“Not in a hurry to have kids?” I muse, teasing her.
She shakes her head, and I laugh. “Me neither. So quit provoking my mother.”
She rests her head on my shoulder, and I pull her as close as I can get her. Unfortunately, it’s not close enough, so I end up tugging until she’s in my lap. The second her sexy ass is pressed against me, and her entire body is resting on mine, I feel better.
“Toasts!” Maverick demands, and then he points to Tria who immediately goes pale. She’s been dreading the hell out of this. I’ve helped her rehearse her speech all week long, but she still doesn’t want to stand up in front of everyone and speak.
“We’ll start with the Maid of Honor,” Maverick adds, smiling tauntingly at her because he knows how much she doesn’t want to do this.
The outdoor reception is being held at my parents’ enormous home, where Mom insisted to have it. Eleanor is wiping her eyes, still crying happy tears as she watches Tria stand up in front of me shakily.
After a few deep breaths, Tria finally starts her speech to the quiet reception as Dane and Rain sit down at their own table.
“Most of you know that the history between myself and my sister is a little rocky. We didn’t have the conventional start that most families get to experience. To be honest, I started envying Rain early on. Who couldn’t? She was amazing and strong and so damn smart. Then she had the Sterling boys taking care of her, letting the world know she was even more special, and of course that had most of the women in Sterling Shore teeming with envy.”
That last part wasn’t in the original speech she rehearsed with me.
Everyone chuckles, but it actually hurts me to hear that. Tria had no one, and Rain had an army of support. If I could go back in time… I’ll just have to spend my future making it up to her.
“Out of those Sterling boys, she had the attention of the illusive Dane Sterling. It was evident when we were thirteen that they would end up together. They took a long road to get to where they are, but there’s no doubt in my mind they took the route designed to make them stronger—to make their relationship stronger.
“It’s not easy to find the one person in this world designed specifically for you. But they’ve found that in each other. It’s rock solid, and if you’ve ever been around them, then you’ve seen it. You’ve probably felt it. And more than likely, you’ve longed for that same thing. So to my sister and my brother-in-law, I want to say I love you both, and I’m so unbelievably happy that you two managed to find each other.”
Everyone starts clapping, and Rain smiles while dabbing the tears from her eyes. Dane leans over to kiss Rain, and a few catcalls sound out.
I keep waiting on Tria to sit back down in my lap, but she doesn’t. Instead, the second the cheers start dying down, she continues speaking.
“While I have your attention, there’s something else I need to say.” She turns to me, and I tilt my head, curious as to what she’s up to. She grins, and then faces the crowd again. “Most of you know Kode Sterling, and not too long ago, I started a small rumor about the fact he might not be all that into women.”
Oh shit. She’s really doing this? Here?
Everyone snickers, and Tria shrugs innocently before adding, “The truth is, well, I guess you know we’re together. But what you don’t know is that he’s probably the most phenomenal lover in the world. He’s the only man who has ever made my toes curl, and I swear I can’t get enough. So please don’t doubt that Kode Sterling is a woman’s dream.”
Yeah… I’m fairly positive this is one of the few times I’ve ever blushed in my life, and the sounds of people choking, gasping, or laughing has me turning even redder. I’m kicking her ass.
Tria drops back down to my lap, covering her laughter with her hand, and I glare at the back of her head as everyone hoots and mocks me.
“That backfired, didn’t it?” she whispers, apparently finding amusement in this bullshit.
“I told you I didn’t want you to do it here,” I growl, but she only laughs harder.
“Did you? I must have misunderstood,” she says, feigning innocence.
If I didn’t love her so damn much, I’d probably drop her ass to the ground. At this moment, I really wish I didn’t love her.
Maverick is still roaring with laughter when he goes to make his toast as the best man, and Tria turns in my arms, grinning that teasing smile as she presses a soft kiss to my lips.
“I love you,” she says sweetly, batting her lashes as though that will make it all better.
“I can’t tell,” I pout, which only has her laughing harder.
We miss Maverick’s toast because of the lingering whispers behind us that are going on about Tria’s announcement. My arms clamp around her waist, and I hold her to me while whispering, “You know I’ll get you back for that, don’t you?”
She chuckles softly while kissing me again, and this time, I can’t help myself from giving in. Her tongue slips between my lips, and my grip tightens for a different reason.
She can drive me out of my damn mind, but I love every wild moment of it.
Music starts playing, forcing us to separate from the kiss that went on much longer than either of us intended, and she stands while pulling me up from the chair.