WMIS 08 Forever With Me (20 page)

“Okay, we get it, you love her,” Steven says as he stands. “Let the poor woman breathe, son.”

“Sweet Lord, if a man kissed me like that, I’d die,” Emily whispers in awe, making me laugh.

“I hear Blake has been kissing you just fine,” I murmur, and watch her face flush.

“I was going to tell you.” We watch quietly, not looking at each other, as the Montgomery family stands and chats, the girls fussing with babies and kids, the guys admiring their handiwork on the arbor.
 

“As long as you’re happy, I’m happy,” I tell her honestly.

“I’m happy.”

I nod once and drop the subject, standing to get back to work.

“Okay, guys, good job.” I clap my hands as I walk to the happy couple. “Dinner is being served in the tent. We might as well break it in, right?”

“Alecia, this is spectacular,” Meg says with a wide grin. “It’s so pretty.”

“If you like it now, just wait for Saturday.”
 

“You heard the woman!” Will announces almost urgently. “Food!”

“Will hasn’t eaten in about an hour,” Isaac says with a roll of the eyes. “He thinks he’s starving.”

“Be nice to my boy,” Gail, their mother, admonishes Isaac as she lifts Luke and Natalie’s daughter, Olivia, into her arms and kisses her cheek, then follows the others toward the tent, where the servers have set up a vast buffet spread. A DJ is playing soft music, and the twinkle lights have been turned on, giving the space a dreamy glow.

Emily marches ahead, talking into her earpiece, alerting the kitchen staff that we’re moving into the tent and ready for drinks.

I bring up the rear, but before I can get far, Dominic joins me and brushes his fingertips down my neck, in that way he does that sends shivers down my spine.

“How are you?”

“I’m great. Meg and Will are happy, that’s all that matters.” I grin up at him as he takes my hand in his, kisses my knuckles, and walks with me into the tent.

He and I hang back, taking in the scene before us. The tables have been set up for Saturday, and five of the round tables have been covered and dressed prettily for tonight’s dinner. The flowers Meg chose as her wedding flowers, tiger lilies, roses and calla lilies, serve as centerpieces. The lights hanging above are pretty and cast a glow about the room.

The parents are seated at one table together, laughing and talking, some holding babies. Steven has his arm wrapped loosely around his wife’s shoulders, and he’s watching her with loving eyes as she tells the table at large a story.

The others are scattered about the other tables. Meg and Will invited their entire family, including Meredith’s best friend Jax and his fiancé, Logan.

It’s a smaller party, but full of love and fun.

Will is already seated with a heaping plate in front of him, eating and joking with his brother Caleb at the next table.

“Dude, you totally slipped Bryn the tongue when you got married!” he says.

“Hell yes I did, and I’d do it again.”

“You’re all disgusting,” Jules grumbles, but smiles at the server who delivers her a drink, almost making him stumble over himself. “Oh, thank you. You’re my newest friend.”

“Don’t flirt with the waiter, baby,” Nate says with a chuckle. “You’ll make him trip.”

“He’s fine,” she says and waves Nate off. “Alecia! Come sit by me.”

“Oh, I have to work.”

“No.” Meg shakes her head and points to the empty chair next to Jules. “You worked already. It’s beautiful. Now I want you to be my guest.”

I frown, but Emily speaks into my earpiece, “I got this, boss. Easy peasy. Enjoy yourself.”

“Excellent idea,” Dom agrees, and plants his hand on the small of my back, guiding me to the table with Jules, Nate, Luke, and Natalie. He pulls the chair out for me, and when I sit, he leans in and whispers in my ear, “I’ll go get you something to eat.”

I frown up at him, but he’s already marching away toward the buffet.

“This is weird,” I announce, and gaze around the table. “I’m supposed to be working.”

“You’re our friend,” Natalie says with a smile and kisses her infant son’s cheek. “We want you to celebrate with us. You’ll be busy enough at the wedding.”

