"Anything for you."
I kiss her. Long, devouring her softness, her touch singing through my veins. One hand wrapped around her lower back, the other cradling her head, and when our kiss is finished, I brush my lips over her forehead. "I will love you for the rest of my life, Daisy St. James," I murmur against her skin.
"I look forward to it," she whispers. "And when we get married, it's going to be our own wedding, under that special arch Hugo ordered."
"Nothing will stop me from meeting you at the end of the aisle, Sunshine."
"I might beat you there, Sailor."
A throat clears beside us. Daisy's mom. "You two sure know how to clear a room."
We look around, realizing the place is empty. From beyond the windows, I spot Hugo and Vivi directing people to the reception hall.
"All the food," Daisy groans, covering her mouth. "Vivi put so much work into this day."
Brenda pats her back. "Don't worry. I'm sure there will come a day when you make it up to her."
"We're going to be the talk of the town for, well, forever." Daisy rolls her eyes.
"Most definitely. You're probably already trending on the YouTube."
"Just YouTube, Mom." Daisy laughs, but cuts off when she realizes something. "That was all recorded, wasn't it?"
"I think I counted ten phones capturing it."
Daisy groans. I lift her hand, kissing her fingers. "If it bothers you, I'll go one by one to every guest who was here today and make sure they don't post it."
"I love that about you," Daisy says, smiling at me with so much love it makes my own heartbeats stutter. What a relief it is to say these things to each other openly, without reserve.
"Hey," Vivi says from the entrance. She's gripping the door jamb with two hands, the upper half of her body in the room. "We're turning this day into a party. Might as well." She eyes me and Daisy. "It's not like we don't have something to celebrate. Maybe we'll call this day 'two fools finally figure their shit out.'"
Daisy laughs. "I don't think that will fit on the town calendar."
Vivi blows her a kiss. "Get changed, then meet us in the reception hall. I have to take the bride and groom off the cake, and smooth out the top."
"Kathleen already did it," Brenda says. "She said it was the first thing she was going to do."
"Well, then." Vivi straightens. "Let's go get a drink, Brenda. There's a margarita calling my name." She cups a hand around her ear, pretending to listen. "There it was again. Come on." She motions for Daisy's mom.
"She is certainly not subtle about giving you two alone time," Brenda whispers loudly so Vivi can hear her. She takes a step away from us, but Daisy's arms fly out, stopping her.
"I'm sorry I made such a mess of things," Daisy says, wrapping her mother up in a hug.
"I'm sorry I made you feel such pressure, sweet girl. I loved you wholly and completely from the moment I laid eyes on you. Nothing you do could make me love you more, or less." She pulls back, lightly pinching Daisy's chin between her fingers as she gazes into her daughter's eyes. "That's true love."
Brenda joins Vivi, and they walk away. Daisy looks up at me, eyes watery. "It's just like you said. True love doesn't have to be romantic."
I surprise Daisy by picking her up, spinning her around. She holds onto my shoulders. When I set her down, I say, "But it can be that, too."
I follow Daisy into the dressing area, watching her change. She slips the robe from her shoulders, standing only in a strapless bra and a thong. Every cell in my body is at attention.
"Do we have to go to the reception?" I complain, my eyes performing a leisurely and greedy perusal of her curves. "I want you in my bed."
"Like this?" she asks, bending over and grabbing the back of the couch, the perfect globe of her ass stuck in the air.
Without giving it much thought I'm next to her, biting down. She yelps, and I step back.
"Did you just bite my ass?"
