Kenzie, on the other hand, keeps sighing happily, her clenched tissue tight against her chest. “This is so beautiful.”
I’ll admit the couple’s handwritten vows with little anecdotes from their personal life was a nice touch. I wonder if Kenzie would like a large ceremony like this or something more intimate. Before I can stop myself, I imagine the backyard strewnwith lights, Kenzie walking toward me in a gossamer gown with light-pink accents, only our closest friends and her parents in attendance.
Kenzie surging to her feet brings me back to the ornately decorated barn. The groom dips his bride in a kiss before they raise their hands in triumph. All the guests cheer and hoot but none louder than Kenzie as the couple races down the aisle toward their forever. When Kenzie puts two fingers in her mouth and whistles, a wide grin cracks over my mouth.
“I didn’t know you could do that.”
She shrugs. “How else would you call in the goats?”
I slip my arms around her waist, anchoring them at the base of her spine. With her closest to the wall and my back to the crowd, I’ve created a private nook for us while the rest of the guests move toward the awaiting canapés.
“What other secret talents do you have?”
Besides making me fall for you.
Kenzie wrinkles her nose as she thinks, and my heart darn near implodes.
“I can fold a fitted sheet perfectly.”
The way she grins when a surprised laugh bursts from my lips makes me want to hold onto this moment forever.
“I’m really good at untangling knots in rope or cords, and I can read upside down.”
I’m about to tell Kenzie how incredible she is when a loud voice gushes behind me.
“It just goes to show that all you need is love.”
“Please,” a raspy voice counters. “All you really need is a trust fund, an iron stomach, and a strong moral compass.”
Kenzie slaps her hand over her mouth to restrain a giggle as the two older women exit the barn.
I lean forward to kiss her temple, helpless not to. “Should we join everyone outside?”
After the requisite wedding party dances, toasts, and dinner, the dance floor thrums with guests. The classic atmosphere that welcomed us transitioned into a night club vibe with smoke machines, color-changing laser lights, and signature cocktails with light-up ice cubes. The bride and groom dance in the center of the floor, hamming it up with flashing headbands that read “Bride” and “Groom.”
True to my word to keep a low profile, I keep us tucked away at the outskirts of the dance floor, farthest from the pulsing bass of the speakers. Occasionally, people wander over, asking for an autograph or wanting to chat about the Waves’ chances of making it to the post-season, but I keep those interactions cordial and brief.
“Are you okay being over here?”
“Oh, yes.” Kenzie sips from the tiny neon straw in her flashing cocktail while bouncing along to the music. “Party-adjacent works perfectly for me.”
“Good.” I take another large gulp from my ice water. “I want you to have the full wedding experience, right down togroomsmen doing the worm and bridesmaids fighting over the bouquet.”
Kenzie grimaces. “I don’t think they do bouquet tosses anymore.”
“They don’t?”
It’s been a while since I’ve been to a wedding. The last one I attended was my youngest sister’s over a decade ago.
“It’s antiquated and awkward. Like when adults joke about children having a boyfriend or girlfriend because they have a friend of the opposite sex.” She shudders. “That really grosses me out. They’re children. No eight-year-old wants to kiss their playmate. They just want to play.”
“Yeah. That is creepy.”
I glance at the small group of kids hopping around on the dance floor, having the time of their lives. They’re all amped off of being up past their bedtime and the lingering promise of cake.
“So what would you want at your wedding?”
Subtle, man. Real subtle.
