“I was scared I’d never see you again, and I’d have to kill my best friend for chasing you away.” She hugs me tight. “Now I have to kill some little jackass instead.”
When we reach the top floor, Katie stays on while I step off. Once in our suite, I see that Alex has pulled clothes out of my bag and hung them in the closet.
“I needed something to do,” he says. “I wasn’t sure what you might want to wear instead of that, but I think I found all the dresses.”
Without stopping, I walk up to him and kiss him, hard. “I love you so much.”
“I love you, too, baby.”
“This isn’t how I planned to ask you to help me out of this dress,” I murmur as I turn around.
“Not exactly how I imagined it, either.” He unzips the back of my dress, then groans at the matching ice blue lace strapless bra and thong set under it.
“Fuck me,” he mutters.
Chuckling, I step into a pretty yellow dress I bought back inNew York but have never worn. Alex kisses my shoulder before zipping me up in the new dress.
“You even look like sunshine in this dress.”
I smile and trade my heels for some flats that will be easier to dance in.
“I think we need a vacation from this vacation after it’s all said and done. Pick somewhere, Amelia. Anywhere. We’ll fly Billie there if you want.”
“Do you even have any money left after paying for this wedding?” I tease, wrapping my arms around his neck.
“A few bucks.” He lifts one shoulder in a shrug.
“The office might feel like a vacation after the last week.”
“Probably, but it’s not the same. One week, just you and me. A beach, a mountain, a fucking rainforest if you want.”
“Hmmm, a beach means I get to see my sexy boss in swim trunks, right?”
“If I don’t rent a private island where we can go nude, then yes.”
“Well, I have some thinking to do. But first, we have some dancing and drinking to do. And possibly a bonfire.”
Chapter 41
Can I cut in?
Alex
Ididn’t dance with Amelia at the Christmas party eight months ago.
I wanted to and was a fool for not taking her in my arms then.
I won’t make that mistake again.
She and Lizzie walk into the reception a step ahead of me, arm in arm. I know I’ll have to share the woman I love with my daughter, not just tonight but for the rest of my life, but that’s okay with me. Her fierce loyalty and affection for her best friend are two of the things I love most about her.
The tables are full of bewildered guests. The wedding party is standing behind the long table at the front of the room, looking confused as hell. The three of us head their way.
“Any idea where your buddy Calvin is?” Amelia asks the four guys.
They exchange glances, and then they all shake their heads. “We left him by the side door to come line up in the back, and that’s the last any of us saw him. He’s not answering his phone,” one of them says.
“So, none of you know anything about him and Stephanie going missing at the same time?”
