“Yup. She’s about to learn Texans are a whole separate species.”
I shook my head, trying not to laugh as Trent winked at his new admirer, looking somehow devastatingly handsome in a tailored suit while still giving off the vibe that he could saddle a horse, fix a fence, and kiss someone senseless before noon.
Southern baddie indeed.
Before I could go over there and warn the poor girl, Harrison was next to me again, pointing at Brody who appeared to have stolen a tray of gingerbread cookies from the kitchen.
He was trying to dodge Sterling’s very unimpressed dad voice while Harrison pushed me toward the dance floor. I couldn’t remember a time when I’d felt happier or more like I was exactly where I was supposed to be, and I pulled Harrison closer.
My fingers pushed into the hair at his nape and my ear rested on his chest, right over his heart. His strong arms cradled me as we swayed from side to side. For a moment, it felt like I might be dreaming, but then the music cut out.
The next thing I knew, Callum’s voice was coming through the microphone, our self-appointed emcee, and he grinned at us when I looked up. “Don’t you guys think it’s time for our groom to make a speech? I wasn’t given a program for this shindig, but I think it’s time. Before the open bar starts erasing our memories and the kids start getting tired. Everyone is going to want to be here for this. You’ve got yourself a bit of explaining to do, little brother.”
Harrison rolled his eyes but let go of me and looked around for just a minute. The next thing I knew, he climbed effortlessly onto one of the tables. My heart lurched, partly in panic, partly in anticipation.
He tapped his glass with a spoon, smiling as every pair of eyes in the room swung his way. “Ladies and gentlemen, I know you accepted invitations to a Christmas Eve party, but, uh, plot twist, welcome to our wedding reception. Is that enough of an explanation for you, Cal?”
The cheers that erupted nearly shook the garlands from the walls. I covered my face with my hands, laughing even as I felt my cheeks flush pink. Harrison raised a glass of champagne that Jameson pressed into his hand.
Jamie also brought one over for me, guiding me closer to the table his brother had climbed on as we listened to his toast. “You all know me as the baby of the family. The one who was supposed to be the rebel, the one who was never supposed to grow up, and who was never supposed to get so serious, so young.”
He paused, his eyes finding mine in the crowd beside the table, and suddenly the whole room disappeared. “Truth be told, that was never who I was. I am the youngest, sure, but I think the title for the most rebellious one should probably go to Callum.”
Laughter rang out and Callum dipped into a pretend bow, winking playfully at Maisie when she caught his eye, but Harrison drew my attention back to him. “For a while there, not getting serious was fun, but it didn’t take me very long to realize that I was ready to grow up.”
A hush fell across the room, Harrison’s captivating hazel eyes locking me in place. “The second I saw Aurelia, I knew she was going to change my life. I didn’t know how and I didn’t know when, but I knew.”
My throat tightened with the kind of ache that was both sweet and overwhelming. His gaze didn’t waver. “You changed everything for me, Aurelia. And thank you, because I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love you, baby, and we did it. We gave ‘em all one heck of a surprise.”
The room exploded again in cheers and clinking glasses. I was rooted to the spot, unable to look away from the man standing on a table declaring his love for me like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Myhusband.
When Harrison went on, speaking to his family and mine now, I inhaled a deep breath and forced my gaze away from him to catch our families’ reactions. Regina and CC had their entourages clustered around them like loyal satellites, but their respective friend groups had reunited, no doubt commiserating over the audacity of their spoiled, trust fund kids.
It was almost funny that they’d finally found common ground in their mutual exasperation. I couldn’t help but smile.
If I’d known planning a wedding without their help would unite them like this, I would have done it weeks ago. Harrison’s toast had finally ended and cheers swelled again. As soon as he climbed off the table, I tugged on his hand and stole him away. We slipped down the hallway, the muffled hum of music and laughter fading behind us as I pulled him deeper into the house.
“Hey—” he started, but I didn’t let him finish.
We’d gone far enough and I pulled him down for a kiss that was messy, hungry, and absolutely perfect. It took him no more than a second to catch up, and when he did, he groaned into my mouth, walking us backward until my back was pressed against the wall.
He braced his hands on either side of me, kissing me deeply and licking into my mouth like he would never stop. We lost ourselves in it, in the relief of being together again while the weight of the rings on my finger promised that it would stay this way forever.
Harrison kissed the breath from my lungs and the thoughts from my head. Until the searing kiss almost turned into something far less innocent. When we finally broke apart,breathless and flushed, I leaned my forehead against his chest, laughing softly.
“We should save that for later,” I whispered, catching his clean-shaven face between my hands and gazing up at him. “Don’t get me wrong, I would love nothing more than to take you upstairs right now, but we’ve got a whole houseful of people.”
He brought his forehead to mine and let out a disapproving grunt. “I know you’re not wrong, but as far as I’m concerned, fuck ‘em all. The bar is open. Dessert will be served soon. They don’t need us to entertain them anymore.”
As he said it, he pressed his body against mine, letting me feel every inch of hardness. I sucked in a breath, my heart starting to pound all over again. I dropped my hands to his white button-down and curled my fingers into the fabric.
“We can’t run out on our own wedding reception.”
“Why not? Jameson and Sadie did. So did Callum and Maisie. Sterling didn’t even get so far as tohavea fucking wedding reception.”
I smiled, gentling my voice, and I looked up into those hazel eyes. “We invited our families here to celebrate with us and things are strained enough between our moms without us disappearing together. They’ll know exactly what we’re up to,”
