"We're personas non grata at sixteen paddleboat establishments across the region," Craig bellowed. "We have to keep finding new places to visit because nobody will rent to us anymore! En guard!" He put on a burst of speed and rushed toward Luke, only to have Sabrina crash between them and suddenly go flying into the water. Luke cried an objection, but she surfaced, giggling, and waved frantically at him.
"I was never gonna be the last one in! Take him! Get that crown!"
Luke gave a cheerful yell and did as he was told, plowing toward Craig as fast as his legs could paddle him. They ended up more or less arm wrestling one another, trying to throw each other into the water, with the whole crew cheering for one or the other of them. Just as Luke thought he was going to lose, Craig shifted his weight wrong and all at once Luke had the leverage he needed to throw the other man in the water. A huge, laughing shout went up, everyone applauding.
Luke, feeling selfless in his victory, helped Craig back into his paddleboat just as the paddleboat owners arrived to furiously order them back to shore. They were actually fined for misbehavior, and Luke valiantly insisted on paying Sabrina's fine for her, although she gave him a hard look that said she'd be paying him back later. Everyone was exhausted and laughing on the drive back into Vegas proper, and Luke said, "I hope you don't mind me saying this is a lot more wholesome than I expected a Vegas wedding weekend to be," to Craig and Mindy.
"I would have thought Sabrina would have told you what to expect."
"I didn't," Sabrina said sleepily from beside Luke. "I thought he should have the chance to make his own decisions about who you all were."
Mindy, in the driver's seat, eyed Luke in the rear-view mirror. "Yeah? And do we pass muster?"
"Obviously," Luke said, amused. "Do I?"
A bit grudgingly, Mindy said, "You're putting in a good performance so far," and Craig gave her a fond, and fondly exasperated, look.
"That's her way of saying you seem great."
"It's my way of saying he's putting on a good show!"
Craig mouthed, "You're great," at Luke, who laughed as Sabrina leaned over against him and tucked her arm around his arm. He turned his head to kiss her hair without thinking, smiling at her sweet scent, even if it was dampened by the lake water they'd all been swimming in.
"Youaregreat," she told him. "My actual hero, taking the crown for Team Sabrina for the first time ever."
"Right.Isthere a crown?"
"It's back at the hotel," Jan said from the back seat. "We learned not to bring it with us because of the whole 'getting thrown out' thing. The crowning ceremony will be at the rehearsal dinner tonight."
"What do you do on trips where there is no rehearsal dinner?" Luke asked, genuinely interested.
"We crown the winner over the campfire with roasted marshmallows, or whatever we've got going on," Derek said. "It's a flexible ceremony."
Luke, heartfelt and suddenly almost wistful, said, "Amazing. I hope I'll be there for a lot of them."
Mindy's gaze flickered to him in the mirror again. "Why wouldn't you?"
"I guess it depends on whether Sabrina decides to keep me." He said it lightly, but his heart ached at the idea she might not.
Mindy's eyes narrowed. "Why wouldn't she?"
"Oh my God, Min," Sabrina said. "We've been dating for less than two months. He could turn out to never empty the dishwasher."
"I'll load it, though," Luke said swiftly, and Sabrina laughed.
"Oh. Right, yeah, no, never mind, I'm keeping him. Lots of crowning ceremonies in our future. At least until we get kicked out of every paddleboat company in the country."
As Luke's heart leaped, Craig lifted a fist to the air and intoned, "Goals!"
Beneath everybody's laughter, Sabrina murmured, "Guess you're stuck with me for a while."
Luke tightened his arm around her shoulders, promising, "I can't think of anybody I'd rather be stuck with," while his rabbit cheered in triumph.
Not so fast,Luke told his rabbit reluctantly.It's just a thing people say. And I still have to tell her the truth about me.
She means it!She's our fated! mate! She means it even if she doesn't know she means it!
Luke didn't doubt the rabbit, or his own feelings, and yet until the truth was out and everything was settled, all he could say was,I hope so.
