“Probably. But still kinda fun to watch your mom hand Mac her ass, all while entertainin’ an eight-month-old.”
“Oh my God, the kids!” Nat said as she frantically scanned the party.
He slid an arm around her waist, cupping her hip possessively and tugging her into his side. “Relax, your mom’s got Owen, and Rory’s girls are playin’ with June.”
Nat exhaled so hard, she slumped into him, and he tightened his grip, making sure she stayed upright. “Fuck, I’m not cut out for this.”
“I don’t know,” he said, taking another pull from his beer. “I think you’ve done pretty great, all things considered.”
She huffed out an incredulous laugh. “For the past hour, I’ve legitimately not known where those children were. But besides that, the thought of where they were hasn’t even entered my mind.”
“Yeah, well, that’s understandable. Wedidhave a wedding sprung on us. And what we thought was gonna be a tiny ceremony in a courthouse with just me, you, and the kids as witnesses turned into quite a different ordeal. And now this reception? Don’t be so hard on yourself. I knew where they were. That’s what makes us a good team.”
“What? So only one of us is able to lose our shit at any given time?”
Asher nodded. “Yeah, that sounds about right.” He lifted his beer up for another drink, and Nat’s gaze was snagged on something, her breath catching. “What is it?”
She blinked and shook her head, glancing to the side before meeting his gaze. “It’s so weird seein’ you with a wedding band. And what’s even weirder is knowin’ it’s mine.”
Funny, he’d felt the same way, sliding the ring he’d bought onto her finger and saying the words—whether they intended them to be real or not—that bound them together by law and under the eyes of God.
He dropped his gaze to her lips, remembering how soft and pliant they’d been that morning. The sound of her throaty moans. How she’d felt beneath his questing hands, the full roundness of her ass gripped in his palms.
Without thinking, he leaned toward her, intent on pressing his lips to hers, when a sound of surprise interrupted them.
“I’m so sorry!” A woman Asher didn’t recognize stood off to the side—a photographer, he’d guess, thanks to the camera hanging from her neck. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. Mrs. Haven would just like me to get some pictures before it gets too late.”
“Before everyone has too many drinks from their open bar, she means,” Nat said out of the corner of her mouth. Then beamed a smile at the photographer. “Great! Show us where you want us.”
Forty-five painful minutes later, they’d finished all they were able to. Though, if the photographer had managed to get any without Nat’s face contorted thanks to her grumbles, it’d be a miracle.
“Can’t believe they hired someone,” she said.
“I heard that,” Rory said. “Yes, Nat, we all know you’re ridiculously talented, but even you couldn’t take your own wedding photos.”
“Saysyou. I could take pictures of everything no problem.”
“Yeah, everything but the bride.” Mac rolled her eyes.
“Which isyou, by the way,” Will said.
“Whatever,” Nat grumbled as she leaned her back to his chest, as if she needed someone to hold her up for a little while.
He obliged, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and holding her tight to him. The entirety of the time they’d been doing pictures, he could see how much she’d itched to be the one behind the camera. For as gorgeous as she was—and she wasgorgeous—she’d never liked having her picture taken, always preferring to be the one behind the lens.
Though it had crossed his mind that when she said yes to him, she’d be saying no to so many other things, he hadn’t really allowed himself to realize the gravity of exactly what she was giving up by agreeing to marry him. He saw that now, though, when he looked into her eyes as someone else captured memories for them when it had been her job for so long.
“You okay?” he asked when everyone else had scattered and they finally had a moment of peace.
She lifted one bare shoulder, the move drawing his eyes to her silky, tanned skin. Making him wonder, not for the first time, exactly how it’d feel under his lips. “I’m just not used to bein’ on this side of things, you know?”
“Yeah, I do. But it’s more than that, isn’t it?”
She huffed out of breath and rested her head back on his chest, curling her fingers over his forearms wrapped around her. “I honestly haven’t had time to think about it much since I’ve been here. But…I miss it. I’ve snapped a couple pictures of you or the kids, but that’s been days ago. This is the longest I’ve gone without taking a picture. And now…all these people around. My family… Even if this marriage isn’t real, the emotions are. I’m just bummed about it.” Her eye roll could be heard for miles when she continued, “And I know Misty will capture them or whatever, but she won’t capture what I saw, you know?”
Asher hummed and tightened his arms around her, pressing a kiss to her temple before lowering his lips to her ear. “It’s a good thing I grabbed your camera bag before we left, then, isn’t it?”
Nat spun around, her eyes wide, as she shoved him hard in the stomach. “Shut up. Are you serious?”