I nod and gaze around the room, taking in the way Matt’s hand rests on his girlfriend, Nic’s neck. It’s a gentle touch, yet almost…commanding. The beautiful woman is smiling at Stacy, Isaac’s wife, as Stacy and Brynna discuss which of Nic’s cupcakes they enjoy the most. Isaac, Caleb, and Matt are watching their girls with contented smiles.

It sounds like the tiramisu is winning the cupcake contest.

“I’ll take one of those lemon drops martinis, Linus,” I say to my young server, who is still blushing from Jules’ attention.
 

“Daddy!” Olivia calls from Gail’s arms across the room, holding her hands out and grinning at Luke. “Kiss you, Daddy!”

“I think that means she wants you,” Nat says, as Luke stands and crosses to his daughter, lifting her easily into his arms and burying his face in her neck, blowing raspberries.

Seriously, that might make my ovaries explode.

That might make
any
woman’s ovaries explode.

Luke Williams, former movie star, is maybe the hottest thing on this planet.

Not that I’ll ever admit that out loud.

“We need to discuss Stella’s first birthday party,” Jules says to me.

“She’s not even six months old,” Nate says, as he brushes his hand down his wife’s hair. “Let her be little, Julianne.”

“She’ll need a great party,” Jules insists, but leans into her man’s touch.

“She’ll have one,” I assure her. “But he’s right. Let her be little for a while.” I gaze at the pretty baby with the pink bow on her head, her little pink dress and big blue eyes staring back at me.

“Would you like to hold her?” Nate asks, as Luke returns with Livie.

“Oh, I don’t think—”

“Here.” Jules passes the baby to me, and suddenly I’m sitting here, at this party that I planned, that I’m supposed to be working at, with a gorgeous baby in my arms and my man setting a heaping plate of food before me.

“Who do you have here?” Dominic asks as he sits next to me. He kisses Stella on the cheek, then pays the same attention to me. “Hello,
bella
,” he croons to the baby, “
il mio dolce bambino.
”

“I love it when you call her your sweet baby,” Jules says with a smile. “It sounds pretty.”

“She’s pretty,” I murmur and instinctively cradle Stella against my chest, kiss her head and bury my nose in her wispy blonde curls, inhaling her baby smell. “Babies always smell so good.”

“Not always,” Jules says with a laugh.
 

“Well, I don’t have to change their diapers,” I reply with a smile.
 

“You look good with her,” Natalie says, and sips her drink.
 

“Let me take her,
tesoro
, so you can eat,” Dom says, and smoothly takes the baby from my arms.
 

“What did that mean?” Nat asks.

“What did what mean?” Dominic asks and smiles at Stella. “Goodness, you’re getting big,
bella.
”

“You called Alecia
tesoro
,” Jules says. “We’ve never heard that one. You always call us
bella
or
cara
.”

Dom rubs his nose against Stella’s and then laughs with the baby, barely paying attention to his sisters. “
Tesoro
means my treasure,” he says, and glances over at me with warm eyes. “I’m calling her my treasure.”

I feel my eyes go round as I swallow the bite of food I’d just taken and gape at him.

His treasure?

His treasure.

Well, if that doesn’t spark butterflies, I don’t know what does.

And then it occurs to me, he’s been calling me his treasure since the first time we made love.

“Charming Italian,” I whisper, earning a laugh from Jules.

“Oh, he’s definitely that,” she agrees.

“I think it’s very sweet,” Nat says with a smile. I can feel Dom watching me as I focus on my food. “Why does this make you shy?” she asks me.

I shrug a shoulder, frown and drink the rest of my martini, then gesture to Linus for another.
 

“We know you’re seeing each other,” Jules assures me happily, and I want the floor to open up and swallow me whole, but I smile brightly, not wanting anyone to think I’m uncomfortable. I had no idea we were making our relationship public. “And, can I just say, it’s about time.”

“Excuse me,” I murmur and stand.

