“Of course.”
“I’m so sorry to barge in on your reception like this,” Lena said. “Our flight was delayed, and we got lost on the way here.”
“No worries at all. Please, come in. Enjoy yourself,” Jodi insisted. She introduced Lena and Rayven, who I quickly found out was Lena’s cousin and part-time security, to Micah and the rest of the family.
“I’ll take it from here,” I told my new sister-in-law as I took Lena’s hand. “Let’s have a dance,” I said to Lena.
Her lips parted, and not for the first time I wondered if they felt as soft as they looked. The light pink coloring on them paired with the gold shimmer on her high cheekbones made her captivating. In reality, I was sure she could be bare-faced and would be as appealing.
“She’s safe with me,” I assured her security, who was still giving me a skeptical look.
Lena cleared her throat. “It’s okay, Ray.” She turned back to me. “One dance couldn’t hurt.”
My lips spread into a grin, and for a heartbeat, Lena appeared flustered, as if she regretted her previous statement.
She looked at the crowd around us. “There’re a lot of people here.”
“Mostly family,” I said. “It’s cool, though. No one here’s going to sneak any pictures of you.”
When her shoulders relaxed and the slightly rigid way she’d held her body eased, I knew that was the right thing to say.
We moved to the center of the dance floor before I brought her body close to mine.
“Alicia Keys,” Lena said.
“What was that?” I asked as I started swaying our bodies to the time of the music.
“The song. It’s Alicia Keys,” she answered. “‘How it Feels To Fly’.”
“Cool song title.”
“I guess it’s appropriate for the occasion.”
I nodded in agreement and pulled her body into mine. She fit perfectly.
Lena no longer wore the engagement ring that I’d seen in Los Angeles. That, and the fact that she’d shown up to a wedding with her cousin instead of the douchebag, I assumed she was now single.
“How’ve you been?” I asked.
She twisted her head, and her eyes narrowed.
“You and your cousin look alike when you make that face.” I glanced over at her eagle-eyed cousin, who now stood off to one side of the room, surveying it.
“We used to be referred to asThe Twinswhen we were young,” she said. “She’s a little older than me, but we look a lot alike. Even with our difference in shades, we were often mistaken for sisters.”
I could see it. Lena’s brown complexion was slightly lighter than her cousin’s, but they both had the same plump lips, high cheekbones, and pert noses. Lena was barely five foot three, while her cousin stood much taller.
“By middle school, Ray shot up in height and left me in the dust.” She let out a laugh. It was melodic, just like her voice.
“Do you like this song?” I asked after listening to the lyrics for a little while.
She nodded.
“You ever wonder how it feels to fly?”
Her mouth parted, and I almost groaned. She seemed dumbfounded by my question, so I decided to keep going.
“Obviously, you never experienced it with that douchebag back in Los Angeles.”
