“There’s Kyler.” I point to him as he walks onto the dance floor toward the DJ booth.
Our DJ hands him something. Is that a microphone? Zach, Bennett, and Hunter are standing off to the side.
Kyler looks just as sexy as the day I met him. Okay, so maybe he was sexier that day since he was shirtless answering the door, but I love when Kyler is dressed up, especially with the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up and his forearms exposed like they are currently. I tilt my head to the side, confused.
Am I supposed to stand up there with him? Are we supposed to give a speech?
Haylee leans closer to me. “What are they doing?”
I shrug, because I have no clue. Haylee, Aria, and I all share a look of confusion. Aria takes her seat across from Haylee as Kyler takes his place in the center of the dance floor.
Just then, Kyler clears his throat into the microphone. “I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for not only being here with us today to celebrate but for being there along the way of our journey with Dani and me.”
He faces the direction of our table, and when his eyes meet mine, the corners of his mouth tip up as he nervously puts a hand in his pocket. Seeing him standing there, I think of the night he asked me to marry him. He had sung a karaoke song solo, which was unusual for him, since he and my brother are forever karaoke partners, before getting on one knee and asking me to be his wife.
“Dani, music has always been my way into your heart, ever since the beginning. I wanted to do something special tonight for you to show you how much you mean to me. I needed some help, however, to do so.”
I take in the men who are now standing behind Kyler. The expression on Zach’s face matches Bennett’s, a grin from ear to ear, whereas Hunter is rubbing the back of his neck. He looks nervous. Okay, now I am seriously worried about what is about to happen.
My eyes widen, and my heart begins to beat faster. I look around our table, and Haylee shrugs. I guess it’s safe to say she has no idea what’s going on either. Kyler hands the microphone off to the DJ. He and Zach bump fists before they walk to opposite ends of the dance floor. Two more men have joined the back row with Bennett and Hunter.
Oh, my God. Is that my dad and Brian?
The familiar tune of “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” by Jennifer Warnes and Bill Medley from Dirty Dancing begins to play from the speakers. My hands quickly cover my mouth, and I gasp as Kyler begins walking to the middle of the dance floor, where he was just standing.
“Oh my God,” Haylee shrieks as Zach is next to walk back, meeting Kyler in the center.
Slowly, one by one, my dad, Brian, Hunter, and Bennett turn around. They each put on sunglasses, and I let out a loud laugh. When we watched YouTube wedding videos, Kyler always said these types of things were so ridiculous. Clearly, that was a lie. I should never have believed him especially with his and Zach’s over-the-top karaoke performances.
“Well, that would explain the extra ‘training’ sessions that Bennett and Hunter have been doing lately,” Aria explains while staring wide-eyed, yet amused at the scene unfolding in front of us.
I watch in awe at my family and friends as they move effortlessly, and quite honestly, not that bad, together to the words of this song. Kyler occasionally points to me and winks. I didn’t think my smile could get any bigger today, and then Kyler went and did this.
Kyler backs up, and Haylee grabs my arm. With just a few small steps, he launches into the arms of the rest of the guys in the perfect Dirty Dancing lift.
Haylee gives a mind-numbing whistle, and I cup my hands around my mouth, shouting, “Wooooo!”
By the time they finish, the room is booming with cheers and laughter. I make my way to Kyler and throw my arms around his neck, slamming my mouth against his. When we pull away, he carries me back toward our table with my arms still around his neck and my feet off the ground.
“When the hell did you guys have time to do that?” I ask Kyler as he sets me down on the ground.
He steals one more kiss before pulling me into an embrace. “Well, Zach and I, along with your dad and Brian, have been working on it for months, but we spent part of the morning catching up with Bennett and Hunter. They had a video of the dance moves, but weren’t that good with it.”
Bennett approaches the table. “Hey, speak for yourself, MaiKy.”
We all take our seats back at the table.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had to dance this much,” Hunter huffs, taking a seat next to Aria. “Good thing I love you guys.”
Zach elbows Haylee jokingly.
“You hear that, babe? Hunter loves us.” He draws out the word love as if he were a little kid teasing.
“Jackass,” Hunter mutters under his breath.
“With these fools, you get used to all the dancing.” Kate places her hands on the back of Zach’s chair.
“Speaking of dancing, what do you say you and I go get to know each other a little better on the dance floor?” Bennett places his arm around Kate’s shoulders, and she grimaces.