’s laughing as I dip her over my arm, only to pull her back up and spin her around. Brooks and Palmer bump into us, and the ladies knock hips before I pull my girl back into my arms and sway my hips against hers.
It’s silly and fun, and all because of the woman in my arms. “Is there anything you don’t do well?” Crosby asks, smiling up at me.
“There is one thing I’m still trying to master.”
“Oh, really? Do tell.”
“You sure?” I ask.
“Lay it on me, Kincaid.”
“Making you mine,” I say, leaning down and kissing the corner of her mouth as the song changes. Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” comes on, and I pull her close and proceed to sway to the beat as I sing every lyric to her.
I hear the guys start to sing, and before you know it, we’re all calling out the lyrics while holding our girls in our arms. I don’t take my eyes off Crosby’s as I do. She’s watching me intently, and as the song comes to an end, her eyes well with tears, but her smile, it’s radiant. I’m pretty sure these tears are good tears.
This is it.
This is my moment.
I can’t keep how I feel about her inside for another minute. I rest my forehead against hers and bring my hands to her face. “Crosby—” My voice is thick. “I love you.” Her breath hitches. “I know you want to wait, and I’m okay with that. I’m not pressuring you, but I needed you to know what you mean to me. This is real, Crosby. There is no pretending. I’ve never pretended one single second of our time together.”
A tear slides down her cheek, and I capture it with my thumb. Her hands rest on my wrists. “Rush—” she starts, but I kiss her to keep her from saying anything. It’s just a gentle press of my lips to hers, but it’s enough to stop whatever it was she was going to say. I know it wasn’t that she loves me too, and I don’t want nor need to hear how we have to wait. Besides, I don’t need her words. Her eyes tell me a story her heart and her head are not ready to admit.
I know she loves me.
I feel it.
“You want to get out of here?”
“Yes.”
Dropping my hands, I intertwine ours and turn and see whose gaze I can catch. Sterling looks up, and I point to the door and wave. I bend to whisper in her ear. “You want to say goodbye?”