Gwen dipped down a little, bending her knees. “Hey. Don’t cry. Why are you crying?”
“I can’t wear your dress.”
Gwen wiped her tears just like she had when Lexi was a little girl and a sob threatened to escape her lungs.
“I want you to, honey. It’ll be like I’m there with you tonight. I love you. I see you. I want you to embrace your future. I’m going to be okay. We can’t stay stuck forever.”
All words Lexi had been saying, things she’d been thinking. Gwen pulled her into a hard hug, smoothed a hand down her still-damp hair.
When she pulled back, she put both hands to Lexi’s cheeks. “I’m still the mom. My house, my rules.”
Lexi laughed again at Gwen’s lousy attempt at a stern tone.
“Get dressed, Lexi. Your prince will be here soon. And I expect you to be out long after the clock strikes midnight.”
Thirty-six
Will nearly swallowed his tongue when Lexi opened the door in a wedding gown. Notjusta wedding gown but one so beautiful he thought maybe he was imagining it. Maybe everything he’d begun to want more than he’d ever wanted anything was happening. There was no word strong enough for the emotions coursing through him. The top of the dress let her showcase the delicate sexiness of her collarbone, her toned shoulders and arms. The cinched waist made her seem curvier, and the skirt billowed out romantically like she was a princess in a movie.
Words rumbled around like rocks in his head, trying to force their way out of his mouth. He stepped closer even as they continued to hold each other’s gazes, something much stronger and deeper than simple passion or care flickering between them. An all-consuming need thrummed inside him like a heavy pulsebeat.
“You look fucking amazing,” he whispered. He cleared his throat, tried again. “Let’s skip the party and get married tonight.”
Some of the tension in her gaze—which he hoped was from wanting him as much as he wanted her—lessened and she tipped her head back in a laugh. Her dark tresses were pulled up away from her face and he had the overwhelming need to press his mouth to the long column of her neck, right in the hollow of her softest skin.
When he did, she gasped, igniting the need inside of him to something he’d never felt before. He swallowed her surprise with a kiss that he wasn’t sure could convey how much he felt. But he was willing to try.
Taking her face between his hands, he memorized the feel of her lips against his own, the taste of her with a hint of something fruity she must have put on her lips. He groaned at the touch of her hands on his shoulders, the way her body pressed into his as she gave him back everything she had with the same urgency he felt.
Will moved his hands down, circling her waist and drawing her closer, lifting her right off the ground. He couldn’t get close enough. He wondered if he’d ever get enough of this woman. He knew it might have started as a pretense, but this was it. She was it. She owned his heart whether she knew it or not and he had no intention of letting her go. As soon as this party was done, he was going to talk to his fake fiancée about making the commitment between them very, very real.
Side Tap was decked out for Halloween in the strangest way Will had ever seen. While the day’s colors were typically black and orange, Ethan had used white and cream pumpkins, gorgeous yellow and white flowers, hundreds of extra twinkle lights—the kind with bigger, round bulbs and white light—ribbons of silk and organza (he’d been an active participant in Rachel and Maddie’s wedding conversations) as streamers, and so many candles it might have been a fire hazard.
“Oh my God,” Lexi whispered when they walked in the double doors. “It was supposed to be gaudy. Skeletons and cobwebs. It’s Halloween. I helped plan everything out.”
“Guess he made some last-minute changes. It’s incredible. Look,” Will said, holding her hand tightly with his own while using the other one to point to the banner that read:CONGRATULATIONS ALEXANDRIA & WILLIAM.
Son of a bitch. His joke about making this an engagement party must not have been a joke. And he’d kept it as a surprise.
“The guests of honor are in the house! Everyone welcome the bride and groom.”
Will turned to see his friend behind the bar dressed like Rip Wheeler fromYellowstone,a microphone in hand. He even had a fake beard to go with the dark glasses and the black Stetson. One of the waitresses stood beside him dressed as Beth Dutton, clapping and whistling over the music and other shouts of congratulations.
He’d known the theme was couples, but it was pretty incredible to see it in action. They walked farther into the bar, where the longest farmhouse-style table was dressed like a head table. Ethan had even tacked a sign to the wall that saidBRIDE AND GROOM SIT HERE.
Maisie bounded over to them dressed as… he had no idea who she was dressed as. It looked almost like a one-piece bathing suit, the top half red with a yellowiin a black circle across her chest. The bottom was black, she wore a mask, and her hair was flat and straight. She wore red tights and knee-high black boots.
“Holy shit, you are the prettiest bride I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen a lot of brides. When you didn’t get back to me, I figured you were doing the prom thing.” Maisie threw her arms around Lexi’s neck.
“I thought you were coming as a zombie cheerleader,” Lexi said over the roar of music and people milling about, waiting for a chance to say hello.
Maisie pulled back. “As if. Ethan looped me in on this a while back. The theme is couples.”
“Okay, I have to know, then—who are you supposed to be?” Will pulled her into a hug as well.
When she stepped back, she pointed to her chest. “I’m Elastigirl! FromThe Incredibles.I figured this was a surefire way of manifesting a better half with huge muscles.”
Lexi laughed with her friend. Will vaguely recalled the Pixar movie about the superhero family. Maisie stayed by their side as several people hugged them, shook their hands, congratulated them, and asked where they’d be registering. He felt Lexi’s tension notching up like a clock ticking.