“Are you okay?” Dominic asks.

“Of course.” I smile again and nod. “I just need to check on a few things.”

I make it out of the tent and around the store building, where the hills roll, full of grape vines as far as the eye can see and take a long, deep breath.

His family knows we’re seeing each other.

Isn’t it too soon for that?

“Here she is,” Natalie says as she and Jules come around the corner and stand on either side of me, flanking me, staring out at Dominic’s land.

“It’s gorgeous here,” I say.

“Do you often have the undeniable urge to leave a party and stare at the scenery?” Jules asks, as she drops her arm around my shoulders.

“Maybe,” I reply primly.

“We didn’t mean to scare you off,” Natalie says.

“I just needed some fresh air,” I lie.

“We scared you,” Jules says. “Is it because we know you’re doing the nasty with our brother?”

“Well, I’m scared now,” I reply and shake my head ruefully. “I had no idea that you guys chatted with your brothers about who they have sex with.”

“Ew.” Jules scrunches up her nose and shivers. “We don’t do that. But we can tell that you’re doing the sex stuff.”

“
Sex stuff
?” I snort. “Is that the scientific term for it?”

“He’s been interested in you for a long while,” Natalie says softly, watching the horizon, as she slips her hand in mine. “There were times I’d see him watching you with so much want in his eyes, it was almost painful.”

“So, he wanted in my pants.”
 

“You’re a smart girl,” Jules says. “You know that’s not all it is.”

I don’t say anything in return. What is there to say? It’s not just sex, for either of us.

He calls me his
treasure
, for Godsake.

“If that’s all it is for you—” Natalie begins, but I immediately interrupt.

“It’s not,” I say firmly.

“Good.” Jules kisses my cheek just as the DJ switches the song to “Blurred Lines.” “Now, let’s go get our drink on and dance, friends. We have a wedding to celebrate.”
 

***

“I love your mom,” I tell Jules, as she and I sway on the dance floor, not unlike junior high students at a school dance. We’ve had countless lemon drops, and if we let go of each other, I’m not so sure we’ll stay upright.

Okay, we most definitely won’t stay upright.

“I love her too!” Jules yells right in my ear.

“No, you don’t understand.” I take her face in my hands and hold her still so I can talk to her. “When she was leaving to take the babies home, she hugged me and
thanked
me for this dinner. She’s the sweetest person ever born. Ever.”

“I know.” Jules leans her forehead on mine and now she’s even more blurry than she was before. “She rocks. I love my mommy.”

“Batting for the other team now, Jules?” Mark asks from a nearby table. “It would be hotter if you two would take off your clothes.”

“The men in this family are all perverts,” Jules tells me seriously. “You need to be aware of this now.”

“Come sit down, Julianne.” Suddenly, Nate is standing next to us, pulling us in to either side of him; his strong arms wrap around our shoulders, and he leads us to a table where most of the others are sitting and talking.

Everyone except Meredith’s best friend Jax and Brynna, who are currently dancing like crazy on the dance floor.

“Wait. Where are Will and Meg?” I ask, as I continue to survey the table.

“They disappeared a few minutes ago,” Isaac informs me.

“Orgasms,” Stacy sighs. “She’s getting some right now, I’ll bet.”

“Lucky bitch,” Sam grumbles from her perch on Leo’s lap. “Are you gonna give me some orgasms tonight, rock star?”

Leo grins and whispers something in his wife’s ear that has her cheeks going pink and she bites her lip. “Hell to the yes,” she says happily.

“You know what orgasms are?” Nic says suddenly.

“Seriously, why do these women talk about nothing but sex when they’ve had liquor?” Caleb asks, as Dom takes my hand and pulls me into his lap. He nuzzles my temple and I easily curl up against him, happily fuzzy from too much alcohol.

“I know what orgasms are,” I hear myself say, and then clap my hand over my own mouth. I can feel Dominic laugh beneath me.