Oh, I loved that she went toe to toe with Ryker at every turn. I just loved this woman.
“I already have a few ideas,” I piped up, just to up the ante. “Which I will share with you far from jealous, possessive ears.”
Now Rob was glowering even more than Ryker. Ah, I couldn’t help myself; I stretched up on my toes and gave him a smooch. He deepened the kiss, tilting my head back a little, taking charge. Talk about holding back! We were absolutely hopeless.
Ryker cleared his throat. Rob pulled back, still looking at me intently.
“You know, I’m all for a crazy party. Mine wasn’t,” Josie said.
“You wanted us to keep it non-crazy,” Tess reminded her.
“Yeah... I have no idea why I did that,” Josie said. “But I’ll help with preparations.”
Hunter half glared, half frowned at us.
“Girls, I think we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves,” I said.
Hunter smiled. “Thanks for being sensible as always.”
“Don’t thank me too soon, cousin. There’s still plenty of time for me to change my mind.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Skye
December
I had no idea pregnancy came with so many perks. My family spoiled me nonstop, as did Rob. I could get used to this. In fact, I already was. I patted my sizable belly, waiting for the DJ to play the song for our first dance. Rob winked, squeezing my hand tighter.
The weddings were taking place at a gorgeous hotel at a lake in upstate New York. The restaurant was elegant, with floor-to-ceiling windows that allowed us a splendid view of the lake and the mountains behind it. A white landscape stretched outside the window. Snow covered the ground, and translucent icicles hung from the A-frame roof. All the trees were snowed in. It was a true winter wonderland.
A crisscross of wooden beams spread across the ceiling, giving the space a rustic feel. I loved it. Heather and I were both wearing white dresses, but they couldn’t be more different.
While hers was an A-line princess style, mine was mermaid-shaped, highlighting my belly. We’d both chosen to style our hair in buns. Hers was high and centered, while mine was low and slightly to the left. We were both absolutely stunning.
“I can’t believe I’ve been talked into this,” Ryker whispered. He was on my other side, holding Heather’s hand.
I grinned. We’d taken dance classes to learn a special choreography. It had been challenging as hell, but the result was an impressive dance. Rob smiled as we took our positions on the dance floor.
“You’ve been suspiciously happy about the dance classes,” I whispered.
“It had its perks.” His gaze was so shameless that my cheeks warmed up and heat spread through me with a lightning-quick speed.
The second the music began, he brought a hand to my waist. My breath caught, and I became so wrapped up in him that everything around us faded. It was a good thing we’d rehearsed so many times, because I was doing this dance by muscle memory only. I didn’t think he’d ever cease to captivate me so completely. On a twirl, I lost my balance a little, but there was a firm arm around me... and a smirk on his face. I pinched his arm lightly, and all the guests laughed. Ah, apparently I was more obvious than I thought.
“Don’t laugh at me,” I whispered.
“You’re adorable,” he replied. And that... how could I do anything but melt when he said things like that?
After the first dance was over, we welcomed the rest of the guests onto the dance floor. Theoretically I could sit down, but I had this strange energy that made me want to keep dancing.
“Want to rest?” Rob asked.
“Actually, not at all. I don’t know what’s gotten into me, but I want to keep dancing.”
He frowned, looking at my belly. The second-best part of being pregnant, besides being spoiled around the clock, was watching his protective instincts becoming more and more pronounced. Sometimes to the point of being overprotective, but I secretly enjoyed it.
“The doctor said you should take it easy.”