“You should be more careful.” Jackie smiles and brushes a kiss against my cheek.
My body instantly relaxes. “Worth going through a stampede for you.”
“I’d rather you kept most parts of you intact,” she says.
I wrap one arm around her waist and pull her flush to me. “Glad to hear you’d sparesomepound of flesh.”
The wind swirls in from the lake, mixing the smell of forest and wildflowers in bloom into the air as we sway to the rhythm of the song.
“You could consider a career change,” I say, gesturing to the party.
“Maybe as a hobby,” she laughs. “Eliza was easy. Imagine me in a screaming match with a bridezilla.”
“Actually,” I hum. “I’d pay good money to see that.”
Jackie leans in, nose brushing mine. “Keep your money,” she whispers. “I can show you my wild side in another way.”
“Talk like that, and you’ll be ending this party early.”
She looks like she wouldn’t mind one bit. But then her gaze shifts past my shoulder, and her brows knot together.
“What’s up with Logan?” she asks, nodding to where he and his father stand behind the candy bar, in a visibly tenseexchange. I have never seen Logan so pissed, even when he thought I hurt Jackie.
“I think it’s his love life. Or lack of one.” It’s a guess, but it’s been the root of every argument I’ve witnessed between them.
“You have a lot of acquaintances,” Jackie muses.
“Don’t even think about it.”
“Why not? Maybe—”
“I’m not playing matchmaker for a man with access to missile drones.”
She shoots me a pointed look and rests her cheek on my chest with a big sigh.
We sway in the golden light, laughter and clinks of glasses echoing around us, until her mom pulls her into the midst of her extended family from Maine.
Their dad pressured Clara to cut ties with them once the company took off. But she’s slowly rebuilding those bridges. Letting her kids reconnect with the people they were kept far away from. And by the looks of it, it’s working. Awkward smiles turn to full-blown laughter.
I let her be and decide to hunt down Logan. Just to see how long I can poke the bear before he snaps.
The party’s still in full swing, hours later. I’ve danced. Learned more local gossip from Martha than I wanted. I’ve eaten too much, chatted up all the aunts, and played with all the kids.
There is only one thing I want now.
And I’m not wasting another second without her.
I spot Jackie chatting with Walker. I stride over and plaster her to my side, as he’s showing her a video of an adorable boy having the best time of his life being chased by a goose.
“Sorry, emergency. Gotta steal her.” I shrug.
“What happened?” Jackie asks, looking frantically around the party.
He pockets his phone, smirking. “Don’t let me keep you.”
I tug her away, out of the tent, down the flagstone path.
“Did they drop the cake?” she pants behind me. “Tell me!”
